Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Recently, the dating website Zoosk conducted a study of 4,000 singles to see which online dating habits were the most conducive to finding yourself your very own sex friend. One of the most peculiar bits of info gleaned from the study, though, is that fact that profiles that used the emoticon “:-)” racked up a…
These days, brewers get pretty creative with what they put in their beer. You can get beer containing anything from donuts to moon dust. And, wacky as it is, weird beer is a pretty fun conversation starter. That is, until you start putting endangered species in it. https://gizmodo.com/new-space-beer-is-made-with-actual-moondust-1412055926 This week, environmentalists are up in arms…
On a quiet street just off of Nashville’s historic Music Row, a dedicated team of more than 100 researchers are developing software systems that may very well revolutionize the modern world. From cutting edge cyber-security tech designed to defend America’s most critical networks to computer-learning algorithms that could all but eliminate airline crashes, Vanderbilt’s Institute…
Until you’ve been to CES, it’s hard to appreciate how immense the exhibition space is. To convey the experience, we fired up a GoPro as we toured the show floor. Here is a a minute and a half of the chaos. CES is comprised of three separate halls laid out in a row. They are…
The Supreme Court announcedit will hear ABC V. Aereo, which holds important implications for copyright in the world of streaming video. The network sued the cloud DVR service for copyright infringement, arguing that it’s retransmitting broadcast signals without permission. Aereo says that because it’s using thousands of antennas, the service is legit. Aereo won the…
It’s really happening, folks. On January 17, President Obama will remark on “the outcomes of the work that has been done in the review process” for reforming the country’s intelligence practices, Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday. It’ll be interesting to see exactly how the president will come down on the NSA, in particular, since…
Ever wondered how it would feel if they magically turned you into a hula hoop and some Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders played with your new hula hooped body during a swimsuit calendar shoot? Wonder no more. Jump to the 46 seconds mark for the money shot. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us…
Some enterprising minds and one of the world’s biggest insurance markets is opening a pretty futuristic bank vault in London. But it’s not futuristic for having fancy locks or laser trip wires. It’s futuristic because of what’s inside: Bitcoin. The idea of a bitcoin bank vault seems a little silly at first. Bitcoin is a…
This week, MoMA confirmed its plans to raze a neighboring museum, creating a continuous connection to the luxury supertall going up next door. The smaller museum is called the American Folk Art Museum, and it’s only been around since 2001—it’s not even a tween. When MoMA announced it would take over the Folk Museum’s considerable…
Sploid reader Julien Guntz sent me this, a short video called Love Horses. At first I was like, “hhhmmm, what?” but I put on my headphones, cranked up the volume, and watched it. Halfway through it I was mesmerized by the sounds of these everyday scenes of horses. I love it. Now I just want…
On our way back from CES, Gizmodo took a detour into the desert to explore a particularly bizarre aspect of the region’s electrical infrastructure, the so-called Coyote Dry Lake Return Electrode. The electrode seems to exist more in the realm of the not-entirely-confirmed. According to the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI), the electrode “is…
So you’re a swallow just flying along and *BAM* a fish jumps out and snatches you from the air. Scientists have been hearing rumors about this bird-eating-tigerfish for years but never put much stock in the rumors. At a lake in South Africa’s Mapungubwe National Park, however, they saw this happen twenty times. “[T]he first…
Set to The Shins’ New Slang, this super cut of slow motion sequences masterfully directed by Wes Anderson is delicious. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us in Facebook.
Almost a full year ago, Nike introduced its first shoe ever built with the help of 3D printing technology. The thing was, that cleat, the Vapor Laser Talon (seen below), was built for an absurdly specific purpose and market—just the 40 yard dash, just for NFL players. Now, though, Nike is bringing what it’s learned…
Today on Amazon, pick up the Braun 760cc Pulsonic Shaver System (our favorite electric razor) for the second lowest price we’ve ever seen. The four and a half star review average doesn’t lie. https://theinventory.com/our-favorite-shaving-gear-1448191339 Braun 760cc Pulsonic Shaver System | $145 Today only, Luke Plunkett’s favorite gaming mouse is going for just $40 on Newegg.…
The tech industry is riddled with vaporware — those products that get a big public announcement, but never actually find their way to stores. And it’s always been this way. Just ask investors who were throwing tons of money at airship companies at the turn of the 20th century. Sometimes the people tasked with building…
CES ain’t quite what it used to be. Pretty much all the big guys have pulled out in favor of doing their own events. The phones are OK and the 4K TVs pretty, but a dime a dozen. But there are still some hidden treasures that are amazing. Here’s all the stuff from CES that…
The Hubble space telescope has captured “a lidless purple eye, staring back at us through space”—a star 20,000 light-years away from us that is ready to explode at any time now, according to NASA: scientists say that it is destined to go supernova. Twenty-six years ago, another star with striking similarities went supernova — SN…
The only thing more annoying than having to obey the speed limit when driving is having to frequently stop at red lights. So in a brilliant attempt to become the world’s awesomest automaker, Audi has created a new in-dash system that tells you how fast or slow you need to drive in order to hit…
In the event of a nuclear strike on American soil, we’re going to be in a little bit of trouble. But at least we’ll die safe in the knowledge that the valiant leaders of our nation—or any yahoos lucky enough to be in office at the time—will be escaping the nuclear holocaust in a fleet…
