Blackbird

The X-Men’s Return to Lego Marvel Comes at a High Price

The first full Lego X-Men playset in nearly a decade is here, and Lego wants a lot for what you'll get.

Toys & Collectibles James Whitbrook Dec 12

Clever Hack Uses YouTube to Back Up Your Data in Google’s Cloud for Free

What looks like random video noise could actually be a backup of someone's tax documents. Unfortunately, it's not very efficient.

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Mar 24

Jewelry Made From an Actual SR-71 Blackbird Is Cool as Hell

Any old jerk can wear a fancy ring, but how many people can say their bling was made from materials that once flew at mach 3.2+ on the famed Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane? Now that’s some provenance. But before you fly off in a rage over the remaining SR-71 spy planes being sold off…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Feb 1

Fascinating photos reveal how they built the SR-71 Blackbird

Built and designed in the 1960s after the A-12 Oxcart, the SR-71 Blackbird is still the fastest, most vanguardist air-breathing airplane in the history of aviation. These once classified photos reveal how Lockheed built both birds in secret, in California. They look taken at the Rebel base in Hoth. “Everything had to be invented” The…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Feb 7

The SR-71 Blackbird Took Its First Flight 50 Years Ago Today

No other plane in history has captured the hearts and minds of the American public quite like the SR-71 Blackbird, providing the West with an unprecedented look behind the Iron Curtain during its 33 year operational career. But before it was cracking the skies over Russia at mach 3.3, the Cold War spy plane had…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Dec 22

The secret engine technology that made the SR-71 the fastest plane ever

On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers flew the first airplane ever at 6.8 mph (10.9 km/h). Only 61 years and five days later, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird took off. It’s still the world’s fastest airplane with a speed of 2,193 mph (3,530 km/h.) This fascinating video explains its top secret engine technology. A ground…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Dec 21

Rare photos of the SR-71 Blackbird show its amazing history

The SR-71 Blackbird is, without a doubt, the most advanced airplane ever built in relation to the technology available at the time. It broke all aviation records, it flew incredible missions, and it became the stuff of legend. Lockheed Martin published its history in this collection of high resolution scans of old photos. Above: The…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Dec 12

Amazing ultra-high definition photo of the SR-71 Blackbird cockpit

I still get the chills when I re-read Brian Shul’s account of his Blackbird flight against enemy SAM batteries over Libya. Imagine yourself inside that tight SR-71 cockpit with all the alarms sounding. This cool 360-degree virtual reality view will help. Expand and pinch to zoom the images (only works on desktop browsers.) Right-click to…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Nov 15

This is one of the most amazing images in aviation history

Gizmodo’s Attila Nagy got this high resolution photo by Eric Schulzinger from Lockheed Martin: “This unaltered image was captured at Beale Air Force Base, CA, in the late 1980’s. All of the subjects wearing pressurized flight suits are actual pilots or back-seat reconnaissance systems officers.” SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Sep 18

Now You Can Hang the Most Badass Aviation Photo Ever on Your Wall

Not long ago Lockheed Martin posted on its Instagram account the most badass aviation photograph ever. Just look at it: The caption says: This unaltered image was captured at Beale Air Force Base, CA, in the late 1980’s. All of the subjects wearing pressurized flight suits are actual pilots or back-seat reconnaissance systems officers. Not…

Tech News Attila Nagy Sep 18

X-Men: Days of Future Past Concept Art Shows the Future X-Jet’s Beauty

In X-Men: Days of Future Past, we don’t spend a lot of time in the dystopic future that the plot revolves around preventing. And when we do, it’s brutal. So this concept art of the future X-Jet from Henry Fong is great, because it gives us the chance to appreciate the things we missed. Fong…

Movies Katharine Trendacosta Aug 5

The thrill of flying the SR-71 Blackbird

I can tell you about the SR-71 Blackbird’s titanium frame, its Pratt&Whitney J58-P4 engines, or its genesis. But that’s not important. What really matters is the thrill of flying it in an extremely dangerous mission, as remembered by this pilot.—JD In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan…

Sploid Brian Shul Apr 4

Amazing photos show the SR-71 Blackbird without its paint job

I’m amazed. I have never seen the World’s Most Awesome Aircraft without its characteristic black paint, but here it is. Thanks to Curt Mason and his Project Habu,now you can see the SR-71 Blackbird completely naked, in glorious titanium. About Curt Mason’s Project Habu: Descended from a Lockheed Skunk Works engineer and a middle school…

Sploid Attila Nagy Mar 14

This photo shows the future we once dreamed of—and lost

This incredible photo of a SR-71 Blackbird being refueled in mid-air was taken by Sgt. P.A. Tubridy in 1988. It was the symbol of the United States’ military power. It was the symbol of the country’s incredible technological prowess. Now, it represents the future that we used to dream of—and make. A future that feels…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Dec 30

This is the amazing Lockheed Martin SR-72—the space Blackbird

Aviation Week’s Guy Norris has an exclusive article on the successor for the Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird, the legendary spy plane that may be the favorite of every airplane nerd in the world. The hypersonic SR-72 is the first aircraft that can fit perfectly in Star Wars or Galactica, a true space age ship. https://gizmodo.com/the-thrill-of-flying-the-sr-71-blackbird-5511236…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Nov 1

The Most Badass Plane Ever Had An Equally Awesome Flight Suit

At the height of the Cold War, if you wanted a peek behind the Iron Curtain, it had to be a birds’s eye view from 63,000 feet—above the reach of Soviet SAM batteries. And to fly that high, America’s elite SR-71 pilots had to wear the most advanced flight suits this side of the Apollo…

Tech News Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (ret.) Apr 12

Moving to the city could split birds into separate species

It’s a well-worn cliche that moving to the big city after a lifetime of country-living can change you forever. That might actually be literally true for blackbirds, as moving to the city has begun to split their species in two. Blackbirds are found throughout northern Europe, and they began moving into cities in the 1930s.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 4

How a Pilot Risked His Life To Spy On Libya

Back in the late 80s, the United States and Libya were rabid enemies. This is the thrilling story of Brian Shul and his Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, as he zoomed through the skies of Qaddafi’s country, dodging anti-aircraft missiles.—JD In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the…

Tech News Brian Shul Feb 24

How a Pilot Risked His Life To Spy On Libya

Back in the late 80s, the United States and Libya were rabid enemies. This is the thrilling story of Brian Shul and his Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, as he zoomed through the skies of Qaddafi’s country, dodging anti-aircraft missiles.—JD [Gizmodo]

io9 Gizmodo Feb 24

Total Mutant Catastrophe: The Latest X-Men Set Pics

A batch of new set pics from the set of Matthew Vaughan’s X-Men: First Class reveal the filming of a crucial scene where disaster strikes mutantkind. Spoilery pics and speculation below. Comic Book Movie has a collection of shots from the set of the new X-Men movie, which is shooting in Jekyll Island, Georgia. Looks…

io9 Meredith Woerner Dec 9

Blackbird

The X-Men’s Return to Lego Marvel Comes at a High Price

Clever Hack Uses YouTube to Back Up Your Data in Google’s Cloud for Free

Jewelry Made From an Actual SR-71 Blackbird Is Cool as Hell

Fascinating photos reveal how they built the SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 Blackbird Took Its First Flight 50 Years Ago Today

The secret engine technology that made the SR-71 the fastest plane ever

Rare photos of the SR-71 Blackbird show its amazing history

Amazing ultra-high definition photo of the SR-71 Blackbird cockpit

This is one of the most amazing images in aviation history

Now You Can Hang the Most Badass Aviation Photo Ever on Your Wall

X-Men: Days of Future Past Concept Art Shows the Future X-Jet’s Beauty

The thrill of flying the SR-71 Blackbird

Amazing photos show the SR-71 Blackbird without its paint job

This photo shows the future we once dreamed of—and lost

This is the amazing Lockheed Martin SR-72—the space Blackbird

The Most Badass Plane Ever Had An Equally Awesome Flight Suit

Moving to the city could split birds into separate species

How a Pilot Risked His Life To Spy On Libya

How a Pilot Risked His Life To Spy On Libya

Total Mutant Catastrophe: The Latest X-Men Set Pics

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

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