Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Remember that mind-blowing scene in The Matrix when Neo had jiu-jitsu and kung fu uploaded directly into his brain? Researchers from HRL Laboratories are now saying they’ve developed a similar device that “teaches” pilots new skills. Too bad it’s bullshit. Sadly, this is a classic case of scientists doing reasonably good work, but then having…
YouTube contains a cornucopia of weird stuff: Sniff around long enough, and you’re likely to stumble upon some truly bizarre videos. Luckily for us garbage hunters out there, a simple-to-use website exists to help us sift through the piles. Called Geo Search Tool, it lets you enter a specific location to see what videos have…
There’s no greater celebration of your country’s majesty than putting its achievements on a postage stamp. Throughout the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union both loved to put their space accomplishments on stamps. But with our New Cold War™, it’s North Korea’s turn. Yes, the Democratic [sic] People’s Republic of Korea has issued…
The steel ribs arching over New York City’s newest transit station have already become a familiar sight for the city’s residents and tourists. Now, after seven years of delays, the striking new World Trade Center Transportation Hub will finally open this month in Lower Manhattan. When the Twin Towers fell during the 9/11 attacks, the…
Key players in the fight between Apple and the government are testifying at a Congressional hearing today—but the most interesting remarks so far came from a Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who suggested that the government is trying to exploit a terrorist attack to expand its surveillance programs. Conyers explicitly questioned the motives of the government…
The Hyperloop may prove to be a wondrous and radical technology that will change everything we know about travel. But there are several major challenges it needs to overcome, and those challenges suggest that Hyperloop might be better suited for transporting goods—not people. Speaking at the Los Angeles Times transportation event The Road Ahead on…
Have you ever heard the phrase, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”? It’s often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, but he actually never said that. Someone should tell Donald Trump. On Monday, Donald Trump sent out a tweet and an Instagram photo with himself on stage…
The Wadi Sura cave in the Libyan Desert features a number of stencil paintings dating back to between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, including over a dozen tiny human-like hand prints. Since its discovery, the hands were thought to belong to human babies, but an anthropologist now says they’re not human at all. Sorry folks,…
NASA’s new series of bullet-shaped “X-planes” are the first step towards trying to resurrect the dream of supersonic air travel. The agency has been on a years-long mission to replace the Concorde, the expensive supersonic plane, which was decommissioned in 2003 over concerns that it was uneconomical, and just too darn loud. The X-plane itself…
Brazilian police arrested the vice president of Facebook in Latin America because WhatsApp did not comply with a court order to share data. ABC News reports that Facebook’s Diego Dzoran was arrested for “ignoring a judicial order” for an investigation: A Tuesday news release says Argentine Diego Dzoran was arrested on an order from a…
Your skis are strapped on and you’re holding a rope. Then the motorcycle revs and you’re off at top speed down a snowy trail. That’s the gist of skijoring—which always involves a skier, and sometimes a horse, dog, or ATV in place of a motorcycle. In snowier places, like Scandinavia, Canada, and Russia, skijor has…
The world’s biggest consumer drone maker is back with its smartest compact quadcopter yet: The Phantom 4 automatically dodges obstacles, takes amazing video in all directions, and makes you look like a drone pro—even if you’ve never touched one before. The new Phantom 4 is available for preorder today for $1400, and if you’re interested…
You played with it for hours on end after it was first released, but by the time The Force Awakens hit theaters months later, you had probably lost interest in your Sphero BB-8. But don’t bury the little droid in a drawer just yet, because a free app will make your BB-8 even more exciting…
Guardians of the Galaxy came out nearly two years ago—and ever since, Hot Toys fans have been waiting for the company to finish off their line of Guardians figures with Drax the Destroyer. Hot Toys have been teasing this for ages, but it’s finally here. Coming in at about 12.5″ tall, Drax is the final…
It’s Super Tuesday, which means it’s time to strap in and watch American democracy at work. Twelve states have primaries and caucuses today. And if you worry that watching the avalanche of political coverage tonight might make you physically ill, we’re here to help. It’s important to keep abreast of the political horse race, but…
In November 2013, Yahoo hired high-profile TV news anchor Katie Couric to be its “global anchor,” a nebulous position that company CEO Marissa Mayer said would involve “being the face of Yahoo News and shooting features for our homepage.” Couric was compensated handsomely for the deal, receiving $6 million per year, until last summer when…
Researchers in France have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that the Zika virus can trigger a paralysis-causing nerve syndrome called Guillain-Barré. The new study, published in The Lancet Medical Journal, suggests that regions in which the Zika virus is currently active will see a rise in cases of the condition. Still, it’s important to note…
A team of astronomers is proposing a new way to hunt for intelligent life that sounds rather obvious when you think about it: We need to be the aliens. Or at least, we need to put ourselves in their shoes and think about where in the sky they can see us. Finding other beings like…
They say you shouldn’t bring a knife to a gunfight, but you also shouldn’t bring ZaziNombies latest creation to a knife fight. It looks and functions just like the butterfly knife featured in the game Black Ops 3, but since it’s made from Lego, it can barely slice through tissue paper. From afar it looks…
Forget hybrids, electric vehicles, or hydrogen cars. Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, want your poo to fuel the cars of the future. The United States produces a mountain of manure (human and otherwise) every year: more than 1 billion tons. All that waste matter is being wasted in turn, according to UCLA…
