Latest

Short film: Why the corporate world is better suited for masochists 

This hilarious short film by creative agency Studio Hansa shows a regular day in a corporate office. A place where everybody seems to be waiting for an opportunity to hurt you in the most sadistic way. Sometimes it really feels that way. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Two LG Factory Workers Die in Nitrogen Leak

The Korea Herald reports that two workers have died and four been injured during a nitrogen leak at an LG Display factory in the South Korean city of Paju. The incident occurred while the workers carried out regular repairs on the ninth floor of the factory, which sits 25 miles north of Seoul. One worker…

Ancient Japanese technique to make wood buildings is a pleasure to watch

Japanese carpenters are famous for their elaborate joining techniques that put their wooden constructions among the most durable in the world. These videos show how this neat ancient technique works. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Report: The FBI Oversaw the NSA’s Email Surveillance 

A newly declassified Justice Department report shows that the FBI has had a leading role in the NSA’s email surveillance program. The 231-page report, obtained by the New York Times, explains that “in 2008… the F.B.I. assumed the power to review email accounts the N.S.A. wanted to collect through the “Prism” system.” It also developed…

As the Italian astronaut bid Twitter a goodnight yesterday, this was her view from bed. Not bad, eh? [Sam Cristoforetti]

Samsung Galaxy A7: A Thin, Sleek Octo-Core Android

Samsung has just announced the latest in its A series of phones, the A7—and this one might be worth taking seriously. One of Sammy’s slimmest ever, it’s sleek metallic body houses an eight-core slab of silicon. Admittedly, the earlier A3 and A5 phones weren’t much to write home about. But the new A7 features a…

Born Under A Bad Sun: Solar Activity Blamed For Much Shorter Lifespans  

New research suggests a surprising factor in human longevity. A look at 200 years of birth records found that high solar activity in a person’s birth year was correlated with a five-year reduction in lifespan. Image credit: Sun Spot by Marsel Minga/flickr/CC By 2.0 Researchers studied more than 9,062 Norwegian births from 1676 to 1878,…

Watch the House of Cards Season 3 Trailer

The third season of House of Cards will be out on February 27th, and Netflix has just released the first trailer. Things look to be getting… tense. “We’re murderers, Francis,” Claire says at one point, and nobody seems to be relaxing over the fact. Incidentally, the trailer’s set to a song called “Counting bodies like…

Batman v. Superman Will Be Only One Film After All

Even though rumors last week suggested that DC and Warner Bros.’s epic next film might in fact be split into two films, Henry Cavill has put that rumor to bed. So, no, Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice, while having enough title for two films, will only be one. Even at the time, it seemed…

Brand New Concept Art of Back to the Future Part II‘s 2015 Technology

2015 is both the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future and the year that Marty McFly traveled to in Back to the Future Part II. Which means that a lot of this year will be devoted to questions about whether or not the film’s predictions have come true. Questions made easier by this new…

You Can Watch So Many Great Classic Films on Amazon Instant Right Now

I’m a sucker for classic films, for the days when CGI was pure fiction, and films had to work with technological limitations and rely on, you know, like acting and cinematography and stuff. Call me crazy! And for 2015, Amazon has just added three of my favorites to their instant streaming roster: Breakfast at Tiffany’s,…

Silver Jews: “Suffering Jukebox”

So, I really like the Silver Jews, the David Berman-led side project that sprung forth from the creative genius of Pavement. But it was also something completely different, and with news that the band might be returning this week, I could barely contain my excitement. This is an example of me barely containing excitement. So…

If This Doesn’t Sell You On Episode VII‘s New Lightsaber, Nothing Will

When the new crossguard lightsaber showed up in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, many regarded it with scorn. Stephen Colbert was quick to come to the weapon’s defense, but a lot of people still doubted its practicality. What we really needed was a demonstration. Now we’ve got one – and it’s pretty convincing.…

What Tech Are You Most Excited For in 2015?

We’re only 11 days, and if rumors are only half true, we’re in for quite a year! That new HTC One M9, Hima, or whatever they’re going to call it looks like it could be a beast. Windows 10 is (hopefully) going regenerate Windows’ half-dead corpse. A Macbook with no USB ports? What? Yeah, so…

The CW Renews 8 Shows For 2015-2016 – Plus, Our First Look At iZombie!

The CW announced a trove of series renewals today, including a fourth season for Arrow and a second season for The Flash. The network also released is midseason premiere schedule – AND A TRAILER FOR iZombie! REJOICE! Right off the bat, here’s are first look at iZombie, which is slated to premiere March 17th: The…

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

Health tracking and data tracking. These seem to be the two big themes concerning our six favorite apps of the week. But all these apps take different approaches, whether focusing on any kind of athletes, calorie counting, digitizing your paper files or just simply keeping tabs on your day-to-day goings on. Let’s take a look.…

Report: Google Translate Is Getting Upgraded To Take on Skype

According to The New York Times, Google isn’t going to let Skype runaway with all the high-tech, language barrier-smashing fun. An upcoming update will allow the app to auto-recognize popular languages and translate them into text in real time. In addition, Google Translate will also let you take snapshots of signs or menus or whatever,…

What’s The Difference Between An Outbreak And An Epidemic?

More than 8,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa since February 2014 and it has spread beyond the three countries initially affected. So, it’s an epidemic, right? Or is it an outbreak? Photo Credit: Bobby Yip/Reuters What about H1N1? The 2009 pandemic infected people around the world. But, so did the SARS epidemic…

I Wish This Doom Toaster Hack Was Real

Did you know that you can hack toasters to play Doom? Well, with this four-minute clip of hacker fiction you can! Posted via YouTube by Vexel, this astute programmer defies logic and logic boards to get all of his Oster and Hamilton Beach toasters hacked into a gaming rig for a quick session of Doom.…

Here Are Three Variations On A Classic Puzzle – Can You Solve Them All?

I’ve always enjoyed water-distribution puzzles. They are simple in structure and usually straightforwardly posed, but their plain presentation belies their challenging nature. Here are three classic variations on the theme to wrap your head around. Sunday Puzzle(s) #15: Pouring And Partitioning Water I. You are handed two water glasses. The smaller glass can hold exactly…