-
Tech News
Toilet Explosions: More Common Than You Might Think
During a recent thunderstorm, a Florida woman was relaxing at home when a deafening boom roared through her house. Few could have guessed the source of the noise. According to WBBH, lightning struck near her septic tank, igniting methane gas and blowing her toilet to pieces. “It was the loudest noise I’ve ever heard,” Mary … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
If You Take Out Your Phone in a Movie Theater, I’m Going to Ask to Use It
Almost every weekend this year, I’ve ended up at the movies. In a relentless news environment, it’s nice to head over to the local multiplex, plop down, and turn off the rest of the world for a couple of hours. Sadly, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: Even there, before the greatest spectacle that Hollywood can … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsCrime
FBI Finds Bucket of Heads, Cooler of Penises, Sewn ‘Frankenstein’ Corpse at Body Donation Center
In 2013, federal authorities began investigating shady “body brokers,” businesses that sell donated bodies for research purposes, such as Arizona’s for-profit Biological Resource Center. That company was shuttered following an FBI raid in 2014, but eyewitness details are being made public for the first time—and they’re almost too grisly to believe. In a sworn statement, … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
io9Games
Which Cyberpunk Keanu Reeves Protagonist Will You Be in the Future?
If there’s anything I’ve learned from futuristic movies, it’s that, at some point, each and every one of us will become Keanu Reeves. Whether the days to come are filled with code-cracking dolphins or humans strung up like Christmas lights in a (frankly implausible) battery array, the everyperson of the future looks, talks, and moves … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Catfish Fetishists: The Men Who Get Off on Getting Scammed Online
It’s Thursday night and Eddie is looking for action. He scrolls through Twitter hoping to find the woman of his dreams. Finally, he finds her, or someone who looks a lot like her: A woman going by the name “Katfish Princess” who describes herself as “hot, greedy and completely fake.” “Destroy your life for these … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Reddit Magicians Are Fiercely Debating How to Summon a ‘Big Tittie’ Demon
Some are drawn to the dark mystic arts in a search for ultimate knowledge. Others, out of desire to impose their will on the world. Some folks, however, are just trying to get laid. Late last month, a lusty Redditor using the handle Tacodirtshield1 posed a simple question to Reddit’s r/occult community: What’s the best … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
A Coconut Water Brand Is Offering Free Piss on Twitter Because This Is the Future
When they looked to the future, some in the 20th century imagined wondrous technological advancements. Others foresaw a world of global totalitarian control. The future we ended up with, however, has had a little bit of both—plus a beverage company offering to send a hater some human urine on social media. On Wednesday, coconut water maker … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
io9Movies
Disney’s New Release Schedule Has Me Thinking a Lot About Mortality
On Tuesday, Disney updated its list of scheduled movie releases, providing tantalizing new details for fans of Earth’s preeminent sequel-making omnicorp—and forcing me to think farther into the future than I ever have before. I’m not joking. Three new Star Wars films are now scheduled for December of 2022, 2024, and 2026. That last one … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
You Know How This All Ends, Don’t You?
Brands—they’re just like us, only thirstier. Just last night, Pornhub sent out a press release claiming it was “extremely interested” in buying Tumblr, the distressed blogging platform Verizon is reportedly looking to unload. TechCrunch explained why this is a bad idea, but there’s a more fundamental question here: Sure, it has the money, but is … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
‘Broken Jaw, Split Lip, Broken Teeth’: E-Scooter Accidents Can Seriously Fuck You Up
Look around, and you’ll find no shortage of stories about the rise of injuries linked to rentable e-scooters. But until you’ve read firsthand accounts of shattered arms and metal plates in faces, it’s hard to comprehend just how completely these little scooties can wreck your shit. Earlier this year, a Consumer Reports investigation identified over … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
What Your Airline Won’t Tell You About Those Creepy Airport Face Scanners
Last week, a Twitter conversation between an airline passenger and JetBlue went viral after she asked about the company’s creepy facial recognition cameras. Mostly, the passenger seemed shocked to learn airlines were scanning customers’ faces at all. “Instead of scanning my boarding pass or handing over my passport, I looked into a camera,” wrote writer … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Guess Who’s Moving Into the Chewable Bar Space in a More Disruptive Way
Today, the CEO of a Silicon Valley-spawned startup told TechCrunch that his company was “moving into the chewable bar space in a more disruptive way.” That is, they’re making snack bars. It’s the kind of phrase that could only come from someone whose brain has been completely poisoned by his own company’s meaningless techie newspeak. … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsSamsung
Look at All These Fucked Up Galaxy Folds [Updated]
Just days after Samsung gave its $2,000 foldable smartphone to reviewers, a troubling number of journalists say their Galaxy Fold units are all jacked up. Reporters at CNBC, The Verge, and Bloomberg have all tweeted images showing seemingly distinct problems with the Galaxy Fold—although in the last case, the reviewer may have helped fuck up … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsFacebook
The Latest Facebook News Feed Rumor Is So Dumb I Pray It’s True
Compared to other apps, Facebook can seem downright antiquated. One blogger described it recently as “a dopey website that sucks to use and look at.” Facebook seems to be aware of this problem, and is now reportedly testing an interface tweak that’s so aggressively dumb I sincerely hope they go for it. Don’t like looking … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsAmazon
5 Times Jeff Bezos Tried to Warn Us Amazon Is Listening
Last night, Bloomberg published an alarming report about the “thousands” of Amazon workers paid to listen to Alexa recordings captured in customers’ homes and offices. But users of the company’s digital assistant shouldn’t be too shocked. After all, CEO Jeff Bezos has been trying to tell us for years. Bloomberg reports that Alexa’s “human helpers” … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
I Can’t Believe This Dopey, Busted-Ass Website Is What Messed Up Our Lives
Like many people, I don’t use Facebook a lot these days, but when I idly visited the world’s largest digital nation-state this afternoon, I had an odd realization: Wow, it looks like ass. Of course, it’s easy to criticize Facebook. A poll released on Friday found that 60 percent of Americans don’t trust Facebook with … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Russian Military Journal Claims Psychic Soldiers Can Crash Computers and Control Dolphins
A journal published by Russia’s Ministry of Defense became the subject of mockery this week after publishing claims that “Russian specialists” have communicated with dolphins, crashed computer programs, and even looked into safes using the power of telepathy. As first highlighted by Russian media outlet RBC, the February issue of Army Collection featured a story … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
ScienceBiology
The World’s Biggest Bee Just Buzzed Into My Heart
I don’t remember when or where I was first stung by a bee. What I remember is the pain. Radiating from the pink welt was a sharp, throbbing ache. Adults said there was no treatment except ice. At the time, my tiny torment felt endless and unfair, but later encounters with yellowjackets reframed my first … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
ScienceBiology
This Tiny, Beautiful Monkey Has Been Stolen and Needs Her Medicine [Update: She’s Back]
Update 2/13/2019 9:09 a.m. ET: Early Wednesday morning, West Palm Beach Police tweeted that “Kali is home!” WPBF reports that detectives returned her to zoo officials late last night, but have not said where she was found. Our original story follows. Have you seen this primate? Authorities in Florida are asking the public for help after … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
How TV Pirates Accidentally Pushed a 25-Year-Old Indie Song to the Top of the Charts in Japan
Last week, an alt-rock mystery puzzled the music press. Almost 25 years after its release, the Dinosaur Jr. song “Over Your Shoulder” appeared at number 18 on Japan’s Hot 100 chart, beating out major new releases like Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” The fuzzy, mournful closer to Dinosaur Jr.’s 1994 album Without a Sound, “Over Your … Continued
By Hudson Hongo