Here is a rare recording featuring J.R.R Tolkien reading excerpts from The Lord of the Rings and singing “Sam’s Rhyme of The Troll.” If you’ve never heard Tolkien’s voice before, now is your chance! [Brain Picker]
Humans. We have been around for a while now. When we think about our past we think about ancient civilizations, the pyramids, stuff like that. But this is only a tiny, tiny part of our history. For those interested in learning more about the origins of humanity, be sure to read Sapiens: A Brief History […]
I had heard about a re-release of Iron Giant during 2015, but had no idea of anything other than that. Meanwhile, today I am writing about the amazing film and while Googling it, found (and crappily screen-capped and circled) the simple fact that The Iron Giant is playing at a movie theater not very far […]
That settles the argument once and for all… or does it? So. Whether you like it or not, when you say the word G-I-F, especially on the internet, people are gonna talk about it. Some will correct you, some will correct the people correcting you, it’s the same conversation every time. Over and over and […]
A robot that can “decide” to harm humans is the latest attempt to provoke debate about artificial intelligence. But it’s debatable whether there’s any intelligence involved. The “First Law” robot is the work of Alexander Reben, a designer at University of Berkely, California who “designs robots and novel interfaces to explore our evolving relationship with technology.” […]
In this episode of the Mental Floss show, host Mike Rugnetta tells us all about 38 little known facts about the Internet, starting with the fact that Ray Bradbury was not a fan of Yahoo or the Internet in general. [Mental Floss]
The Canadian mint now offers a range of Star Trek-themed coins including the world’s first delta-shaped currency. They are legal to spend, though in most cases you’d be behind on the deal. The only coin being sold at face value is a $20 silver coin with the Enterprise on one side. It’s one of three […]
Shared universes are all the rage these days and have become the norm for major film studios. Whether it’s Marvel, DC, or Star Wars, interconnectivity is the name of the game in Hollywood. While these are the most obvious examples of the phenomenon, they may not have been the first of its kind. Filmmakers have […]
Mattel has released three Star Trek themed Barbie dolls to mark the show’s 50th anniversary. It’s the first time Barbies have come as original Star Trek series characters rather than merely Ken and Barbie dressed up. The dolls are based on Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Lt Uhura from the original run, as portrayed by […]
South Korean train passengers no longer need risk the embarrassment of mistakenly implying a woman is pregnant. A pilot program uses wireless sensors to trigger a light when a pregnant woman approaches a seat. The ‘Pink Light’ program in Busan involves the women carrying a small beacon that runs for six months on a single […]