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Stories from io9.com
Updated on Mar 12, 12
Created on Jul 24, 09
Category: Entertainment & Arts
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We've been following the savage world of Dr. Grordbort and his wonderful collection of ray guns for years. But now we're happy to report that the good doctor finally has his own short.
With the blessing of special effects mavens Weta and the mind behind pith helmet, Greg Broadmore, the students at Media Design School concocted this amazing short film, Dr Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game.
Our minds, and subsequently our bodies, are easily duped into thinking we're being treated for something, and then kicking into gear the mechanisms required to take care of ourselves. While placebos are usually associated with medicine, experiments, and clinical trials, there's an easy way to apply this type of mind hacking to your personal goals and use it to build better habits. Here's how.
When I was a kid, there used to be a mason jar in my house that was always kept just out of my reach. It looked like it was filled yogurt, but grosser. Runny, chunky, with a sickly yellow color. I didn't find out until years later that it was actually the most delicious milk liqueur I've ever tasted.
It's Friday afternoon, you've made it through the long week, and it's time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo's weekly booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science, and alcohol. Happy Holidays, let's sip something.
This recipe originally came to me from my mom, who used to make this weird-looking stuff when I was a kid. I'm from Berkeley, so making strange, pungent yogurt is not out of the norm. She hadn't made it in years, but just recently stumbled upon the recipe as excerpted from David Leite's book The New Portuguese Table. My mom had always thought it was Lithuanian. Turns out it's both.
There are several variations on this recipe, but I'm going to take you through the one from my household (the more citrusy Lithuanian version) and then touch on some others.
You've spent all your money on Christmas presents, and you're tired of spending time in the kitchen, but you're throwing a New Year's party and you need strong, delicious punch in high quantity to ensure everyone gets their swerve on. What to do? Skipper. Good God, Skipper.It's Friday Saturday afternoon, you've made it through the long week, and it's time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo's weekly booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science, and alcohol. Happy New Year.
I hesitate to tell you this—it's kind of like giving away nuclear secrets. Skipper was the go-to party drink in my wilder days. It's a punch that's cheap, tastes good, and is extremely efficient. It is deceptively strong. Perhaps you encountered it at some college party you barely remember. It is known by other names, including—and I'm really sorry—Pink Panty Peeler. Sorry. Anyway, to us, it was always Skipper.
A Word of Caution:You must respect the Skipper. Don't be fooled by its cutesy name, pink hue, or sweet flavor. People don't generally realize how strong it is until it's too late. You have to put a sign by it warning people how strong it is. If you don't, you're a bad person. Nobody should drive after consuming Skipper. All that said, Skipper is awesome. If you take it easy and go slow, you'll be in for a fun night.
When I tell you what goes into it, you will say, "That's disgusting! There's no possible way that can be good!" Everybody has that reaction. Reserve judgement.
The brave fans of Richard Dean Anderson (known to Gaters as Col. Jack O'Neill) are attempting to map out every single Stargate story arc in the 10 seasons Stargate SG-1 was on the air. Clearly this is a work in progress, as "200" and "Bad Guys" from Season 10 are missing. But we've got to applaud anyone who attempts to plot out all 214 episodes (and hopefully the DVD movies as well)! View the entire chart over at Richard Dean Anderson's Fanpage.
Magic is mysterious and ancient, and its workings are often beyond the understanding of mere mortals. But that doesn't mean that magic doesn't have rules.
Now updated, with tons of corrections from the comments! Thanks to everybody who provided some tweaks to the accuracy of our chart.
Every fantasy saga has its own rules for magic, and its own explanations for how the magical arts work. Where does magic come from? Who can use magic, and how? Do regular muggles know magic exists? We dug through 50 or so of our favorite fantasy sagas, and compiled a complete list of the rules of magic in each of them.
Science fiction is often used to show us the world through impossibly alien eyes. But there are fully human people who see the world in an alien way (to the rest of us) via current biological means. One of the most everyday versions of this is basic colorblindness. But what do people really see, when they see the world differently?
If you were to suggest that members of Elasmobranchii — the subclass of cartilaginous fishes that includes sharks, rays, and skates — look incredibly different from us humans, I doubt that many people would argue the point. In fact, one look at the alien-like skeleton of Leucoraja erinacea, the species of skate pictured up top, would drive your assertion home rather nicely, wouldn't you say?
But it turns out Elasmobronchii like L. erinacea (aka the "little skate") are even more alien than we once thought. Research published in today's issue of Science reveals that members of Elasmobranchii are the only known jawed vertebrates on Earth that are missing a portion of their genome known as the HoxC gene cluster — a crucial chunk of genetic information that, until now, was believed to be indispensable.
For those of you familiar with genetics, the fact that these animals are missing HoxC genes should immediately give you pause. For everyone else, here's what's up.
When I was a kid, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the face of science fiction, and he always freaked me out. His body was so overstuffed and sausagey, his eyes so piggy. And he seemed like the embodiment of the Reaganite swagger, even before George Bush Sr. started trying to talk like him. And yet, he starred in more big science fiction films than any other actor back then. And recently, I've been appreciating his legacy and his over-the-top performances. I just watched every Schwarzenegger science fiction movie in one giant marathon, and I've finally learned to love my Governor.
It's a weird moment to be appreciating Arnie.
When the Mac App Store launched in January, we debated whether it sucked or not based on the store's conveniences and annoyances. We avoided judging it on available apps, since the store had just been launched. Now that the App Store has had time to mature, we're taking another look at what the Mac App Store offers that you can't get anywhere else. Here are our favorite apps exclusive to the Mac App Store.
A few caveats before we get started: We focused on apps that were either free, cheap, or at least under $10, so there may be apps in the store that are more expensive and also really great but aren't on this list. As usual we're focusing on Lifehacker-y apps, there are also no games (and there are some phenomenal games available on the Mac App Store). While the title says these are the best apps exclusive to the Mac App Store, keep in mind that we're filtering apps through the lens of what we cover here at Lifehacker.
When science fiction legend Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves office as California governor in 2011, he doesn't plan to return to acting. Instead, he wants to help lead the way on climate change. That's a darn shame, because we need Arnie's Heston-on-steroids style of acting more than we need his thoughts on global warming. And to prove it, here are 10 movie moments where Arnie brought his acting A-game in the face of almost insurmountable challenges.
You see, Schwarzenegger isn't just an action hero, he's our guide to the worlds of the fantastic and bizarre. His acting skills are as prodigious as his pecs, but they've gone unappreciated - until now. I recently sat down and watched pretty much every Schwarzenegger science fiction epic, and I came away with a new appreciation for his acting skillz. Here are the moments where he rises above his situation, no matter how dire, and manages to shine.
Tom Cruise is coming back! He's starring in a fourth Mission Impossible movie this weekend, and he's also set to star in two upcoming science fiction films: Joseph Kosinski's Horizons and the movie version of the Japanese alien-fighting novel All You Need Is Kill.
Most people don't seem all that pumped for a Cruise comeback, but we're excited to be on Cruise Control. Because the man is a genre MVP, who's been in tons of science fiction and fantasy movies, and overcome more acting challenges than Arnie. Here's a rundown of Tom Cruise's genre movies, and how he triumphed as an actor in all of them.
We've certainly discussed Handbrake in the past, but we've neglected to actually show you how to use it to rip a DVD. If you haven't gotten into Handbrake because you've found it a little confusing or intimidating, here's how to get started.
The video above will walk you through the entire process and provide some additional information, so you're best off watching it if you really need to know how Handbrake works. Nonetheless, here are the general steps you'll need to take to get ripping with Handbrake.
Looking for a few great, free apps to beef up your Mac? We've got you covered with our annual Lifehacker Pack for Mac. Here are the best OS X downloads for better productivity, communication, media management, and more.
2011 brought a new version of Mac OS X and plenty of great Mac-oriented content. Here's a look at our most popular Mac downloads and posts this year.
Buying an extended warranty usually isn't worth the money, but now you can get an extended warranty for free by starting your online shopping trips at FreeWarranty.com. The service adds up to a year of extra coverage on electronics and more.
Although several credit cards also extend your warranty for free, if you don't have one of those cards, using FreeWarranty.com could give you peace of mind for your purchases. Of course, using the site to shop from means you won't get rebates from sites like FatWallet or Ebates or any rewards from shopping through your credit card issuer's site, so you'll need to weigh your options and decide which is more important: The extended warranty or cash back/points. (If you prefer the cash back route, consider creating your own "extended warranty fund".)
While everybody is getting stoned on turkey and starch this holiday season, you're hoping to join a secret collective of super-intelligent scientists who will invent faster-than-light travel and cure cancer. We understand. That's why we've put together this list of great science books that came out in the past year — they're the perfect gifts for people with inquiring minds (including you!).
56 items | 4 visits
Stories from io9.com
Updated on Mar 12, 12
Created on Jul 24, 09
Category: Entertainment & Arts
URL: