- newScientists found ice with a 304-molecule repeating pattern
Ice-9, in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, is a fictional polymorph of water that stays solid at room temperature and converts every drop it touches into more of itself. Real ice doesn't work that way, but the underlying idea — that water takes radically different crystalline forms — is legitimate science. — Read the rest The post Scientists found ice with a 304-molecule repeating pattern appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 3 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 6:44pm -
- newAntarctic detector captured 13 radio pulses from cosmic rays in ice
Neutrinos pass through the entire planet without stopping. They travel billions of light-years from colliding black holes and exploding stars without being absorbed or deflected, arriving intact and pointing straight back at their source. But catching enough of them to learn anything requires a detector the size of a city. — Read the rest The post Antarctic detector captured 13 radio pulses from cosmic rays in ice appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 3 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 6:31pm -
- newResearchers built a language model that thinks it's still 1930
What are the proper rules of etiquette for a gentleman when calling upon a lady at her home? And what are the rules for leaving calling cards?A gentleman should call between the hours of two and six in the afternoon, on week days, and not later than ten in the evening, on Sundays. — Read the rest The post Researchers built a language model that thinks it's still 1930 appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 3 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 6:22pm -
- newCaptain Billy's Whiz Bang gave a pastor's Egypt trip the pulp treatment in 1922
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang was a humor magazine launched in 1919 by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett, a WWI veteran from Minnesota. Named for the artillery shells he'd heard in France, it ran until 1936 and was one of the most popular adult-humor publications of its era: suggestive cartoons, off-color jokes, and material that strained the limits of respectability. — Read the rest The post Captain Billy's Whiz Bang gave a pastor's Egypt trip the pulp treatment in 1922 appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 3 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 6:02pm -
- newDays before warning report, all 22 National Science Board members fired in two-sentence email
Just days before it was set to warn that the United States is losing ground to China in science and technology, every member of the National Science Board was abruptly fired via a two-sentence email from the Trump administration.The administration has provided no explanation for purging the board, which helps steer the National Science Foundation and acts as an independent advisory body for the president and Congress on scientific and engineering issues, providing reports throughout the year. — Read the rest The post Days before warning report, all 22 National Science Board members fired in two-sentence email appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 4 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 5:34pm -
- newWhy the button on top of baseball caps is smarter than it looks
The "squatchee" is a pretty neat piece of engineering, and it keeps your hat from falling apart.I mostly thought the squatchee was there to punish me in low-ceiling situations. I have smacked that button into the center of my head more times than I care to recount. — Read the rest The post Why the button on top of baseball caps is smarter than it looks appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 5 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 4:46pm -
- newScammers humiliated themselves for Kitboga's fake call center
Captchas, right? Sure, they're ostensibly for security, but it's annoying having to decipher a series of squiggles just to post a comment or read an article. They could always be worse, though: what if they weren't just text or images? What if you had to look right into your webcam and make a funny face before you could do anything at all? — Read the rest The post Scammers humiliated themselves for Kitboga's fake call center appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 5 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 4:34pm -
- newThe game that defined space horror is getting a sequel
There's a real argument for 2014's Alien: Isolation being the best licensed video game ever made. True to its name, you're (nearly) alone on a space station with just a single xenomorph for company: an invincible, wickedly intelligent foe pursuing you throughout the entire game. — Read the rest The post The game that defined space horror is getting a sequel appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 5 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 4:27pm -
- newAfter 25 years, Knoxville says it's time to hang up the taser
It feels weird to think of Jackass, the TV show and movie franchise that can be best summed up as "Johnny Knoxville and his friends injure themselves grievously for fun and profit," as a cultural institution. It's been around for decades, though, and its DNA can still be seen in every YouTube prankster kicking around today. — Read the rest The post After 25 years, Knoxville says it's time to hang up the taser appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 5 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 4:21pm -
- newA space cat with a rainbow exhaust wants nothing from you
On BigBlend, a space cat follows your cursor around the screen. A rainbow trail is left behind the cat as it moves. Use the mouse or your arrow keys to navigate. Come and go as you please.I often like to fiddle around with something on my screen during a long, boring Zoom meeting or phone call. — Read the rest The post A space cat with a rainbow exhaust wants nothing from you appeared first on Boing Boing.
- 5 hours ago 29 Apr 26, 4:18pm -