We’re looking at the single greatest advancement in genetics since Mendelev started growing peas. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-modification technology is powerful enough to cure humanity’s worst diseases, yet simple enough to be used by amateur biologists. You t…
Source: Engadget – Gene editing can end disease and fight global famine
Monthly Archives: June 2016
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Kotaku Review
After two Lego Star Wars games covering a movie trilogy each, can Star Wars: The Force Awakens carry an entire Lego game by itself? Not without a lot of help.
Source: Kotaku – Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Kotaku Review
Amazon Just Added a Bunch of New Dash Buttons, and Your First One Is Basically Free
Amazon added over 50 new Dash buttons to their lineup this morning, and while you probably don’t need most of them (except the Nerf one, you definitely need that), there may be a few in there that could come in handy around your house. The buttons still cost $5 each, but as an added incentive, you’ll get that $5 back in the form of an Amazon credit when you press it for the first time.
Source: LifeHacker – Amazon Just Added a Bunch of New Dash Buttons, and Your First One Is Basically Free
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus head to the US July 12th
You won’t have to wait much longer to get your hands on Motorola’s latest budget Moto G models. Both the Moto G4 and its more powerful sibling, the G4 Plus, will be available in the US starting on July 12 for $199 and $249, respectively. Both phones…
Source: Engadget – The Moto G4 and G4 Plus head to the US July 12th
Ikea Recalls 29 Million Dressers After Third Child Dies
Rumors broke yesterday that Ikea was going to recall millions of dressers
today. And they were right. But it’s not just the Malm, as we originally heard. Ikea is recalling 29 million dressers of all varieties in partnership with the US Product Safety Commission after the death of a 22-month-old child who was crushed by a Malm dresser earlier this year.
Source: Gizmodo – Ikea Recalls 29 Million Dressers After Third Child Dies
Idiots Climb the Eiffel Tower for Shits and Giggles
The Eiffel Tower is the most famous and one of the most heavily-guarded structures in Paris. For a fee you can hang out inside of it, but its upper reaches are not legally accessible to the public. So three Russian daredevils decided to scale it anyway, without safety equipment, while being filmed by a drone. Go big or go home, as they say.
Source: Gizmodo – Idiots Climb the Eiffel Tower for Shits and Giggles
Whee!: A Trip Down LA's 1,000-Foot High Glass Skyslide
Remember the Los Angeles skyscraper (the U.S. Bank Tower — the tallest building west of the Mississippi River) that that was getting a glass slide from the 70th to the 69th floor, 1,000-feet above street level? Well that happened and now the SkySlide is open to the public. This is a video of a couple reporters riding the thing to break up the monotony of reporting on shootings and police chases. It’s definitely scary if you’re afraid of heights, and it’s definitely an incredibly short ride unless you were just blasted with a shrink-ray. Access to the glass observation deck costs $25, and a ride down the 45-foot long slide an additional $8. Now I’m not saying you should save that money and go to Disneyland or Universal Studios, but Universal did just open Harry Potter World and, according to my most scientific calculations, it is the tits.
Keep going for the video.
Source: Geekologie – Whee!: A Trip Down LA’s 1,000-Foot High Glass Skyslide
More Proof That the Original Ghostbusters Theme Song Is Untouchable
It is delightful even when it’s a cover/parody done by four Japanese comics. I would listen to this a thousand times over that Fall Out Boy disaster
they released last week.
Source: io9 – More Proof That the Original Ghostbusters Theme Song Is Untouchable
Surprise: Adventures of Mana Appears On Vita
Here’s a nice little surprise for RPG fans who don’t like touch controls: Adventures of Mana, the Final Fantasy Adventure remake that came out earlier this year for smartphones, is now on Vita.
Source: Kotaku – Surprise: Adventures of Mana Appears On Vita
NASA’s Mars-Bound Rocket Just Passed a Major Test
To get the world’s most powerful rocket off the ground, it’s going to take some serious thrust from its rocket boosters. Today, NASA successfully tested one of those 77-ton rocket boosters by lighting it up at full power—all while never leaving the ground.
Source: Gizmodo – NASA’s Mars-Bound Rocket Just Passed a Major Test
The Banner Saga 2 Headlines Xbox's Games With Gold For July
Microsoft’s announced their lineup for Games With Gold next month, with an excellent strategy game leading the charge.
Source: Kotaku – The Banner Saga 2 Headlines Xbox’s Games With Gold For July
Campo Santo offered a tongue-in-cheek response to a Ford dealership’s art appropriation.
Campo Santo offered a tongue-in-cheek response to a Ford dealership’s art appropriation. Yesterday, the game’s signature mountain panorama appeared in an ad
for a Ford sale without the designers’ permission.
Source: Kotaku – Campo Santo offered a tongue-in-cheek response to a Ford dealership’s art appropriation.
Facebook Backtracks, Now Says It Is Not Using Your Phone's Location To Suggest Friends
A report on Fusion on Monday, which cited a number of people, claimed that Facebook was using its users’ phone location to suggest people to them. The publication also noted the privacy implications of this supposed feature. At the time of publishing, Facebook had noted that location was indeed one of the signals it looks into when suggesting new friends. But the social juggernaut has since backtracked on its statement with new assurances that it is not using anyone’s location. In a statement to Slashdot, the company said:We’re not using location data, such as device location and location information you add to your profile, to suggest people you may know. We may show you people based on mutual friends, work and education information, networks you are part of, contacts you’ve imported and other factors.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Facebook Backtracks, Now Says It Is Not Using Your Phone’s Location To Suggest Friends
Amazon's new Dash buttons restock Nerf, Play-Doh and more
Since first introducing its connected buttons for easily ordering the goods Prime members use most, Amazon has regularly added new Dash options to its arsenal. Today the retailer tacked on 50 more, including easy ordering for Nerf, Play-Doh, Goldfish…
Source: Engadget – Amazon’s new Dash buttons restock Nerf, Play-Doh and more
We're Getting Really Fucking Close to Jupiter
On July 4th, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will arrive in orbit around Jupiter for a new scientific mission that seeks to solve the decades-long mystery of what lies beneath the gas giant’s swirling cloud tops. As the latest stunning image from the spacecraft’s approach shows, we’re getting really fucking close.
Source: Gizmodo – We’re Getting Really Fucking Close to Jupiter
Takashi Murakami's New Godzilla Vs. Evangelion Promo Art Is A Wonderful Fever Dream
Famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami just lent his signature psychedelic visuals to the latest Godzilla film, Godzilla Resurgence, according to Crunchyroll. Co-directed by Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Shinji Hugichi (Attack on Titan), the 29th Godzilla movie has been promoted with Evangelion vs. Godzilla merch since April 1st as a nod to Anno’s role in creating Evangelion. The film will be released in Japanese theaters on July 29th.
Source: Kotaku – Takashi Murakami’s New Godzilla Vs. Evangelion Promo Art Is A Wonderful Fever Dream
Moto G4 And G4 Plus Arrive On US Shores July 12th Priced From $199
If you’re a fan of the Moto G family of smartphones, Motorola has finally announced a U.S. on-sale date for the two newest members: the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus. Both smartphones are available for pre-order today from Motorola.com, and will be available from a wide range of retailers including Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy starting on July
Source: Hot Hardware – Moto G4 And G4 Plus Arrive On US Shores July 12th Priced From 9
Why Are So Few People Talking About the Preacher TV Series?
Everywhere you go on the internet Monday mornings, people are talking about Sunday night’s television. Mainly HBO’s Game of Thrones. Lest we forget another major geek adaptation also airs Sunday nights, and has been for the past month: AMC’s Preacher. So why are so few people are talking about it?
Source: io9 – Why Are So Few People Talking About the Preacher TV Series?
99-Million-Year-Old Bird Wings Found Encased in Amber
Finding ancient bugs trapped in amber is a relatively common occurrence, but the recent discovery of two ancient bird wings fossilized in Burmese amber is unprecedented. These 3D fossils—which still contain feather arrangements and traces of soft tissue—are simply amazing.
Source: io9 – 99-Million-Year-Old Bird Wings Found Encased in Amber
99 Million-Year-Old Bird Wings Found Encased in Amber
Finding ancient bugs trapped in amber is a relatively common occurrence, but the recent discovery of two ancient bird wings fossilized in Burmese amber is unprecedented. These 3D fossils—which still contain feather arrangements and traces of soft tissue—are simply amazing.
Source: Gizmodo – 99 Million-Year-Old Bird Wings Found Encased in Amber