Latest

Well it looks like The Onion’s Twitter feed got hacked today by the Syrian Electronic Army, although the only dead give-away when a satirical site like that gets hacked is that their fake news stop being funny. Sounds like it’s finally time for Twitter to start using that two-factor authentication system.

Scientists combine bird and swine flus to create mutant airborne virus

Researchers in China have created a batch of designer viruses by selectively combining genes from the H5N1 bird flu virus with those of the H1N1 swine flu strain. This reassortment process — which can happen naturally in nature — resulted in several hybridized strains that were able spread through the air and infect mammals. There…

The 10 Most Useful LEGO Bricks

These are the exciting bricks that open up whole new possibilities in LEGO building. In my experience, the most useful bricks are those that change the direction of the studs or give fine detailing to models. It seems like no matter how many of these bricks I have, they’re never enough. Warren Elsmore has been…

The Absolute Cutest Dog Cosplay of All Time

This is amazing. British fans proved that they’re still completely bonkers, with this parade of canine cosplay. Including a Superman dog, a Darth Vader dog… and a totally adorable dog cosplaying as K-9, the robot dog from Doctor Who. (Awwwwww.) These photos come via Jordan Mansfield at Getty Images, who writes: “Enthusiasts gathered at the…

Ride Along With an Icebreaker’s Two Month Journey In Just Five Minutes

You wouldn’t think that anyone would ever refer to Antarctica as being beautiful, would you? After all, it’s just a massive expanse of ice and snow, right? Well, somehow marine scientist Cassandra Brooks found a way to make it stunning with this gorgeous two-month time-lapse captured aboard the icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. In just five…

This week’s DVDs double your pleasure with two new Fringe sets

So we all know in the parallel universe, Fringe wasn’t canceled and the final season isn’t coming out today, right? Stupid parallel universe. You already have giant airships, why couldn’t you at least have given us more Fringe? • Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season The Fringe team heads to the Observer-ruled future in this final…

Criminals Can Now Make Unregistered Guns With One Mouse Click

This can make the entire gun control debate pointless: student/inventor Cody Wilson has successfully designed and tested a pistol that can be easily downloaded through the internet and made into reality using a cheap 3D plastic printer by anyone. One push of a button and bang, you are done. It’s called The Liberator and it…

The Most Crowded Part of the Whole World Fits in This One Small Circle

East Asia is a crowded place. The crazy-cramped architecture of locales like Hong Kong gives you an idea. But this image posted to Reddit by valeriepieris puts that population consolidation in a whole new light. And for the most part, it seems pretty accurate. Of course, it’s all a bit more complicated than this visualization…

The Secrets of Star Trek Into Darkness‘ Future Cities

One of the most striking things in Star Trek Into Darkness is its depictions of the future versions of London and San Francisco, centuries from now. The film’s designers and visual effects people didn’t just create brand new cityscapes from scratch, they re-engineered the existing spaces, as our exclusive interview excerpt shows. Issue #45 of…

Concept Art shows off Darren Aronofsky’s Batman movie that never was

Batman: Year One was supposed to be Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky’s, big superhero project. Unfortunately the project got scrapped in favor of Nolan’s Batman Begins. But new concept art shows the Lincoln Continental Batmobile that never was. UPDATED. Why did this movie die out? Perhaps because the script (penned by Paul Dini) re-wrote the…

Miller Lite Redesigns the Longneck for the First Time in 40 Years

With the help of design firm 4sight, Miller Lite is changing the look of its iconic glass bottle for the first time in 40 years. On the left is your old faithful longneck. On the right is what you’ll be imbibing at bars and restaurants this summer. The new bottle is more modern, has broader…

You can now 3D-print a fully operational handgun

A plastic gun made on a 3D printer has been successfully fired. What’s more, its developer has released the blueprints online, meaning anyone with the right 3D printer can create a gun of their own, right in their living room. Say hello to the dark side of the maker movement. This past weekend (May 4),…

The Real-Life Tony Starks Behind Iron Man 3‘s Amazing Armor

For as advanced and as lifelike as CGI effects have become over the last decade, physical props are still the bedrock of modern special effects—especially in movies about a guy in a robotic suit. Gizmodo recently sat down with two of Iron Man 3’s effects masters, Shane Patrick Mahan and Lindsay MacGowan of Legacy Effects,…

A Navy Drone Completed One of the Most Difficult Landings Possible

This may look like your average, everyday X-47B drone landing, but the feat in the video above is actually evidence of something far more impressive. Over the weekend, this automated flying beast successfully performed a simulated aircraft carrier landing. Meaning that some day soon, our Navy could actually deploy and operate drones from the sea.…

Is Game of Thrones all about the war between Varys and Littlefinger?

Varys and Littlefinger may seem to be minor players — but the maneuverings of the noble families of Westeros often seem to come back to their ongoing chess game. Also, in last night’s Game of Thrones, Varys and Littlefinger articulate two very different philosophies, which help illuminate the divided loyalties you’re seeing all over. Spoilers…

The World’s Thinnest Coke Machine Can Slide Under Your Bed

Coca-Cola promotes its Diet Coke as the perfect soft drink for those looking to keep a slim figure. And to further drive that point home, the sugar water empire teamed up with Ogilvy & Mather Paris to create the Slender Vender—the world’s thinnest vending machine. Barely wider than a single can of Diet Coke, the…

The Real Reason Readers Might Love a Book that You Find Fatally Flawed

Apocalypse Ocean author Tobias Buckell has a great blog post about the problem with book bloggers and reviewers who’ve read too much of a single genre, to the point where they see nothing but cliches and flaws. Including this amazing quote about remembering why readers actually love books, which is making the rounds on Tumblr.…

Have you heard of this erotic science fiction novel from the 1970s?

You know when you really want to find a wonderfully naughty novel you read when you were a teenager, but you just can’t think of the name or author? One io9 reader desperately needs your help to track down a long-lost (but beloved) erotic scifi novel. This reader writes in to say: My wife recently…

One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Salmon Leather Chair

Salmon leather is a dyeable textile made from the skin of—you guessed it—salmon. It’s usually discarded, but designer Javier Ramirez slapped it on an angular frame of Lenga wood to make the 2R armchair. Named for its R-shaped supports, the 2R chair is elegant and sustainable. Its salmon leather cushion and and Lenga wood structure…

$6 Million In Luxury Cars Destroyed By “Iron Man”

Fictional superhero Tony Stark has destroyed nearly $6 million worth of luxury cars, military HumVees and Grand Prix racers during his four movie adventures, according to Jalopnik. With Iron Man 3 doing a record $175 million opening weekend—second only to 2012’s The Avengers—the wanton destruction of so many fancy cars is likely the last of…