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Safely Explore an Erupting Volcano With This Stunning 360 Degree Interactive Video

A few days ago we posted a behind the scenes look at how the Moscow-based Airpano managed to capture some spectacular footage and imagery of the Tolbachick volcano using a flying drone. But it turns out they also had a 360 degree video camera mounted to one of their helicopters. And the footage of their…

Astronomers Say Super-Earths Are Actually Mini-Neptunes

Among the 860 exoplanets documented so far, a good portion of them are so-called super-Earths — planets that feature a mass greater than Earth’s, but lower than our solar system’s smaller gas giants, namely Uranus and Neptune (both of which are about 15 Earth masses). And as the name implies, some of these super-Earths have…

The Hidden Fractals in Jurassic Park

If you’ve ever read the Jurassic Park novel and wondered what those crazy sets of spirals were between chapters, you need to watch this video. Also: if you’ve never read the Jurassic Park novel, you need to watch this video. Tucked away in the Jurassic Park novel are a set of fractals that can be…

The first stand-alone Star Wars movie could center on Yoda

A big, fat Star Wars rumor is circling the internet about the batch of Star Wars movies Disney is cooking up. We all know that J.J. Abrams is going to direct Episode VII, but the mouse house isn’t just going to make Star Wars movies that continue on the Skywalker story. Disney has plans to…

Jon Snow explains exactly how cold it is beyond the wall (Hint: It’s freakin’ cold

Game of Thrones season 2 doesn’t come out in Blu-ray and DVD until February 19th, but here’s another quick look at one of the set’s extras: A roundtable discussion, starring at least actor Kit Harrington and producer/director David Benioff, who discuss what it was like filming the scenes in Iceland that serve as the lands…

The 128GB iPad has now hit the online Apple Store. Go get it (if you really need that storage).

Ahmadinejad wants to be the first Iranian in space

Should all go according to plan, Iran will send its first astronaut into space by 2020 and put a man on the Moon by 2025. The country certainly appears to be serious; last week they launched a monkey into low orbit and successfully retrieved it (though some now suspect that it was an elaborate hoax…

Can You Identify Kim Jong-un’s Phone?

This picture was recently released by North Korea’s state media, and it shows Kim Jong-un holding a meeting with his security advisers just last week. It also shows Kim’s phone close at hand—but can you help us work out exactly what it is? So far, a spokesman for South-Korean Samsung has distanced his company from…

In the future everything will hover and YOU WILL LOVE IT

You will be especially fond of hover Robert-Downey-Jr.-clad-in-nothing-but-an-Iron-Man-mask. Because what’s not to love about RDJ in nothing but an Iron Man mask? This short (suitably titled “The Future”) was created by London-based filmmaker and animator Alex Goddard. We like where this guy’s head’s at. More of his work here. H/T Jason Bittle

Another reason why nothing beats an astronaut

While I struggle with the moral implications of having laughed out loud at Axe Body Spray’s Super Bowl commercial, I can’t deny its essential truth: Nothing beats an astronaut. And here’s yet another reason why — because as ISS Commander Chris Hadfield demonstrates, astronauts even wash their hands in a completely badass way.

HTC Is Promising a New Smartphone Camera Experience—But What Is It?

On its website, HTC is teasing the fact that it plans to offer up a new “camera experience” when it rolls out its—as yet unannounced—new flagship handset later this month. But while that’s all HTC is saying, rumors suggest that a new three-sensor camera may be in the offing. HTC cites one of our articles…

Benedict Cumberbatch reveals why his Star Trek Into Darkness character is a frighteningly modern villain!

The Transformers 4 producer discusses Michael Bay’s future with the franchise… and, just for fun, Shia LeBeouf’s as well. Warwick Davis drops hints about Neil Gaiman’s next Doctor Who episode. Real Steel 2 might go international, while Wreck-It Ralph 2 could enlist Disney’s most famous video game character. Plus the latest Walking Dead and Supernatural…

How FedEx Has More Bandwidth Than the Internet—and When That’ll Change

If you’re looking to trasnfer hundreds of gigabytes of data, it’s still—weirdly—faster to ship hard drives via FedEx than it is to transfer the files over the internet. But why is that, and when will it change? Fortunately, Randall Munroe has tackled the question in his latest What If? post. The first part is easy…

The FAA May Let Boeing Run Dreamliner Test Flights This Week

Since Boeing’s operational 787 Dreamliners were grounded, engineers have been trying hard to solve the problem. Now, the Seattle Times is reporting that Dreamliner test flights could start as early as this week. Boeing seeks to gain additional information about the battery system during the test flights—and apparently also has a possible fix it wants…

Leaked DOJ Memo Justifies Drone Strikes on US Citizens

A leaked Justice Department white paper reveals a draft legal framework which describes in detail the targeting of American citizens by drones without due process or proof of specific intent to harm. That’s terrifying. The document, obtained by NBC News, explains that targets believed to be “senior operational leader[s] of al-Qa’ida” or an “associated force”…

The Ouya Console Will Be Available at Best Buy For $100 in June

The open source, Android-powered games console Ouya will, according to the company’s CEO Julie Uhrman, be available from Target, Best Buy, and Gamestop for $100 as of June. The console will also be sold by Amazon and through Ouya’s website. Sale of the console through major retailers will commence in June, three months after the…

I Want to Ride All These Insane Roller Coasters from the Centrifuge Brain Project

I don’t like riding roller coasters because I’m a big weenie when it comes to mechanical excitement. But I have no problem believing that I would ride these ridiculously thrilling (and totally fake) roller coasters from the Centrifuge Brain Project. The first roller coasters in the video start off harmless enough that you could believe…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Turner

Floating through dream-like landscapes, this surreal short is not the time-lapse video it first appears. In fact it’s not a video at all. Vimeo contributor Mustardcuffins overlaid, then peeled off hundreds of still images to create the serene visual effects of Turner. As more and more stills are removed, the scenes appear to fade with…

An Awesome Interactive 72,000 LED Display Is What Every Children’s Hospital Needs

This is wonderful. Jason Bruges Studio created an interactive installation that can react to touch and reveal digital animals inside a children’s hospital. It’s really clever, there are 70 LED panels with 72,000 LEDs in total hidden behind the wallpaper of the rainforest. When started, the wall makes it seem as if animals are traveling…

Are Google Ad Results Racist? (Updated)

It’s tough to imagine computers and robots and electrical wiring being racist but a Harvard study has found “significant discrimination” in advertising results depending on the perceived race of the name you search for. Names typically associated with black people produced more ads related to crime. Searches for white names would be harmless. That would…