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Gladiator mechs battle for fame and cash in Heavy Gear Arena

Nils “Deadeye” Alrik just lost contact with his sole remaining teammate. He knows there are at least two members of the Northern Reapers team still active, and he’s low on ammo. Luckily, his Crusader IV is equipped with a sword. He spots the Reapers standing too close together, so he charges forward and strikes with…

io9 Ed Grabianowski - Robot Viking Dec 3

Thanks Google, For the Free, Unusable Wi-Fi on Planes This Holiday

Did you know Virgin, Delta and AirTran has free Wi-Fi on their planes this holiday season? If you didn’t, the flight attendants will tell you when you board—which is bad for those who actually need to use the Wi-Fi. You see, I’m on a plane right now to NYC. Normally I’d pay the $9 (then…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Five comic book characters whose movies should be rated R

No matter what Rob Liefeld thinks, we’re not sure that Deadpool needs an R rating. But there are some characters we’re dying to see in salty, untamed R-rated action. Here are five comic-book heroes whose movies shouldn’t be for kids. 1. Green Arrow So. Much. Sex. So much sex, and so much idealistic political discussion,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Dec 3

Gadget Deals of the Day

Grab some deals on a 42″ Vizio LCD HDTV, a 1TB External Hard Drive, and even a few free Greatful Dead tracks. All that, and more, inside! Top Deals: • 42″ Vizio E420VA LCD HDTV for $479.99 plus free shipping (normally $589) • 1TB Fantom GreenDrive GD1000EU External Hard Drive for $49.99 plus free shipping…

Tech News Adam Harris Dec 3

Don’t Worry, the Balloon Bench Won’t Float Out of Your House

Japanese design firm h220430’s whimsical Balloon Bench isn’t exactly traditional. But it looks a whole lot more fun to sit on than your average sofa—even if the balloons aren’t real. Or, have some drinks and pretend you’re floating. The bench’s trick is a little less graceful than actual levitation—the plastic “balloons” would have to be…

Tech News Sam Biddle Dec 3

The mysterious X particle might solve the mysteries of matter

Physics is still grappling with two basic questions about the nature of matter: why is there more matter than antimatter, and where and what is all the dark matter? Meet the hypothetical X particle, the potential answer to both questions. To quickly review these two mysteries, we know from the observed gravitational effects on visible…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 3

App of the Day: Axe in Face for iPhone

Today’s App of the Day: Axe in Face, an addictive game in which an adorable but vexed viking defends his daffodils from a horde of encroachers. By heaving his battle axe at their heads. What is it? Axe in Face, iPhone, $1. A maddeningly simple game in which you play as a viking defending his…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Dec 3

Prepare to count the shadows again: Final Doctor Who Adventure Game coming for Christmas!

Christmas is looking like… well, Christmas, for Doctor Who fans. Not only do we get the new Christmas special, featuring Dumbledore meeting the Doctor, but we also get the final installment in the Adventure Games, featuring a returning enemy. The BBC announced that the fouth and final one of its video games tying in with…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Dec 3

Hunting Child Pornographers With a 1.8 Petaflop Supercomputer

Bad news, child pornographers: you’re now being hunted by a supercomputer. Over the course of the next year, one million processing hours on Jaguar, Oak Ridge Labs’ 1.8 petaflop supercomputer, will be dedicated to ferreting out child porn’s loathsome producers. Overwhelmed with the prospect of ferreting out child pornographers on a big, sick internet with…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Dec 3

Liefield’s rebuke of PG-13 Deadpool is angry, testicle-oriented

Should the Deadpool movie be PG-13 or R? We all have strong opinions on the subject of just how outrageous the Merc with a Mouth should be allowed to get. But not as strong as the character’s creator, Rob Liefeld. Comic book fans have a possessive relationship with their favorite character. They know exactly what…

Movies Esther Inglis-Arkell Dec 3

They all lived together in a crooked little house

San Franciscans will tilt their heads and recognize this as home sweet home. Photographer Håkan Dahlström tilted his camera until the surface of a hill appears level, and the house climbing that hill juts sideways into the sky. Via BoingBoing.

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Dec 3

Retro Video Phones Gallery

The 1972 videophone imagined in 1922. [Oobject] In the 1950s, they envisioned shopping by TV. [Oobject] Circa 1964 Giant Videophone from Toshiba. [Oobject] 1960s Hughes Products Videophone concept. [Oobject] The videophone as imagined by George du Maurier for Punch in 1878. [Oobject] The Ericsson videophone, 1969, being used by the Swedish Prime Minister, who is…

Tech News Christina Bonnington Dec 3

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Is Not Accused of Rape (Updated)

This article has been superseded by new charges on rape released by the Swedish authorities. You can read the charges here. The article is provided as it was published, based on the original reports by the Daily Mail and AOL News.—JD Note to the foxy patriots who want the head of WikiLeak’s Julian Assange on…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Dec 3

Are online fiction magazines finally getting more respect?

Two anthologies of the year’s best science fiction and fantasy released their tables of contents — and a large number of the stories came from online magazines, plus anthologies of original fiction. Bad news for the print magazines? A couple years ago, we noticed that Gardner Dozois’ Year’s Best anthology had a high number of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Dec 3

Arid Egyptian desert was once home to mega-lake teeming with life

For years, fish fossils have turned up in the deserts of western Egypt, and nobody could explain why. Now we know: Long ago, the Egyptian desert was home to a body of water the size of Lake Michigan. As the home to one of the world’s most ancient civilizations, the Egyptian environment can seem almost…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 3

Have Yourself a Very Star Warsy Christmas

Are you still making snowflakes like a five year old? Use some of the force this Christmas with some homemade paper snowflakes featuring the very festive faces of Darth Vader and Boba Fett/clone troopers. [Instructions via Geekologie]

Tech News Kat Hannaford Dec 3

Should I Buy a TV Online or In-Person?

The season is upon us! TV-buying season, that is. But before you welcome a flat panel of joy into your home, you’ve got to make a choice: buy online, or buy off? Here’s how to make the right choice. Where are the best deals? Generally speaking? On the Internet. And I’m not talking about podunk,…

Television John Herrman Dec 3

10 Recent Science Fiction Books That Make Great Gifts

Give someone a whole new world for the holidays this year! Here are 10 recent science fiction books that’ll make terrific gifts — each with a wildly different take on the genre, so there’s something for everyone. Redemption in Indigo, by Karen Lord (Small Beer Press) In this retelling of a Senegalese folktale, an abusive…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta Dec 3

The Life and Times of a Colombian Cocaine Submarine Captain

Gustavo Alonso was the captain of a cocaine submarine based in Colombia, until he was arrested at sea with 3.5 tons of coke on board. He soon realized that solitary confinement in prison was better than working for the cartels. German weekly Der Spiegel interviewed “Alonso,” who spoke on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons.…

Tech News Jeff Neumann Dec 3

Mercury pollution is making male birds mate with each other

White ibises have experienced a huge drop in their reproductive rate, and mercury contamination was a prime suspect. But nobody expected pollution to alter the birds’ sexual preference, as the male ibises were actually nesting with each other. This is the first time researchers have observed birds altering their courtship behaviors so drastically due to…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 3

Gladiator mechs battle for fame and cash in Heavy Gear Arena

Thanks Google, For the Free, Unusable Wi-Fi on Planes This Holiday

Five comic book characters whose movies should be rated R

Gadget Deals of the Day

Don’t Worry, the Balloon Bench Won’t Float Out of Your House

The mysterious X particle might solve the mysteries of matter

App of the Day: Axe in Face for iPhone

Prepare to count the shadows again: Final Doctor Who Adventure Game coming for Christmas!

Hunting Child Pornographers With a 1.8 Petaflop Supercomputer

Liefield’s rebuke of PG-13 Deadpool is angry, testicle-oriented

They all lived together in a crooked little house

Retro Video Phones Gallery

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Is Not Accused of Rape (Updated)

Are online fiction magazines finally getting more respect?

Arid Egyptian desert was once home to mega-lake teeming with life

Have Yourself a Very Star Warsy Christmas

Should I Buy a TV Online or In-Person?

10 Recent Science Fiction Books That Make Great Gifts

The Life and Times of a Colombian Cocaine Submarine Captain

Mercury pollution is making male birds mate with each other

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