rescue

This Hand Gesture Popularized on TikTok Led to the Rescue of Abducted Girl, Police Say

A driver recognized the gesture from TikTok videos prompting him to alert police of a potential domestic violence situation.

Disney’s New Spider-Man Ride Will Allow You to Purchase Upgrades

Certain video games allow you to spend a few dollars to get add-ons that give you an advantage—and sometimes, it can go a little overboard. Disney is bringing that idea into its theme parks with the new Spider-Man ride opening in June—Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure  The Marvel-themed attraction will be opening June 4 as…

Here’s Why That Helicopter Rescue With the Spinning 74-Year-Old Hiker Went So Nauseatingly Wrong

By now, millions of people have seen the footage of the rescue mission that spiraled out of control. On Tuesday morning, a 74-year-old woman stumbled and suffered head and face injuries while hiking Piestewa Peak in Arizona’s Phoenix Mountain Preserve. But when the Phoenix Fire Department rescued her by airlifting her to a hospital, the…

Avengers: Endgame’s Gwyneth Paltrow Thinks She’s Too Old to Be a Superhero 

This might tell us a little bit about what Pepper Potts is up to in what’s apparently her final Marvel movie, but it’s also a bit weird, considering Paltrow is 7 years younger than her Marvel co-star Robert Downey Jr. Speaking to Variety as part of a wide-ranging interview, Paltrow acknowledged that Avengers: Endgame is…

Watch This Pilot’s Frantic Dash to Save His Dying Drone From Drowning in a Lake

It’s the fear of anyone who’s ever spent hundreds of dollars on a drone. You’re out flying, capturing beautiful footage of a lake, when suddenly the battery on your craft begins to die, and the drone starts its pre-programmed slow descent to what should be a safe landing—except that it’s over water. Dave Svorking found…

Experts Question Details From the Story of Two Women Stranded at Sea for 5 Months

The story of two women who were stranded at sea for 5 months in shark-infested waters seemed almost too cinematic to be true. And now some experts are questioning the veracity of some of their claims. Jennifer Appel, Tasha Fuiava, and their two dogs left their home state of Hawaii on a voyage to Tahiti…

American Women and Their Dogs Rescued After Being Stranded at Sea for Five Months in Shark-Infested Waters

Two American women and their dogs have been rescued after spending nearly 5 months stranded on the Pacific Ocean surrounded by sharks. Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava set off for Tahiti on May 3rd, but suffered engine failure and even a broken mast. To make matters worse, their phone fell overboard on the first day.…

Beached Whale Situation Gets Worse With Hundreds More Stranded Ashore

Early on Saturday, dozens of volunteers worked to refloat about 100 of the 40o whales that mysteriously beached themselves in New Zealand. But their rescue effort quickly escalated when 240 more were stranded. It’s all the more frustrating that no one is certain why this is happening. https://gizmodo.com/hundreds-of-whales-are-dead-following-a-horrific-mass-s-1792213145 On Thursday, more than 400 pilot whales…

Pepper Potts’ Armor Is Finally Getting An Action Figure… But It’s Going To Cost You A Lot

It’s been two years since Hasbro revealed their Marvel Legends Rescue figure, their first figure based on Pepper Pott’s armored persona. But then it promptly vanished, never made for sale and leaving fans expecting that Rescue was gone forever. But rejoice! The figure is making a comeback… but it’ll be pricey to get. Rescue looked…

Drone Captures Hikers’ Near Death In Maui Flash Flood

Flash floods are one of the most powerful and therefor most dangerous things you can encounter outdoors. In this terrifying video, a group of hikers in Maui’s jungle is swept away. “The weather the past few days in Hawaii had been rainy on and off,” Renee Lusano tells us. “We started the drive to Hana…

Drones Could Airdrop Relief Supplies to Combat Zones in Syria

Drones—like sharks and William Shatner—are often misunderstood by the public. Many associate the autonomous fliers with warfare and creepy government spies. But drones can be heroic, dropping life-saving supplies to civilians in combat zones. That’s what U.S. Air Force member/Stanford PhD student Mark Jacobsen wants to do with his crowdfunding effort, the Syria Airlift Project.…

Last Week, I Was Paragliding; Now I’m Delivering Aid In Nepal

I am OK, but Nepal is not. The part of the country that got hit the hardest is the remote Gorkha district. Many small towns and villages are still not included in any government search and rescue effort. This is one of many stories from the area: One day, six volunteers and two villages. When…

What It’s Like To Adopt An Older Dog

A couple months ago, Lara and I adopted an 8-year old Cocker Spaniel and named him Rufio. Can an older dog really involve less effort and energy than a puppy? And can one integrate as fully into an active family? This is our experience. Both of us grew up with dogs and have always loved…

Turkish Forces Enter Into Syria To Save A Sacred 780-Year-Old Artifact

In an effort to rescue 38 soldiers and the remains of Suleyman Shah — the “grandfather of the Ottoman Empire” — from ISIS forces, Turkey yesterday dispatched hundreds of soldiers, tanks, aircraft, and drones to a tomb in Syria. According to Article 9 of the Treaty of Ankara signed between Turkey and France in 1921,…

This Spherical Rescue Drone Is Straight Out of Star Wars

Flying drones inside burning buildings while looking for disaster survivors is incredibly hard, but it’s also one of the most promising applications of the machines. That’s why the Gimball search and rescue drone, billed as the world’s first collision-proof drone, was just awarded $1 million in the United Arab Emirates’ Drones for Good competition. The…

This rescue of kayakers trapped in a cave freaks the hell out of me

A group of kayakers take a wrong turn and end up trapped in a cave. Luckily they are prepared and know exactly what to do. I am not sure I would have stayed nearly so calm. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

Thankfully this bear mom was able to save her cub from death by car

A bear saves her cub from a sure dead under an automobile. It is cute—but also a depressing reminder on how humans keep screwing animals up, whether they are wild or domestic. Even when we’re trying to protect them by crewing National Parks. Driving through British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park we stopped to capture a…

This Firefighter Is Writing Google Glass Apps to Help Save Lives

Google Glass sure has its fair share of dumb applications, but some projects mercifully seem to balance them out. Like the apps put together by Patrick Jackson of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, a firefighter who’s writing code to help rescue teams save time—and lives. https://gizmodo.com/20-questions-about-the-new-google-glass-app-sex-with-g-1505217011 So far, he’s built apps that route incoming emergency calls…

All 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy have now been rescued. The ship had been trapped in Antarctic ice for nearly 10 days. The passengers were flown to the Aurora Australis in groups by a helicopter from a Chinese ice-breaker; the remaining crew of 22 are expected to stay on board the Shokalskiy until the…

Helicopter incredibly rescues a man trapped on a crane after explosion

Here’s where you don’t want to find yourself in the freezing cold after a building explosion: stranded on top of a freaking crane with no way to go down because of said explosion. Luckily, you can go up. What? Yes, up. Like a scene from some impossible 80’s action movie, a guy trapped on top…