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Ultradark Material Is Thirty Times Blacker Than Black [Black]
via io9 by Kevin Kelly on January 16, 2008
Scientists have created a new material that absorbs more light than any other substance on Earth, giving it a reflectivity value of 0.045 percent. It's also 30 times darker than the standard we currently use to measure what counts as "black." It's practi
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When Volcanoes Spew Lightning [Mega Vulcanicity]
via io9 by Annalee Newitz on May 07, 2008
Several days ago, a volcano that had been dormant for 9,000 near the coast of Chile erupted spectacularly, hurling liquified metals and lightning many miles into the sky. The results, which you see here, are called a "dirty thunderstorm," and are quite rare. Nobody is certain what causes them, but according to National Geographic it's believed to be "the result of rock fragments, ash, and...
Shared by: khoyot3, Earl E Morningwood, npike, TiTi, elmarco,
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Holland to Become World's First Floating Country [Architecture]
via io9 by Lisa Katayama on February 05, 2008
Rising sea levels? No problem, say architects in Holland. To adapt, they're re-designing the entire country so that it floats on water. Houses are being built with giant foundations that sit on the bottom of the river, so that if the river level rises to a flooding state, the house floats up with it. The pipes are designed so that they can stay connected to electric and sewer lines even with...
Shared by: Jase, Todd, Alex, Roger,
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Seven Addictive Scifi Comic Books Free Online [Comic Books]
via io9 by Kevin Kelly on January 16, 2008
It's Wednesday! Also known as New Comics Day. If you're not up for the weekly trek to pick up the latest issues, but you've been wanting to jump in on this whole comic book thing, we'll get you set up with some freebie comic books for your downloading p
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Subterranean Slaves Of Amsterdam [Underground Cities]
via io9 by Charlie Anders on January 29, 2008
A Dutch company wants to build a massive underground city beneath Amsterdam, going six stories below the space-challenged city. Strukton, owned by the Dutch railway, wants to drain Amsterdam's canals one by one and then refill them with water after it builds its enormous troglodyte structure. The "web-like complex" would include parking, sports, movie theaters and warehouses... and people...
Shared by: hikikomori, tvjames, Todd,
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Dubai to Build the World's Largest Arch Bridge in 2012 [Architecture]
via io9 by LISA KATAYAMA on February 11, 2008
If any real city on our planet can claim an active stake in creating the urban landscape of the future, it's probably Dubai. Artificial islands arranged in the shape of the world? Check. The world's only seven-star hotel? Check. And in 2012, it will also become home to the largest, tallest arch bridge ever. Here's some info on the bridge as envisioned by New York architecture firm...
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You Have Severely Overestimated How Awful This Blog Post Will Be [Futurism]
via io9 by Annalee Newitz on February 18, 2008
I'm going to do a psychological experiment on you to prove how lousy humans are at predicting the future. First, I want you to imagine reading a post about how scientists are using nanobots to restore George Lucas' brain to the state it was in right after he made THX 1138, and he'll use that brain to reboot the Star Wars franchise with Joss Whedon as the lead writer. Then I want you...
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The Art of Monitoring New York City's Telephone Conversations [Surveillance]
via io9 by LISA KATAYAMA on February 21, 2008
You can gage how busy New York City is by looking at all the people swarming in the streets, or by smelling the giant piles of trash they've left at the curbs. But there are ways to take stock of the city's populace that are far more revealing. For a new MoMa exhibit this month, MIT's Senseable City Lab chose to expose how talkative New York is by tracking lines of electronic...
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The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life [Must Read]
via io9 by Annalee Newitz on February 29, 2008
Spring equinox will be here in just a few weeks, and there's no better way to get ready for the seasonal change than to dig into some great science fiction books. io9 wants to help you get in the mood for transformation by offering this list of twenty science fiction novels that could change the way you see the world, and maybe even change your life. Whether it's because they've...
Shared by: arkiver, Stefan Hayden, Alex,
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Robots Have Needs Too [Scifi Art]
via io9 by Charlie Jane Anders on March 10, 2008
Sometimes a robot just has to let go of some hydraulic fluid, and it's lucky humans have provided such a convenient disposal area. This awesome robo-sculpture turned up at Lamar University, and the only thing missing from the photo is the reactions of the students who wandered into the men's room and saw the rusty contraption using up one of the urinals. Image by Shekay.
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