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Make an Amazing Watermelon Slushy Using a Drill and a Coat Hanger

It’s summer. It’s hot. You need a drink that’s cold, refreshing, and very alcoholic. Grab a watermelon, a coat hanger, a drill, and a bottle of your favorite vodka and be prepared to absolutely crush all the other offerings at the barbecue. Thanks to our friends at Lifehacker, you now know how to make an…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jun 4 '15

SNORT Is Where NASA Engineers Destroy Next-Generation Parachutes

The fantastically-named Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track, or SNORT, is a naval facility in the heart of the Californian desert. It’s also where NASA engineers let their evil side run free by wreacking havoc on innocent objects, using a rocket sled to destroy prototype parachutes destined for Mars The Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track uses…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Jun 4 '15

Riding a motorcycle on mirrored salt flats looks like flying in the sky

Here’s an awesome video from Speed Society that shows a motorcycle riding across the world’s largest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. The ground basically mirrors the sky which makes it look like the motorcycle is just gunning it through the clouds. Not a bad way to spend a day. SPLOID is delicious…

Sploid Casey Chan Jun 4 '15

Get Lost in the Intricate Details of These Amazing Pinball Machines

You may never have noticed, but pinball machines are actually works of art. Yesterday, we featured 50 back glass masterpiecesfrom the collection of PBall Gallery, a pinball museum in Budapest, Hungary. Today, let’s look at all the incredible details of the machines themselves. PBallcontains more than 130 of these machines ranging from across the 20th…

Tech News Attila Nagy Jun 4 '15

Shimano XTR Di2 Review: Can Electronic Shifters Make Bicycles Faster?

Shimano is bringing its electronically-actuated Di2 shifter technology to mountain bikes, claiming increased reliability, faster shift speeds and improved man-machine interface. Can it really make riding a bicycle easier? We spent a day on the trail to find out. What are electronic shifters and how do they work? Let’s rewind for a second. Traditional bicycle…

Reviews Wes Siler Jun 4 '15

A $25 Blood Test Could Detect Every Virus That’s Ever Infected You

Every time a virus gets you sick, your immune system keeps a record. This essentially becomes a kill list that lets your body recognize and readily dispatch of any virus that tries to invade again. Scientists have now created $25 test blood test that prints out this list—an easy and cheap way to find out…

Health Sarah Zhang Jun 4 '15

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Game Of Bones

In this week’s Concept Art Writing Prompt, by artist Alexandra Semushina, two creatures are playing a game that doesn’t just involve strategy or luck; it also involves a bit of necromancy. What story will you write about this game, the players, and the stakes they’re playing for? Each week, we try to spark a bit…

io9 Lauren Davis Jun 4 '15

McDonald’s New Nanoblock Sets Are the Safest Things You Can Eat There

Lego is still easily the world’s most popular building toy, but Nanoblocks have gained a surprising amount of ground over the past few years, especially outside North America. That’s why McDonald’s in Hong Kong recently teamed up with it for a collection of custom food-themed sets available exclusively from its restaurants there. Each set sells…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jun 4 '15

Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 Review: Just Ignore The Word “Pro”

You want a laptop that looks nice. Asus understands that. That’s why the company has tried so hard to build a better MacBook. The ZenBook line has given birth to many beautiful, powerful, desirable machines that offer PC people a chance to preen—even when they’re surrounded by MacBooks at their local cafe. The newest addition…

Reviews K.T. Bradford Jun 4 '15

The Weirdest Fish On Earth Include Some Definite Nightmare Fuel

The oceans are full of life, including some creatures that are stranger than anything you could possibly imagine. And some of the most bizarre fish look like they belong on an alien planet… or, in some cases, in your nightmares. Here are the most demented, strangest, and most insane fish under the sea. The sarcastic…

io9 Vincze Miklós Jun 4 '15

Chrome for Android Just Got a Killer Time-Saving Search Trick

An update rolling out to Chrome on Android devices comes with a neat little search trick that lets you search for that word within the same Chrome tab. It’s called Touch to Search, and it’s bound to make the often frustrating task of mobile browsing a hair more convenient. So for example, I highlighted the…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Jun 4 '15

Why Facebook Is Evil, According To Mindblowing New Series Mr. Robot

The dark, psychological hacker drama Mr. Robot slayed audiences at South by Southwest, and now it’s become a series on USA. It’s one of those rare shows that actually seems to understand what’s corrupt and rotten at the heart of the tech industry — and wants to burn it all down. We talked to the…

Television Annalee Newitz Jun 4 '15

Hubble Images Turned 3D Are Your Best Chance To Fly Through A Nebula

The Hubble telescope has been responsible for showing us some of the universes most incredible sights. But as lovely as they are, sometimes seeing them flat just isn’t enough. Which is why we love this 3D nebula fly-by so much. Commenter Michael Lansdell (or mlwoods, as per his Kinja name) shared with us these transformed…

io9 Ria Misra Jun 4 '15

Trapped In an Elevator? In Japan, At Least You’ll Have a Toilet

You’re on an elevator. An earthquake hits. It’s scary. The power goes out, and now you’re stuck. And you gotta go, bad. Luckily, Japan is putting emergency toilets on elevators to prevent such nightmares. Japan’s infrastructure ministry and toilet companies now want to put portable loos on all lifts—as well as drinking water supplies, too.…

Tech News Bryan Lufkin Jun 4 '15

Scientists Discover New Type Of Adorable Little Frog, World Rejoices

Look at his little leg! Look at that guy holding the frog’s little leg! Awwwww! Brachycephalus, the genus that this adorable tiny frog belongs to, was first discovered in 1842, but most of its species have only been discovered pretty recently. The world was forced to wait on this frog, and six other frogs like…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Jun 4 '15

A Red Hot Knife That Toasts Bread As It Cuts Is Real and It Works

There’s a scene in the 2005 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie where a lightsaber-like bread knife is not only able to slice a loaf, it toasts it at the same time. That was done with special effects, but mad Brit inventor Colin Furze has gone and built a similar contraption in real-life, and…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jun 4 '15

This Animated Data Visualization Of World War II Fatalities Is Shocking

It’s difficult to conceptualize excessively large numbers, particularly when they pertain to human tragedies. But this highly-engaging animated data visualization by Neil Halloran makes WWII-related deaths all too comprehensible. The 15-minute video (it’s well worth the time to watch), titled “The Fallen of World War II,” is divided into three sections. The first is an…

io9 George Dvorsky Jun 4 '15

How Android Is Becoming the New Windows

It’s more nuanced than you think. Last week at Google I/O, one of the striking themes of the keynote was Sundar Pichai’s focus on Android as the future of Google. Android isn’t just the core of Google’s booming smartphone and tablet business; it’s also core to the company’s next phase, as they move into what…

Tech News Annalee Newitz Jun 4 '15

Why I Still Love ‘Dragon Age II’, No Matter What Anyone Says

Writing about terrible games that we love anyway yesterday got me thinking about one game that I hold close to my heart, despite the widespread (and not entirely unjustified) belief that it’s an awful game. That game is Dragon Age II, and despite its flaws, I absolutely love it. Welcome back to “In defense of,”…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 4 '15

Turn Any USB Port Into a Flashlight, Complete With Swipe Controls

If you take a good long look around your living room, you’ll probably be surprised at just how many electronic devices you own that have USB ports. And that’s what makes this ultra-compact flashlight so genius. Plug it into any powered USB port—whether it’s on a computer, an extension cord, or even a portable charger—and…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Jun 4 '15

Make an Amazing Watermelon Slushy Using a Drill and a Coat Hanger

SNORT Is Where NASA Engineers Destroy Next-Generation Parachutes

Riding a motorcycle on mirrored salt flats looks like flying in the sky

Get Lost in the Intricate Details of These Amazing Pinball Machines

Shimano XTR Di2 Review: Can Electronic Shifters Make Bicycles Faster?

A $25 Blood Test Could Detect Every Virus That’s Ever Infected You

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Game Of Bones

McDonald’s New Nanoblock Sets Are the Safest Things You Can Eat There

Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 Review: Just Ignore The Word “Pro”

The Weirdest Fish On Earth Include Some Definite Nightmare Fuel

Chrome for Android Just Got a Killer Time-Saving Search Trick

Why Facebook Is Evil, According To Mindblowing New Series Mr. Robot

Hubble Images Turned 3D Are Your Best Chance To Fly Through A Nebula

Trapped In an Elevator? In Japan, At Least You’ll Have a Toilet

Scientists Discover New Type Of Adorable Little Frog, World Rejoices

A Red Hot Knife That Toasts Bread As It Cuts Is Real and It Works

This Animated Data Visualization Of World War II Fatalities Is Shocking

How Android Is Becoming the New Windows

Why I Still Love ‘Dragon Age II’, No Matter What Anyone Says

Turn Any USB Port Into a Flashlight, Complete With Swipe Controls

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