Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
For a long time, Sprint has been trying to buy T-Mobile. But now, following a move last week by a French Telecom company called Iliad, Sprint has abandoned its plans to buy the carrier. TheWall Street Journal reports that Sprint decided late yesterday that “after months of arguing that it couldn’t compete effectively without a…
Body painter Trina Merry hides the naked human body in plain sight by painting women exactly like the background of New York City. At the right angle, the women are essentially camouflaged because they blend in seamlessly with the cityscape. It’s pretty amazing how perfect the paint is. NSFW Merry told SF Gate that: “I…
After ten years of engineering, planning, and waiting, the Rosetta spacecraft is about to rendezvous with its comet. Weeks later, it’ll send little lander Philea to screw into the rubber ducky of doom. I’m not even going to pretend I’m sleeping until Rosetta is in orbit. Top image: ESA communications antenna that will be used…
Even just watching this video of a fake video game version of Se7en by CineFix made me feel sick to my stomach. Even if all the terror was in 8-bit, it was torture to see the detectives chase down their serial killer. Especially since we all know what’s going to happen at the end. Some…
I’ve never spent more than two seconds thinking about a door handle beyond whether I should push or pull to open. But now that I’ve watched the complete process of making a leather door handle, I’m beginning to think I should think about the little things more. What else is beautiful out there that I…
When I realized that Braid—the storied Illinois band that’s been around since 1993—was releasing a new album this year, I couldn’t imagine that my late-20s self could possibly relate to music that narrated some of the weirdest, most intense years of my teens. It turns out my old, crotchety self likes Braid just as much.…
Before the hipster-driven snapshot craze and before the Instagram effect, Polaroid pioneered some of the greatest photographic technology in history. The Polaroid Corporation also filed for bankruptcy protection multiple timesin the post-digital photography world. And after it stopped manufacturing its own cameras in 2007, the company stopped of its iconic instant film for good in…
What has been the worst Marvel superhero movie so far? Iron Man always has some plot holes, but they’re refreshing. Both Thors were ok. The Avengers was a roller coaster and Guardians of the Galaxy was such a fun time. What if it’s actually Captain America: The Winter Soldier? People loved it! I loved it!…
According to a recent FCC notice, anyone dialing 911 in the small township of Caddo County, Oklahoma was greeted by an automated recording telling them to “hang up and dial 911.” A ghoulish game of merry-go-round that went on for months. While the period of gross misconduct took place in the first few months of…
This is The Cornershop, the brainchild of British artist Lucy Sparrow: A convenience store located in Bethnal Green, east London, in which every product is a hand-sewn felt version of its real life counterpart. From canned foods to ice cream to candy to magazines, there are 4,000 products in total. Not in London? Don’t worry:…
When life hands you landslides, make your own private toll road detour. (Haven’t you heard the saying?) Since February, a landslide has closed the A431 highway between Bristol and Bath in England, adding an extra hour to the commute. So one enterprising local guy built a road through a private field—the UK’s private first toll…
Good news, robot lovers! It just got a little bit easier to buy Jibo, the HAL-like family robot developed by an MIT professor. The cute (but slightly uncanny) little character is now one of the most successful IndieGoGo campaigns ever—it’s in the top eight—having raised nearly $1.5 million in less than three weeks. So the…
If you want to remain one of the most popular custom weapons builders on YouTube, you need to keep innovating and improving your craft. Patrick Priebe’s new WristBow Mk II is actually an update of his first wrist-worn crossbow that now features a semi-automatic reloading mechanism, allowing it to hold eight tiny darts in a…
A Russian crime gang is in possession the largest known collection of stolen passwords, user names, email addresses, and other online credentials. That’s one of the worst collections a Russian crime gang can have other than, I don’t know, rocket launchers and dirty bombs. Milwaukee-based security research firm Hold Security says that the Russian hacking…
Drinking tea is already a pretty chilled out activity. The aromatic steam, the cozy cup, the soothing liquid, the overwhelming sensation of warmth and health. It’s like a spa for your mouth. If you want to take your tea-drinking zen levels from Richard Gere to Dalai Lama, though, I have located the perfect tea accoutrement…
Today in bad news about the government watching you, we learned that the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list has doubled in recent years. What’s worse, however, is that the government admits that over 40 percent of the people on that listhave “no recognized terrorist group affiliation.” None. The watch list in question is the government’s…
When endless summer days reach the Arctic,the massive expanses ofrarely-interrupted blinding white is cut by lakes and rivers of meltwater. The deep blue set against white is a unique, surreal beauty, creating an alien landscape that is smooth, crisp, and cool in its simplicity. Researchers retrieving a parachuted canister of supplies. Image credit & read…
Discrimination against gays by the Boy Scouts is a big deal because a) it’s otherwise one of the best organizations for youth and b) helps define what being a “man” means. This new TV show will tackle the issue head on. “Camp Abercorn” describes itself by saying: With the BSA’s recent change in membership policy,…
In honor of Yelp’s 10th anniversary, Eater has published a fairly comprehensive history of its journey from startup to revenge vessel. The best part, though, comes at the very beginning of the journey, when Yelp’s entire business model consisted of sending out what were essentially chain letters. And then badgering those who refused to respond.…
The people at Cinefix say these are the best ten movie fight scenes of all time. It’s a pretty good list. I don’t know if these are the very best. Maybe they are. I don’t really care much because a) I liked it and b) I just wanted an excuse to make a Bruce Lee…