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Two things became apparent after the end of the Spring 2016 Smartphone Glut. One: Android is still a second-class citizen when it comes to gaming, and two: smartphones are in a ridiculously boring place. Sure, the iPhone SE was a pleasant attempt at diversifying Apple’s line up, the Galaxy S7 is water-resistant phone, the G5…
3D printers are getting way faster and more intricate. Now, Siemens has created a swarm of spider-like robots that can collaborate with each other to build large and intricate structures. The bots, which are called SiSpis, are equipped with the kinds of extrusion devices seen in many 3D printers. But they also have onboard cameras…
It looks like a regular ad hoarding, but get close to this billboard and you might notice something strange. The panel is actually designed to release a synthetic version of human sweat, which it uses to lure and trap mosquitos. The board has been created by two design agencies to help fight the spread of…
Your favorite porn sites may not be quite what they appear. A report by the Internet Watch Foundation reveals that there’s been a rise in the practice of storing child abuse images within otherwise legal porn sites—and it warns that it could put regular porn viewers at risk of prosecution. The Foundation explains that the…
Li-on batteries gradually deteriorate as they’re repeatedly drained and recharged. But now researchers from University of California, Irvine have developed a new nano-wire battery that can survive hundreds of thousands of charging cycles. Over time, lithium becomes irreversibly deposited to the electrodes in li-on batteries. These build ups are called dendrites and they’re what causes…
In 2015, the FBI hacked Tor to identify users of child sex websites. Now a judge has thrown out evidence acquired during the investigation. The original hack saw the FBI seize servers running a pedophile website called Playpen. But rather than shutting it down, the agents continued to run the servers, using software to identify…
It’s been at least a year since I’ve seen a new portable Bluetooth speaker that wasn’t some half-hearted rehash of the millions that came before. But this little B&O number—it’s something. Bluetooth speakers began with the Jambox, a concept so impossibly simple that of course a dorky headset manufacturer came up with it instead of…
Dodging firewalls and masking your IP address usually requires firing up separate—often paid-for—software or plug-ins while you’re browsing. Now, though, Opera has its own free VPN baked right into the desktop browser. The new feature is available in the latest developer version of the Opera browser for Windows or OS X. You just go to…
Before you light your wallet on fire, let’s clarify something: the rollout of chip-enabled cards is going to help prevent fraud in the long run. But for merchants that are yet to get their shit together, the move away from magstripe is actually causing problems. The US started transitioning to chip-enabled cards (called EMV) last…
Cheap, easy-to-control Arduino boards are the bread and butter of garage inventors the world over. Regular Arduinos are already pretty small, but the AAduino design shrinks things down to the size of—you guessed it—an AA battery. DIYer Johan Kanflo was looking for a way to shrink down the (already small) Tiny328 board he was using,…
Ever wonder how those advertising airplanes that annoy you at beaches get their flying banners attached to the airplane? Me neither. I thought the planes just had those banners attached when they took off. Not the case! Apparently, the planes have to first be flying before they hook onto a specific target in order to…
Even though it contains some of the most memorable images in human history, how many of us really know how film actually works? Let’s break it down to the components. First, those little holes along the side of film strips are called perforations (perfs for short). The sprockets inside cameras and projectors latch onto those…
It’s not just paper. From the first notes issued by the Continental Congress to the latest star-spangled bills released by the Federal Reserve, the history of money in America is laced with rebellion, propaganda, and—of course—lots and lots of wealth. It’s awkwardly beautiful. The history of paper currency, specifically, serves as a curious lens through…
When you’re out exploring the city on a warm summer’s day you need something to carry all your stuff, but a heavy backpack hanging off your shoulders isn’t ideal. Adidas’ Yohji Yamamoto-designed Y-3 Sport Backpack wants to fix that by securely wrapping around you like a vest so it feels almost weightless. Fair warning—you’ll have…
People leave memories in the most unexpected ways and when you run into them, you want to hold onto it forever because you don’t know when you’ll ever get it back. Here’s a sad but touching short film about a son re-discovering the Xbox he shared with his late father and the racing game that…
Can we pause for just a minute to commend the fine people of Brooklyn for approving such a good-looking building as the new tallest structure in their fair borough? Truth be told, I did not think this day would come. I even said as much when plans for this skyscraper were first announced. I didn’t…
Queue up that 2001 soundtrack, baby! Following up on the incredible Aurora Borealis and Australis footage that Nasa posted a few days ago, we can now marvel at crystal clear 4K footage of our home sweet home, covered in white clouds and blue sky. Now that Nasa and the astronauts on the ISS are shooting…
Recently, it seems like food dye is making a comeback in a big way, and not just one dye—all of them. Rainbow colored bagels, grilled cheeses, pizzas, and even lattes have circulated the internet as the latest food trend. Is it just harmless novelty, or is there more to these culinary monstrosities? Studies show that…
Drag. Thrust. Lift. Jet engines. Propellers. Wings. This animation breaks down just exactly how an airplane flies and it’s pretty damn interesting. Each design element of the plane basically solves a law of physics and is part of the reason how an airplane can fly. Take the shape of a wing, it produces lift from…
Harriet Tubman is going to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill—which is awesome. So naturally, people on social media are celebrating with a famous Harriet Tubman quote: “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” The only problem? Tubman never said that. W.…
