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Imagine this: You’re cruising along when the car suddenly brakes. The doors lock. It starts accelerating backward. A hacker hundreds of miles away has taken control of your car over the cellular network. This is how it happens, as explained by a video from the good folks at Motherboard. “When you are driving an automobile…
YouTube is a wonderful place. But for every adorable and/or aw-inducing clip, there’s something so bizarre it makes you question everything you thought was right and good in the world. But whether it’s funny-bizarre, sad-bizarre, or forever-make-your-soul-just-a-little-bit-darker-bizarre, each is special in its own (very) unique way. So we asked you, dear readers, to help us…
Earlier this month, the FCC voted in favor of a pretty thoroughly terrible proposal that would kill net neutrality as we know it. A proposal that would give broadband companies an absurd amount of powers that they themselves delineated. And a proposal that would give Verizon (and broadband carriers in general) the ability to act…
This pair of insane amateurs decided to demolish a 100-foot high brick tower in Belarus with a handheld power tool—because everyone wants to win Darwin awards these days. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook
If you’ve ever realized how much potential a box of dry pasta has as a shakeable instrument, you’ll immediately understand why Lorenzo Bravi’s Hit the Beat drum machine is so wonderful. Because whatever you’ve got on hand, from dry beans to bottle camps, suddenly becomes a real-life drum sample. You don’t need to be a…
Tangents is an occasional collection of short, lightly annotated mentions of sound-related activities. Data Immersion: Characteristically breathtaking video of a new work by Ryoji Ikeda, perhaps the leading installation poet of data immersion. This is of his piece “supersymmetry,” which relates to his residency at CERN, the supercollider. More at supersymmetry.ycam.jp: In an interview he…
At this point, you don’t need me to tell you how great this camera is. I will tell you though that it’s the lowest price we’ve seen on it that didn’t require a paid REI membership, and you should be able to avoid tax in most states. [GoPro Hero3+ Black, $330] http://www.ebay.com/itm/GoPro-Hero3-Plus-Black-Edition-Adventure-1080P-HD-Camcorder-w-Wi-Fi-CHDHX-302/351082589088?pt=Camcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras When it comes…
Last year’s laser violin was the first re-imagined stringed instrument that didn’t actually have any strings. And not to be outdone in the orchestra pit of the future, this year it’s the cello’s turn to get a fancy stringless upgrade. But instead of lasers, the Magnetovore opts for magnets, requiring the musician to play it…
Last night, SpaceX revealed plans for the next generation of the Dragon capsule, the Dragon 2. Designed for vertical soft landings, the preposed crew vehicle will be more like a helicopter than a shuttle. Guess we won’t be using a trampoline to get to the space station after all… https://gizmodo.com/first-look-at-dragon-v2-the-first-manned-spaceship-by-1583376826
The future of gesture control could be snapped right onto your existing smartphone. That’s the concept behind Fuffr, an iPhone case that turns the empty space around your phone into a Leap Motion-style gestural interface. The unfortunately-named Fuffr is being developed by a team of engineers in Stockholm, who uploaded their first demo video last…
Alex Wild is an entomologist. He’s also an amazing photographer who’s become famous for his highly detailed, almost too vivid, sometimes alien-looking photography of bugs. And recently, he revealed how he does it. http://www.alexanderwild.com/Insects/Stories/Portfolio/i-NSSVHg2/A http://www.alexanderwild.com/Insects/Stories/Portfolio/i-DpcHpWP/A Wild took the above photo of a mosquito rising out of water with not much more than a DSLR, a…
Poking fun at passed out drunk people is a global thing but Japanese bar chain Yaocho took the joke to a different level. The sleeping drunks were framed inside a square of white tape and turned into a PSA billboard with the hashtag #nomisugi—too drunk—written on it. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff.…
Apart from a brief afternoon fling with a chunky Dutch cruiser in Rotterdam a few years back, I’ve been with the same road bike since I started riding around San Francisco four years ago. We’ve got a great thing going, but I had grown complacent. I was ready to see what else was out there.…
YouTube’s online video editor has been around for several years, but it’s not heavily promoted on the site, and it often gets overlooked by people wanting a basic tool to spruce up their footage. It shouldn’t, though, because it’s surprisingly capable. Here’s how to get the most out of it. The YouTube editor lets you…
It’s old news that science fiction inspires scientists, but it’s downright adorable watching Dr. S. James Gates, Jr. retell the story of the first movie he ever saw. Spaceways featured rockets, astronauts, and a relatively diverse cast for the 1950s: no wonder he became a physicist! You know how there are some things that will…
Once again, North Korea has positioned itself at the forefront of some of the greatest state-of-the-art, trailblazing, pseudo-scientific delusions the world has ever known. This time, in the form of a fungus-based sports drink. A recent report straight out of North Korea’s Central Mushroom Research Institute of the State Academy of Sciences (North Korea’s premier…
Just a year after starting it up, Google’s shutting down its Texas-based Moto X assembly factory, citing weak sales and high costs. The decision to close this plant was apparently unrelated to Google’s plans to sell Motorola off to China-based Lenovo. But whatever the reasoning, it sure is a bummer.
The amazing new SpaceX Dragon V2 spaceship will be able to soft-land anywhere on Earth using rockets and retractile legs with the same accuracy as any aircraft. You can click here know all about it or just look at this image. When Elon Musk says “it lands like a 21st century spaceship should land” he’s…
Right at the moment when this guy—Chacha Nyandongo—was explaining in an interview for a documentary how lions mate, two lions decided to mate right behind him. As Chacha would say that is excitement. Every time I hear about animals mating this video pops into my mind: SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join…
The Boeing RC-135 is the most effective American spyplane you’ve never heard of. It’s the John Paul Jones to the SR-71’s Robert Plant—a quiet workhorse that has flown over countless US missions while providing vital, real-time signals intelligence. Dubbed the “Rivet Joint”, these heavily modded KC-135’s have been in operation since 1964, a replacement to…
