Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
As Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko sneaks closer to the sun, the Rosetta orbiter is capturing dramatic outbursts from the ever-more active comet. This jet was so powerful, it momentarily out-puffed the solar wind, creating a rarely-observed diamagnetic cavity. The quiescent comet on August 6, 2014 and the far more active comet year later on August 6, 2015.…
Samsung is set to debut the fifth iteration of the generously-sized Note later this month, but this is the internet—why wait in patience, when we can piece together rumors and half-truths instead? Here’s everything we think we know. The Galaxy Note has long been the trend-setting Big Android Smartphone: Samsung basically invented (don’t-call-’em) phablets when…
In a recent article, Tinder and the Dawn of the “Dating Apocalypse”, Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales threw seven kinds of shade on Tinder and everything it stands for. Rather than issue a tersely-worded statement upholding its belief in the sanctity of marriage, Tinder found the keys to the Twitter account, and let loose.…
If you are still continuing the never-ending search for a fashionable Bluetooth earbud, good news: Motorola’sredesigned Hint earbud isup for sale on its website, complete with longer battery life and some non-offensive colors. Contact the author at [email protected].
Carving decorative candles is such an exquisite art because not only does the end result look great but the whole process requires a lot of planning to get the right mix of colors and demands a lot from the artist, because there’s a time limit as the candle hardens throughout the carving process. Here’s a…
Each culture has its own customs and each country has its own preferences but people all across the world are united in their desire to drink and have fun with their friends. And it’s that—not language or opposable thumbs—is what makes us humans. But of course, if you’re drinking with people from other cultures, you…
Methamphetamine is one of the nastiest drug addictions to overcome, in part because memories of the high are so powerful. But what if scientists could erase those drug-infused recollections? Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida have developed a drug that’s able to do just that in mice. The mechanism behind the memory-erasing drug…
Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has pulled huge, overflow crowds at his recent rallies. They’re not there because of expensive ad campaigns. They’re there because of Facebook and Twitter. The Washington Post reports on Sanders’ incredible attendee numbers: 27,000 in Los Angeles on Monday, 28,000 in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, which combined with other impressive…
Sometimes, the simplest plans are the smartest. And the most illegal. That’s certainly the case with a group of accused criminals, including six American stock traders and two Ukrainian hackers, along with 23 other defendants—who stand accused of running a very, very lucrative scheme for almost five years, according to the AP. The scam was…
Lawrence Lessig is perhaps best known as the digital liberties attorney who transformed copyright rules with Creative Commons, a nonprofit that promotes non-exclusive, internet-friendly copyrights. But now he’s a government reformer. And he’s decided to run for president. Of course the road to candidacy is long and difficult. Though Lessig wants to run as a…
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. With these watches, telling time is so much more beautiful and intricate and complicated than that. These are some of the most sophisticated watch movements in the world with a ton of complications added to them and just to see all the fancy ways the mechanical engine moves is a delight.…
Europa’s fabled ocean has inspired science fiction movies and actual space missions alike — and yet we aren’t even sure it exists. NASA has gotten so curious, it recently greenlit a mission to Europa that’ll hopefully settle the matter once and for all. And the space agency has just produced an excellent video explaining why…
Machines can do lots of things better than your average human brain. Hell, a $5 calculator is more gifted at math than I’ll ever be. And now machines can even predict the weather more accurately than your local bag-of-bones meteorologist. Microsoft researchers Ashish Kapoor and Eric Horvitz are using machine learning to make more accurate…
If you’re an Angeleno, you’re probably used to the black plastic balls floating in local reservoirs. But the rest of us may be wondering why LA’s turning a massive water source into a goth-looking PlayPlace. The answer? To keep the drought-stricken area’s water clean and protect it from evaporation. On Monday, LA mayor Eric Garcetti…
Fusion power has seemed like science fiction — a boundless energy source that would light up the world forever, if only we could figure out how to contain it. And yet we’re always about thirty years away from solving that mystery. Until now. Recent advances in magnet technology have brought fusion a little closer to…
3D printing isn’t just for making unique stuffed animals or weird fake meat. It allows us to fabricate objects we never could with traditional manufacturing. Here are some of the incredible things we can print now, which were nearly impossible to make before. Personalized Car Parts 3D printing can make car parts that are custom-built…
It’s August. You want to go camping. You want to go to the beach. Why not do both at once? Get it right and beach camping is the best thing you’ll ever do. Where To Camp If this is your first time camping, save yourself a lot of hassle and visit an organized campsite. They’ll…
Steve McDonald’s Fantastic Cities: A Colouring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined features stunningly detailed cityscapes that will take you on a globe-trotting coloring adventure. Fantastic Cities has almost 60 “immersive aerial views” of cities from New York and London to Istanbul, Tokyo, Rio, and more, alongside intricate “Inception-like architectural mandalas.” These “mind-bending labyrinthine…
You can have the perfect cut of steak that’s been cooked to the perfect temperature and grilled to the perfect texture and yet still ruin it by not cutting the meat against the grain. Seriously, slicing a steak against the grain makes it so much more tender and delicious that you’d be a fool not…
Kim Kardashian has shilled for a wide variety of different products, including diet pills and Silly Bandz. But her recent promotion of a morning sickness drug on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook has gotten her into some hot water with the FDA. On July 19th, Kardashian posted about a morning sickness drug called Diclegis, made by…
