North Korea’s aiming their test missile near Hawaii. The US military says they can protect the islands, and locals aren’t too worried, but if something happens, the thermal, shockwave and radioactive fallout will look something like this. The Carlos Labs Google Maps Mash up, which we’ve featured before, has been now updated with a simulation…
The new data and social network type gadget site, gdgt, is back up and fully operational. Here are our accounts. Add us! Brian, Jason, Wilson, Mark, Adam, Matt, John Herrman, Dan, and the Interns: Don and Quinton. [gdgt]
You fools have probably forgotten the greatness that is Alien vs. Predator. I’m here to correct that by showing you two moments in this film where asskicking reaches epic proportions, along with awesome human/Predator body-modification bonding. So this crew of dumb rich people and craven scientists hires a survival-skill expert named Alexa Woods to take…
…NASA Flashes a Full Moon…Disney Universal Buys a Piece of Another Lifeless Rock…Move Without Moving (aka How To Get Fat Fast)…iPhone Screens Fixed at a Store Near You… These beautiful hi-res shots of the Moon appeared after the camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter started shooting two days ago. On one hand, it gives me…
It’s amazing how popular the idea of roofing in an entire city was in the 20th century. The concept of one day controlling the weather was likely exciting because it meant absolute domination over nature and one’s environment. I suspect to conquer weather was the penultimate in shaping humankind’s destiny, while the ultimate was likely…
Dr. Lowry H. McDaniel of Tyronza, Ark., was a very optimistic doctor, though his ideas were certainly in line with medical futurists’ thinking of that era. The June 9, 1955 Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV) lays out his vision of the year 1999, which includes a 150 year life span, a cancer vaccine, and the complete…
Countless science fiction stories have asked the same question: What will America turn into next? The answers fall into three major categories, some more plausible than others. Take our poll to choose your favorite option. Communist Amerika Although the United States passionately feared a communist takeover, there is surprisingly little science fiction that imagines what…
Here’s what Facebook for iPhone 3.0 looks like—pretty nice. Besides the new giant button home screen, you’ll be able to actually RSVP to events and create new photo albums. No push yet, but here’s the full list: 1. The “new” News Feed 2. Like 3. Events (including the ability to RSVP) 4. Notes 5. Pages…
The Computer History Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit, pictured above, with a multimedia exhibit called “The Silicon Engine” to explain why many claim the IC as one of mankind’s greatest and most important inventions ever. Using oral histories from those who experienced the creation and development of the integrated circuit,…
We tend to take ceilings for granted, unless there’s water coming through them thanks to a careless upstairs neighbor. Deputy Dog collected ten insane architectural feats of ceiling-craft to show off the most underrated wall in the house. [Deputy Dog]
Ant colonies are often part of bigger “mega colonies” that share genetic traits and will not make war on each other. One colony got so big it now rivals the human population in its reach, covering most of the planet. According to BBC News: In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to…
Philippe Boulet’s “luminotherapy” bed is supposed to help you sleep. But since when does light shining in someone’s face help them sleep? Loaded with a variety of multicolored LEDs, you can change the hue of the luminotherapy bed with the touch of a remote. The resulting colors, such as pink, blue and green will make…
No artistic ability? Let a friendly robot force your hands into drawing a realistic self-portrait of yourself. Jen Hui Lia’s Self-Portrait Machine takes your picture and then guides your hands into drawing your own portrait. You slip your wrists and index fingers into the straps, hold a pen and the machine does the rest. It’s…
MacRumors found three interesting patents that point to various new interaction techniques. The most interesting is the fingerprint ID directly on the screen so that the iPhone can see which finger you’re using and accept gestures appropriately. The fingerprint ID also, of course, can theoretically act as a security device so that only you can…
Fantasy versions of urban life are on the rise, from a backwater, vamp-infested Louisiana town to Robert Rodiguez’s new privately-owned Black Falls. It’s time to check out our gallery of the worst fake cities on the planet. Sunnydale Location: California near Santa Barbara Where does it appear? Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe Locals: A slowly…
It would be amazing if LG could make an iPhone competitor, an Android device and a Prada III that’s one single device, but somehow I don’t think that’s what LG’s president means. In an interview for a Korean news agency, Ahn Seung-kwon says (besides the details above) that LG will make another luxury phone (unrelated…
This is why the Sonim/Land Rover S1 phone is the toughest phone yet: it can stand an elephant stomp, being run over an actual Land Rover and being tossed out of a second floor window. Plus… …it was dunked in mud, put inside a 300 degree oven, and soaked in beer. What finally did it…
Scottish sheep are shrinking! Each new generation of sheep on the Scottish island of Hirta are smaller than the last. Shorter, warmer winters, caused by climate change, are tampering with normal sheep evolution. Professor Tim Coulson, of the Imperial College London’s Life Sciences Department, sums up what exactly is happening to sheep evolution on this…
The Origins Game Fair, devoted to tabletop gaming, was held in Columbus, OH this past weekend. Along with all the dragons and elves, there were a lot of sci-fi themed games. I’ve got the lowdown for you. Virtual Worlds was on hand with a dozen MechWarrior simulator pods. These surprisingly sophisticated sims let players climb…
Car designer Harsha Vardhan has a different vision of tomorrow. While his vehicle calls for an electric engine, just like we see in cars now like the Prius or Volt, that engine drives magnetic fields, not wheels. (The magnetic fields, of course, do eventually drive the wheels forward when the energy is transferred from over…
