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A Look At How Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot Changed The World

The lovely folks at StarshipSofa have started a new video podcast on YouTube called StarshipSofa HQ, looking at great books and authors in science fiction. One of their first episodes is a look at Isaac Asimov’s classic story collection I, Robot. Other episodes look at Alfred Bester, One Hit Wonders, and a bunch of other…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders May 19 '15

Star Wars Sequel Writer Teases The Return Of Lando Calrissian

Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan is probably best known for The Empire Strikes Back, but he’s also co-written The Force Awakens and is rumored to be working on the scripts for Episodes VIII and IX, too. So when Kasdan says Lando’s story might not be over, it’s worth paying attention to. Kasdan teased Lando’s return in an…

Movies Rob Bricken May 19 '15

China Wants to Build a 3000-Mile Railway Through the Amazon

Not content with building massive new dams, railroads, and cities inside its own borders, China is backing hugely ambitious infrastructure projects all over the world. Its latest is a 3,000-mile long railway that will cut through vast swathes of the Amazon rainforest. The Guardian reports that Chinese premier Li Keqiang will advocate for the railway…

Commerce Sarah Zhang May 19 '15

The Government Uses Toxic Chemicals To Stop You Drinking Hand Sanitizer

During Prohibition, the US Government put toxic chemicals into any products that contained alcohol, just to make sure nobody would drink them. Now, Prohibition is long over… but the policy of adding poison to alcoholic products has never ended. Here are the deadly additives that are only there to keep you drinking stuff. The Aversive…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell May 19 '15

26 Amazing Photographic Negatives

Photographic negatives. They look like strange poltergeists, or an oddworld version of our earth. But as you proved for this week’s Shooting Challenge, they’re not just strange; negatives can also be beautiful. Winner: Bronzed Walking in Toronto on a break from a shoot, I had my trusty side arm with me, a Panasonic GM1, set…

Tech News Mark Wilson May 19 '15

8 Photos of Dead Celebrities That Are Totally Fake

The internet is overflowing with fake images. But who has time to debunk them all? Sadly, we do. Today we’re releasing the debut episode of our new video series Totally Fake. This week: Dead celebrities. Animated by Devin Clark

Tech News Matt Novak May 19 '15

All the Reasons People Are So Pissed About Facebook’s Internet.org

The idea sounds flat-out utopian: Free internet! For everyone! Starting in the least-connected countries! Of course, there’s a catch: Facebook’s Internet.org is helping people get online, but their online experience is then controlled by Facebook. Debate over how much Facebook’s marquee corporate responsibility crusade is tempered by plans to become a global on-ramp for all…

Social Media Kate Knibbs May 19 '15

The 10 Weirdest Things That People Once Used As Status Symbols

A visitor from 100 years ago would be confused by our selfies and our strange toys — but they would understand the need to show off. Throughout history, people have had status symbols. Sometimes, these things have been gold and jewels. But sometimes, they’re a bit weirder. Here are 10 bizarre status symbols from the…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta May 19 '15

Tuesday Game Room: The Witchering Hour Edition

Yes, it’s the week you’ve all been waiting for. Months of anticipation! Excitment! Yes! The next piece of Destiny DLC is finally out! Oh, and maybe also The Witcher 3, the latest sprawling RPG set in the world of Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels. Getting your Witching on? Come tell us in Tuesday Game Room! What…

Tech News James Whitbrook May 19 '15

Meanwhile in the Future: A Second Moon for Earth

This week on Meanwhile in the Future, we ask what would happen if Earth had a second moon. How exactly that happens I won’t reveal — you’ll have to listen! But once it does, there are some really interesting things that we might notice on Earth, from tides and the night sky, to the potential…

Space & Spaceflight Rose Eveleth May 19 '15

The Government Has a Plan to Prevent Bees From Going Extinct

A federal task force appointed last year has released its strategy to help save declining bee populations. Bees, along with other insects, bats, and birds, play an important role in agriculture by pollinating crops, but they’ve been dying off in numbers that beekeepers say aren’t economically sustainable. The task force’s plan includes guidelines from the…

Tech News Kiona Smith-Strickland May 19 '15

New Civilization: Beyond Earth Expansion Lets You Colonize Alien Oceans

Civilization: Beyond Earth—The Rising Tide expands, revises, and refines the original Civ: BE with new biomes, a brand new diplomacy system, and oceans full of resources and aliens that can be exploited and colonized. We talked with the lead designer to find out what this expansion has in store for Civ fans. In the half…

io9 Ed Grabianowski May 19 '15

This Is How You Test A Tool Before Firing It Off Into Space

Spending more time in space requires the right tools for the job — and since these tools need to stand up outside the bounds of our own atmosphere, we have to make new tools.And of course, before they go up into space, they need to be tested. Here’s how — and where — they do…

io9 Ria Misra May 19 '15

YotaPhone 2, the Dual Screen E-Ink Wonder, Is Blowing Up On IndieGoGo

The general consensus about YotaPhone, the wacky Russian smartphone with a dual LED and E-Ink screen, was simple: I’m not sure how useful it is, but I want to try that. Now the company is funding a North American run for the phone on IndieGoGo, and damn, people sure are excited about it. The second…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan May 19 '15

The Mysterious Balancing Boulders Of Rosetta’s Comet

Using the OSIRIS camera aboard the Rosetta spacecraft, ESA scientists have discovered a strange formation of what appears to be balancing boulders on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The three objects are located in the Aker region of the comet. The largest (labelled 3), which measures approximately 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter, appears to be making very…

io9 George Dvorsky May 19 '15

This Is How Valve’s Amazing Lighthouse Tracking Technology Works

Valve’s virtual reality demo at GDC was nothing short of magical—it used fancy emitter technology to let us actually walk around a demo room. It felt so real. Valve calls the tech Lighthouse, and it’s kind of genius. https://gizmodo.com/htc-vive-virtual-reality-so-damn-real-that-i-cant-even-1689396093 The main idea behind the tracking tech is pretty simple—by flooding a room with non-visible light,…

Tech News Sean Buckley May 19 '15

Marvel Finally Reveals New Details About Its Post-Secret Wars Universe

Most of Marvel Comics’ attention right now is on their ongoing gigantic Secret Wars event. We’ve known what’s ending, but what about what happens after? At last weekend’s Atlantic City Boardwalk Con, the company lifted the lid on a few of the things that will happen when the dust settles later this year. https://gizmodo.com/33-marvel-comic-series-will-end-during-secret-wars-1692374014 Some…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook May 19 '15

A GoPro strapped to chopsticks shows how fun it is to eat exotic foods

I don’t believe that Chinese food should always be eaten with chopsticks but it sure makes it fun. Or at least, strapping a GoPro onto a pair of chopsticks makes it look fun, especially when you delve into some of the funkier looking dishes. Anne-Sophie Bazard filmed her and her friends touring Beijing and eating…

Sploid Casey Chan May 19 '15

This Is The World’s Smelliest Chemical

Ever heard of thioacetone? If you live in Freiburg, Germany, you probably have. It takes a lot for people to forget a stink that once evacuated an entire city. A factory in Freiberg attempted to make thioacetone in 1889. Thioacetone is not easy to make — the compound (CH3)2CS stays liquid only at temperatures of…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell May 19 '15

Read the First Chapter of Neal Stephenson’s New Novel, Seveneves

The following excerpt is chapter one from Neal Stephenson’s new novel, Seveneves. Stephenson is also the author of the novels Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Anathem. The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason. It was waxing, only one day short of full. The time was 05:03:12 UTC. Later it would be designated…

Tech News Meg Neal May 19 '15

A Look At How Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot Changed The World

Star Wars Sequel Writer Teases The Return Of Lando Calrissian

China Wants to Build a 3000-Mile Railway Through the Amazon

The Government Uses Toxic Chemicals To Stop You Drinking Hand Sanitizer

26 Amazing Photographic Negatives

8 Photos of Dead Celebrities That Are Totally Fake

All the Reasons People Are So Pissed About Facebook’s Internet.org

The 10 Weirdest Things That People Once Used As Status Symbols

Tuesday Game Room: The Witchering Hour Edition

Meanwhile in the Future: A Second Moon for Earth

The Government Has a Plan to Prevent Bees From Going Extinct

New Civilization: Beyond Earth Expansion Lets You Colonize Alien Oceans

This Is How You Test A Tool Before Firing It Off Into Space

YotaPhone 2, the Dual Screen E-Ink Wonder, Is Blowing Up On IndieGoGo

The Mysterious Balancing Boulders Of Rosetta’s Comet

This Is How Valve’s Amazing Lighthouse Tracking Technology Works

Marvel Finally Reveals New Details About Its Post-Secret Wars Universe

A GoPro strapped to chopsticks shows how fun it is to eat exotic foods

This Is The World’s Smelliest Chemical

Read the First Chapter of Neal Stephenson’s New Novel, Seveneves

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