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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
All the Crazy Stuff People Tried to Bring on Airplanes Last Year
TSA screened 638,705,790 passengers in 2013, and as we learned last year, if you look deeply within the possessions of that many people, you’re gonna find some weird stuff. Tons of weird stuff. Here’s a rundown of the craziest objects TSA found in 2013. https://gizmodo.com/here-are-the-crazy-things-the-tsa-has-found-in-2012-ga-5934847 1,813 firearms (1,477 loaded) Various containers holding “black powder” A … Continued
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Tech News
Shooting Challenge: POLAR VORTEX
We’ve all heard. The Polar Vortex Part II: Vortex Returns is coming. And the best way to suffer through this frigid end of the world is to grab it by the snowballs and make some art. The Challenge Take a photo of snow and/or ice. You have now until Monday, January 27th, and any winter … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
Why a Small Pennsylvania Town Is the Mushroom Capital of the World
To grow mushrooms is to let things rot, so something’s a lot of things are rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. The Atlantic’s deep dive into the dark side of truffles last week got us wondering about their more prosaic cousins: the portobellos and white buttons you find shrink-wrapped at the supermarket. We’ve also seen … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
Tech News
13 Hand-Painted Murals Brought to Life as Animated GIFs
Even if you’ve never heard of INSA, you’ve probably seen his work—the British street artist has designed signature collections for everyone from Nike to Kid Robot. But his latest work is a little bit more immortal: INSA’s making GIFs. These aren’t your regular, run-of-the-mill animations. INSA’s actually developed a method whereby he can transform wall-sized … Continued
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Tech News
Moog’s Theremini Makes It Impossible to Play the Wrong Note
Originally invented in the 1920s, the theremin is the weird instrument responsible for spooky science fiction soundtracks for a half-century. Its woozy sound is unmistakeable, but it is also notoriously difficult to play. Bob Moog started selling theremins in the 1950’s, and today, his company announced a new version, the Theremini, which uses pitch control … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Happy 30th Birthday Macintosh, the Controversial World-Changer
Today is a very special day for a very special computer. This is the computer that started it all, the device that changed everything, the very thing that kicked off the era of the personal computer. Happy 30th birthday, Macintosh. It’s been quite a trip. As the Mac puts its tumultuous twenties behind it, now … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
A star “just” went supernova in a nearby galaxy
And with “just” I mean 11.4 million years ago, even while Steve Fossey just detected this bright and rare Type Ia supernova using a ‘modest telescope in an unlikely spot: foggy north London.’ Scientists say that it will be visible in the sky soon, as it brightens up. Here you can see the supernova appearing … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech NewsSploid
When the bombardier beetle attacks it really bombs its enemies
The always cool biomorphosis.tumblr.com posted these slow-motion animated gifs in which you can see one of the most efficient defensive chemical weapon in nature: the cannon of the bombardier beetle, which shoots “a boiling hot mixture of caustic chemicals reaching 212° F (100° C).” As Biomorphosis explains: Bombardier Beetle when threatened, sprays the attacker with … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
Tech News
Aphex Twin SAW2 Countdown: Track 22 (“Spots”)
I am going to do this track-by-track countdown to the release, on February 13, 2014, the day prior to Valentine’s Day, of my book in the estimable 33 1/3 series. It is a love letter to Aphex Twin’s album Selected Ambient Works Volume II, which will mark its 20th anniversary this year, less than a … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Fearless man plays with grizzly bears like you play with your dog
Oh, nothing to see here. Just a guy playing wrestle with a grizzly bear and letting it fake swallow his head. Wait, what? Mmhmm. Bear trainer Doug Seus plays around with an 8 foot tall behemoth of a beast the same way you would mess around with your dog. It’s stunning to see. I mean, … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Create an Ancient Soundscape, Free a “Creative Commoner”
Disquiet Junto Project 0108: Free Bassel Each Thursday at the Disquiet Junto group on SoundCloud.com a new compositional challenge is set before the group’s members, who then have just over four days to upload a track in response to the assignment. Membership in the Junto is open: just join and participate. Tracks by participants will … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
A frozen Niagara Falls light show looks like a magical wonderland
Niagara Falls is always powerfully beautiful. A frozen Niagara Falls is even more impressive, like pressing pause on nature to hear the silence. A frozen Niagara Falls filled with colors from a light show? Just look. Photographer Michael Muraz showed us these amazing images of Niagara Falls and the frozen colors make it look like … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploid
What if all the spam mail you got was actually hilariously true?
You’re an Internet veteran, you know what’s real and what’s not. Anything with Western Union automatically raises your eyebrow. An e-mail promising more length and/or hot girls gets vaporized without a thought. You’re too seasoned for these tricks. But what if all that email spam was actually true? How different would your life look? Would … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploid
This house has a freaking train you can ride all around the property
What would you like in a house? A roof. Central air is nice. Some insulation probably. Maybe a fireplace if you like that. A yard for the kids with a white picket fence for your dreams. What about a freaking rideable scale train that goes completely around the entire property? Yeah, you know you want … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Watch These GIFs With Music (As They Were Intended)
GIFs are beautiful and pure. But sometimes they need sound. Here’s a neat site that will let you listen to music over your GIFs. All you have to do is press the top play button. Many of the animated loops are recognizable from 90s commercials. Dream Phone? Oh, you better believe I had one of … Continued
By Leslie Horn -
Tech NewsSploid
Psycho human dragged his head on the ground on a motorcycle turn
Christ. An awesome lunatic wasn’t happy with just dragging his knee while making a high speed motorcycle turn so he decided to lay his head and drag that on the gravel too. Because, well, there’s nothing cooler (or more out there) than scraping your noggin’ on the street while going well past the reasonable speed … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsDesign
3D-Printed Nails Are Way Crazier Than Your Typical Press-Ons
Man, I really love nail art. You might not share the same kind of enthusiasm for crazy custom manicures, but we can all agree that the Laser Girls’ 3D-printed nails are decidedly cooler than your average press-on acrylics. The Laser Girls is a collaboration by designers Sarah C. Awad and Dhemerae Ford. You can see … Continued
By Leslie Horn -
Tech News
A Guitar Amp That’s Going to Piss Analog Purists Off
Line 6, the well-regarded guitar gear manufacturer that just sold to Yamaha, has a new guitar amp that’s going to give tube traditionalists—like me!—a migraine. Bluetooth?! iOS app? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. OK, but let’s not be luddites for the hell of it. What’s Line 6’s new Amplifi got to offer? Line 6 isn’t exactly new to making … Continued