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Tech NewsSploidScientists reveal sneezes are more dangerous than people think
Using advanced image processing and physics algorithms, MIT scientists have analyzed hundreds of high-speed sequences of sneezes to obtain an accurate 3D model of fluid clouds and droplet trajectories with some frightening results. They found that smaller droplets travel really far because the cloud keeps them afloat. It’s surprising how far they can go, they … Continued
By James Baker -
io9How Streaming Video Could Kill The DVD Special Feature — Or Save It
Streaming video is rapidly becoming the movie-watching mode of choice, but does the takeover of streaming video mean that the special features and commentaries that accompanied DVDs are dead? With the release of the previously redacted Bond movie commentaries, we were left wondering about what the future of streaming video meant for special features down … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News
World’s Slowest Surveillance Cams To Produce a Single Image in 100 Years
It’s a little disconcerting to know how many of our day-to-day movements are being recorded in real time, what with CCTV, security cams, and smartphone wielding strangers. And while Google Streetview’s taking short-term before-and-after shots of our cities, one artist wants to capture a city’s evolution over a hundred years in a series of extra-extra-extra-long … Continued
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io9Fan-Made Trailer For Jim Butcher’s Next Dresden Files Book Is Splendid
Jim Butcher’s next book in the Dresden Files series, Skin Game, doesn’t come out until May 27 — but you can feed your Dresden Files addiction right now, with this action-packed book trailer. This trailer was created by the talented folks at Dresden Files Fan Filming, featuring Tiffany Briels as Mab, Queen of Air and … Continued
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Tech News
Keep Your Cookbooks Clean With a Temporary Recipe Tattoo on Your Arm
The cookbooks I’ve used in my life have endured drippings, grease splatters, and one especially harrowingly bath in a pot of tomato soup. Let’s face it, a big block of paper is an inconvenient thing to lug around the kitchen. But there’s an ingenious little idea that puts tattoos in a perfectly convenient place to … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
Tech News
10 Animated Dinosaurs That Totally Ruled
In the world of animation, there are few universal truths. But one, at least, is that everyone loves dinosaurs. Whether you think they’re fascinating or just plain awesome, few stories were made worse by the presence of our prehistoric friends. And since today is dino-day across the io9 sub-sites, let’s celebrate by looking at some … Continued
By Jason Krell -
io9
News Of Junk DNA’s Death Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
The term “junk DNA” has been under attack lately, but a pair of geneticists are now making the case for this much maligned and misunderstood concept. There are significant chunks of our DNA, they argue, that really are utterly useless. By the end of the Human Genome Project, biologists had discovered that over 98% of … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
The BMW i8 is the car of my near future dreams
According to Jalopnik’s Damon Lavrinc, the BMW i8 is the “first attempt at defining what the future [of cars] will be, and like all first attempts it’s a mix of exciting and the not-yet-well-thought-out.” It’s also elegant and beautiful and I want one to go across the country. OK, that or the Porsche 918 Spyder.
By Jesus Diaz -
io9Fritz Kahn’s Whimsical Infographics Turn People Into Contraptions
Fritz Kahn (1888-1968), the pioneer of infographics, published more than 20 books with his artist friends and made thousands of scientific illustrations. His infographics attempt to take you inside the functioning of the human mind and body, by depicting people as rather whimsical contraptions. Here are his most amazing illustrations. Kahn was chased out of … Continued
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Tech News
Win A Boreas Hopper Day Pack and Bootlegger Suspension System
Like the new Boreas Trava and Tiago tents? Win one of their backpacks! Update: Reader David Camp has been randomly selected as the winner. Congrats David! We’re giving away one Boreas Hopper day pack and its Bootlegger suspension system. The pack measures 28L in volume and weighs just 1lbs 90z, making it ideal for hiking, … Continued
By Wes Siler -
Tech News
The BMW i8 Is the Template For The Future Car You’ll Someday Own
BMW’s i8 is the kind of gorgeous, $140,000 sports car that most of us will never get to own. It’s packed with supercar tech like a carbon fiber passenger cell and a turbocharged, hybrid powertrain that kicks out Porsche-beating acceleration and Prius-like fuel economy. But it’s not just an engineer’s flight of fancy, nor a … Continued
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ScienceBiology
Ready For Some Croc-on-Croc Violence? Cretaceous Crocs Ate Each Other
We’ve previously brought you impressive images of crocodylians – that’s the group of reptiles that includes alligators, crocodiles, and caimans – being eaten by river otters and by snakes. Now we bring you some intense croc-on-croc violence. We share because we love. Yesterday, paleontologist Pedro L. Godoy and colleagues reported a new fossil found in … Continued
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io9This Wickedly Fast Running Robot Is Now Commercially Available
Meet OutRunner — a sleek star-shaped robot you can use to mercilessly hunt down your friends. It’s the world’s first remotely controlled legged running robot that’s commercially available to the public. The remarkable device, which was developed by Pensacola, Florida’s Robotics Unlimited, is capable of self-balancing, reaching speeds around 20 mph (32 kph) on almost … Continued
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Tech News
An Engineer Commissioned This Incredible Mausoleum For Himself
It’s a rare kind of person who has the foresight (and cash) to hire an architect to design their own funeral mausoleum. But this engineer in Mucia, Spain, did just that—commissioning this incredible structure for when he shuffles off this mortal coil. The black steel and concrete structure is nestled into a shady lane full … Continued
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io9
What Movie Was Way Better Than You Expected?
Sometimes low expectations can pay off. Sometimes, you expect a movie to be kind of terrible, and it surprises you by being actually quite good. Sometimes, a movie looks dumb, but turns out to be charming and fun. Which movie did you expect to suck — and then were pleasantly surprised? Please include a picture, … Continued
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Tech News
Above, Jimmy Carter holds a June 21, 1979 press conference in front of the White House’s then-new solar panels. Ronald Reagan quietly tore them down in 1986 during renovations. But thanks to the Obama administration, the White House now has solar panels on its roof again. We’ll see how long they last this time. Photos: … Continued
By Matt Novak -
io9
Real Estate Experts Value Goku’s House At Way Over 9,000
So, how much would the home of Dragon Ball’s hero be worth on today’s market? It’s got nothing to do with power levels. As this infographic reveals, as with all houses, it’s about size and location. Over at the Movoto Blog (“The Lighter Side of Real Estate”), David Cross applied some creative thinking to determine … Continued
By Mark Strauss