New satellite research from NASA shows that not only are global sea levels rising quickly, but they could rise even more drastically than previous reports estimated. According to the US space agency, seas around the world have risen an average of three inches (7.6 cm) since 1992, and as much as nine inches (23 cm) in certain places.
The critically acclaimed drama Mr. Robot was scheduled to air the finale of its first season tonight (Aug. 26) at 10pm EST on USA Network. But due to a similarity with today’s shooting in Virginia, in which two people were murdered and a third seriously injured on live TV, USA has decided to push the episode to next week.
In January, the CIA sent out this tweet to its hundreds of thousands of followers:
This post has been corrected.
In April, Microsoft rolled out face detection software that could purportedly guess a person’s age with just one photo. It didn’t work so well. While the tech was occasionally spot-on, it was often dead wrong in hilarious ways: It thought Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was 10 years older than he really is and guessed that the Winklevoss twins were different ages.
Some say Usain Bolt is the fastest man to ever live. At the very least, he’s the most accomplished sprinter in world history, having dominated the 100-meter race for the better part of a decade. But the Jamaican “Lightning Bolt” hasn’t been his usual supersonic self as of late after some time away from the sport and a series of injuries allowed American Justin Gatlin to overtake him as the world’s best 100-m runner (Gatlin was banned from the sport for doping from 2006 until 2010.)
Science is, naturally, the never-ending pursuit of knowledge that has spanned the entirety of human existence and will continue, in some form, ad infinitum—but it’s incredible to see how much progress can be made in just a decade. With the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this week in mind, NASA is showing off how much its ability to track and analyze hurricanes has improved in the few years since the devastating storm hit the Gulf Coast of the United States.
If you think Stephen Spielberg’s Jurassic Park would have made a perfect cartoon series in the 1990s, you’re not alone. Universal Pictures wanted to capitalize on the now-legendary film’s success in any way it could: multiple sequels, toys and video games, and, almost, a cartoon adaptation.
Every so often some lunatics on the internet will claim that a gigantic asteroid is hurtling toward Earth that will end life as we know it. Usually, NASA does not respond. But, this time, the space agency has apparently had enough, publishing a post to debunk the most recent claims that a massive asteroid will impact the planet in September, somewhere near Puerto Rico.
Those who criticized Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film Interstellar for being too unrealistic are in for a treat. In October, perhaps the most science-based science fiction space film ever will hit theaters: The Martian, based on the bestselling book of the same name by Andy Weir.
Well, that’s it. Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show is no more. The Comedy Central political satire show will soon be handed over to up-and-comer comedian Trevor Noah, and Stewart will presumably take some well-deserved time off before figuring out what, if anything, he wants to do next.
In what sounds like the ultimate dream of every snarky person on Twitter, The Wire creator David Simon is making a 1970s porn series for HBO called The Deuce that will star James Franco twice over.
Jon Stewart poked fun at countless brands throughout his 16-year run as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show—but none more often or more enthusiastically than the American fast-food sandwich chain Arby’s. It was all clearly done in jest, and some have even accused Stewart and Arby’s of colluding on a long-running ad campaign, even though the insults were often hilariously vulgar in nature:
With Jon Stewart’s final episode as host of The Daily Show airing today (Aug. 6), you’re likely to find several lists of his “best” or “funniest” moments online over the next few days. Of course, Stewart is, first and foremost, a comedian and a satirist. But not unlike a bonafide newsman, Stewart has also earned the absolute trust of his audience. At our most serious times, there was rarely a more thoughtful voice than Stewart’s.
Renowned personal-data-gatherer Facebook now has a new way of gathering more personal data of you and your friends. On Tuesday, the company secured a patent that would allow creditors to assess your creditworthiness based on the credit ratings of the people in your social network.
MANHATTAN—The success of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM, or BAM for short) is one of the coolest stories in sports media and technology. The company, jointly owned by the 30 Major League Baseball franchise owners, started in the 1990s as a way to manage team websites. From there, it ballooned into a multibillion-dollar behemoth, responsible for MLB’s social media operations, mobile apps, and, of course, its best-in-class video streaming products.
Martin Scorsese’s most frequent collaborator isn’t Robert De Niro or Leonardo DiCaprio, despite both appearing in some of his most famous films. In fact, it’s not any actor at all. It’s the Stones.
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Like any other American returning home from a business trip out of the country, former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin filled out an expense report and a customs form when he came back from the moon. Aldrin—the second man to step foot on the lunar surface, after Neil Armstrong—recently shared the paperwork on Facebook. The records include signatures from Aldrin and a Honolulu customs inspector, and one of the most unusual itemized itineraries in history: Florida to Moon to Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, and then back home to Houston.
Is there a cooler person in the solar system than Scott Kelly? The veteran NASA astronaut is currently orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station, where he’s living for a full year (Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is joining him). They’re scheduled to return to Earth in the spring of 2016.
It’s not easy knowing when a TV show should call it quits—especially one as popular and profitable as Game of Thrones. And it sounds like HBO is not quite ready to let go.
Robots are already coming to take our jobs. Now, they want to steal away one of our sacred institutions: rhythmic gymnastics.
Jeremy Clarkson has found a new home at Amazon.
In 2011, Google began developing Project Loon, an experimental program to provide free internet access to people in remote rural areas, using high-altitude balloons floating in the stratosphere. After test runs in New Zealand, Brazil, and the US, Project Loon is finally ready to…balloon. In 2016, Google will deploy balloons all over Sri Lanka, filling in its coverage gaps and effectively blanketing the entire island nation with broadband internet.
