Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Archaeologists have excavated a house in Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, that dates back to the first century. Local Christians have long believed it was Jesus’ childhood home, but scientists say that’s impossible to know for sure. What the house reveals about life during Jesus’ childhood, however, is fascinating. University of Reading archaeologist Ken Dark and…
We’ve seen the Houses Great and Small of Game of Thrones become modern-day companies, but now it’s the turn of classic Gen-1 Pokémon to get the slick modern logo treatment by design company Pictogram. Pictogram designer Sebastiaan de With actually goes a step further than just taking some of the first 151 Pokémon and turning…
When you’re a kid, corn on the cob is one of the best meals imaginable because it’s really just an excuse to eat pure melted butter. But wrangling a chunk of that golden goodness onto a hot piece of corn fresh off the grill is a tricky task that’s made a lot easier with this…
Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! Do you really need to worry about animal attacks outdoors? Let’s look at the data and determine what you can do to fight them off. Reader DC writes: “Very new to backpacking. Would like to get my family into it.” “What about dealing with bears and wolves and things…
There is a distressing secret clawing at each of our souls. But a new Twitter bot called @secrets_exeis designed to help you get that burden out into the world—without telling anybody about it. Liberation is just a tweet away. Secrets_exe is pretty simple. Step one: Follow the bot. Then after it follows you back, send…
Retroreflectivity is everywhere. It’s painted onto your street as line markers. It’s printed on the stop sign at the end of it. It’s sewn into technical clothing. It’s even on the moon, thanks to Apollo. And increasingly, it’s riding down the street next to you. Hub Bicycle Company, a 5-year-old bike shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts,…
Picture $4 billion worth of cash stacked up in the shape of a train station. This is pretty much what the World Trade Center Transportation Hub looks like. Except more surreal. You’d also maybe need to throw in a whole bunch of screw ups and missed deadlines, because this alien cathedral of a train stationis…
One of the greatest conundrums to face humanity is why we have yet to make first contact with extraterrestrial life. Some explanations are better than others. Over at io9, George Dvorsky tells us about seven of the weakest solutions to the vexing conundrum known as the Fermi Paradox.
Unless you actually work on a farm, it’s hard to get excited over toy versions of farming equipment. But Michał Skorupka—aka Eric Trax—has somehow made us want to tear down the Lamborghini and Ferrari posters on our walls, and replace them with images of a Claas Jaguar forage harvester. Or at least his perfect Lego…
Windows that tint themselves. A built-in phone mount. Real warnings instead of a vague “check engine” light. Jalopnik’s Chris Perkins shows us the amazing(ly simple) tech that is long overdue in cars.
The 10th Doctor could be more than a little maudlin at times – I mean, he was always apologising. But this new figure by Big Chief Studios depicts a startlingly glum looking version of the Time Lord. He’s either contemplating a whole universe of tragedy, or wondering if he left the kettle on, it’s hard…
Yes, that photo above is real. But no, that’s not snow on a Los Angeles beach. The picture comes from Allen Schaben, a photographer for the L.A. Times. Schaben incorrectly identified the white stuff on the beach as “snow,” sending Twitter into a brief frenzy about whether it had snowed in Huntington Beach, a city…
Earlier this month I asked you guys for the worst email sign-offs you’d ever seen. Well, well, well, did you ever deliver. Many people (understandably, as I am always correct) agreed with me that “Best” is an arrogant and disgusting way to cap off your digital correspondence. But oh, there are plenty of other terrible…
Over on Lifehacker, Alan Henry looks at the security of a cadre of money transfer apps—from Venmo to Square Cash—and doles out great advice on how to use them without putting yourself to unnecessary financial risk.
The noise-canceling software your smartphone uses to eliminate background sounds from your voice when making a call is surprisingly good these days, but still not good enough to deal with the deafening crackle from a sudden gust of wind. That’s why microphones have those puffy foam covers on the end, and why these Windblockers for…
To understand the mass hysteria around The Dress last week, you can’t compare it to other memes. You have to compare it to political events like #Ferguson, which are its diametrical opposite. Except in one way. Photo by Jeffrey B. Banke via Shutterstock But first, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that The Dress came…
If watch craftsmanship to you has nothing to do with how thin a company can make an LCD touchscreen’s bezel, then you’re probably already aware of the wonderful creations made by a company called HYT. To make its horological masterpieces really stand out the company uses pistons and bellows to pump colorful liquid through tubes…
The Sucklord—real name Morgan Phillips—is a pop artist well known for his subversive creations of mashed-together toys. Imagine if Sid from Toy Story grew up to become an amazing artist, and you have an idea of what to expect. Director Joey Garfield recently toured Sucklord’s studio, appropriately named “The Suckhole,” to showcase some of these…
Attack On Titan’s popularity knows no bounds – both in the US and Japan the manga is tearing up sales charts, and that of course means there is merchandise out the wazoo. But you know something’s really made it when it started being slapped all over… Water Coolers. Wait, what? Japanese Water Cooler manufacturer Aqua…
Many horrors exist within Tumblr’s dark, recondite recesses. But every once in a while, you’ll stumble upon a phenomenon that is beautiful for its sheer and utter and absurdity. Or in the case of one particular phenomenon, for Ron Weasely’s tender, loving gaze as he looks into Justin Bieber’s eyes. Fake Rupert Grint and Justin…