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In recent years actors like Michael Keaton and Christian Bale have laid claim to the Batman character in movies, but your parents (or grandparents) are probably more familiar with Adam West’s take on the superhero from the campy 1960s TV series. Which means that Mattel’s gigantic version of the George Barris-designed 1966 Batmobile will appeal…
You can’t deny it’d be a conversation starter every time your guests walked in to find the metallic skeleton-head of a giant killer robot staring back to them, its glowing red eyes boring into their very souls. I mean, what else would you use a Terminator’s head for? This giant replica of the T-800 features…
Today’s BitStream has the drama of a failing technology giant, the suspense of mobile payments getting serious, and an unexplainable Kickstarter of weird. Come get all the small news bits and rumors you might have missed in the last 24 hours. Weird Kickstarter turns child care into boozing affair Kickstarter is responsible for a lot…
If you are like me and often wonder how that thing you are drinking is made or what’s exactly in it, this interesting infographic will help you figure it out. It shows how the different countries in the world prepare their most popular alcoholic beverages and what ingredients they use. SPLOID is delicious brain candy.…
Nickel-hydride metal batteries have fallen out of favor in recent years despite their inherent safety, because they’re not as small or light as lithium-ion cells. But scientific advances could significantly boost the capacity of the ageing batteries—and make them attractive once more. Researchers at BASF have recently doubled the capacity of nickel-hydride metal batteries, reports…
Japanese visual design studio WOW made this stunning video showing rare images of Tokyo covered by a dense fog. That, combined with the relaxing music, the beautiful locations, and the calm pace at which the fog moves, transforms Tokyo into a gorgeous dreamlike city. From WOW’s website: These images show the face of Tokyo through…
Piet Mondrian sits well in the world of science and technology, his clear geometric forms so neatly and rationally ordered. But perhaps the earliest example of technology and Modrian intersecting is in these images, created digitally way back in 1964. https://gizmodo.com/visualizing-data-in-the-style-of-famous-artists-1291400221 Overhead Compartment explains howJapanese philosopher-programmer Hiroshi Kawano set to recreating Mondrian’s work in algorithmic…
Oh no, Lenovo. Users are reporting on the company’s forums that its computers are coming installed with adware straight out of the box—adware that can spy on your secure transactions. According to a number of Lenovo users, the software called Superfish is installed on factory-fresh laptops. The adware injects third-party ads into Google searches and…
This futuristic night view of Las Vegas was captured from a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules when it was landing after a training mission, during Red Flag 15-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, on February 9th 2015. [Senior Airman Thomas Spangler/U.S. Air Force]
NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft was launched to give us the first close-up view of Pluto, and it’s delivering. This footage shows the best-ever view of two of its tiny moons—one of which never been seen before. The two moons, Nix and Hydra, are visible in a series of images acquired by New Horizons between January…
Over a year ago, the revenge porn king of the Internet, Hunter Moore, was arrested by the FBI. Now, the 28-year-old has pleaded guilty to unauthorized access to a computer, aiding and abetting unauthorized access of a computer, and identity theft. http://gawker.com/revenge-porn-kingpin-hunter-moore-arrested-by-fbi-1507555135 Moore was the operator of the revenge porn site IsAnyoneUp.com, which became popular…
Eighty-five years ago today, Clyde Tombaugh found a small dot of light shifting position while hunting for the trans-Neptune planet predicted by Percival Lowell. Now, the New Horizons probe en route to Pluto has photographed its tiny moons, Nix and Hydra. https://gizmodo.com/new-horizons-historic-pluto-encounter-has-officially-be-1679719913 Top image: Pluto, Charon, Nix, and Hydra seen by the Hubble Space Telescope…
Remember, oh, about a week ago when Samsung had to clarify that its new SmartTVs aren’t actually ambiently listening to every word you say? That’s all well and good—but it sounds like what those TVs do hear is being transmitted without any encryption whatsoever. Whoops. David Lodge, a white hat hacker with Pen Test Partners,…
These Fostex TH900 headphones run for $1,300 which is completely silly and ridiculous and insane until you watch how they get made. The amount of detail put into each part, the careful consideration of each step, it’s all pretty impressive. I know I would never spend that much money on headphones but I can’t say…
Part of the fun of having a GoPro is being able to see from perspectives you’ve never seen before. So as cool as it is to strap that thing onto your head or throw it across your chest while you’re doing extreme stunts, it’s also really fun to see a GoPro in random spots like…
Modern icebreakers are the most marvelous of civilian ships. They are huge, they are strong, they are powerful, and their history is amazing. Without them, there would be no safe waterways for other ships in the icy waters around the poles of the Earth. Here is a spectacular look into their evolution, from steamers and…
Dissolve is back at it again with one of my favorite recurring series: recreating famous movie scenes with just stock footage. This time they focus on Academy Award winning movies and make you guess the film using hints such as ‘theme park fail’ and ‘midlife strife with rose petals’. It’s pretty uncanny how close they…
Before Listerine found its true commercial calling as a mouthwash, it was a general purpose antiseptic meant to be used on cuts, sore throats, dandruff, and, most horrifying of all, down there. “It possesses great penetrating power,” touts the ad! I came across this ad in a Duke University archive while researching my article on…
Whether it’s a fireplace or a glowing candle, there’s nothing like a little pyromania to cut through the winter blues. So for this week’s Shooting Challenge, photograph flames. The Challenge Take a photo that features a flame. It can be an extreme close up, or it can be a tiny part of the image. Just…
It’s raining down ash in Southern California, after an Exxon Mobil oil refinery exploded. The blast nearly leveled a processing unit and left four contractors with minor injuries. The local Torrance Fire Department says gasoline is to blame. Meanwhile, the aftermath looks like a scene from Blade Runner. The scene does not look peaceful, but…
