Tech News

Smartphone Camera Sensors Are About To Get Even Better

Sony just announced a new sensor for smartphones called the Exmor RS IMX230. This jumbled mess of alphabet soup is a 21-megapixel stacked CMOS imaging sensor that promises higher-quality images to your personal pocket computer. Exactly how will it make your mobile pics more professional? Well, a couple ways. First, it has focus capabilities with…

If You Can Doodle, You Can Program the Tiny Ozobot

Science fiction has promised us robots smart enough to walk, talk, and even occasionally save the day. But in reality, dabbling in robotics still requires a great deal of engineering and programming know-how. That’s not the case with the Ozobot, though. It can’t fetch your groceries, but programming where it roams and how it behaves…

Watch two robots arms sword fighting using katanas—because it kicks ass

Despite it being a bit too slow, this fight between two katana-wielding robotic arms is a great example of how precise their movement can be. I just wish they were not only arms, but humanoid robots fighting—giant humanoid robots. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

SR-71 Blackbird pilot explains how the cockpit works from the inside

Last Friday you saw the SR-71 Blackbird cockpit in glorious ultra-HD. Veteran Blackbird pilot Richard Graham explains how the cockpit actually works in this fascinating video filmed inside the cockpit. Lots of technical words, but seeing him moving around inside that tight cockpit is really cool. Top image: Lockheed Martin photo of Brian Shul flying…

Turn Your Unused MicroSD Cards Into Invisible Extra MacBook Storage

Sticking an SSD drive inside the MacBook Air helped Apple create one of the sleekest laptops you can buy. The tradeoff was limited storage, since SSDs don’t boast the same capacity as regular hard drives at any sort of sane price. Thankfully there’s also an SD card slot you can use to boost your MBA’s…

This Ultra-Compact Support Lets You Shoot Hands-Free With Your iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 and iOS 8 make it impossibly easy to shoot timelapse and high-speed footage using just your phone. But while the boxy design of the iPhone 5 meant it could be stood on its edge for hands-free shooting, you unfortunately can’t steady the curvy iPhone 6 that way. Lots of companies have announced…

Spotify Will Now Provide the Soundtrack on Your Uber Ride

Hey, this is pretty neat. You can now connect Uber with Spotify so you can pick the music on your next ride. I’m playing all death metal all the time, sorry next driver. We’d heard rumor this was coming since last week, but now it’s finally official. It works like this: connect your Spotify account…

Kubrick and Scorsese’s most iconic images in just one video

Brazilian editor Leandro Copperfield combined the most iconic and spectacular images from two of my favorite directors, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese, in one video. Hit play and get ready for an overdose of film excellence. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

The Sad Fates of the World’s Six Tallest Unfinished Buildings

Building a house is stressful. Building a skyscraper is a nuclear bomb of stress, problems, and carefully-coordinated chaos—chaos that is closely tied to the economy, and that is easily derailed by war, politics, and financial downturns. It’s not an uncommon story. There are plenty of super-tall (over 984 feet) buildings that were proposed but never…

Star Wars‘ Black Series Heads to Hoth with lovely new Toys

As a life-long fan of Star Wars and a lover of toys, Hasbro’s Black Series range should be lethal for my poor wallet – and yet outside of some Stormtroopers I’ve somehow managed to keep myself away from it. That might change soon because TAUNTAUNS AND WAMPAS, OH MY. These new ‘deluxe’ sets – due…

This Wooden All-in-One Neo Geo Arcade System Is an Absolute Work Of Art

The last time we lusted over a cloned video game console it wasn’t some cheap plastic knock-off from Taiwan, it was the Analogue Nt, a perfect NES homage made from a solid block of aluminum. And now the Analogue Nt’s creators are back with a new creation that sees a classic Neo Geo arcade system…

Music video of lovers melting is really cool but incredibly creepy

Most love songs have music videos where couples kiss, hug, or have sex. This video for the song Luna by South Korean band HEO does the same, except they take it to the extreme thanks to some cool but really creepy special effects. HEO is an electronic music band from South Korea. Luna is one…

A Magnifying Glass Spoon Lets You Spot Even Tiny Flies In Your Soup

When you’re eating at a restaurant, you’re putting a tremendous amount of faith in the kitchen and wait staff that your food will be kept as contaminant-free as possible. But if you’re really worried about an establishment’s hygiene, make sure you’re always carrying Object Solutions’ Magnifying Spoon that lets you inspect your meal up close…

A 5-Year-Old Passed a Microsoft IT Technician Exam

Ayan Qureshi is in many ways a normal young boy. Apart from the fact that, at the age of just five years old, he passed an exam to become the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional ever. Ayan—whose dad happens to be an IT consultant—had to answer a selection of multiple choice, drag-n-drop and scenario-based questions to…

An Entire Day of All of the UK’s Air Travel, Visualized

Every day, around 6,000 flights operate in UK airspace. In this visualisation by NATS, one of the UK’s air traffic control providers, you can see them all in intricate detail. It’s mesmerizing The organization has put together similar visualizations in the past, but this one takes a closer look at some intriguing features of UK…

Google’s Project Loon Now Has a Carrier Working On It Too

Google’s ambitious plan to fill the skies with internet is suddenly looking way more feasible as a reality: the search giant now has a commercial cellular partner working on the project in Australia. The Guardian reports that Google is teaming up with Australia’s Telstra carrier to launch Loon’s biggest test flights yet. The new trials…

Why Sugar Doesn’t Spoil

Two foods are left out on the counter – fresh tomatoes and a bowl of sugar. Within a week or so, one will develop black spots and the other remains pristine, albeit perhaps a little clumpy depending on the humidity of the air. But why? Osmosis. While microorganisms love sugar, they also need a certain…

What do those four colored buttons even do these days anyway? [Truth Facts]

State Department Computer Systems Hit by Hackers

Yesterday, the State Department announced that it’s had to temporarily shut down its email system and public websites following a breach of its computer systems. The Associated Press reports that the security breach didn’t ultimately affect its classified systems. “This has impacted some of our unclassified email traffic and our access to public websites from…

Report: Facebook’s Working on a New “Facebook at Work” Site

Fancy creating a little more distance between your social and professional facades on Facebook? Well, the Financial Times is reporting that Zuckerberg & Co. are working on a new site, called “Facebook at Work,” that will do just that. The newspaper reports that the site will look very much like the Facebook you know and…