Robot overlords? More like co-verlords. The future is human-robot collaboration
Forget stealing our jobs; the next frontier of robotics is going to help humans by allowing them to carry out a whole host of tasks remotely -- whether it's maintenance or even surgery. Here's why it could prove to be such a major game changer for a whole lot of people.
Where do emojis come from? How the firecracker exploded onto emoji keyboards
You probably send dozens of emojis during any given day -- but have you ever stopped to wonder where emojis come from, or who designs them? Go behind the scenes of the process of building an emoji with the team that created the firecracker emoji, as well as the red gift envelope and moon cake.
The Honor Band 5 is a cheap answer to the Apple Watch’s lack of sleep tracking
Frustrated by the Apple Watch’s lack of sleep tracking, but love it for everything else? Yes, us too, but we’ve found a solution that doesn’t involve messing around with an app. The Honor Band 5 with TruSleep technology seems to be highly effective, and it can be had for a really cheap price.
How visual effects made battles bigger and Hulk smarter in Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame brought Marvel's Infinity Saga to an end and delivered some of the most spectacular moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film's visual effects supervisor, Dan DeLeeuw, explains how VFX brought some of the film's most memorable scenes (and characters) to life.
The Mandalorian: Easter eggs and episode 1’s wild ending explained
Episode 1 of The Mandalorian on Disney+ took the Star Wars saga to some new places and offered plenty of call-outs, Easter Eggs, and at least one big surprise for fans of the sci-fi saga. Here are the highlights from the episode and some details about how they connect to the greater Star Wars universe.
Switching back to a dumbphone was the smartest thing I’ve ever done
Smartphones are designed to hold our attention, and we often end up spending hours on them each day. I set out to see if a smarter feature phone, like the Nokia 8110, can help us break those habits and restore balance in our digital lives. With support for WhatsApp and more, I really didn't miss my smartphone.
What Blade Runner got right (and wrong) about 2019
1982's Blade Runner is rightly considered a masterpiece among science fiction movies. But how accurate were its predictions about the future? With November 2019 being the far-flung month and year in which the movie is set, here’s what the movie got right and, in one case, very wrong.
Your Alexa speaker can be hacked with malicious audio tracks. And lasers.
Smart speakers are awesome. But they're also subject to some pretty terrifying vulnerabilities, as two recent proof-of-concept demonstrations show. Whether it's adversarial sound attacks or laser hacks, here are two ways researchers have found to exploit smart speaker weaknesses.
The Outer Worlds ditches romance for friendship, and is better for it
Many modern RPGs include characters you can romance, but The Outer Worlds instead focuses on friendships. You're not the would-be lover but instead a trusted ally. That unique perspective makes The Outer Worlds' companions feel fresh.
I drove a Type R to SEMA and saw the past, present, and future of car culture
I’m blessed to be driving the first Type R to grace the shores of America, and I’m on my way from LA to Las Vegas to attend the 2019 SEMA show. This convention in the inhospitable Nevada desert is a celebration of all things car customizing, and it shows what will be popular in the coming years.
Opinion: Hey piston heads, just give up because electric cars are better
As electric cars become increasingly popular, a fierce debate rages on the internet with trolls talking trash about electric vehicles and their sudden surge in popularity. But today, right here and now, I am going to give you scientific and empirical evidence why EVs should and will take over.
What you need to know about Star Wars before watching The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian debuts on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, but the galaxy has changed quite a bit from the end of Return of the Jedi. If you want to get the most out of the new Star Wars show, here's what you need to know about the Empire, the New Republic, and all of your favorite characters.
Opinion: Charge all you want, I’m sticking with gasoline
All anyone talks about any more is our electric car future. But I don't intend to live in that future. I intend to keep burning this noisy and smelly fuel for as long as I can operate the pedals. Here's why you should too.
Drone and rover tag teams could help solve the world’s deadly land mine problem
Roughly 20,000 people are maimed or killed each year due to land mines; the vast majority being civilians in parts of the world subject to ongoing conflict. Could a tag team of autonomous robots help solve the problem? Roboticists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute think so.
Beautiful creatures: Behind the visual effects of HBO’s His Dark Materials
Visual effects studio Framestore serves as the sole VFX studio on HBO's His Dark Materials, an adaptation of Philip Pullman's book series of the same name. From crafting fantastic creature companions to massive polar bears, they have their work cut out for them. Here's how they bring the saga to life.
Here’s why Microsoft desperately needs an Intel version of the Surface Pro X
The new Surface Pro X is the latest and greatest Windows 2-in-1 from Microsoft. Its super slim bezels, USB-C connectivity, and new Surface Slim pen make it a visually impressive device. That's great, and all, but there's one fatal flaw to the device -- and it's in the area that matters most.
Emoji aren’t just symbols. They’re an ever-evolving digital language of emotion
It's easy to dismiss emojis as cutesy and unimportant, but the truth is that they're revolutionizing the way we humans communicate. Emojis are now being used for an increasingly wide range of purposes, many of which are well beyond the slightly frivolous stereotype that still clings to them.
DNA, laser-etched glass, and beyond: A peek into the future of data storage
Data has a problem. Simply put: We produce way too much of it, and storing it is becoming an issue. But pioneering researchers are exploring futuristic ways of solving our data problem once and for all. From 5D optical storage to embedding data in DNA, here are some of their ideas.
NASA astronomers think this interstellar comet is carrying alien water
A team of astronomers at NASA think they might have found water from another planetary system on an interstellar comet. If they’re correct, this would be the first time in human history that water hailing from another planetary system has been found within our solar system.
Can an app help your kids to sleep? I tested Moshi Twilight to find out
Many kids have trouble falling asleep after the lights go out, but the Moshi Twilight app is purposely designed to carry them off to the land of nod with special sleep stories. I tested it out with my seven-year-old daughter and spoke to the Mind Candy CEO to find out more about how it was developed.
This startup wants you to submit pictures of your poop. Lots of them, in fact
Sending pictures of your poop over the internet sounds like the kind of thing that should be discouraged. The creators of the new #giveashit campaign think different, however. Not only do they want your poop photos; they plan to use them to train a new feces-analyzing A.I.
The best video game sneakers
While you can't wear Sonic's iconic shoes, there have been a number of collaborations between known footwear brands and video game companies in an attempt to make the best video game sneakers available. From a homage of Nintendo classics to Halo, these are the some of the most intriguing out there.
Star Wars is better off without the Game of Thrones creators
The parting of ways between Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and the Star Wars franchise is good for everyone, even if it means we won't see their trilogy of films set in the sci-fi saga's universe. Here's why the sci-fi saga is better off without the Game of Thrones duo.
Why would Google want to buy Fitbit?
Why would Google want to buy Fitbit? Though Fitbit is a big player in the wearables market, it is struggling to transition from fitness trackers to smartwatches. Google's Wear OS has not given it much of a foothold, and it has smartwatch ambitions. Could this be a marriage made in heaven or a disaster?
We put a classic car up against an electrified classic. Here’s what we learned
Electrified vintage cars are all the rage right now, but they all seem to be lacking in soul. Electric GT has a new take on vintage EVs, and I took a traditional classic to put the two cars head-to-head.
The Surface Laptop 3 was a rough start, but AMD’s Zen 2 chips still have promise
AMD's inclusion in Microsoft's new Surface line up was a welcome surprise, but now that we've tested the Surface Laptop 3 with an AMD Ryzen CPU, it's hard to recommend. AMD is in desperate need of Zen 2 cores to bring some of its desktop CPU success to the mobile space, where Intel remains dominant.
5 things Final Fantasy XIV needs to remain the best MMORPG of our time
Square Enix’s massively popular MMORPG continues to attract new players. Yet it sometimes feels older than the games it succeeds. After years of roaming around Eorzea and its neighboring realms, these are the parts of Final Fantasy XIV we believe don’t hold a candle to older, classic titles in the genre.
The real reason why you don’t like CVT transmissions is deeper than you think
Cognitive dissonance is a mental discomfort caused by holding opposing ideas simultaneously within your mind’s eye. The concept of cognitive dissonance re-occurred to me recently as I drove a Honda hybrid vehicle that featured a CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission.
Inside the outrageously ambitious plan to scan the entire Earth with lidar
The Earth Archive is an ambitious new project that hopes to scan planet Earth in full 3D using the technology which helps self-driving cars make sense of the world around them. Here's why its creators believe that this is such an important mission -- and why time is running out.
The $440 Realme X2 Pro has what it takes to be one of 2019’s best phones
The Realme X2 Pro is a contender for one of 2019's best phones. Wait, who? Realme has a similar lineage to OnePlus, Oppo, and Vivo, and its X2 Pro packs flagship specs inside a phone that costs the equivalent of $440. But this is far from a cheap experience. In fact, it's great.
Dear robots: If you come to steal our jobs, please take these ones first
Over the coming decades, it’s likely that huge numbers of other jobs will be replaced thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. But are there jobs we should specifically try and automate away for the good of humankind? Here are some which fit the bill.
The Bollinger B1 and B2 have Tonka looks with Tesla power
Imagine combining a Tesla Model S with a vintage Land Rover 4x4, and the result would look something like the Bollinger B1 and B2. The lines of these electric trucks are so straight and sharply creased, they’re eerily menacing.
We’re slowly trapping ourselves under an umbrella of space junk
Kessler Syndrome is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascading effect that ultimately traps humanity beneath a ceiling of space junk. We spoke to the man who coined the term.
The hottest new series and seasons streaming in November 2019
With Apple TV+ and Disney+ launching November 2019, the month is chock-full of new TV series to stream, from hotly anticipated series like The Mandalorian to interesting documentaries like The World According to Jeff Goldblum, along with new seasons from favorite series.