io9 
Enter your username and password.
San Francisco, 2:46 AM
Tue Dec 29
26 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors:
Editor-in-Chief:
Annalee Newitz |
News Editor:
Charlie Jane Anders |
Associate Editor:
Meredith Woerner |
Assistant Editor:
Lauren Davis |
Weekend Editor:
Graeme McMillan |
Contributors:
Joshua Glenn
Stephen Goldmeier |
Ed Grabianowski |
Austin Grossman
Paul Hogan |
Lauren Davis |
Chris Hsiang |
Lynn Peril |
Ann VanderMeer
Alasdair Wilkins |
Graphic Designer:
Stephanie Fox |
Interns:
Tim Barribeau |
Julia Carusillo |
Alex Eichler |
Cyriaque Lamar |
Caitlin Petrakovitz |
Mary Ratliff |
Josh Snyder |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
12/28/09
How come geeks are so into Dexter when there's nary a ray-gun in sight? Why do we adore Criminal Minds? What's up with how popular Are You Being Served is with the nerd crowd?
I mean, in general we seem to have a fondness for the serial killer show and British humor, but why do these kinds of shows go over so well with science fiction fans?
I just know someone out here has an answer for me. Possibly with a link to a psychology study.
#observationdeck
The Year's Most Controversial Science Discoveries
2009 saw plenty of scientific discoveries — 44-million-year-old hominid Ardi, water on the moon — but some of what we learned wasn't as awesome as we'd hoped. LiveScience takes a look at the news that caused scientific controversy this year. More »Robots, Vampires And Spaceships Ruled 2009's Most Popular Movie Trailers
Yahoo has ranked the top ten most viewed trailers of 2009, and every single movie on the list is some flavor of science fiction, fantasy or urban fantasy. Victory, thy name is Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. More »Iron Man 2's Black Widow's Secret Alliances Revealed
A few more details are leaking out from the Iron Man 2 trailer besides what comic book story line the movie may be using. It seems Black Widow's true allegiance may have been leaked. Check out the spoilery reveal. More »You Never Want To Stare Down The Barrel Of The Atomic Cannon
The nuclear cannon dubbed "Atomic Annie" fires a 280 millimeter nuclear artillery shell packing 15 kilotons of explosive force, in this breathtaking image from 1953's Operation Upshot-Knothole in Nevada. Check out more images from our only nuclear artillery test.The Grandiose Decay of Abandoned Detroit
Nearly a third of Detroit's homes are vacant, and along with the residences, the city's stately hotels and cultural centers have been abandoned as well, falling into dramatic disrepair, their grand ruins still showing the promises of a once-booming city.Nolan Floods Your Brain With Dark Surrealism In New Inception Trailer
Watch Leo DiCaprio become the Morphius to his assistant, Ellen Page's Neo, as he and his well dressed team of brain-busters attempt to rob your mind. The latest Christopher Nolan Inception trailer is out. More »Next Stop, Virtual Panhandling!
If not having enough change to give to every downtrodden soul on the subway doesn't make you feel bad enough, now you have to pretend you don't see the abused girl staring out from a flat-screen at the bus stop.Science Fiction Has Been "Dying" For A Long Time
Tired of people claiming science fiction is dead because real life has "caught up" with it? They've been saying that since Sputnik, points out Dave Truesdale over at Asimov's, responding to Neil Asher's rant about doomsayers who pronounce SF dead.Gravity Well Chart Helps You Plan Your Planetary Escape
Need to figure out how much energy you'll need to escape the gravitational pull of the solar system's planets and moons? This chart compares the gravity wells of our neighboring celestial bodies. [xkcd]12/28/09
#@!
#observationdeck
12/28/09
#observationdeck
12/28/09
#observationdeck
12/28/09
#observationdeck
12/28/09
#observationdeck
Graphic Designers Reinvent Science Fiction Television
Graphic designers are facing off as they re-envision pop culture. Something Awful turned some of our favorite video games into graphic book covers. Olly Moss did the same with more games. Now another artist has turned to television for inspiration. More »How The Post-Paper Future Will Mutate Interior Design
This season Amazon sold more e-books for the Kindle than paper books. Couple that stat with magazine publishers announcing an upcoming mag tablet and you're headed to a paper-free home. What happens to interior design after bookshelves are obsolete? More »Dubai Sets the Stage for a Star Wars Invasion
Early one foggy morning, an AT-AT patrols the streets of Dubai, surveying the construction of grand new buildings and shiny spaceships. Cédric Delsaux's latest Star Wars mashup series suggests it's a perfected plausible image against Dubai's science fiction stage. More »12/27/09
How to permanently capture a lightning bolt into an acrylic sculpture. Make sure to watch the videos to see the process while it's happening and also check out some of the other pages, which have lots of extremely interesting information.
[www.CapturedLightning.com]
#tips #madscience #lightning #observationdeck
12/27/09
#tips
12/27/09
[www.CapturedLightning.com]
#tips
12/27/09
#tips
12/27/09
[www.usatoday.com]
#tips
Death Will Ride the Wings of Radio
Tired of holiday peace, love and understanding? So was an editor at the Los Angeles Times, who in the days leading up to Christmas 1924, ran an article that asked "What Will Happen When ‘Science' Perfects the Art of War?" More »5 Entertainment Lessons We Hope 2009 Has Taught The Future
With the year almost over, it's time to look back and wonder if 2009 actually left any wisdom for future generations behind in its whirlwind of franchise-maintenance, Obama-adoration* and dream-crushing. Here are some potential morals from the last 12 months. More »What The Hell Was That?
Sherlock Holmes Brings On The Steampunk Tweed Hotness
Packed with Victorian gadgets, awesome fights, Illuminati-style conspiracies, and lots of incredibly sexy tweed outfits, the new Sherlock Holmes flick is James Bond for the steampunk set. But will you like it if you aren't a tweed fetishist? More »The Case For Aliens Who Are Truly Alien
In James Cameron's Avatar, we're introduced to an alien race that we immediately take to: the almost-human Na'vi. But sympathizing with slightly-different people is easy. Here are few examples of sci-fi giving us truly "alien" aliens. More »