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3M’s Silicon Anodes Could Boost Gadget Battery Life by 40 Percent

Graphite is a common choice for anodes in Li-Ion battery systems but doesn’t store much charge for its bulk. However, 3M’s newly-devised electrode could boost battery life and replace the soft-carbon material for good. 3M’s new anodes are made of silicon-lithium alloy that promise a 20-percent increase in energy density when used with conventional cathodes.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Apr 5 '12

Hunting Weed, Inventing Love, and Snoop Dogg Has The Single Best Idea of All Time (NSFW)

Roll that spliff phatly, pack some fresh ice into the binger, and set the Volcano to “toastify.” It’s time for tonight’s Stoner Channel. We’ve collected our best high-times material for the discerning pothead so sit back, relax, and pass that shit on the left, yo. Only two words can describe tonight’s submission of Kolossus from…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Apr 5 '12

Legendary Music Blogger Sean Adams on ‘Slow Death of MP3 Blogging’

MP3 bloggers were the revolutionaries of music criticism, taking on established outlets like Rolling Stone and Spin by being faster, cooler, and more musical – in that they could embed what they were talking about. Readers could hear it for themselves as they read the blog, rather than looking for it on Napster or waiting…

Tech News Eliot Van Buskirk - Evolver.fm Apr 4 '12

In 1940, The Franklin Institute announced armageddon as an April Fools’ joke

There are brilliant advertising campaigns, and then there are excellent ways to lose your job in public relations. This is an example of the latter. On March 31, 1940, the Franklin Institute declared that the world was ending as a promotion for their new planetarium show on cosmic apocalypses. To advertise this exhibit, Franklin Institute…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 4 '12

Wooden Floppy Disk Coasters Are Nostalgic Coffee Table Savers

Floppy disks might not be good for storing your data anymore, but they’re still good for protecting your coffee table from pesky rings left by a sweaty can of beer. These wooden floppy disk coasters are the perfect way to honor the memory of this now-obsolete piece of tech while you enjoy a cold beverage.…

Tech News Leslie Horn Apr 4 '12

Is It Easier for a Kid to Land a Skateboard 1080?

A 12 year-old skater, Tom Schaar, recently becamethe first person to ever land a 1080 on a skateboard. It’s an impressive feat, which made some people wonder if it wasn’t easier because Schaar is a kid. Our friends at Wired examine the question. https://gizmodo.com/megaramps-suck-but-this-first-ever-skateboard-1080-is-5897790 The 1080 (which is short for 1080° – just to be…

Tech News Rhett Allain - Wired Apr 4 '12

Picture of the Day: April 4, 2012

Red Earth | Tens of billions of Earthlike planets orbit red dwarf stars in our galaxy. Scientists who recently completed a star survey estimate that about 41% of red dwarf stars have super-Earths orbiting at a distance at which surface water would be liquid. This includes includes Gliese 667 Cc (illustrated here by Ron Miller),…

io9 Annalee Newitz Apr 4 '12

Science: Sorry! Online Dating Is Bullsh*t

For those of you hoping the internet would prevent a lifetime of isolation, some bad news: online dating is a lie, according to Smart Scientists. The good news is it still sort of works by accident, and might cause sex! The apocalyptic new study, reviewing an enormous body of evidence as to what makes us…

Tech News Sam Biddle Apr 4 '12

The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Libertarians

Science fiction features lots of characters who find their own way in the universe, regardless of what megacorps or governments try to tell them. So it’s not surprising that one of the best ways to find some of the most exciting new reads is to pay attention to the Prometheus Awards for the best libertarian…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Apr 4 '12

NSFW: Take Your Hands off Your Phone and on Your Penis

Here’s one way to reduce testicular cancer: make people choose between using a BlackBerry and examining their balls to prevent death. The choice should be clear! Not that any of you need any more encouragement to stick your hand down your pants, but this Peruvian ad campaign is pretty stellar. There’s no better way to…

Tech News Sam Biddle Apr 4 '12

Do You Care How Ugly the Google Glasses Are?

The internet, it is divided! Some people are disgusted by the Google Glass look—it is pretty goddamn nerdy. On the other hand, if it actually works as well as that snazzy demo video, does it even matter? https://gizmodo.com/google-glasses-first-look-would-you-wear-these-augment-5899091 Yes and no! Presumably, Google’s computer glasses will have to look at least not-stupid enough for you…

Tech News Sam Biddle Apr 4 '12

Star Wars condoms will protect your lightsaber

Nothing says sexy like quoting Boba Fett right before you make the beast with two backs! It’s Star Wars condoms. And boy, do we really hope these are real. Check them out, each jimmy hat has its own special line from the movie. Plus no Hayden Christensen, the ultimate mood killer. Discovered over at Behance…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 4 '12

Some of the Coolest Future Cityscapes We’ve Seen in Ages

Concept artist Josh Kao has worked on X-Men First Class and Halo 4, but we really love is some of his designs of futuristic cities. His cityscapes have the shininess, and the attention to detail, that make city concept art so amazing. Check out some of our favorite cityscapes from Kao — plus some of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 4 '12

Phones Were More Interesting in 1979

Sure, most of the handsets in this Bell advertisement are pretty hideous—but it was the late 70s, man. These were hideous times. And besides, I’ll take the wacky “Sculptura” and “Stowaway” over today’s sea of black blech rectangles. Would we buy any of these phones, even if we still had a landline? No—the “Early American”…

Tech News Sam Biddle Apr 4 '12

One of the Most Well-Preserved Woolly Mammoths We’ve Ever Found

Rarely do researchers encounter a woolly mammoth that is as perfectly preserved as the one you see here; recently discovered entombed in the arctic steppes of Siberia, the juvenile mammoth (which has been named “Yuka”) has been so well protected throughout the millenia that its foot pads and hair are still intact. What’s more, researchers…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Apr 4 '12

Snow White and the Huntsman clothing line will make you look Dopey

Nothing says gritty, bloodthirsty fantasy, like jewelry shopping on the Home Shopping Network. This year’s edgier fairy-tale movie Snow White and the Huntsman has partnered with HSN to bring us all fancy jewelries and clothes ripped from the backs of Snow White and her huntsman. Take a look at some of the strange Claire’s-accessories-channeling wares…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 4 '12

Watch a Nikon D4 Shutter Fire at 1000 fps

The new Nikon D4 DLSR is a beast. Its fires off 11 shots per second with gusto. The inner workings of such a task are hard to appreciate with the naked eye. But if you have a Phantom camera, your eye is considerably less naked. In this video, enthusiasts Jason Kolsch and Jayson Jordon used…

Tech News Michael Hession Apr 4 '12

The 1960 patent for the “pink slime” process

I keep reading articles that make it sound like the process to create so-called “pink slime” was invented in the 1990s. The process dates back to at least 1960, as evidenced by the patent filed by Chicago meatpacker Armour and Company on April 5, 1960 and approved in 1962. Patent 3,062,655 was initially intended to…

Tech News Matt Novak Apr 4 '12

Holy crap, this Martian dust devil is enormous

Remember a few weeks ago when astronomers spotted that “ghostly snake” of a twister creeping its way across the face of Mars? Well, the windstorm featured up top makes that other storm look like an adorable little dust-up. On March 14th, NASA’s powerful HiRISE camera spied this Martian dust devil winding its way over the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Apr 4 '12

Ghostly Neon Skeleton Is a Macabre Addition To Your Man Cave

A glowing neon Budweiser sign helps set a festive mood in your man cave. Unless you’re going for more of a goth-like feeling of despair and hopelessness. In that case you’ll totally want Eric Franklin’s glowing skeleton sculpture hanging over your bar. Representing over 1,000 hours of labor, Eric had to ensure that every single…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Apr 4 '12

3M’s Silicon Anodes Could Boost Gadget Battery Life by 40 Percent

Hunting Weed, Inventing Love, and Snoop Dogg Has The Single Best Idea of All Time (NSFW)

Legendary Music Blogger Sean Adams on ‘Slow Death of MP3 Blogging’

In 1940, The Franklin Institute announced armageddon as an April Fools’ joke

Wooden Floppy Disk Coasters Are Nostalgic Coffee Table Savers

Is It Easier for a Kid to Land a Skateboard 1080?

Picture of the Day: April 4, 2012

Science: Sorry! Online Dating Is Bullsh*t

The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Libertarians

NSFW: Take Your Hands off Your Phone and on Your Penis

Do You Care How Ugly the Google Glasses Are?

Star Wars condoms will protect your lightsaber

Some of the Coolest Future Cityscapes We’ve Seen in Ages

Phones Were More Interesting in 1979

One of the Most Well-Preserved Woolly Mammoths We’ve Ever Found

Snow White and the Huntsman clothing line will make you look Dopey

Watch a Nikon D4 Shutter Fire at 1000 fps

The 1960 patent for the “pink slime” process

Holy crap, this Martian dust devil is enormous

Ghostly Neon Skeleton Is a Macabre Addition To Your Man Cave

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