Sploid: Where awesome, wild, and breathtaking tech moments burst into view.
These are “the 20 science fiction moments that will make absolutely anyone cry,” as selected by io9. All of them are true tear jerkers, but the best is probably the ending of a cartoon, the Futurama episode Jurassic Bark. If you haven’t yet, watch it. It will tear your heart to pieces. https://gizmodo.com/15-science-fiction-moments-that-will-make-absolutely-an-1055589450
All those billions of dollars spent on Sigmund Freud’s great invention—psychotherapy—were a complete waste. Unless you make your living as a psychologist, in which case congratulations on your new BMW. But Freud is still important even though he got nearly everything wrong. https://gizmodo.com/why-freud-still-matters-when-he-was-wrong-about-almost-1055800815
I know Gizmodo editor Ashley Feinberg in person. She’s really smart, charming, and funny. One of my favorites. That’s why I won’t remind her too much about how stupefyingly dumb is to spend $236 on extra lives and moves in Candy Crush. I couldn’t believe it until I read her own account of the facts.…
While 99-percent of the ecologically conscious population could only afford a Chevy Volt, a Nissan Leaf or perhaps a BMW i3 electric car, the one-percent will feel green and speedy inside their new BMW i8, a 95 miles-per-gallon sports beast capable of doing 0-60mph in under 4.5 seconds. Here’s a preview. https://jalopnik.com/the-bmw-i8-sports-car-will-do-95-mpg-0-60-mph-in-unde-1053427858
A driver in New Zealand claims he and other motorists witnessed a bizarre spacecraft that was roughly the size and shape of a car—and it shot up from the ground and vanished into space. Only one of the witnesses have come forward, claiming the typical UFO symptoms of burning eyes and electrical disturbances. Here’s a…
Do you like your cities when they’re even more like graphics-intensive video games? Then you’ll love the trophy cities of the very near future, because LED lighting is already changing the iconic skylines of New York, San Francisco and the shiny new towers of China and the oil emirates. Slums will stay the same. https://architizer.kinja.com/how-leds-will-make-or-break-the-skylines-of-global-citi-975205633
You’re probably thinking, “Of course people hate their jobs. Who enjoys spending most of their waking hours doing some meaningless bullshit just to make enough money to pay for crappy food and a place to sleep after work?” But some people apparently enjoy their careers! What is a “career,” anyway, and how do you get…
Good news, everyone—Mattel has made an astronaut Barbie! Anything that promotes this male-dominated job to girls is The Right Stuff. And it’s sanctioned by NASA, too. The bad news: once again they have fallen into stereotyping by making the helmet and other parts of the suit pink. Was there any need for that? If there…
What happens when you pay a bunch of brain-damaged obese cretins millions of dollars a year to smash into each other’s heads, for a spectator sport? You get to watch them beat the crap out of each other, constantly, even when it’s not a “pro football game.” These slobs are just practicing! https://deadspin.com/punches-thrown-at-packers-training-camp-fight-1055298075
Here’s a mystery: Our great nation’s many millions of very poor children are not quite as overweight as they used to be, very recently. Is this because of nutrition programs aimed at getting kids to eat a healthier diet, whether at school or home or the McDonald’s drive-thru, or is it something more sinister? https://jezebel.com/poor-u-s-kids-arent-as-obese-anymore-1055068894
When iPhones and iPads came out, most people were skeptical that these devices could change the world as we know it. Now most people can’t imagine their lives without them. Immersive virtual reality—not the gimmicky Google Glass or Apple Watch—will be the next big thing. People love escapism. We love to travel. We love to…
Beyoncé rode her bike all the way from Manhattan through the Brooklyn Bridge to get to her latest concert at the Barclay’s Center in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn—demonstrating that her glorious dancing legs can push pedals too. https://jezebel.com/queen-beyonce-biked-to-brooklyn-for-her-concert-like-a-1052509264
Watch these videos if you want to get itchy and nauseated: a mosquito repeatedly introducing its sucking needle between your skin and flesh cells until it finds a blood vessel to drink from. https://gizmodo.com/what-it-looks-inside-you-when-a-mosquito-bites-you-1049276576
While the absolute world record goes to this Polish home/art installation, Japan is the king of ultra-thin houses, with these sometimes futuristic sometimes traditional structures popping everywhere. Its architects are masters in the use of space, so their slim homes look beautiful outside and comfortable inside. I wish NYC and other megalopolis had the same…
Four mysterious suicides are now being investigated as possible murders using telepathy, according to a report prepared for the Turkish prime minister. Over several months in 2006 and 2007, four engineers working for the defense contractor Aselsan killed themselves under strange circumstances. Has mind control finally been weaponized? Neuropsychologist Nevzat Tarhan writes in the government’s…
It’s the last whole month of summer, which means it’s time for a whole lot of increasingly insane weddings held in far flung (expensive) locales, with weeks of required showers and suppers and gifts. If the wedding is yours, here’s how to get your life back. If the wedding is someone else’s, here’s how to…
Android or iPhone—if it’s a good phone, does it really matter? After all, you spend most of your life using apps available for both. So when Gizmodo’s Brent Rose says the new Moto X is awesome and you can customize its design to your liking without a stupid case, maybe it’s time to ditch your…
The horrific Guinea Worm enters the body through drinking unfiltered water, and then it burrows deep into the flesh and grows up three feet long, at which point it bursts out of a painful blister and must be carefully drawn out of the victim’s flesh. Can science exterminate the last of these hell worms? https://amnh.kinja.com/guinea-worms-an-extinction-to-celebrate-1005618729
Japan has built yet another aircraft carrier. They say it’s a “destroyer” to carry “helicopters” but it’s an offensive ship that’s clearly against World War II surrender terms. It may not have combat jet catapults (yet!) but who cares when they can use F-35s or perhaps a vertical take-off and landing jet of their own?…
Amazon Prime is the magical service that gets you two-day shipping on everything you order from Amazon for a whole year—no $25 minimum orders, no week-long waits for whatever you just drunkenly bought online. There’s even a free video service that has some stuff not found on Netflix! https://lifehacker.com/is-amazon-prime-worth-it-1038496234
