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Where is Richard John Bingham, also known as Lord Lucan? He hasn’t been seen since November 8, 1974, the day after the family nanny was found beaten to death in the basement of the home where his estranged wife, Veronica, lived with the couple’s three young children. Left in his wake: scandal and endless speculation.…
Last week’s post on Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, got us thinking about other executions that drew crowds to the prison walls. Most times, as in the Ellis case, the assembled are protesting the death penalty. Other times, the atmosphere is weirdly festive. https://gizmodo.com/this-sensational-murder-case-spurred-the-uk-to-outlaw-c-1710399812 Above and below are scenes…
A snakebot recently crawled up my leg. The engineers sort of grinned while I grimaced, wondering if I should try to attack it or cry for help, an impulse that comes from watching too many scifi movies, I guess. I expect most robots to destroy me, but these snakebots are designed to do the opposite.…
For electric vehicles to truly supplant their gas-guzzling predecessors, there needs to be as many charging stations on the roads as there are gas stations—if not more. So BMW proposes upgrading the street lights that already line roads everywhere with charging capabilities and energy-efficient lighting. Street lights are already tied in to a city’s power…
Here’s a video of hummingbirds flying in slow motion. It’s really cool to see how different the speed of its wings move versus the stillness of its body. It’s like the video is in fast forward when you’re staring at the wings but completely stopped when you just see the body. I’ll never not be…
Last week, the company that (literally) kickstarted the new virtual reality industry announced a groundbreaking new controller that lets you reach out and touch things in virtual worlds. I just gave it a spin. It’s good. Damn good. So damn good it makes me want to hold off on buying a virtual reality headset. Wait,…
Teen birthrates are at an all-time low, but unintended pregnancies among young women are still a serious problem that disproportionately affects low-income families. A new study in The Lancet suggests that more training for healthcare providers could improve contraceptive use for these women. Cynthia Harper, a professor at the Bixby Center for Reproductive Health at…
Father’s Day is this Sunday, meaning you still have time to partially make up for being such a disappointment as a son and/or daughter. And, since doing stuff outdoors and dads goes together like alcohol and power tools, IndefinitelyWild is here to help you find the right gift. Outdoor Technology Turtle Shell 2.0 Bluetooth Speaker…
Look out bullshit peddlers, the robot fact-checkers are coming to get you. Researchers at Indiana University have developed an automated system for checking claims made online. And while it’s not the first such system, it’s definitely a sign that automated fact-checking might soon become mainstream. https://gizmodo.com/uberfacts-is-still-full-of-lies-1664836449 The new study published today, Computational Fact Checking From…
You’ve heard the story of how duct tape saved Apollo 13*, but that’s not the only time tape has come to the rescue in space. Here are some of the ridiculously cool ways tape makes life far, far better in low Earth orbit and beyond. First Things First: Which Tape Is Best? Duct tape, right?…
There are dieticians out there who will tell you it’s a bad idea to eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and they’re probably right. You at least need to mix things up for one of those meals, so when lunch rolls around, why not go with this eight-inch Gummy Pizza instead of a pepperoni pie?…
We knew it was coming. When Nest bought the camera maker DropCam for a cool half billion last year, it seemed inevitable that a surveillance camera would be Nest’s third big hardware release. Today, Nest announced Nest Cam—along with a subscription service called Nest Aware. The Camera Let’s start with the Cam, which popped up…
Robots are entering the workforce. Some will work alongside you. Others, sadly, will put you out of work. The question is, which jobs are actually on the chopping block? The answer to that has been bathed in media hype, but we talked to experts who gave us some realistic answers about which human careers might…
E-readers are the bane of my existence. I like books. I like the feel of books. The weight of books. Hell, even the smell of books. But no e-reader has challenged my page-bound allegiance like this new Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a lot like the old Paperwhite to be honest, which we loved lots and lots,…
The Apple Watch has been out for less than two months, but already people are trying to unload theirs on sites like eBay. And these people aren’t just resellers hoping to cash in on the hype. Nope, these people are selling their Apple Watches “barely used” — a clear sign that things just didn’t work…
The Federal Communications Commission hit AT&T with one of its biggest fines in history today: Ma Bell has to fork over a hefty $100 million for allegedly slowing internet speeds for folks with unlimited data plans. Apparently, the FCC found out that AT&T throttled net speeds for people who used up a particular amount of…
Spaghetti and meatballs are as natural a pairing as hamburger and fries and whiskey and more whiskey so it’s natural to explore as many different variations of the noodles and meat dish that you can. After seeing a spaghetti bun and meatball burger, I thought the food gods would never bless us with anything more…
You might have noticed the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, a rather distinctive handset with a curved screen. The extra display can be used to alert you to different notifications and give quick links to contacts and other parts of the TouchWiz OS. Thanks to a clever app, you can get one of these features on…
Lego master builder Sariel admits to not being much of a Formula 1 fan, but you wouldn’t know it looking at his replica of the Ferrari 248 F1 car that drivers like Michael Schumacher raced back in 2006. It’s even remote control, with full suspension and steering for hugging every tiny corner. And it’s finished…
The strongest material on Earth, fictional substances included, is a hockey puck. It’s true. After surviving against the red hot nickel ball and going toe to toe with liquid nitrogen, it totally edges out adamantium and whatever T-1000 was made out of. Here’s another battle that it holds up admirably to: thermite, which is basically…
