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So let’s say you’ve got your Oculus Rift headset on and it’s pretty awesome, but what could make it more immersive? How about looking down and seeing your hands. There are already some (sorta janky) solutions to that problem, but Control VR’s new glove controllers look like the best so far. Essentially the Powerglove you…
Father’s Day is here again, but this year, dad won’t be getting an exciting bucket of leaks from Edward Snowden. No, instead we all get to look back on a year of NSA revelations and wonder what’s actually changed. The truth is, depressingly little. The first reports on Edward Snowden’s leaks were published exactly one…
When you’re eagerly installing the latest must-have disappearing photo app or addictive puzzle game, how much time are you likely to spend reading through the required permissions before you accept them? Probably not enough. It’s tempting to give the permissions screen no more than a cursory glance when installing apps, not least because they’re often…
Making metal is a dirty business, and we don’t just mean in terms of getting your hands dirty. Creating useable metals from the ores that are dug from the ground is a heavily polluting endeavor—but it might be about to get a whole lot cleaner. Most metals are created in a two-step process. First, the…
Sure, there’s Tesla. Tesla’s great. Self-driving Google cars? I’m into it. But Boosted Boards’ electric longboard is available today, at a price (some) people can afford. And riding it is glory and joy itself. Boosted is a new company: six mechatronic engineers and an industrial designer. They designed a skateboard driven by two brushless electric…
The more traditional technique of light painting involves creating freehand designs using a point of light in front of a camera taking a long exposure photo. The results are occasionally recognizable—but most often random—and that’s part of their appeal. Jeff Crossman and Kevyn McPhail take a different approach, though, using a robot arm to create…
Say what you will about Microsoft’s decision to give up on packing in the Kinect with its Xbox One (I sure have!) but there’s good news for performance junkies: When Kinect’s out of the picture, the Xbox One gets a 10 percent boost in graphics power. The announcement that Xbox One dev kits were going…
In the wake of Amazon’s questionable tactics in dealing with publishing house Hachette, many Amazon shoppers are questioning their loyalty to the mega-seller. Stephen Colbert, not one to hide his anger, unleashed on Amazon in a less-than-subtle way last night. A big reason for the anger in this case is that Colbert’s own books are…
Remember how Barnes and Noble said it was going to give up on its Nook tablets? Well they are back! As branded Samsung Galaxy Tabs. Samsung and B&N just signed an agreement to bring the Nook software and name to a flavor of the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4. Hooray?
Once again, the guys at Screen Junkies show us the ridiculous Hollywood bullshit of a blockbuster film: Top Gun. It’s a ridiculous movie to begin with, but it completely falls apart in a hilarious way when you see it through their Honest Trailer lenses. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on…
With a high-speed rail network slowly making its way towards reality, cities are commissioning grand stations for the 21st century to accommodate this new mode of transit. Here are five stations on the horizon that are bringing the drama and glamour back to train travel, while positioning it for a high-tech, high-speed future. Union Station,…
It’s tough finding time to keep your houseplants from withering away, much less the effort to maintain an entire outdoor urban garden. But with this comprehensive monitoring system, gardeners of any age and skill level can grow the best crops in the neighborhood. The Edyn system is comprised of two parts: the Edyn Garden Sensor…
Hipmunk, the online travel booking and planning site, has just rolled out a host of changes and redesigns to its website aimed at making the planning process of your next getaway as painless as possible. The company has announced the launch of three new features. The redesigned map will now allow users to drop a…
The UK has announced plans to hand out life sentences to hackers that undertake “cyberattacks which result in loss of life, serious illness or injury or serious damage to national security, or a significant risk thereof.” It is, however, very broadly written—so it could end up being applied more liberally than one may like.
It’s emerged that Britain has an ultra-secret spy base in the Middle East which taps undersea cables running through the region. The Register reports that the base and its operations are”above-top-secret” and, despite being leaked by Edward Snowden, have until now remained under wraps. Apparently some media organizations have been subject to government pressure not…
Watch this helicopter pilot trim trees with a giant 10-blade saw right by a power line. Apparently, it is the only practical way to cut back vegetation in isolated, hard-to-access locations. Amazing skills and courage. Apparently, these machines are used by Bond villains too: SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on…
Are you alone in the Universe? Yes—and no. This video shows that every human is on a journey, growing from a single cell to 50 trillion, carrying DNA that connects us to every living and dead animal that ever existed on Earth, made of atoms that connects us to the Universe itself. These atoms may…
These guys play a brilliant cover of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air using a very complicated drum kit where they have to share most of the drums, cymbals and specifically the kick. This is the first time I have seen anyone playing drums four hands—and four feet. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff.…
The Internet is a weird and wonderful place, but what happens when you turn to it for inspiration? Ben Redford found out when he sought suggestions to create a new artwork—drawing only what people told him to. Put together as a Kickstarter, Internetopia is a bizarre but rather pretty artwork where the canvas was filled…
Nowadays our phones use GPS to let us work out where we are. But mobile phone networks were able to work out where you were long before phones got smart—and this video explains how. It’s all to do with base stations and some clever math which is used to send data to your phone. Crucially,…
