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Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityUnlock the Past: How a 19th Century Lock Pick Changed Security Forever
In April 1851, Alfred C. Hobbs boarded the steamship Washington bound for Southampton, England. His official duty was to sell the New York City-based company Day and Newell’s newest product – the parautopic lock – at a trade show – London’s Great Exhibition. But Hobbs had something a bit more nefarious up his sleeve, or … Continued
Matt Blitz - TodayIFoundOut.com. -
io9
Rising Pacific Sea Levels Unearth Remains Of WW2 Soliders
The bodies of at least 26 Japanese soldiers from the Second World War have been washed from their graves by rising sea levels in the Pacific. This is not the first time that climate change has been implicated in the re-emergence of buried soldiers. Earlier this year, melting ice exposed the frozen remains of World … Continued
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io9
The Scientist Who Inspired the Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas’ famous story, The Count of Monte Cristo, was a fictional story based on real events. One of its characters, a mad-genius of a scientist who writes his greatest work in prison, was based on a real person. Learn of the imprisonment of Déodat de Dolomieu. As adventure stories go, The Count of Monte … Continued
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Tech NewsHere’s What Happens When A Pigeon Tries To Fly In Zero Gravity
The United States Air Force set up the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories to determine what would happen to our astronauts before we launched them into space. A brief documentary from the dawn of the Space Age is a fascinating time capsule of early research, accomplishments, and fears. The documentary covering the then-cutting-edge bioastronautics research is … Continued
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io9Rare Color Film And Photos Cast D-Day In A Completely New Light
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the largest amphibious landing in all of military history. Most of the photos and film captured on that pivotal day were in black and white — but a precious few were shot in color. Here’s D-Day as you’ve never seen it before. Above: Allied ships, boats and barrage balloons … Continued
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io9Books & Comics
Yep, Harvard Really Does Have a Book Bound in Human Skin
This past April brought disappointing (but relieving?) news that a book long suspected to be bound in human skin in Harvard’s library was, in fact, bound in sheepskin. Nothing here, move along, right? But no! Now Harvard has confirmed, for the first time ever, one of its other books is indeed sheathed in human skin. … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
Tech News
Abandoned World War II Bunkers Provide a Haunting Look Into the Past
The artifacts of history’s greatest wars are strewn everywhere around Europe, and fewer are more visible than the remains of concrete World War II bunkers. Jonathan Andrew has been photographing these sites since 2009. Visiting various locations in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Andrews sought out the fortifications dotting the beaches and countryside. Lighting the … Continued
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Tech News
Iron Man Exosuit Will Look for 2000-Year-Old Computer Underwater
Remember that nutso Exosuit—basically a wearable submarine—we showed you back in February? The Exosuit is about to embark on its first real mission: the hunt for one of the world’s oldest computers in the Aegean Sea. It’s a quest that has paralyzed and, in one case, even killed divers in the past, but the Exosuit … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
io9
These DiY Hand Axes Use Designs Created by Paleolithic Humans
Dov Ganchrow, a designer based in Tel Aviv, has combined the oldest and newest tool-making technologies to produce something extraordinary. He’s used a 3-D printer to create precise replicas of the stone flake tools made by paleolithic humans. Then he spruced them up with modern handles and grips. As DesignBoom reports, the original flint hand … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
io917th Century Seascape Contains a Secret Portrait of a Beached Whale
For over 300 years, this scene set by Dutch painter Hendrick van Anthonissen appeared to be nothing more than a depiction of a day at the beach. But just a few layers of paint deeper, it had a secret: A giant portrait of a beached whale. Top image: Scheveningen Sands (post restoration) by Hendrick van … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech NewsSploidFrom 1914 to 2014, here’s what a hundred year difference looks like
Some things change, some things stay shockingly the same. It’s funny how a hundred years can be such a long time in some places but be just like yesterday in others. This “time lapse” shows how much (and how little) the world of Antwerp has changed from the beginnings of World War I until now. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9
The First Religion Devoted to Evolution
Julian Huxley (1887-1975) is remembered as one of the most eminent biologists and science writers of the 20th century. He’s less well known for what he considered to be his true life’s work: the establishment of a new religion he called “evolutionary humanism.” Huxley was the grandson of Charles Darwin’s friend and “bulldog,” Thomas Henry … Continued
Jon W. Phillips -
Tech NewsSploidWatch teenagers get hilariously confused about the internet in the 90s
“Kids these days”, every person who ever grew up said about the people younger than them who hadn’t grown up yet. Kids just don’t know how we had it. They don’t know what it’s like. They don’t know that the Internet was a confusing place that was mind numbingly slow and that it wasn’t everywhere. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsA Sober History of Shuttle Disasters is a Grim Reminder of the Dangers of Space
Space is beautiful, enchanting, awe-inspiring, and utterly unforgiving. We celebrate the victories, but don’t let a string of successes deceive you into thinking spaceflight is easy. A new documentary investigates the major malfunctions, technical and procedural, that led to NASA space shuttle explosions. Smoke plume of the Challenger explosion. Image credit: NASA Retro Report just … Continued
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io9Books & Comics
That Time Will Eisner Drew An Oversexed M-16 Comic Book for the Army
The M-16 was billed as a wonder weapon—a light, lethal rifle that would give U.S. troops a battlefield advantage in Vietnam. But soldiers initially encountered problems with the new rifle, prompting the Army, in desperation, to hire Will Eisner to create a comic book training manual. As the blog War Is Boring explains, the M-16 … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
io9
Slum Life In New York City During the Nineteenth Century’s Gilded Age
Wealth flowed during the 1880s and 90s, but only to the upper echelons of society. A vast gulf opened between rich and poor, earning this era the nickname “the Gilded Age.” One immigrant photographer captured what it was like for New York’s poor during this time, and his images remain arresting today. The Danish-born carpenter … Continued
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io9
The World’s Most Patriotic Pubic Louse Study
When we hear that the pubic louse is facing extinction due to brazilian waxing, we forget how much of a scourge it once was. During World War II, the pubic louse threatened the fate of the world. This led to an odd experiment involving construction-working conscientious objectors wearing special underwear. It was the 1940s, and … Continued
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io9
From Metaphysics to Teen Wolf Meta: The Evolution of a Word
If you follow genre television, internet fandom, or literary criticism, you’ve probably heard the word “meta” used to describe everything from a narrative form, to intensive analysis of character backstories in Harry Potter. How did this Greek prefix meaning “beyond” come to mean so much to so many of us? You can probably blame it … Continued
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io9
Why Are There Fewer American POWs In Today’s Wars?
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan by the Taliban, was handed over to U.S. special forces on Saturday. While most news has focused on the circumstances of his capture and return, Bergdahl’s experience also highlights a larger story: the declining number of POWs over the decades. The chart below, which … Continued
By Mark Strauss