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Become Superhuman, Japanese-Style
In Japanese, the word urawaza means "secret tricks," like knowing that Superman is vulnerable to kryptonite or that certain moves will lead you to the song at the end of the game Portal. Now io9's Lisa Katayama has a whole book of Japanese tricks to turn your everyday life into science fiction, just like in William Gibson novels. The book is called Urawaza, and aside from some practical stuff like how to keep your elbows clean, it also contains obscure Japanese wisdom on a few superpowers. More »
conquering sleep
Your Sleep Patterns Are Controlled by Television
Human sleep patterns were once controlled by circadian rhythms governed by day and night. But now, according to a new study, almost everyone in the United States has a sleep pattern that's controlled by when they watch TV. A massive survey on time management conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics shows that most people watch TV between 11 - 11:15, dropping off to sleep when they switch the tube off. The hour when nighttime falls affects this pattern very little. Human sleep patterns are therefore more malleable than believed, and it's possible people could change them as easily as changing channels. More »
invisibility
Meet the first (semi) invisible warship: it's painted in "low reflectivity" materials that make it hard to see on radar. While not invisible to the naked eye, this Swedish ship, called the Visby Corvette, is for all intents and purposes invisible to many of the instruments Navies would use to pick it up. Researchers say the next generation of high-stealth ships like this might be invisible to the naked eye, too. Want to see more of this invisible ship?
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Navy Battleship with a Cloaking Device
Meet the first (semi) invisible warship: it's painted in "low reflectivity" materials that make it hard to see on radar. While not invisible to the naked eye, this Swedish ship, called the Visby Corvette, is for all intents and purposes invisible to many of the instruments Navies would use to pick it up. Researchers say the next generation of high-stealth ships like this might be invisible to the naked eye, too. Want to see more of this invisible ship?
More »
poll
What Law Of Physics Would You Like To Be Able To Suspend?
Science fiction and comics are full of mutants and aliens whose superpowers defy various laws of physics. Shape-changers who can alter their mass, people who can fly — in space, even! — and guys who can produce extreme cold or heat on cue. But in real life, the ability to negate just one of the laws of physics, whenever you felt like it, could turn you into a god. Which law of physics would you like to have a personal on/off switch for? More »
superhero movie
If This Movie Makes A Fortune, Humans Are Doomed
The Weinstein Company released the final movie poster for Superhero Movie today, and it features Pamela Anderson's boobs, Leslie Nielsen wearing a "With Great Power Comes Hot Bitches" sweater, and not one but two penis jokes (check out Storm's lightning and Dragonfly's popcorn). We're all for parodying superheroes and science fiction, but when it devolves into beer hat jokes and shots of people being embarrassed that their underwear is on display, we doth protest. It would be easy to discount this film if Meet The Spartans hadn't just made $18 million in its opening weekend. If this one grosses anywhere near that, we fear for the fate of our species.
superman's powers
Superman's Powers Are Sketchy
How exactly do Superman's kryptonian powers work? I mean, how do you account for the super-speed, the way he gets his abilities from the yellow sun, his super-breath, and even how he shaves in the morning? Now you can have the answers to these crucial questions and more at your fingertips. Philipp Lenssen gives you a quick lesson in stick figures (via Sketchcast) on how all these powers work, in a very no-nonsense fashion. Sit your non-Superman converts down and see if they come away enlightened, confused, or wanting those few minutes of their life back. Check it out. More »
superhero movie
Wedgies Are The New Superpower
Are Leslie Nielsen and David Zucker funny anymore? Maybe you'll have an answer after watching the trailer for Superhero Movie, an attempt to make Scary Movie for comic book flicks. High school student Rick Riker gets bitten by a radioactive dragonfly, and develops powers similar to Spidey's, along with an apparent love for tighty-whitey underpants. The movie represents real a step down the ladder for director Craig Mazin, who directed The Specials in 2000. Skip this, and rent that. Find out why below. More »
No More Heroes ... At Least Until Fall
Hayden Panettiere let it leak that Heroes won't be back for the rest of the season, even though the strike is coming to an end. Maybe this will allow the writers to focus on Season Three (Season 2.0 Redux?) and come out of the gate with a bang instead of a whimper. After all, we know they've filmed part of Volume Three: Villains and that it's all about the bad guys, so how can they screw that up? Plus Zachary Quinto will be done with Spock duty, so they can cram more Sylar in there for extra brain-munching action. [Ain't It Cool News]
Hayden Panettiere let it leak that Heroes won't be back for the rest of the season, even though the strike is coming to an end. Maybe this will allow the writers to focus on Season Three (Season 2.0 Redux?) and come out of the gate with a bang instead of a whimper. After all, we know they've filmed part of Volume Three: Villains and that it's all about the bad guys, so how can they screw that up? Plus Zachary Quinto will be done with Spock duty, so they can cram more Sylar in there for extra brain-munching action. [Ain't It Cool News]
superpowers
New Adhesive Microfiber Gloves Let You Scale Glass Walls
Soon we'll have special gloves and shoes that allow us to climb smooth, vertical surfaces — and even walk across ceilings. A team of researchers at UC Berkeley has created a plastic microfiber that imitates the "stickiness" of gecko feet, which are covered in tiny hairs that attach to smooth surfaces. Already, the researchers are predicting they'll be able to walk robots across the ceiling using their microfibers, and humans could be next. More »
The Coolness of New "Heroes" Action Figures? Not So Much.
The most recent issue of Toyfare magazine came out yesterday, and it has a spread on all the new Heroes action figures that'll be out later this year. Since it's looking less and less likely that you'll be seeing new episodes anytime soon, it might be time to pick up some of these and bust out that video camera. Unfortunately, the Sylar figure does not have brain-eating action, so you might want to add your own visual effects. Maybe even ones that make these figures look a bit better because... yow.
The most recent issue of Toyfare magazine came out yesterday, and it has a spread on all the new Heroes action figures that'll be out later this year. Since it's looking less and less likely that you'll be seeing new episodes anytime soon, it might be time to pick up some of these and bust out that video camera. Unfortunately, the Sylar figure does not have brain-eating action, so you might want to add your own visual effects. Maybe even ones that make these figures look a bit better because... yow.
iron man robo-armor
Our fannish friends at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas (hi, Noah!) snapped us some photos of the new Iron Man suit, which got paraded on stage by LG (who have a phone in the movie). This is the Mark-1 suit that Iron Man hacks together in prison. The Iron Man movie will be out May 2. Take a look at the suit in its full glory, plus awesome closeups of its actuators, in a gallery below the fold! Images by Curtis Joe Walker.
More »
Shiny, Scary Iron Man Suit at CES
Our fannish friends at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas (hi, Noah!) snapped us some photos of the new Iron Man suit, which got paraded on stage by LG (who have a phone in the movie). This is the Mark-1 suit that Iron Man hacks together in prison. The Iron Man movie will be out May 2. Take a look at the suit in its full glory, plus awesome closeups of its actuators, in a gallery below the fold! Images by Curtis Joe Walker.
More »
New Bionic Arm May Be Too Powerful
Apparently the new i-limb system from Touch Bionics may need to be "scaled back" to be used by humans. The system is a robotic hand-arm combination for people missing all or part of their arms. One of its inventors admitted, "The i-Limb system is better than a human arm. It is faster and can lift heavier weights than a human arm . . . A patient would have the potential to hurt themselves or other people with it, as it is actually better than a human arm. It could do damage." Oh hai, sign me up! [Medgadget]
Apparently the new i-limb system from Touch Bionics may need to be "scaled back" to be used by humans. The system is a robotic hand-arm combination for people missing all or part of their arms. One of its inventors admitted, "The i-Limb system is better than a human arm. It is faster and can lift heavier weights than a human arm . . . A patient would have the potential to hurt themselves or other people with it, as it is actually better than a human arm. It could do damage." Oh hai, sign me up! [Medgadget]
heroes
NBC earns the distinction of having their show Heroes being the most pirated television show across the Web. Good for them, because it means people really want to see this thing. It's not like sites are putting together pirate DVDs of Heroes episodes and selling them willy-nilly on street corners. Well, at least here in Los Angeles they're not. I checked. One of the reasons that Heroes (and other NBC shows) shot to the top of this list is that NBC decided to sever their relationship with iTunes last year, meaning you couldn't zap these over to your iPod at $1.99 a pop.
More »
NBC's 'Heroes' Tops List Of Most Pirated Shows
NBC earns the distinction of having their show Heroes being the most pirated television show across the Web. Good for them, because it means people really want to see this thing. It's not like sites are putting together pirate DVDs of Heroes episodes and selling them willy-nilly on street corners. Well, at least here in Los Angeles they're not. I checked. One of the reasons that Heroes (and other NBC shows) shot to the top of this list is that NBC decided to sever their relationship with iTunes last year, meaning you couldn't zap these over to your iPod at $1.99 a pop.
More »
heroes
Jack Coleman has the enviable position of breathing life into television's best and worst father each week on NBC's Heroes. During the day he'll be bringing home teddy bears to his indestructible daughter Claire, while that night he'll gun someone down and work with genetically mutated viruses. He's gone through more character twists than a corkscrew and returned from the dead. We caught up with him at a Beverly Hills lunch spot to find out exactly what's going on with the show and his parenting skills.
More »
io9 Talks To The Man With The Horn-Rimmed Glasses
Jack Coleman has the enviable position of breathing life into television's best and worst father each week on NBC's Heroes. During the day he'll be bringing home teddy bears to his indestructible daughter Claire, while that night he'll gun someone down and work with genetically mutated viruses. He's gone through more character twists than a corkscrew and returned from the dead. We caught up with him at a Beverly Hills lunch spot to find out exactly what's going on with the show and his parenting skills.
More »
superpowers
Fast-Acting Antidote to Cyanide in Pill Form
Now you can reverse the effects of cyanide poisoning with just one pill that takes effect in less than three minutes. It can also make you impervious to the effects of cyanide if you take it less than an hour before being exposed to the deadly poison that's a favorite of terrorists and death camp counselors. Discovered by retired University of Minnesota prof Herbert Nagasawa, the antidote is now being developed as a drug. It uses the body's natural defenses against cyanide to turn people into poison-repelling superheroes. More »
morning spoilers
Sneak Peek at New Bad Guys on "Heroes"
Heroes won't be back on the air for months, but we were able to see some sneak peeks from the few scenes they've filmed for episodes 12 and 13. If you've wanted a lot more evil in Heroes, you're about to get your wish in a big way. Read all about Heroes Volume Three: Villains after the jump. More »
smallville
