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Our 14 Most Interesting Stories About Architecture and Cities In 2014

We wrote hundreds upon hundreds of stories about the built world around us this year—ranging from the discovery of how Egypt really built its pyramids, to a tour of the building where NYC’s poop goes. Odds are good you didn’t see every last one, so take a look at the best of the year. Scientists…

An Electromagnet Makes This Iron Man Fly, Not an Arc Reactor

We’re still wrapping our heads around the whole ‘giant-headed figure’ fad, but we can look past the distorted proportions of this Iron Man Mark II because it’s the first Stark figure we’ve found that actually flies. Or floats, at least, thanks to an electromagnetic powered base that doubles as a lovely display stand. The Mark…

This Trove Of Original Star Wars Kenner Toy Photography Is Amazing

For children of the 70’s and 80’s, Kenner’s Star Wars lines are some of the most iconic toys ever made. A lot of what made them so memorable were the Kim David McNeill Simmons’ (and earlier Roy Frankenfield’s) photography which graced every box – and now you can see the High-Res original photos online. Header…

How Much Scarier Than the Original Will the Ghostbusters Reboot Be?

Check out some wild speculation about a major death in Avengers: Age of Ultron. A new clip shows Bruce Willis pontificating in his escaped-android movie Vice. And there’s a breakdown of the differences between the movie and TV show versions of 12 Monkeys. Spoilers now! Top image: Avengers: Age of Ultron Avengers: Age of Ultron…

How to create the illusion of 3D using pencil and paper

A pencil and a paper is all you need to draw these magical anamorphic black holes that will make your brain think that there is a whole different dimension under your table. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Cool photos of iconic weapons cut in half

A collection of cutaways of AK-47, Colt .45, tanks, Russian nuclear submarines, rocket launchers, grenades… a fascinating look into the guts of 12 iconic weapons. Yankee 667M Andromeda: Russian submarine equipped with nuclear missiles. 9k113 Konkurse: Russian anti-tank missile. RPG-18: Russian short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher. Rheinmetall 35mm Oerlikon AHEAD airburst ammunition. British WWI…

The original Enterprise model from Star Trek is undergoing renovations before being moved to main entrance of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. You can read an interview with the conservator leading the preservation project, Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, at Trek Core.

Dad’s Illustrations Prove His 3-Year-Old Is Brilliant

Look, can any of us honestly say this isn’t how we’d rather spend our time? I could be working or I could be drawing pooping superheroes. Pooping superheroes win! Martin Bruckner’s collected and illustrated a number of gems from his daughter, the now-three Harper Grace, on Spaghetti Toes: Things Said By and To a 2…

This Beautifully Minimalist Prosthetic Is Made From 3D Printed Titanium

Designer William Root has designed this mostly see-through prosthetic with an emphasis on personalization and low cost. It’s available in a number of colors and patterns, with every end product remaining lightweight and strong. On the design page for the Exo Prosthetic, Root says that the current process has too many steps and is very…

Sam Raimi: The Problems With Spider-Man 3 Were “My Mistake”

In his appearance on the Nerdist podcast, Sam Raimi had a lengthy discussion on everything that went wrong with Spider-Man 3. He both identifies mistakes he made and has a pretty good sense of humor about it. The whole thing is well worth listening to, if only for Raimi talking about what Bruce Campbell was…

This River Flows for Only a Few Days a Year, But Has Scarred the Land

This massive, winding river in Namibia flows mostly underground, emerging only for a few days per year. Despite its ephemeral journey, it has left a lasting impression on the Earth’s surface. According to USGS: Namibia’s Ugab River only flows above ground for a few days each year. The subterranean waters underlying this ephemeral river, however,…

Watch a woman dance around in flames like a reborn phoenix (NSFW)

Adrien Servadio made this beautiful video showing Fanny Sage dancing around while surrounded by fire. The special effects flames that encompass her makes it look like she’s regenerating like a burning phoenix. The video is NSFW but it’s absolutely mesmerizing. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

A Scary-Lovely Dress That Can Defend You from Unwanted Attention

It’s called the Spider Dress, and it clings to your body like an exoskeleton. If anyone gets too close, parts of the dress can lash out at them with what seem to be skeletal appendages. Who doesn’t love what 3D printing and microcontrollers have done for fashion? Writes dress designer Anouk Wipprecht: Aptly called the…

The hilarious ridiculousness of the new Star Wars’ crossguard lightsaber

Like the rest of us, Machinima Happy Hour wondered what would happen after the crossguard lightsaber scene in the new Star Wars trailer. Unlike the rest of us, they created this hilarious animation imagination of how ridiculous that fight would be because adding light sabers to just anything is just crazy. We’re talking about a…

2014 Had The Lowest Movie Ticket Sales Since 1995

Final data isn’t in, but it looks as though overall U.S. box office was down in 2014 from 2013 — although the major studios still made over $10 billion domestically. Most significantly, the number of tickets sold dropped 6 percent, to the lowest amount since 1995. Top image: Raymond Shobe/Flickr. The good news? There’s no…

Dawn On Alternate Approach To Ceres After Cosmic Ray Hiccups Ion Drive

After 14 months at Vesta, the Dawn spacecraft swung around for its second mission target: Ceres. After a rogue cosmic ray jumbling the best laid plans in September, the spacecraft is in its approach phase to slip into orbit around Ceres on March 6, 2015 just a half-day behind schedule. Top image: Artist’s concept of…

How the Pineapple Express Killed the Donner Party

Californians have spent December experiencing the effects of the Pineapple Express. For the most part, we’ve been happy to get all that rain. But in 1846, the Pineapple Express had a quite different effect. It contributed to the horrible fate of the most infamous California-bound party in history. To be fair, a lot of things…

The Complete Twilight Zone Marathon Viewer’s Guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! New Year’s Eve might be a garbage holiday, but at least we have Syfy’s Twilight Zone marathon to console us. Below, a list of when you can watch each episode during this year’s festivities. And for all you cordcutters, we’ve added links to Netflix (and Hulu for…

An epic supercut of explosions in movies

Nothing rings in the new years like explosions and fireworks and countdowns and mind sacrificing hangovers earned during silly festivities. This supercut video by Screen Junkies has most of that from movies like Star Wars and Tropic Thunder and more. You can save the hangover for tomorrow. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on…

Video Essay Dissects The Influence Of Video Essays, Because Meta

Long time video essayist Kevin B. Lee asked, “What Makes a Video Essay Great?” Then he attempted to answer said question via video essay. It’s more observational and thought-provoking than explanatory, but it does give a great overview of a few featured video essayists. And if you would like to watch what this creator considers…