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io9The Whole “Second Cousin Twice-Removed” Thing, Explained
You know how you’re related to your grandparents, and you can easily trace the family lineage separating you from you nieces and nephews, but what about the link between you and your great grand uncle? And where do you reside on your family tree relative to your first, second and third (and zero-th) cousins? Photo … Continued
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Tech NewsThis Super-Tough Vent Camera Keeps Tabs on Undersea Aliens
One of the hottest areas of oceanic research centers around deep sea hydrothermal vents and the unique animal species that call it home. But at depths of more than a mile, donning a snorkeling mask and flippers just won’t cut it. That’s why Ocean Networks Canada has deployed a state-of-the-art camera to document life in … Continued
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Tech NewsThat Miraculous But Controversial Stem Cell Study Has Been Retracted
Remember a few months ago when the world stared slack-jawed at the scientist who turned blood cells into stem cells in a matter of minutes? This miraculous breakthrough could change medicine as we know it. Too bad it wasn’t true. The study has now been officially retracted. Haruko Obokata, the 30-year-old Japanese scientists behind the … Continued
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io9Movies
Behold The The Post-Apocalyptic Beginnings Behind The Rover
David Michôd’s post-apocalyptic drama The Rover is set 10 years after a global economic collapse that devastated many citizens across the planet. And now you can take a closer look at the apocalyptic origin that was the beginning of the end. The Rover, itself, is set in the Australian outback and focuses on a couple … Continued
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Tech News
Inside the Classroom Where the Air Force Teaches Drone Pilots
Flying a drone for the Air Force is like any other skill; you have to learn it. The Atlantic got a rare look inside the classroom where that instruction happens. It’s a lot like most classrooms you’ve probably been in, except the word problems they’re working through involve killing people. The Atlantic’s Corey Mead sat … Continued
By Eric Limer -
io9
This Aged Star Is About to Devour Its Two Planets
Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have discovered two worlds in an aged solar system that are about to become a snack of cosmic proportions. Their star is a planet-eater. The planets, Kepler-56b and Kepler-56c, will be swallowed by their star in 130 million and 155 million years, respectively — a short amount of … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
Tech News
Deep South Ambient
Ambient music can have an unfinished quality, because it leaves so much space open. “Three Aimless Clouds” by Michael Ash Sharbaugh is less aimless than much such music, though, thanks to several qualities, key among them a rising, siren-like tone that marks the opening of the track, and a melodic insistence that trails throughout. The … Continued
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Tech News
The Trouble With Rio: Can the City Be Ready By 2016?
With just over two years to go until Rio kicks off the 2016 Olympic Games, Olympic officials are taking stock of how ready Rio really is. The short answer? They’re not. But how far behind are its preparations? And can the city possibly catch up in time? We dug through a slew of recent reports … Continued
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io9
How Do You Get Narcissists To Care About Other People?
Narcissists are notoriously bad at empathizing, often to the detriment of their personal and professional relationships. So how do you get an egoist to imagine himself in someone else’s shoes? Believe it or not, it could be as simple as asking him to do just that. Over at TheAtlantic, Olga Khazan reports that psychologists have … Continued
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io9Television
10 Reasons You Need To Be Watching Penny Dreadful
We’re halfway through the first season of Penny Dreadful. And even though early on, it had a few indicators of possible disaster — an overtly League of Extraordinary Gentleman premise, stray subplots — it’s become a show that delivers fun surprises with a sleek veneer. Here are 10 reasons to catch up on this campy … Continued
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Tech News
The First Smart Ceiling Fan Only Runs When You’re There to Enjoy It
Do you notice anything missing on this ceiling fan? The dangling chains that are commonly used to turn them on and adjust their speed are gone. And they haven’t just been replaced with a wireless remote. This is the first intelligent ceiling fan that only runs when it detects people in a room, and automatically … Continued
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Tech News
Netflix Lets People Know When Bad Streaming Is the ISP’s Fault (Updated)
Last night, Yuri Victor tweeted a screenshot of a new Netflix error message he saw while a video was buffering. It tells Verizon customers exactly what’s to blame for slow video. And judging by the response from Netflix’s spokesperson Jonathan Friedland, it’s no mistake. Update: AT&T customers are getting similar error messages. The new snippiness … Continued
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io9Movies
Chronicle‘s Josh Trank Is Your Newest Star Wars Movie Director
StarWars.com has just officially announced Josh Trank, director of Chronicle and currently hard at work on Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot, has been officially hired to direct one of the stand-alone Star Wars movies. He joins Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards, and holy crap Disney is really going after quality talent for these things. Here’s a bit of … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9
This Is The Most Complete Look At The Colors Of The Universe Ever Taken
The Hubble has given us some pretty stunningly colorful images in the past, but this picture — which takes the full range of colors that the Hubble is capable of shooting, from ultraviolet all the way up to almost infrared, and combines them all into one image — is the best yet. It took nine … Continued
By Ria Misra -
io9
Watch Batman: Year 100 Creator Paul Pope’s Short Space Western Film
Paul Pope, the cartoonist behind Heavy Liquid, Batman: Year 100, and Battling Boy, steps into the world of filmmaking with this short film, 7x6x2. A serviceman is sent into an alien desert to fix a terraforming robot—but quickly realizes that he’s not alone. Pope co-wrote and co-directed this short with Sridhar Reddy, making this his … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
Tech NewsSploidThis song is made up of samples from people with Tourette syndrome
This video was made in Belgium to promote awareness and understanding of Tourette syndrome. It features a song entirely made up of sampled involuntary sounds from people with the disorder, built up into rhythms. Tourette’s is characterized by physical and verbal tics, but contrary to the common belief, obscene words and socially inappropriate remarks are … Continued
By James Baker