A Printer You Won't Hate, Better Headphones, and More Deals
If you're still wrestling with a cheap Inkjet at home, treat yourself to this reliable, toner-sipping Brother laser printer. It won't print in color, but it'll do everything else better. [Brother HL-L2340DW Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer, $70]
So, About Those Supposedly Encrypted Samsung SmartTV Voice Commands...
Remember, oh, about a week ago when Samsung had to clarify that its new SmartTVsaren't actually ambiently listening to every word you say? That's all well and good—but it sounds like what those TVs do hear is being transmitted without any encryption whatsoever. Whoops.
Life feels pretty epic when you film it from 25 unusual places
Part of the fun of having a GoPro is being able to see from perspectives you've never seen before. So as cool as it is to strap that thing onto your head or throw it across your chest while you're doing extreme stunts, it's also really fun to see a GoPro in random spots like a doorknob or a blade of a ceiling fan.
If You Love Computers, This Novel Should Be on Your Must-Read List
Liu Cixin's science fiction novel The Three Body Problem was a smash hit bestseller in China, and has finally been translated into English by Ken Liu. It's a mind-bending tale of politics, aliens and gaming — and it also contains the most awe-inspiring description of computers I've ever read.
Holy Xenomorphs! Neill Blomkamp WILL Be Making His Alien Movie After All
From the moment that District 9 andChappie director Neill Blomkamp releasedhis concept art for a possible Alien movie, we've been salivating over the possibility of a Blomkamp-directed Alien film. But after saying that he wasn't "ready" to make it, Blomkamp has apparently confirmed it's his next project.
Don't Be A Statistic: Be Smarter About Protecting Your Passwords
It's embarrassing and a bit terrifying, but it's time to admit an Internet behavior that many are guilty of. Nobody is proud of it, but it's happening in staggering numbers: password laziness. Chances are your password choice is not enough to guard your most important financial information, your clients' documents, or…
The Magnificent Evolution of Polar Icebreakers
Modern icebreakers are the most marvelous of civilian ships. They are huge, they are strong, they are powerful, and their history is amazing. Without them, there would be no safe waterways for other ships in the icy waters around the poles of the Earth. Here is a spectacular look into their evolution, from steamers…
That Time Listerine Claimed It Was Good For Cleaning the Vagina
Before Listerine found its true commercial calling as a mouthwash, it was a general purpose antiseptic meant to be used on cuts, sore throats, dandruff, and, most horrifying of all, down there. "It possesses great penetrating power," touts the ad!
Shooting Challenge: Flame
Whether it's a fireplace or a glowing candle, there's nothing like a little pyromania to cut through the winter blues. So for this week's Shooting Challenge, photograph flames.
Oil Refinery Explodes in California; Blade Runner Flashbacks Ensue
It's raining down ash in Southern California, after an Exxon Mobil oil refinery exploded. The blast nearly leveled a processing unit and left four contractors with minor injuries. The local Torrance Fire Department says gasoline is to blame. Meanwhile, the aftermath looks like a scene from Blade Runner.
This Optical Illusion Bar Stool Is Entirely Real
From the right angle, Josh Carmody's Legless Bar Stool looks like it's one leg shy of safely resisting the pull of gravity. But it's just an optical illusion made possible by some clever woodworking, and in reality it has all the legs necessary to remain upright.
UMass Lifts Ban on Iranian Students in Science and Engineering
Yesterday we reported on a troubling policy at the University of Massachusetts of Amherst. The school banned Iranian nationals from enrolling as graduate students in several engineering and natural science programs. After much uproar and protest, U. Mass has backed down, and will admit Iranian students again.
Here Is the Spy Equipment That Powers the FBI's Secret Dragnet
The FBI is going to remarkable lengths to hide information about its surveillance program that intercepts calls and texts with equipment called Stingrays.
What Have You Stopped Buying In Stores Because of Amazon?
There was a time in my life where, when I needed something, I'd pop on down to the local big box retailer and pick it up. Now I don't. Now I have Amazon Prime. It's been years since I've bought shaving soap in person. Is that weird?
The Origin of Joy Division's Most Famous Album Cover, Finally Revealed
The cover of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures is famously graced with the radio pulses of a dying star. Its origins, however, have always been unclear. But now, Scientific American's Jen Christiansen has followed the rabbit hole to the very end—to an obscure 1970 PhD astronomy thesis and the guy who wrote it.
Samsung Wants To Replace Your Credit Cards With These Clever Magnets
Your next Samsung Galaxy smartphone could have a neat trick up its sleeves. Just place your phone next to any ol' credit card reader, and press a button to pay. That's because Samsung just announced that it's buying LoopPay—a company that figured out how to trick magnetic stripe readers to accept your money wirelessly.
A Beginner's Guide To Doing Drugs In The Outdoors
Going outdoors is an intense reminder that we're part of something larger. In moderation, drugs can enhance that connection, help you enjoy the sights and sounds and feelings even more, and help you push reset on all the craziness involved in modern life. Want to try them sometime? Here's how to get started.
A Map of the World's Largest Annual Human Migration
In the days and weeks before Chinese New Year, some 700 million people—twice the entire population of the U.S.—cram onto trains, buses, planes and boats to go home. This mass migration is the largest annual movement of humans in the world, and now it can be tracked by smartphone.
The thrill of flying with a wingsuit in a beautiful slow motion video
There are many cool wingsuit videos out there, some show crazy close calls, others insane stunts, but this is the first time I've seen something like this. This video, shot in slow motion with several cameras, it's so beautiful and relaxing that it makes me want to try it.
The 7 Geekiest Moments of the 2015 Rio Carnival
This year the European Organization for Nuclear Research (aka CERN) made a surprising appearance at the Rio Carnival, held at Rio de Janiero's Sambadrome. Two hundred people from the Unidos da Tijuca, last year's winning samba school, represented CERN's particle accelerators crossing the border between France and…
Giant 3D Tetris Cushions Are the Perfect Fort-Building Tool
If you stop and think about it, Tetris is less a puzzle game, and more a simulator that has players building virtual forts using randomly-shaped couch cushions. Except that in real life they don't disappear when you've completed a layer, nor do these giant Tetris cushions that finally fulfill the game's true living…
Pat Robertson Says Demons Can Curse Your Unborn Child Through Facebook
Every morning, amateur Nostradamus impersonator and otherwisehorrible human Pat Robertson answers your questions about keeping the faith in a world gone to hell. One way to do that? Stop posting ultrasounds on Facebook, lest "some cultist" or "coven" curse your unborn child through the awesome powers of social media.…
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