Latest

New Conspiracy Theory: Big Bird Has Secretly Been to Mars

Following a tweet showing a shadow that looked a bit like him on Mars, Big Bird has denied that he’s ever been to Mars. But no one was suggesting that he had. Methinks the bird doth protest too much. Here’s the semi-incriminating photo: And here’s Big Bird’s denial, only five minutes later: WHY SO QUICK…

If Only This Was a Real Twitter Error Message

Not enough tweets! Twitter will try to increase the load with Jack Dorsey. [Joy of Tech]

Recent Reports Make Machine Learning Sound Like a Sport. It isn’t

News that Baidu, the Google of China, cheated to take the lead in an international competition for artificial intelligence technology has caused a storm among computer science researchers. It has been called machine learning’s “first cheating scandal” by MIT Technology Review and Baidu is now barred from the competition. The Imagenet Challenge is a competition…

Baby Bison Sticks Out Amongst the Herd

A calf moves with a herd of bison in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. Image credit: Neal Herbert/National Parks Service — CC BY 2.0 Contact the author at [email protected].

There Is So Much Innuendo In This New Man From UNCLE Trailer

While the first trailer was heavy on the action and the odd coupledness of Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo, this new trailer is all about the double entendres. Between the agents and the civilian. Between Napoleon and the villain. Between Illya and Napoleon. “It’s in and out, no mess. And we both forget about it…

A Map Of The World’s Straightest Roads Proves The Midwest Is Really Dull

If data journalism has proved anything, it’s that you can make an interactive map of almost anything. Today’s exhibit: a map that ranks the world’s roads by bendyness, once and for all conclusively proving that the Midwest is really incredibly boring — to drive across, of course. The map was made by Rory McCann, who…

This Is Gadget Rage Taken To a Professional Level

When I get mad with technology, I generally swear a bit, write a strongly-worded letter to the offending gadget’s maker, and go and sulk with a book. Professional videographer Casey Neistatdoes none of those things. He simply smashes stuff with an ax, before calmly continuing with life. As Neistat explains in the video above, his…

Blackberry Might Be Making an Android Phone

File this one under ‘ faintly plausible rumors’, but Reuters is quoting a number of sources as saying that Blackberry is planning to launch a smartphone running Android sometime this fall. According to the report, the handset will be a slider, with a physical keyboard that folds out portrait. That sounds remarkably similar to the…

Breeding giant pandas in captivity is a challenge, and artificial insemination can make conception less of a crapshoot. But it’s easy for a few successful parents to overwhelm the breeding pool. Check out thisinfographic at the Washington Postthat shows how geneticists pick the ideal partners for their pandas. Contact the author at [email protected].

Here’s a neat new Chromecast feature: Google Slides now works with Google’s little dongle, meaning you can cast presentations wirelessly from your mobile device or the desktop. Beats lugging a 30-foot HDMI cable around with you. [Google Blog]

A Rare Glimpse Of Rapidly Pulsating Aurorae Over Iceland

Aurorae are rare. Pulsating aurorae, whose structures fade in and out of existence, are rarer, still. But rapidly pulsating aurorae, like that featured in this video by French astrophotographer Stéphane Vetter (previously), are among the least common of all. This footage is not a time-lapse; the colors in this video are flickering in real-time. Vetter…

How This Revolutionary Industrial Glass Made Its Way Into Your Kitchen

You might not know it by name, but chances are you have a Pyrex dish in your kitchen right now—most Americans probably do. A fascinating history over at Collectors Weekly traces the ubiquitous supermaterial as part of an exhibition which opened this week at the Corning Museum of Glass. Pyrex was invented in 1915 after…

Twitter and Medium Announce They’ve Invented Email

As Twitter and Medium modernize for the new age known as the third quarter of 2015, they’ve both made announcements about the astonishing new directions the companies are taking. Both will be letting users have access to something extraordinary and magically powerful. Today Twitter announced that the company would at last be relaxing its 140…

Mosquito-Sucking Drones Could Detect Outbreaks Before Anyone’s Sick

The idea that drones could provide medical care has been around practically as long as drones have existed. Microsoft is working on using drones for medical purposes, too—but long before people are ill. For the most part, the idea of using drones to help in medical emergencies means delivering supplies or direct care to patients.…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Welcome to another week of apps. Android gets a DIY smartphone kill switch, iPhones can now use one of the best photo editors ever made, and Windows Phone gets a new browser for your internet viewing pleasure. Let’s take a look. Android Flipd Sometimes, you need a break from smartphone-ing, and in a 21st-century example…

9 Misconceptions About Drones That Engineers Wish You’d Shut Up About

They’re robots. They fly. They’re watching you. And they’re increasingly found everywhere: Yup, they’re drones. You may think you know exactly what they are and what they do. You don’t. Like lots of emerging technologies, drones are often misunderstood, especially early in their existence. To help you navigate our brave new world filled with swooping,…

Watch a Boeing 787 Dreamliner takeoff almost perpendicular to the ground

Wow. Watch the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner pull off an amazing aerial display in preparation for the 2015 Air Show. You can see the big bodied jet pretend it’s like a stunt plane and basically do tricks in the air. The most impressive has to be the take off though, the jet almost immediately goes nearly…

That VR Guy Riding the Subway NOW WITH VIDEO Update: We Found Him

Earlier today, I casually posted a tweet which featured a man from the future riding the L train into Manhattan. We know he’s from the future because he’s wearing a VR headset and he’s, like, totally having a VR experience. Now, we are proud to share EXCLUSIVE VIDEO of the future. The video comes to…

The complicated and fascinating life of farming leafcutter ants

Here’s an interesting look at the life of leafcutter ants, the tiny little farmers of the world. They cut off the leaves of trees and essentially use it to farm the fungus they need to feet their little ant colony. It’s an impressive undertaking, carrying the leaves as they do is the equivalent of humans…

The First-Ever Cat Convention Pretty Much Broke the Internets

Last weekend, CatCon took the internet by storm. 10,000 people descended on the convention in L.A., which featured appearances by celebrity cats, cat-centric panels, and all the cat swag you could shake a stick with a dangling feather at. The internet’s love affair with our cat friends is long documented (and we’ve been posing cats…