Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
*OK, not really, but that’s what they look like to me. In reality, PornBurger’s Fugazim is not made of dragon or unicorn parts. Not even meat, it’s just “crispy brussel sprouts, shallot confit, and black garlic aioli.” But they seem delicious, even if they are a vegan burger sacrilege. SPLOID is a new blog about…
Now here’s some welcome innovation in the airline industry. Southwest Airlines announced today that it will be using biofuel on several of its flights by 2016, purchasing the blended fuel from a Colorado company that salvages “140,000 dry tons of woody biomass feedstock” per year—fallen timber from local forests that might otherwise serve as fuel…
If you just updated your new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you’ve probably noticed your cell service and TouchID have died a swift death. But fear not! There is a way to downgrade back to iOS 8 and restore full functionality while Apple patches the update. Here’s how to do it. Of course, doing this…
If you’re not going to be living too long in a place, decking out your temporary abode in recyclable cardboard furniture actually makes a lot of sense. It’s cheaper than real furniture, you don’t have to bring it next time you move, and with these modular TapeFlips sets you can actually build exactly the pieces…
At the Sydney Opera House, seagulls are a bigger nuisance than pitchy tenors. Management is desperate to keep the ravenous sky rats away, so much that they’ve installed a large robotic bird of prey as a modern-day scarecrow. They say it costs $6500. Which seems like a large sum for a bird-scaring machine… but compared…
Looking for a new computer? Lifehacker’s got the guide you need to build the best one you can for however much money you have. Read on below to find out what you should buy. https://lifehacker.com/the-best-pcs-you-can-build-for-300-600-and-1200-5840963
Someone had the genius idea of editing out all the bullshit from an episode of Wheel of Fortune and leave only the parts where something actually happens. The result is three minutes of intense and frenetic Wheel of Fortune action. I wish there was a channel with no-bullshit versions of all TV shows. SPLOID is…
New iPhone owners: Do not update to iOS 8.0.1 yet. The upgraded iOS 8 that just rolled out over the air is killing the ability of phones to connect to cellular networks and is also breaking other features like TouchID. We have confirmed those two problems, and we’re investigating what else might be wrong. If…
Yes, that viral video of KLM’s “lost and found” dog reuniting passengers with their lost phones is adorable. But sadly, it’s just an ad campaign. The dog is not a permanent member of KLM’s actual lost and found team. A Dutch news site confirms that it’s all just an adorable stunt. A translation from one…
When talented women embrace science, the result is a steady stream of joy and curiosity. We sat down with the Scirens, a new collaboration of actresses sharing their excitement for science and technology who advocate for their inclusion in the entertainment industry. This spring, actress and writer Taryn O’Neill was inspired to solidify her position…
This 8-bit style animated short film features a very enthusiastic moose and his inseparable sidekick, the yellow cat. They are on a mission to rescue Princess Burger from the evil clutches of a Hipster Octopus. Will they succeed? Of course they will. The short film was created by Mike Scott for the Nickelodeon International Animated…
With several great deals available, it’s an excellent day to stock up on or upgrade to USB3 flash storage. SanDisk Extreme 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive ($20) | Best Buy SanDisk Extreme 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive ($35) | Best Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive ($99) | Amazon If you like…
Just before Apple was set to spring iOS 8 on the world, a bug prevented the launch of the operating system with HealthKit apps, rendering one of Apple’s marquee new features temporarily useless. Just days later, the first update to iOS 8 fixes the bug, so that HealthKit apps can finally go live. The update…
Ever fancied sitting on the Iron Throne in the Baratheon line? Well, if you’ve got the hefty chunk of change wanted, you might be able to pretend that you can with this crown from Game of Thrones, from Profiles in History’s upcoming Hollywood auction. The massive auction, taking place October 17th-20th, has hundreds of lots…
If you could go online, select a home, print the plans for free, and build it yourself for less than $80,000 in a few days, would you? That’s the dream behind WikiHouse, an open source home design project that just finished construction of its fourth prototype, a two-storey home that snaps together in just a…
Ever heard the morbid little Fun Fact™ that your hair and nails keep growing after you die? Well, it’s not true. It may appear that a dead person’s fingernails are still growing, but that’s only because the body is drying up. The skin’s retraction around the nail just makes it look like they’re growing. From…
Remember the futuristic automatic-drying jacket in Back to the Future 2? Purdue researchers are developing a robotic fabric that could become a big material for wearable technology and soft robot creators, which means you may be able to rock smart outerwear like Marty McFly someday. The material is embedded with flexible sensors, but it’s largely…
Samsung’s Gear S—Samsung’s first smartwatch that is literally also a phone with a SIM card and a phone number—is coming to the US this fall, and it’s being supported by all four major carriers. Dick Tracy your day has come.
Shockingly, there are some instances where the US Navy’s Phalanx Close-In Weapons System’s (CIWS) red hot wall of 20mm tungsten isn’t enough to neutralize incoming threats—like against fast moving anti-ship cruise missiles. For times like those, America’s Navy relies on the Phalanx’s bigger, badder, rocket-propelled brother: the SeaRAM. https://gizmodo.com/the-c-ram-centurion-tears-up-warheads-with-a-stream-of-5907237 First deployed in the early 1990s,…
This cool video produced by the New York Times tries to explain the mystery of how a string quartet communicates by transforming their movements into visual data. Every member plays a different and very complex rhythm but, when the four combine, the result is perfectly harmonious. Watch the interactive video of the Kronos Quartet playing…
