9/11

RFK Jr. Says ‘I Won’t Take Sides on 9/11’ in Bizarre Nod to Conspiracy Theorists

Your weird uncle's favorite presidential candidate has some theories.

Pat Robertson Didn’t Actually Blame America’s Coronavirus Crisis on Oral Sex

There’s a new quote from Pat Robertson circulating on social media that supposedly shows the far-right pastor blaming the coronavirus pandemic on oral sex. Robertson is quoted as saying, “Some of these young uns are doing all kinds of unnatural things with their sex organs.” Admittedly, it sounds like something Robertson would say in real…

At Long Last, You Can Watch Spider-Man‘s ‘Lost’ First Teaser Restored in HD

The very first glimpse at what would become one of the most beloved superhero movies of all time is also a very weird one—because for years, it was actually impossible to see it. While in the two decades since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man first hit theaters it has re-emerged online, it’s suddenly hit the web (sorry…

Congressman to Facebook: Your Digital Currency Could Be Worse Than 9-11

Facebook’s new digital currency, Libra, has the potential to be worse than the September 11th attacks. At least that’s what Democratic Congressman Dril (sorry, Congressman Brad Sherman) of California said today at a House Committee on Financial Services Hearing in Washington, D.C. Sherman tore into Facebook executive David Marcus and didn’t even bother asking him…

Why 9/11 Truthers Are Obsessed With the Plasco High-Rise Fire in Tehran

On January 19th, 2017, the Plasco building, a 17-story steel high-rise in Tehran, caught fire. The blaze began on one of the building’s upper floors and then spread quickly through the tower’s sprinkler-less garment workshops. As the Tehran fire department battled the nearly unreachable fire, the steel skyscraper collapsed in full view of Iranian state…

Store Is Very Sorry for Exploiting 9/11 With Its ‘Twin Tower Sale’ Commercial

In a deeply regrettable attempt to cash in on human tragedy using viral video magic, a company called Miracle Mattress decided to film and post a bizarre commercial promoting its “Twin Tower sale.” Welp! The 21-second spot was originally posted to Facebook, but it’s since been taken down. Nevertheless, a copy was captured and uploaded…

The Last Pieces of the Destroyed Twin Towers Are Leaving New York City

The memorial is finished, the tower replacing it is occupied, and the museum is open—for better or for worse. Today, several of the largest remaining pieces of World Trade Center infrastructure from the 9/11 terrorist attacks were pulled out of storage to leave New York City. Hundreds of pieces from the site were placed in…

This Week’s io9 Newsstand Is Not Just About 9/11

This morning, The New Yorker heralded the arrival of Speculative 9/11 Fiction with trepidation, calling the trend “unsettling.” The article is partly a commentary on how fiction of any kind deals with traumatic, culture-shaping events, and partly a review of the new anthology In the Shadow of the Towers: Speculative Fiction in a Post-9/11 World…

Carl Sagan’s Son Is a 9/11 Truther

Carl Sagan is arguably science’s biggest rockstar—the ultimate champion for logic and reason. Which makes it all the more painful to find out that his son is a vehement 9/11 truther. In a recent interview for a radio show called 9/11 Free Fall (already off to a great start), Jeremy Sagan—the younger son of Sagan…

Wingdings Predicted 9/11: A Truther’s Tale

In 1992, mere days after Windows 3.1 was released, it was revealed that typing the letters NYC in Wingdings—Microsoft’s all-symbols font—produced the following antisemitic and/or Jewish conspiracy-backed text, depending on who you asked: Microsoft insisted the arrangement of glyphs was wholly random, which only ended up encouraging the Wingdings truth-seekers. Because of course that’s what…

Larry Ellison’s Oracle Started As a CIA Project

Yesterday, Vox somehow managed to write an entire article about the history of Oracle and its founder Larry Ellison without mentioning the CIA even once. Which is pretty astounding, given the fact that Oracle takes its name from a 1977 CIA project codename. And that the CIA was Oracle’s first customer. Vox simply says that…

“I have had a bad day”

22 Words found this little clip by Mark LaGanga, recorded just after the first World Trade Center tower fell on September 11, 2001. One simple understated phrase from a man walking away from the wreckage. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

When Will the 9/11 Museum Be Submerged By Rising Sea Levels?

The 9/11 Museum, which opened today after years of construction, sits 70 feet below sea level. Nestled into the bedrock that supports the entire city, it’s protected by strong walls and great engineering—yet it, like so much of the city, will inevitably be threatened by rising tides. Amidst dozens of fantastic stories about the museum…

The Algorithms at the Heart of the New September 11 Memorial Museum

The National September 11 Memorial Museum opens to the public tomorrow here in New York City after more than a decade of complications, and amidst not always civil disagreements over what the museum should be in the first place—what its narrative intentions might be and whether or not it could ever be possible to achieve…

Photos of Tourists Staring at the WTC Are Weirdly Riveting

If you’ve ever taken a lunchtime stroll in Lower Manhattan, you’ve seen them: Sightseers (and locals, too) with their eyes raised skyward, watching the construction of One World Trade Center. Annoying to some, but revealing to photographer Keith Goldstein—whose photo essay Looking On captures the craning. Goldstein is a professional photographer who has worked in…

These idiots celebrated 9/11 with a Muslims vs Americans costume party

Some heinous American companies think they can promote their brands with shameless 9/11 tributes. But there’s worse. Much worse—these extraordinary imbeciles threw a 9/11 commemorative party using Muslim and US military costumes. https://gizmodo.com/american-companies-shameless-9-11-tributes-are-disgus-1294379432 https://kotaku.com/a-counter-strike-party-on-9-11-its-actually-worse-tha-1299435365

The 9/11 memorial lights looks like a space portal from the inside

These are the 88 lights that form New York’s 9/11 memorial Tribute in Light, as captured using fisheye lenses from the inside. A weird perspective that makes it look like one of the spaceships from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Really beautiful shot. https://gizmodo.com/the-view-from-the-base-of-new-york-citys-annual-9-11-me-1292691726

American companies’ shameless 9/11 “tributes” are disgusting

Like every year, some shameless companies exploit the 9/11 anniversary with their alleged heartfelt tributes. It’s embarrassingly disgusting, from corporations to small business like this equine spa that shaved the towers on a horse’s butt. http://gawker.com/commemorating-9-11-on-a-horses-butt-1293717154 Or this terrible Tumbledown Trails golf course coupon: Have more? Post them in the comments. http://gawker.com/never-forget-pic-twitter-com-74br2rbl3a-at-t-att-s-1293984529

The view from the base of New York City’s annual 9/11 memorial, Tribute in Light, captured by AP photographer Mark Lennihan last night. Now in its 12th year, the installation lights up the sky over Manhattan with 88 high-powered searchlights. [AP]

The List: U.S. Releases Names of Gitmo Prisoners

Thanks to a New York Times freedom of information request, we can now see (almost) all the names of the prisoners still held at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, a dozen years into the War On Terror. “Continued detention” is the future for most of them. http://gawker.com/here-is-a-list-of-everyone-currently-rotting-in-guantan-513892845