Alexis Davidson, 11, is losing a tooth. So to speed matters along, she ties a slingbow to the tooth, and fires the bow, and poof, the tooth is pulled out of her mouth. Read the rest

The thing positively oozes mystery and the promise of an exciting intellectual adventure. Alas. Read the rest

Although the word "cocktail" wasn't coined until the 1800s, mixed drinks were all the rage when America got its independence. Many were made with rum or whiskey, and punch was the term du jour. Both refreshing and timeless, why not toast the weekend with these 3 smashing cocktails of yesteryear? Read the rest

Adafruit Industries has been stripped of revenues from its Youtube channel after Rumblefish -- a notorious music-rights agency -- claimed to own the copyright on a public domain, taxpayer-funded rendition of "America the Beautiful." Read the rest

Bocce ball is my favorite game to play on a long summer evening. A simple lawn game that is at least 7,000 years old, bocce ball has no set up, takes a second to learn, and is a competitively addictive game. Read the rest

Bye Doug. (more…)

Announced on Twitter, the Colonel's Adventures will be offered exclusively at the San Diego Comic Con (and therefore eBay within minutes of the doors opening.) You can have it signed at any branch of KFC by rubbing it on a greasy mass of their finest poultryform crude protein.

I ordered this for our kitchen. We keep an iPad on the counter (great for recipes) and my wife likes to listen to podcasts on her iPhone when she's in the kitchen. Read the rest

A number of Reddit communities were effectively shut down last night to protest the unexpected departure of staffer Victoria Taylor, an important liaison between Reddit's employees and its army of volunteer moderators.

Megyn Kelly was prepared to argue with a moron when she invited the Satanic Temple’s Lucien Greaves on her Fox News program, The Kelly File. Read the rest

Sony's classic console was originally envisaged as part of a collaboration with then-market leader Nintendo. It went its own way, and the rest is history. Here's a look at a rarely-pictured prototype, though, thanks to imgur user DanDiebold. [via]

It's basically a Herschell Gordon Lewis movie with the boring parts removed.

With the lead-up to the Magic Mike XXL movie, Cosmo sex writer Frank Kobola felt like he could use a makeover, from lightweight writer physique to the ripped body of a male stripper. Read the rest

Take Your Pick from Among 5 of Today's Hottest Big-Screen Android Phones Read the rest

A 21-year-old California woman died from an amoeba that settles in the brain and destroys its tissue. The disease she contracted is called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Read the rest

In 2009 Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak announced that the government was taking over a private investment fund called 1MDB. When a parliament member asked why, Najib replied in a letter, “By doing this, the country’s wealth can be distributed evenly among the people irrespective of race.”Apparenty, Najib's idea of wealth distribution is wiring $700 million of the funds into his personal accounts, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read the rest

Written, played, and recorded by Andy Rehfeldt.

A baby raccoon is called a kit. [via]

Here's a fun puzzle from the NY Times. Try it then discuss your experience in the comments.

Miami-Dade Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer pauses to look closely at Arthur Booth, in court on a burglary charge: "Did you go to Nautilus Middle School?" (more…)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission just released a very dry safety video about not blowing yourself up with fireworks for the holidays, so we made a peppier patriotic supercut. Read the rest

YouTuber Mathologer shares his technique for reassembling a Rubik's Cube inside a glass container. The secret? Magnets! Read the rest

I've just watched all three new episodes of Wil's new show, which features performers and writers playing an exhilarating RPG campaign with Wil as DM, set in a lavishly illustrated techno-primitive society. Read the rest

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a secret EU/US trade agreement that "puts the right to profit above all other rights," in the words of one MEP. Read the rest

Cinematographer Dima Balakirev created this striking montage of Iceland, including waterfalls, geothermal features, and lava formations. Crank it up to 2160p! Read the rest

The title is You Look Disgusting, but don't worry, they get to "Slut" and "False Advertising" when the make-up goes on.

Construction Robotics developed this bricklaying robot SAM (Semi-Automated Mason) after addressing two key challenges: mortar application and onsite variables that can hinder precision. Read the rest

A high-style photo shoot pays tribute to fluid movement, with a line of gorgeous fashion scarves. Is this really 'video game marketing'? Yes, and more, Mare Sheppard explains. Read the rest

From the stylish and courtly competitions of old Japan to the vital and evolving independent game development scene. Read the rest

The undisputed king of cute pollen-faced bat photography is Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation International. If you like tequila, thank a bat! Read the rest

The only thing we know for sure about S.W. Erdnase, author of Expert at the Card Table, is that his name wasn't S.W. Erdnase Read the rest

Laura Busche at Canva makes interesting observations about the style guides of 10 popular sites with distinctive and appealing styles, like Mozilla's Sandstone framework. Read the rest

In the eternal struggle between graffiti enthusasts and wall owners, sometimes a playful conversation emerges, like this battle over the word RED vs. red paint. Read the rest

Pew Research Center just released an interactive chart showing gaps between scientific consensus and public opinion. Refine results by gender, age, race, education, ideology, political party, and level of science knowledge. Read the rest

The researcher, "Lee," worked in Ganggye, Chagang, and escaped with what he says is 15GB of data detailing illegal human subjects biochemical research, which he is due to present to the European Parliament this month. (Thanks, Sulka!)

Adela, who is 3 years old, concisely and accurately explains how babies are born. Read the rest

These cats do not care about your vanity asana video selfie. Not even a little. (more…)

“This contraption makes an awesome firestorm.” Read the rest

A new advice column by a television writer known for his high intelligence test scores and his unusual career. Read the rest

I guess people faint on live television rather a lot. (more…)

Magician, author, and inventor Andrew Mayne, star of A&E's magic reality show Don't Trust Andrew Mayne will be one of our featured guests/workshop runners at our Weekend of Wonder extravaganza (Sept. Read the rest

One of my all-time favorite podcasts, Nate DiMeo's Memory Palace, is back and on a weekly schedule. In the latest episode, Nate tells the story of a mid-century UFO hoax.And don't miss Nate's live shows in Seattle, Portland, and LA!

Do you have kids? Here’s my advice – get these headphones by Puro Sound Labs. You won’t regret it. The number one reason to get them is for their volume-limiting ear protection. Read the rest

Emily Anderson, make-up artist for American Horror Story, has the creepiest, most awesome Instagram page you'll ever see. The 23-year-old paints her own face and torso for these amazing transformations. Read the rest

"Yesterday, two landmark reforms took effect in Montana and New Mexico," says Nick Sibilla. "Both states now require a criminal conviction for civil forfeiture, while New Mexico went even further and banned the practice outright." Read the rest

After almost two months of an Ebola-free Liberia, the deadly disease has reared its head again. And officials fear there may be a new way of contracting it. Read the rest

Weird Universe found this inspirational story about a maker on a mission in the pages of the May 1948 issue of Popular Mechanics. Read the rest

Notorious murderer and organized crime thug Whitey Bulger is serving a life sentence at a Federal penitentiary in Florida. Recently, three high school girls participating in the National History Day competition wrote Bulger a letter to ask him what he thought about his legacy. Here's the 84-year-old convict's reply: Read the rest

The spying controversy stemmed from documents released by Wikileaks about NSA surveillance of German officials. Read the rest