-
Scientists Create A Real-Life Star Trek Tractor Beam
Turning fantasy into reality, British researchers have created a Star Trek-like tractor beam by employing sound waves that have the power to move physical objects. Fascinated by the idea of creating a workable, invisible beam that had the power to manipulate objects, scientists in Bristol and Sussex in the UK have created the world’s first […]
-
Why Adele Shuns Modern Phones in the Video for New Song “Hello”
Adele recently debuted her first new song in three years, the grand and emotionally moving “Hello.” Along with it came a corresponding video that opens on a scene many fans found jarring, or at least worth commenting on. Yes, that is Adele, having a very Verizon Guy-like “can you hear me now?” moment while operating […]
-
Lego Won’t Sell to Ai Weiwei, So He’s Collecting Legos In BMWs Instead
According to artist/provocateur Ai Weiwei’s Instagram account, Lego refused to fulfill a bulk order placed by the Ai Weiwei Studio that was to be used in the creation of artworks for display at Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria. From Weiwei’s post: “In June 2015 Ai Weiwei Studio began to design artworks which would have required […]
-
The First-Ever Hotel to Implement Emoji Room Service
It’s been a week of big emoji-related news, kicked off with the long-awaited addition of a taco emoji (finally!), and culminating with the downtown Manhattan hotel Aloft‘s announcement that you can now order room service items using only emojis. While Dominos had already rolled out a system that allows customers to order pizza with an […]
-
Build Your Own Self-Lacing Shoes ala Back to the Future II
On the occasion of Back to the Future, Part II Day, Popular Science highlights the DIY self-lacing shoe project undertaken by Blake Blevin. Back in 2010, Blevin tackled the challenge of creating the self-lacing shoe technology teased in Back to the Future II, creating a prototype that quickly went viral. It turns out that power […]
-
What Back to the Future II Got Right About Our Present
Wednesday, Oct 21st, 2015. That’s the ‘future’ date that Marty McFly travels to in Back to the Future, Part II. And that’s this Wednesday — a much more imminent future for us than for young Marty, who traveled there from the year 1985, a full 30-year leap. It’s tricky business, guessing the future. So, what […]
-
A Safer Bike Intersection, Created By a Former Video Game Designer
Gizmodo shares the story of how Nick Falbo, a video game designer-turned-urban planner who had worked on game franchises like Rock Band and Mass Effect utilized his talent at creating virtual worlds to improve our actual world, making it safer for cyclists and motorists. Falbo, who works at a city planning firm in Portland, drew from his video […]
-
A 3-D Printed Swimsuit That Helps Clean the Ocean
3-D printed wearable tech with an eco-conscious bent? Welcome to the future, thanks to this design that recently won first place in the international Reshape Wearable Tech competition for 2015. The Sponge Suit is made up of a 3-D printed elasto-plastic that forms a net-like shell surface, providing the flexibility and structure necessary to mold […]
-
In Hong Kong, Neon Goes the Way of the Buffalo
A city long recognized by a certain ambient, romantic glow, as captured by filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai in “Chungking Express” and “In the Mood for Love,” may be gradually losing that special light, sign by sign, as the use of neon is phased out. The New York Times reports that, since the 90s, the production and use […]
-
The Robot Phone You Didn’t Know You Needed
“RoboHon is a phone you have never seen before” is an accurate piece of promotional copy for this, the prototype robot-slash-smartphone produced by Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp. The video will explain this better than words ever could. It speaks. It walks. From within your breast pocket, signs of movement as an adorable voice rings […]
-
Adidas’ Futurecraft Is a 3D-Printed Shoe Customized for You
Big news in the world of high performance footwear as Adidas reveals its new Futurecraft 3D, a revolutionary running shoe midsole printed with 3D printing technology. Made possible through an open source partnership with 3D printing company Materialise, the technology involved in the Futurecraft means every runner can get a performance midsole customized to their […]
-
Protect Ya Neck (and the Rest of Your Face) with Anti-Facial Recognition
As facial recognition technology is becoming more commonly employed, and more accurate (Two separate teams of Chinese researchers have claimed to developed facial recognition tech that is upwards of 99% accurate), there are those in our midst who have decided this is problematic, and are taking steps to jam this increasingly-watchful system. The Kernel reports […]