Tech News

Drawing lines with a pen can magically control bugs

I’ve always wondered what some bugs are actually aware of. Can they see what’s happening above them? Do they realize when we’re screwing with them? Or can they only make 2D decisions in a 3D world? Like this guy shepherding a bug on a piece of paper by just drawing lines with a pen. The…

Sploid Casey Chan

World’s largest flying bird was as big as some aircraft

Wow. A newly discovered flying bird species had a wingspan that stretched 24 feet long—as big as some aircraft. That’s pretty much a flying giant in the sky that’s twice as big as anything that can fly today. In fact, the bird, Pelagornis sandersi, is so ginormous that it exceeds our estimates “for the limits…

Sploid Casey Chan

Archer: The Funny Kind of ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, better known as ISIS (or rather ISIL) is currently in the process of tearing Iraq apart from the inside. This is not the sort of brand recognition that Verizon’s fledgling e-wallet service, Isis, is looking for. But why not just think of Sterling Archer’s employer instead? Instead…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Kickstarter Potato Salad Guy Is a Hero

Late last week, amidst an agonizingly slow pre-holiday news cycle, CNET introduced the world to Zack Danger Brown, a Columbus, Ohio native who wanted to crowdfund the making of his very first potato salad on Kickstarter. He wanted $10. He got over $15,000 (and counting). And here, because this is the world we have created,…

Tech News Brian Barrett

iamamiwhoami: Vista

It’s hot out there folks. It’s July, our atmosphere is full of greenhouse gases, and it’s hot. So hot, that watching the Swedish chanteuse from iamamiwhoami dancing around on an iceberg and singing “Vista” actually makes me feel better. iamamiwhoami is a musical and visual art project from Stockholm-based singer-songwriter Jonna Lee and producer Claes…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes

Natural Disasters Are the Hottest New Trend in Wedding Photography

First it was wildfire, then tornadoes. What will be the next crossover photo shoot between natural disasters and weddings? Not every disaster will work: this is my analysis of which disasters are best suited to join the growing genre of natural disaster wedding photography. A wildfire in Oregon brought the fire brigade to the wedding…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

Halt and Catch Fire Episode 6: Your Computer, Your Friend

In the most recent episode ofHalt and Catch Fire, we see two competing ideas of what it means to make an operating system go head-to-head. The most sincere of which desperately craves a computer with a soul—something the show’s characters could stand to gain themselves. Important disclaimer: I’m just filling in this week and this…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg

The Middle of this Massive Indoor Maze Reveals How To Get Back Out Again

Getting lost in a museum is easy, and aimlessly wandering from wing to wing is a nice, relaxing, not-at-all-claustrophobic way to spend an afternoon. Alternatively you could venture into The BIG Maze at DC’s National Building Museum, an on-site installation filled with winding paths, dead-ends, and a cool reveal at the end of the road.…

Tech News Jordan Kushins

Explore the Largest Cruise Ship In the World With Google Street View

At 1,184 feet long and weighing in at 222,900 tons, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship ever built. It’s able to carry 5,400 passengers—plus crew—and with on-board amenities like a skating rink, a miniature golf course, surfing simulators, and a merry-go-round, there’s little need to ever leave the ship. Does…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

A Shipping Container Coffee Table Completes Your Den’s Industrial Look

Ornately carved wood and beveled glass are the typical ingredients that go into a coffee table—but that doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes. If your living room, den, or even office has opted for more of an industrial look, a tiny shipping container table is the perfect place to stack magazines and coffee table books. There are…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Why Bikes Make Smart People Say Dumb Things

Scott Simon’s bio on the NPR website describes him as “one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters,” and it’s tough to argue with that. As a Peabody-winning journalist with decades of experience, Simon’s credentials are unimpeachable, and as the Saturday host of Weekend Edition, he regularly shows himself to be all the things you…

Tech News Carl Alviani

7 Photos Showing How Detroit Hollowed Out During the Highway Age

While searching for images of highway interchanges in urban areas, I came across these historic aerial photos of Detroit on a message board, showing how the city fabric has slowly eroded. It’s a remarkable record of a process that has scarred many other American cities. 1949: Here’s what the east side of the city looked…

Tech News Angie Schmitt - Streetsblog USA

This Cozy Log Cabin in the Swiss Alps Is Completely Made of Concrete

If you didn’t know know better, you’d think the Refugi Liepthaus in the Alps was just another quaint log cabin from afar. But if you get close, you’ll realize that those ridges on the walls are not logs but a beautiful brutalist exterior. It’s awesome. Refugi Liepthaus is an award-winning house designed by Nickisch Sano…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes

This woman is a human photocopier

I can’t help but to admire the technical prowessof Malaysian illustrator Monica Lee. Whether you are a fan of photorealistic art or not, and independently of the grid she uses to reproduce the photos, it’s impossible to ignore her skills. Her control of graphite and paper is complete, like a human photocopier. One of these…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

Helicopter Lawn Darts Give You Time To Duck and Cover

Remember lawn darts? Unless you grew up during the 1980s you don’t because the government decided that people lobbing giant darts with four-inch pointed metal spikes on the end was a terrible idea—so they were banned. But these Copter Darts appear to provide a similar type of lazy summer afternoon gameplay, minus the risk of…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Fall in trance with this time-lapse video of wood being planed down

Colossal caught this hypnotizing time-lapse video created by Keith Skretch, made by shaving a wood plank millimeter by millimeter and photographing every step. Hypnotizing. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

Sploid Jesus Diaz

Hard Drive-Sniffing Police Dogs Are Helping Hunt Down Child Porn Fiends

Police departments have long used dogs in their work, training canine squads to detect bombs and drugs. The Connecticut State Police have recently trained dogs to sniff out electronics as part of a new strategy to go after child pornographers. Dogs are pretty bad at a lot of stuff. Ask a dog to do math,…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

This Backpack Has an Emergency Raincoat That Deploys Like a Parachute

Designed for motorcycle riders and cyclists who quickly need to protect themselves from a sudden downpour, the Funnell backpack actually looks useful to anyone who commutes without a car. With a quick tug on a couple of straps, a full-on raincoat deploys from the top of the backpack, keeping both the wearer and the pack…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Stupid Tour de France Selfies Could Get Somebody Killed

These days it’s not enough to stand on the side of the road and watch as Tour de France riders blaze past on their quest for le maillot jaune. Nor is it enough, it seems, for spectators to grab a quick snapshot. Everyone wants le selfie (Translation: a Selfie), and it could get somebody killed,…

Tech News Mario Aguilar

Satellite pictures of airports reveal their extreme complexity

Airports have fascinated Lauren O’Neill all her life. One day, thinking how they would look from above, she decided to go to Google maps and find out. She came across these amazing pictures and made a selection called Holding Patterns. I’ve been fascinated by airports for as long as I can remember — there’s something…

Sploid Omar Kardoudi

Drawing lines with a pen can magically control bugs