Tech News

Abunch of Apple servicesare down, it’s not just your imagination! The App Store, iTunes Store, and a bunch of other Stores you didn’t even know about aren’t working. Use your time free from capitalist digital tyranny carefully. [Apple System Status]

DJI Will Also Help Drone Owners Not Screw Up

Earlier today, popular maker of consumer drones 3DR announced that its Solo quadrotor would be updated with a system that tells owners where they’re not allowed to fly. Now DJI, makers of the ubiquitous Phantom line, is following suite. Currently, DJI drones have a list of US airports inputted, and physically won’t let you fly…

Badass Historical Chemists: The Woman Behind Antoine Lavoisier

Antoine Lavoisier is deservedly considered one of the great chemists in history. We might not know of his experiments if it weren’t for his wife. She became a remarkable, if unconventional, chemist herself and had one of the weirder lives in history. When Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze was only 13 years old, she found herself in…

Is There Any TV Show That Treats Tech Realistically?

I’m getting tired of computer systems that are hacked in seconds, cars hotwired like it’s no big deal, databases that instantly find criminals, and other crimes against tech. What is there to watch for some realism? I know that entertainment requires a suspension of disbelief and that a lot of the limitations (and actual speed)…

These Speedy Microscopic Submarines Are Powered by Light

Holy Fantastic Voyage, Batman. A team from Rice University has developed single-molecule nanosubmarines that could eventually be used to deliver medicines directly inside the body. Back in 2006, this same group developed nanocars—a single-molecule vehicle with four wheels, axles, and independent suspensions that could be “driven” across a terrestrial surface. Unfortunately, many of the nano-scale…

Baltimore’s Stealthy Plan to Make Its Harbor Swimmable By 2020

If a friend told you he was off to take a dip in Baltimore’s Harbor, you’d probably be concerned for his health and sanity. But five years from now, swimming in Baltimore’s waterways might not sound so crazy—and there’s an innovative piece of technology to thank. Meet the Water Wheel: A hydro and solar-powered barge…

Winter is Coming to Winnipeg

Environment Canada confirms what we always suspected: Westeros is part of Canada. A special weather alert for Winnipeg ominously begins: “Winter is coming.” But unlike the forecast from Game of Thrones, Winnipeg, Manitoba’s warning is a lot more literal than metaphorical as the alert goes on to describe an intense low pressure system, a plummeting…

This Congressman Doesn’t Understand How the Internet or the First Amendment Work

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) has a plan to stop ISIS today at a Federal Communications Committee hearing: Censor the internet. Here’s what Barton proposed today during an FCC hearing: “ISIS and the terrorist networks can’t beat us militarily, but they are really trying to use the internet and all of the social media to try…

Wait, Google+ Still Exists?!

For the second (or maybe third?) time this year, Google is overhauling its fledgling social network. Or whatever you want to call Google+. Me, I call it a zombie. This thing just won’t die. The press release humbly reminds you of this fact in the first line: “If you head over to Google+ today, you’ll…

Man Applies for Police Job, Is Nabbed for Outstanding Warrants Instead

Here’s the thing about applying for a law enforcement gig: there will probably be an extensive background check. If you have several outstanding warrants, including one for rape, you might want to focus your job search elsewhere. Somehow, this didn’t occur to a man named John Wesley Rose. The 25-year-old strolled into the Wayne County…

Google Just Made It Super Easy to Free Up Space on Your Phone

If you’re not already using Google Photos, you just got a damn good reason to start. Thanks to a new update, the app now offers a handy “Assistant” that will free up space on your phone with two taps. And you won’t lose the photos either! The new Assistant feature is available in the settings…

The Lego Mindstorms EV3 App Lets You Program Your Robotic Creations From a Tablet

The fantastical robotic creations you design and build with Lego Mindstorms are free to explore the world you release them into, so why should you be stuck behind a computer when it comes to programming them? First announced back in September, the Lego Mindstorms EV3 Programming App is finally available for both iOS and Android…

How Ancient People Saved the Pumpkin from Extinction

The Great Pumpkin Shortage may have you grumbling over the price of mashed gourd this Thanksgiving, but if it weren’t for our distant ancestors, America’s favorite nutmeg latte scapegoat wouldn’t even exist. That’s right—according to a new scientific study, our prized fall flavoring agent could have gone extinct long ago. But by winning the hearts…

Rich Kids Who Killed Their Parents #2: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Get a Gun

Last week, we learned about a group of Texas youths who decided killing one young man’s parents was the best get-rich-quick plan. It ended badly for everyone—as does the tale of Manchester, England’s Stephen Seddon, who was more than old enough to know better. He was also determined enough to try twice. In March 2012,…

The Secret WWII Club That Healed Burned Pilots and Revolutionized Plastic Surgery

One of the most exclusive clubs in Great Britain is not full of hereditary peers and socialites, but instead counts former pilots and servicemen as its chief members. It’s called the Guinea Pig Club and membership dues are steep. In order to join the Guinea Pig Club you had to have at least two reconstructive…

This Chemist Discovered How to Salvage Useless Photos with a Dash of Radioactivity

When NASA hired chemist Barbara Askins to salvage the photos they were getting back from astronauts, they never expected she’d revolutionize how to restore details to underexposed photographs. In 1975, NASA hired Barbara S. Askins to work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She was tasked with researching how the space agency used…

The Leonid Meteor Shower Is Tonight and Here’s How to Watch It

The Leonids are tonight! Should you watch? Oh, yes. Here’s how, when, and why to watch the meteor shower tonight—along with something strangely colorful you may be able to spot in this year’s shower. What are the Leonids? The Leonids are a meteor shower formed by the debris of Comet Tempel Tuttel burning up gorgeously…

Turning a Big Mac into sushi is such an incredible achievement

It doesn’t look nearly as appetizing as a Big Mac does in your head right before you step inside a McDonald’s but this Big Mac turned sushi roll is a true culinary masterpiece. Every ingredient is in there: the buns act as the rice, the patty acts as the fish, and the sauce and french…

Frustrated College Professors Launch Their Own Sex Ed MOOC 

Anyone who’s been paying attention knows that high school sex education in the United States is an unholy mess. And as a result, an alarming number of students enter college with little knowledge about how their bodies work in terms of reproductive health. A team of Northwestern University professors led by Teresa Woodruff is addressing…

This Box Makes It Easier To Fall Asleep By Slowly Removing Blue Light From Your TV Screen

Researchers have confirmed that the blue light emitted by all of our electronic devices at night messes with our melatonin production–which in turn hinders a good night’s sleep. But with this black box connected to your TV, you can fall asleep to Netflix and still have a good night’s slumber. The Drift–which connects between a…