Since it came about in the 1930s as the Army’s rocket research lab, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been a part of just about every major unmanned U.S. space mission to date. JPL also has a somewhat surprising history of running major missions out of modular trailers scattered around their Pasadena HQ, which are packed … Continued

As the story of Clark Kent’s awkward young adult years heads into its eight year as a television show, it’s time to face an even more awkward truth: Smallville kind of sucks. For the last seven years, the show has had its moments of greatness (Yay, the very existence of Chloe!) and it’s moments of… … Continued

If you’re like me, you probably have an old, broken-down NES somewhere in your house, gathering dust while you try to decide whether you should keep it for nostalgia’s sake. How about turning it into a lunchbox, which will allow you to bring those warm early gaming memories with you to work or school every … Continued

As technology and scientific understanding advance, religion may find itself going on the offensive for the hearts and souls of man. And we are beginning to suspect that the most dangerous agents in that battle will be the nuns. Yes, many holy sisters are out tending to the sick and poor, but we wondered if … Continued

Play Wii with man’s best friend if you have to. But please, please, never ever play with a dog behind you. Seriously. Don’t. Biff. Don’t do that, Biff! Stop it! DON’T! BIFF! BAD DOG! BAD! (NSFMH* video ahead, probably illegal in some states.) * Not Safe for Mental Health I’m afraid this beats the Jesus … Continued

Four new posters for next year’s Star Trek movie were released yesterday at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, giving fans their first glimpses at the rebooted versions of Sulu, Scotty, Bones and Chekhov, and we have them for you under the jump.As with the previous set of posters, these four combine to form … Continued

The Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed “The Bird’s Nest,” has already become an icon in the country of 1.3 billion. But for some farmers close to Hangzhou (located in the southeast of China), the Herzog & de Meuron structure was just too darn far away… so in a fit of DIY ingenuity, they built their own … Continued

We’ve told you before about the Fringe comic book, but here’s something to make you a little more interested in picking it up: Although the overall plot to the six-issue series comes from show creators JJ Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, the actual comic books will be written by three members of the show’s … Continued

There are plenty of RC cars and motorcycles out there today, so what Silverlit did with this 1:12 scale red racer is throw on a working driver and let him have some say in where the sportbike is going. Thanks to an onboard gyro, the rider actually leans from side to side, just like those … Continued

Click to viewWhen it comes to discussion about what should happen in the follow-up to The Dark Knight, all of the (so far entirely baseless) rumors seem to be centering around all the old familiar characters: Catwoman? The Penguin? The Riddler? Come on, people. Batman’s been around for almost 70 years, can’t he deal with … Continued

Qingbar probably hopes that its MP101 Mini Projector for the iPod/iPhone gets picked up en masse by business travelers looking to turn their seat backs into mini-movie theaters, but we think the image quality might deter all but the blindest travelers from abandoning their tiny screens. According to the specs and the image below, what … Continued

We’ve skewered you with the Dead Space trailer cut by James Han, peppered you with details about the Community Event at Electronic Arts Redwood Shores, and slow-basted you in details about the game’s forward-thinking dynamic lighting mesh. But apart from the briefest of mentions, we’ve held off on serving up our impressions of Dead Space … Continued

Google StreetView has been a peculiar bird since its inception earlier this century. It’s been banned for voyeurism, the trampling of privacy rights, and other infractions, but then again it’s also been known to capture a few nose pickers or two-so it’s a wash as far as I’m concerned. Today, we received word it has … Continued

Despite the show dying an unnaturally early death (helped along by the WGA strike), we here at io9 still have a deep and abiding love for NBC’s Journeyman. Was it the San Francisco setting that made us love it so? Star Kevin McKidd’s mixture of dreamy eyes and jaw that could kill a man? The … Continued

The Gadget: The EdgeStar Portable Evaporative Air Cooler, a tall oscillating fan with a water tank that, when activated and with an ice pack inside, adds an addition element of cooling to the fan setup.The Price: $129 The Verdict: While this fan isn’t going to cool off a room better than an air conditioner, it’s … Continued

3-D images? Peshaw. Those are so 2007. What humanity needs now is what MIT researchers hope to provide very soon: super realistic “passive 6-D reflectance field displays” that not only look great, but also respond to stimuli, like lighting conditions. And, not only will these uber images do all that and a bag of chips, … Continued

Lego. Mindstorms RCX. Donkey Kong. Rolling barrels. Donkey Kong throws rolling barrels. Mario jumps. And jumps. And jumps. All synchronized. Dan Kressin even generated the game start tune with Lego. After seeing it in action-and hearing the rattling noise it makes-I want this on the wall of my bedroom, as my alarm clock. Videos and … Continued

A couple spent an eternity covering their Volkswagen Beetle with small oak pieces that look like fish scales, and replacing some parts with carved wood equivalents. I can’t decide if its the dragon look or its picnic-baskety flavor, but being unconditional fans of the classic Beetle and wood in general, we love it. The best … Continued

Like to game but hate unplugging and putting away the various peripherals you need? For $379 you can get Digital Edge’s Gaming Table, which fits every gaming gadget you could possibly own, plus three 21-inch LCD monitors. Granted, I haven’t fired up the PC for anything in a long while, but I don’t remember that … Continued

If you’re a fan of dinosaurs, the premise of British series Primeval will immediately appeal to you. Airing for the first time in the U.S. tonight, Primeval is the story of a glittering portal that opens in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean — a portal that connects a Jurassic desert with contemporary England. Lucky for giant … Continued