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Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Adaptations Are Statistically Too Damn Long

Look, we know everyone’s been complaining about the length of the Hobbit trilogy ever since the decision to make the adaptation into 3 separate movies. And they were right to! But now we have actual statistics to show that they’re some of the most gratuitous book-to-movie adaptations ever. Data blog FiveThirtyEight took the unenviable task…

This Curiosity Image Suggests Microbial Life Once Existed On Mars

It may not look like much — just an old rock with dust on it. But after careful examination of this and other images taken of the Martian surface, a geobiologist is now claiming that these distinctive surface features could have only come from one source: microbes. This isn’t proof that life once existed on…

Razer’s Hard-To-Find Nabu Fitness Band Now Comes In a Cheaper $50 Model

The $100 Razer Nabu smartband never quite made it to market—unless you count a few thousand early adopter pre-orders here and there. But Razer’s already taking the wraps off a cheaper alternative: the $50 Nabu X. Long story short, the Nabu X ditches the screens for three red, green and blue LEDs, and the fancy…

Schlage’s Bluetooth Lock Turns Your Smartphone Into Your Front Door Key

Even if you’re the forgetful type who’s always prone to losing their keys, there’s a good chance your smartphone never gets misplaced. After all, how could you ever risk missing a single tweet or Instagram update? So Schlage is introducing a new electronic door lock called the Sense that adds Bluetooth alongside a glowing keypad…

A Smart EpiPen Case Lets Family Know You’re Having an Allergy Attack

Anyone dealing with severe allergies always carries an EpiPen. In an emergency it provides an injectable dose of epinephrine to narrow blood vessels and open airways to help minimize the dangerous symptoms of an allergy attack, and when used with the new Veta casethat’s designed to safely store the EpiPen, it can automatically let your…

The alphabet made in the style of 26 contemporary and classical artists

Here’s a beautiful video by french designers Alexis Zacchi and Federico Pelat—a brilliant typographic exercise that contains the 26 letters of the alphabet, each made in the style of contemporary and classical art masters. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

How did this black-and-white shot of a far-off star cluster transform into the full-color star explosion photo that NASA released? A series of Hubble shots goes through the processof getting their colors back in to show you how the pictures of stars, planets, and galaxies that we can’t take our eyes off of are made.

How Your Tongue Actually Can Stick to Cold Metal

In that famous scene in the movie Christmas Story, a kid “triple dog dares” another kid in the schoolyard to put his tongue on a metal flag pole to see if it will stick. Lo and behold, it sticks. The bell rings and all the kids go inside, save for the one kid whose tongue…

Here’s Why the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” Routine Actually Works

You know the routine. A tough cop berates and browbeats a suspect until his partner sends him out. The partner is reassuring, and the suspect spills his guts. But does it work? Scientists did a few rather odd experiments to find out. Fear-Then-Relief Response The Good Cop, Bad Cop routine is supposed to work, but…

What Your Smartphone Typing Says About You

And if you can do it with your eyes closed, then that probably means you need to put your phone down for a little while. [Doghouse Diaries]

Hilarious ad shows what happens when a stuntman screws up all the time

Probably inspired by the thousands of YouTube videos featuring daredevils failing in their stunts, the ad agency 303lowe created this hilarious ad for Australian insurance company Budget Direct—the story of Captain Risky and his clumsy stunts. It is brilliant. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

The U.S. Chief Technologist Uses a 2013 Dell and a BlackBerry

Megan Smith left Google last year to join the Obama administration as the U.S. chief technology officer. This woman knows her stuff: she was drafted in to help transform the digital face of government. Problem is, she has to do it with federal-approved hardware. The New York Times reportsthat Smith has had to downgrade her…

Damning Evidence That Gotham‘s Writers Belong In Arkham Asylum

Hey, you know the phrase “the inmates are running the asylum”? In response to last night’s mid-season premiere of Gotham, I’d like to suggest a change: “The inmates are somehow running a major primetime TV series.” It’s not quite as catchy, but I think it works. Hey, I’m Rob Bricken, the author of io9’s silliest…

Volkswagen has finally announced its plans for Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto. Both will work with the company’s MIB II dash electronics, and will be available in the U.S. later this year.

Tell Us The Most Fascinating Story From Your Area’s Local History 

There’s national and even global historical events that we all generally learn about, but smaller locales also have their own histories that tend to be taught only to the people that live there. Today, we want to hear your favorite stories from your area’s local history. Tell us in the comments about a piece of…

Intel is giving cheap tablets a shot in the arm with its new Cherry Trail chips. With boosts to battery life, graphics and general performance, expect the next generation of low-end slates to handle 3D gaming and high resolution video better than ever.

New Weight Loss Drug Mimics The Effects Of Eating An Entire Meal

Researchers at the Salk Institute have developed a new weight loss pill that tricks the body into believing it has consumed calories, which then triggers a fat-burning response. The compound, called fexaramine, has only been tested on obese and diabetic mice, but the results of the experiment are so promising that human trials are next.…

You Can Now Buy a SIM-free Unlocked iPhone 6 or 6 Plus From Apple

Apple is now selling contract-free iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in its stores and online. The 16 GB base model iPhone 6 will costs you $650; the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $750. Unlocked iPhones can be activated for use any carrier—AT&T, Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile. They ship in 3-5 business day (compared to…

Electronic music explained with 13 pounds of white chocolate

Belgium online music platform Hello Play’s New Year promo video is a loose guide to the basics of electronic music. All the visual effects are made on camera using stop motion, 3D prints, and six kilograms of white chocolate. This is how they made it: SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or…

Is Sony Already Preparing Amazing Spider-Man 3 With Andrew Garfield?

Aaron Paul responds to the Star Wars rumors. Game of Thrones casting appears to confirm a major scene in season five. The first look at Lyndsy Fonseca in Agent Carter. And, what’s in store for the returning Flash, Arrow, and Agents of SHIELD? Spoilers now! Top image: Amazing Spider-Man 2 Amazing Spider-Man 3 We’ve heard…