Technology

How Soccer Security Is Creating the Surveillance State

International mega-events like the FIFA World Cup require increasingly expensive, high-tech security. It’s not just the financial burden that’s become worrisome. When the games are over, the host country will still possess the tech—which may have lasting repercussions for the privacy of its citizens. As the Weekly Wonk blog observes: So far, Brazil has reportedly…

Why Are Countries Still Using Fake Bomb Detectors?

Earlier this week, a group of 10 militants armed with guns and grenades entered Karachi’s Jinnah international airport, where they killed 28 people and themselves. Reports suggest they managed to get past security because the airport continues to use a bomb detector exposed as a fraud in 2010. The so-called bomb detector, the “ADE 651,”…

Why Was the Computer Never Patented?

Given all the rampant gadget patenting that goes on in the computer industry, it’s peculiar that computers themselves never got patented. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. Here’s the twisted tale of one of the longest patent battles in recent history. When we think of the computer’s inventor, we most often probably think of…

​​​​This 3D-Printed Dress Reveals More Skin As You Reveal More Data

Two NYU students have created a “wearable sculpture” that uses a mobile app to adjust the fabric’s opacity based upon how much information you share about yourself — knowingly and unknowingly — on sites such as Google and Facebook. The more transparent you are, the more “transparent” you become. It’s a project that brings new…

Watch An Out-Of-Control Elevator Climb 31 Floors In 15 Seconds

This is horrifying: A Chilean man was seriously injured when the elevator he was riding malfunctioned and shot up 31 floors in just 15 seconds, smashing right through the ceiling. The man, José Vergara Acevedo, was seriously injured by the incident. He reportedly suffered head and leg injuries. It’s not known what caused the malfunction,…

Why The Turing Test Is Bullshit

As many reported yesterday, a chatbot has passed the Turing Test, though under some very convenient conditions. The announcement has led some to declare that the age of AI is finally here, but that’s nonsense. Here’s why the Turing Test is a very poor way of measuring machine intelligence. A quick recap of yesterday’s announcement:…

A Chatbot Has ‘Passed’ The Turing Test For The First Time

A Russian chatterbot named “Eugene Goostman” has become the first to pass the Turing Test – an assessment of machine intelligence first proposed in 1950 by visionary mathematician, logician and codebreaker Alan Turing – by convincing 1 in 3 judges that it was a 13-year-old non-native-English-speaking Ukrainian boy. Here’s What Went Down: “Eugene” and four…

NASA has approved funding for 12 futuristic projects, including a submarine to explore the methane lakes of Titan, an aerial drone for Mars, and a probe to analyze the surface of Europa. You can learn about each individual project here. Image: Ron Miller, who wants to call this “Lake Bonestell” after famous Titan artist Chesley…

It’s the 30th Birthday of Tetris, the World’s First Electronic Drug

Happy Birthday, Tetris! Alexey Pajitnov released the block-stacking, productivity-killer on June 6, 1984—and it has been available on nearly every gaming device since. Why has this simple game endured while so many others ended up in 8-bit heaven? A psychologist explains what makes it uniquely addicting. As Engineering and Technology Magazine reports, Dr. Tom Stafford…

These robot warehouse workers are really fun to watch

These robot workers scuttle across warehouses in Europe collecting and delivering goods from containers stacked tens of feet high. Part Cube and part Fraggle Rock they are designed to be efficient and maximise space—but are also really fun to watch. Here is a video explaining how the overall concept works: SPLOID is a new blog…

This device, created at Michigan State University, can turn cow manure into clean water. That’s right, the poop-recycling technology of Waterworld now exists in the present. Thanks to agricultural engineering, we’re ready to face the apocalypse.

The success or failure of an upcoming U.S. ballistic missile defense test could affect when the Pentagon deploys 14 more ground-based interceptors to defend against possible missile threats from North Korea. The test— planned for June 22—will focus on the “kill vehicle,” which is supposed to destroy incoming missiles.

Google Glass Will Allow Guns to Shoot Around Corners

If you’ve ever dreamed of a gun that could shoot around corners or over barricades, Google Glass is here to help. Now, if you link your smart gun to your Glass, you can aim for targets that are out of visual range. The Daily Beast’s Janelle Dumalaon has the story, about a company called Tracking…

Another Massive Geoengineering Experiment is Underway in China

Several new cities in China will be geoengineering experiments, where developers are leveling hundreds of mountains, filling valleys, and building on top of the newly-flattened land. Now, Chinese scientists and engineers are saying these projects are based on shoddy research, and must be stopped. Since 2010, several mountainside cities in China, including Lanzhou and Shiyan,…

Helium-3 Shortage Threatens Our Ability To Detect Radioactive Bombs

Most news stories about Helium-3 discuss its potential as a future energy source, due to its abundance on the Moon’s surface. But, here on Earth, it’s a rare substance that’s getting rarer. And that worries the Pentagon, which uses Helium-3 as a key ingredient in equipment to detect nuclear smuggling. The sensors made with Helium-3…

The University of Michigan is building a mock town to test self-driving cars. The vehicles will confront all the normal obstacles of a bustling city: traffic signs, stoplights, merge lanes, construction work, streetlights, sidewalks and even “mechanical pedestrians” that dart out into the street in front of traffic.

The Guy Who Popularized 3D-Printed Handguns Has “Exciting” New Plans

In 2012, Cody Wilson founded Defense Distributed — a company whose mission is to “defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms” through “information and knowledge related to the 3D printing of arms.” In an interview, Wilson talks about his next big plans, and says the Newtown shooting was “the cost of freedom.” Wilson,…

The U.S. military is funding research into developing brain implants that will regulate human emotions. The idea is to locate and “stop” feelings experienced by soldiers and veterans, including depression and fear. What could go wrong?

​​If There’s A Nuclear Arms Race In Asia, Don’t Blame North Korea

In a recent interview, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said, “It would be difficult for us to prevent a nuclear domino from occurring in this area,” were North Korea to conduct another test. But one analyst argues that if a nuclear arms race were to occur, it’s China that should be singled out for blame.…

What Does A Running Dishwasher Look Like On The Inside?

Basically, like a bidet from hell. “Always wanted to see what happens in my dishwasher after I close the door,” writes YouTuber Bito, who shot this footage with a GoPro. It bears mentioning that this dishwasher is on the older side. Newer models forego the gyrating hydro-phallus in favor of two or more rapidly spinning…