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Tech NewsSploidSoccer Darts Looks Even Harder to Play When You’re Drunk
Whoever thought that putting a game involving sharp pointed darts in a pub where people are getting drunk clearly wasn’t worried about safety. Foot Darts—a mashup of soccer and darts played with velcro-covered balls and a giant inflatable target—looks a little safer. Although we imagine it’d be just as difficult to hit the massive bullseye … Continued
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Tech NewsWhy Hordes of Moths Crashed the Euro 2016 Final
As Portugal and France snoozed their way through the final match yesterday at Euro 2016, thousands of Silver Y moths crashed the party—including one that fluttered onto Ronaldo’s anguished face as he sat injured on the pitch. They’re calling it the moth ball final. So what brought all these moths to the Stade de France? … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle Taught an Ant to Play Soccer
DeepMind beat a world champion of Go, so now it wants to try its hand at a much more popular game. Sorta. Google says it’s used DeepMind to teach an ant to play soccer—that is, if you consider the beige four-legged ball an “ant” and the act of manipulating a black-and-white ball into a red … Continued
By Angela Chen -
Tech NewsSploidPlaying Soccer with a Flaming Ball Looks Beautifully Dangerous
I get it now! That’s why soccer doesn’t let players use their hands. Just in case they decide to start playing with a fireball. Watch Joltter, Andrew Henderson, and Melody Donchet do tricks with a ball that’s on fire and also hit a free kick too.
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Easily Upgrade Your Foosball Table’s Players to Stormtroopers
Foosball is one of those simple games that doesn’t need fixing. It’s already the perfect way to waste four years of college. But it turns out there is actually a way to make table soccer even more enjoyable: by turning all of the players into opposing squadrons of stormtroopers. If you’ve got access to a … Continued
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Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence
How We Won the World Robot Soccer Championship
My team from UNSW Australia defeated team B-Human from Germany 3-1 last week to claim back-to-back Robocup SPL World Championships. Here’s how we did it. The competition involves fully autonomous robots, with no remote control, competing against each other in 5-on-5 soccer. Each team uses the same robots, so the competition is focused on software … Continued
Sean Harris -
Tech News
People Are Redesigning World Cup Sponsors’ Logos to Protest Worker Abuse
FIFA is getting it from all sides right now, and for good reason. Last night the US Justice Department reportedly arrested officials for fraud related to the upcoming World Cups in Qatar and Russia. And even before the arrests, fans were protesting the use of forced labor at World Cup construction sites by hitting the … Continued
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Tech NewsVR Soccer Is As Entertaining As Real Soccer
Soccer—or football if you’re from anywhere else but the U.S.—is the most popular sport in the world. But what if it could be better? I mean…I’m not talking so much in the sense of fast-paced athletic play than I am grown up men making idiots of themselves with VR headsets. I’d watch that. A Norwegian … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech News
Ford Designed a Sleek Futuristic Foosball Table With Actual Grass Turf
When Ford’s designers aren’t perfecting the gorgeous curves on vehicles like the company’s new Ford GT, they’re putting their design chops to good use on more affordable and attainable objects like this magnificent see-through foosball table. Created by Ford’s global design studios for the Salone Del Mobile show in Milano, Italy, the foosball table is … Continued
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Tech News
This Death Star Soccer Ball Is Now the Ultimate Power On the Playground
Who cares about playing with a regulation or Fifa-approved ball when you can now play soccer with a tiny version of the Death Star? It can’t destroy planets (a minor trade-off) but this Star Wars Celebration-exclusive collectible could be yours if you’re heading to the festivities in Anaheim, California, next week. Just remember that it’s … Continued
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Tech NewsA European Soccer Match Was Abandoned Over a Drone-Induced Brawl
Last night, Serbia played Albania at soccer in a Euro 2016 qualifier. But, in the 40th minute, things turned surreal: a drone flew over the pitch flying a flag which raised tensions enough to start a fight and get the match stopped. For a little background here, it’s worth noting that the Serbia-Albania political situation … Continued
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Tech NewsQatar’s $45 Billion Plan to Build a Brand New City for the World Cup
Qatar, the 2022 host of the World Cup, is not a large country, with a population just over 2.1 million. So to prepare for the millions who’ll descend on the country eight years from now, it’s going to great lengths—including building an entire new city from scratch. It’s called Lusail, and it’s set to be … Continued
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Tech NewsPlayers Help Power the Lights on This Soccer Field Just by Running
As they make their way up and down the field chasing the ball, the players on this new soccer pitch in Rio de Janeiro are actually helping to keep the lights powered when the sun sets. Because underneath the artificial turf are 200 special tiles that work like tiny generators to harness the kinetic energy … Continued
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Tech News
The Premier League Is Banning Goals Being Posted to Vine and Twitter
If there’s one thing better than a wonderful goal in soccer, it’s reliving it over, and over, and over, and over. Preferably in slow-mo. Ideally as a looped GIF. And almost certainly sourced from social media. But sadly, the UK’s Premier League is stamping out all such behavior. Speaking to BBC’s Newsbeat, the Premier League’s … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidSpectacular kung fu goal is pure soccer magic
This amazing goal is why Swedish soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the very best in the world. Watch as he flies through the air, kicking the ball like he’s some kind of kung-fu master and changes its direction with a twist of his foot. The goalie is so stunned that all he can … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
Russia’s World Cup Is Already Outrageously Expensive
Maybe you’re still mourning Brazil’s catastrophic loss to Germany, but the rest of the world has moved on—to discussing the impact of the next series, which will take place in 11 Russian cities in 2018. And according to their reports, it’s going to be very, very expensive. Like $11,500 per seat expensive. The next World … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
The Self-Checkout Security Checkpoint Passed Its First Big Test
Tiresome TSA security lines may be a thing of the past as a new, self-managed security device successfully passed its real world debut at an Australia-Spain World Cup match in Curitiba, Brazil last month. The only folks not excited about the new security measure are die hard fans of the Socceroos. While the machine successfully … Continued
By Eric Rydin -
Tech News
How Far Do Soccer Players Run During a Match?
After four weeks of well-placed headers and acrobatic kicks and whatever was going on with Ronaldo’s hair, the World Cup finally draws to a close today. But while you’re holding your breath during the Germany-Argentina nail-biter, take a moment to appreciate the most astonishing feat that happens during these 90 minutes: How far these guys … Continued
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Tech News
How Vacant World Cup Stadiums Could Be Turned Into Housing
The World Cup ends this weekend, leaving Brazil with the heady task of deciding what, exactly, to do with the 12 stadiums that were built or converted for games. Two architects have published a proposal to convert the stadiums into something Brazil desperately needs: Affordable housing. French architects Axel de Stampa and Sylvain Macaux have … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidThat Brazil-Germany game would have looked the same without Brazil
Someone had the clever idea to erase every Brazilian player out of the humiliating World Cup game with Germany. The fact is that it doesn’t really matter because Brazil was an invisible troupe of clowns to begin with. The game plays just the same without them. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join … Continued
By James Baker