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It’s starting to feel a lot like spring, which means its the perfect time to stay inside and mess around with some apps. We’ve got smartphone software for finding that next favorite app, mixing that perfect drink, or finding that perfect trip. Let’s get to downloading. Android Pixel OFF Maybe the greatest thing about AMOLED…
It turns out we’ve all been looking for the wrong features in the perfect alarm clock. Smartphone connectivity? An oversized snooze button? These stop being important once you realize someone has created an alarm clock that can not only be used to order a pizza, it can also count down its arrival at your door.…
If there was any doubt that video games that allow kids to bring their physical toys into the actual game were more than just a fad, Lego and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are joining the likes of Nintendo’s amiibo, Disney’s Infinity, and Spin Master’s Sick Bricks with its new Lego Dimensions game for the PS3,…
If you’ve got an iOS device somewhere on your person then you’ve probably noticed the latest software update is available. Beyond the usual selection of bug fixes and patches (of which there are more than usual), there are a number of small but handy improvements for your iPhone and iPad to take advantage of—here’s how…
There’s a million different knots for doing a million different things. But, these five are easy-to-learn, easy-to-tie and accomplish 99 percent of the jobs you’ll ever need a rope to do. Anyone can make these, here’s how. Knot tying has always been one of my poorest skills. I think I actually earned the Velcro merit…
For some people the thought of trusting their lives to a long metal tube soaring 30,000 feet above the earth causes some concern. But unless you’re living the life of a hermit, flying is hard to avoid. So for a confidence boost—and a comfy way to sleep away the miles—this tiny plush bear is the…
Live-streaming cleans up its act, YouTube confirms its ad-less subscription service, and the Apple Watch you REALLY want. All the news and rumors you missed all on BitStream. Unless you were in the middle of an internet detox yesterday, you probably noticed that some people got their hands on a new, fancy Apple Watch, and…
British TV channel Drama made a life-size chocolate model of Benedict Cumberbatch to celebrate their launch on UKTV’s on demand service. Chocolate Cumberbatch weights 88 pounds (40 Kg) and was made using 500 bars of Belgium chocolate. The likeness is truly impressive. This is how they made it: SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us…
Back in 1904, placer miners combed the Shoshone River for any trace of precious metals. With gold and silver found nearby, long days and hard work sorting through stream deposits had the chance of paying off big. Top image: Placer miners sort through alluvial deposits along the Shoshone River near Ralston in Park County, Wyoming…
Canadian graphic designer and 3D artist Gareth Fowlermakes these neat and perfect infinite loops of unreal machines. If you ask him what he does to figure out how these machines actually work he would say “seek out a mechanical engineering student/graduate, buy them beer, and have them explain stuff to you.” Gareth Fowler is a…
Charles Darwin’s theories of natural selection suggest that being mean, deceptive and selfish are the route to success in life. But, actually, science suggests that on a personal level, it may pay to be nice. This video by Brit Lab explores some of the science that suggests why being the good guy is the way…
I’ve never been too keen on playing dress-up but this clever cup trick made me change my mind. It’s very easy to make, works like a charm, and you can create your own characters—which is what makes it exciting. You just need a few transparent plastic cups, a permanent marker, and some basic drawing skills.…
This 3D scan shows a tangle of abnormal blood vessels beneath a patient’s skin. Their presence caused speech and vision problems, and were in danger of rupturing—which could have ended his life. Now, they’ve been removed during the course of a full face transplant. During surgery performed in February, by Joan-Pere Barret and a team…
In the last decade, ATM skimmers have risen from fictional threat to very real crime. Now, the European ATM Security Team has announced that the total number of skimming attacks around the world is falling—but the total gains made by crooks continues to rise. An analysis of ATM attacks in 2014 reveals that the number…
Every now and then, the universe lines up just right for us puny humans on some speck of a planet in the no-where end of the galaxy to see something amazing. This is an Einstein Ring, a near-perfect manifestation of a particular variety of gravitational lensing. Top image: Galaxy SDP.81 gravitationally lensed into an Einstein…
Mammalian brains are incredibly dense with connections: with present technology, just building a computer that can replicate one percent of a human’s brain technology requires the power of 250,000 desktop PCs. But, thanks to one new scientific paper, we now at least know how the synpases are organized. To gain a deeper understanding of what’s…
Most of the time, when man-made machines come face-to-face with vast fields of sea ice, it’s mankind who lose out (see: Titanic). But in this image from NASA’s Operation Ice Bridge, we get a rare look a humans imposing order on the planet’s unruly machinations. Operation IceBridge is an annual NASA mission, which involves sending…
Some of Adobe’s professional video and compositing software was updated today, and one of the coolest new features is Character Animator, which tracks your own movements through a webcam, and maps them onto any custom made character you want, with very little effort. The new tool is part of After Effects CC, and looks like…
Look, I’m all forextreme sports (and general borderline-stupidshenanigans masquerading as sports). But I think I’d probably draw the line at a homemade, 3-D printed jet-powered snowboard. The build is startlingly (worryingly?) simple: Jude Gomilla, the wannabe Mythbuster behind the project, got hold of an electric ducted fan with 22lbs of thrust, Gorilla-glued it to a…
You know how Battlebots is coming back to TV? I decided not to wait. This weekend, I drove to San Mateo to watch homemade robots battle to the death at the Robogames. Here are a few of the epic things I saw there. Counter Revolution vs. Pump Pump is a robot that spins a giant,…
