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When you think Cirque du Soleil, you probably think teams of sequin-suited acrobats doing improbable things in time to music, not quadrotors. Well, that’s where you’re wrong. The Montreal-based circus’s latest trick manages to take the mechanical, and make it wonderfully artistic. In collaboration with the Flying Machine Arena at ETH Zurich, the folks at…
As we all get excited about the new second part of Fight Club coming out in 2015, let’s take a look back at some fun facts that you probably didn’t know about the movie. Like how Brad Pitt’s outfits were even crazier than you thought and how perfect the blood dripping needed to be. CineFix…
Lyft, the pink ‘stache-sporting ride-sharing service, announced today that it’s acquiring Hitch, a service that tries to get multiple users into one taxi. Lyft has said that the acquisition will bolster its Lyft Line service (and hopefully stem the onwards flooding of the Uber tide). [Lyft]
Though I think Tony Stark would try to invent some sort of laser if he made his own saber and that Iron Man doesn’t quite need a sword with all his weaponry, this beast of a sword made by Man At Arms: Reforged would still look pretty badass when used with Iron Man’s suit. The…
An infographic at Quanta Magazine explains how scientists could’ve mistaken cosmic dust for gravitational waves as part of their special on the latest saga of the hazards of doing science in public. While disappointing, this just part of the halting, uncertain progress at uncovering the mysteries of the universe. http://io9.com/evidence-for-the-big-bang-theory-may-have-just-been-dus-1637576980/ https://gizmodo.com/have-physicists-detected-gravitational-waves-yes-1545591865 If you’re having a…
So the US Air Force is on Instagram and sometimes they post some nice shots. This one is not just nice. This one really kicks ass. It reminds me of Macross for some reason. The F-15 is still so damn cool. Members of the 121st Air Refueling Wing refuel an F-15E Strike Eagle using a…
In 1981 Freddie Mercury recorded “There Must Be More to Life Than This,” which originally featured additional vocals from Michael Jackson. The song was eventually released without Jackson’s voice, but thanks to the new compilation Queen Forever, you can finally hear Freddie and Michael together. I admit, I got a little choked up listening to…
Legend says that cats have nine lives. Science says that’s superstition based on uncanny reflexes and amazing flexibility. Whatever. Looking at this video of the fire of the Towers Hotel—a historic hotel in Dauphin, Manitoba—I’m saying nine damn lives and scientists can go poop in a litter box for all I care. Such a lucky…
The Destiny review is out at Kotaku and Kirk Hamilton loves it. And hates it. But mostly loves it. But then he really hates it and he can’t stop playing. I read the review and I want to put on an Oculus Rift and play it forever while being fed with Soylent Green through an…
A team of scientists just strung a tone of the world’s smallest diamonds into superstrong nanothreads. That makes for one impressive (and basically invisible) necklace, but the applications of these nanothreads don’t end there. They could someday help string up an elevator to space—just like in science fiction. A research team lead by John Badding,…
As the physical embodiment of all things American, Uncle Sam has been used to represent the likes of freedom, Big Brother, consumerism, fetus-snatching, and everything in between. But just over 200 years ago, this anthropomorphized flag of a man was an actual, living human being—and a too-weak-to-enlist one, at that. When Samuel Wilson (born 1766)…
This is Gary Dryfoos demonstrating one of the 2014 Ig Noble prizes: Use bacon “to stop uncontrollable, life-threatening nosebleeds.” Seriously, it’s a real research paper and it has already saved lives. Watch the ceremony to see the most ridiculous—but sometimes crucial and enlightening—scientific research of 2014. Here’s a list, linking to the original peer-reviewed research…
Ever notice how all the faces are blurred in Google Street View photos? That happens thanks to a privacy-enabling robot. But it’s not a perfect robot. The Google Street View robot not only blurs the faces of humans but also of statues, despite the fact that statues have no notion of privacy. Makes you think,…
After graduating from Harvard, Grace Choi decided that she wanted to target the makeup industry with a low-cost device that would actually let consumers simply print their own. And while she’s working on perfecting (and raising the needed funding) to put her Mink printer into production, she’s created a tutorial on how to hack a…
When Bre Pettis, the co-founder of MakerBot, began his company in 2009, the mission was clear: make 3D printing accessible. Five years later, the company has sold tens of thousands of printers and joined forces with the industry stalwart Stratasys. Now that these creation machines are (relatively) financially feasible, how are we going to use…
The industrial design of the iPhone 6 is close to flawless… Except for one flaw so weird, so major, that it’s maddening: The fact that the camera protrudes from the body of the phone, meaning it never lies completely flat and gets caught on all kinds of stuff. The perfectionists at PeripateticPandas have a solution,…
In the quest to entice us into their cord-tethered grasps, cable companies will come up with anything to win us over. But AT&T might have struck upon the first truly innovative deal: Broadband, plus HBO, and a year’s subscription to Amazon Prime. For only $39 per month. The closest one might come to such a…
Brothers Brick contributor Ralph Savelsberg built this pretty cool model of a Camaro – but wait until you see what makes it so amazing. You see, it’s not just a Camaro – it’s a fully functioning, transforming replica of Transformers’ Bumblebee: It’s amazing that Savelsberg not only made both the car and robot forms of…
So, it turns out the human brain is incredibly easy to fool. All you need is a clever illustration, or a few wonky lines, or in this case a mirror that makes your mind think the arrow hands on this sleek clock are floating in mid-air. It’s a simple trick, but an effective one that’s…
I have very little love for Toys”R”Us since the opening of a Lego Brand store in Kansas City, but I do occasionally venture through its doors, especially when there are good promotions. The retailer is sweetening the pot a little bit with a revamp to their Rewards Program. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-get-your-bricktober-mini-modulars-1637013044 From this point forward, the rewards…
