Light Up

My mind is playing tricks on me! Discover Magazine systematically dissects five fantastic optical illusions. The scientific explanations are logical: "our brains are programmed to see the world in three dimensions instead of two" ...or... "illusion arises when cells in the ...more

Have a few light bulbs and a blowtorch? Then join the folks over at Harvard in a cool science experiment on the conductivity of glass. As you well know, glass is an insulator with low conductivity and high resistivity. In the video below, they flip the switch, demonstrating ho ...more

It's happened to the best of us—a drunk dial or text; a humiliating Tweet or incriminating photo uploaded to Facebook. Spirits are high, gestures are fearless… If only we could take it all back once the cold, sober morning light creeps through the blinds. Familiar scenario? N ...more

National Ignition Facility What is the NIF? Located in California, the NIF is a large facility housing two humongous lasers. The facility is part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Basically, NIF's main purpose is to focus lasers on a small, compressed amount of h ...more

We hang flags to proclaim our patriotic spirit. This is especially true for retired veterans or those who have loved ones serving in the military. Others hang flags representing the seasons, important events, favorite teams or just a cute and whimsical design as decoration. An ...more

'Tis the season for Christmas tree decorations and everybody's favorite board game— SCRABBLE! Okay, that was too ebullient on my part. I have to admit, as much as I love a good game of holiday Scrabble, I consider myself to be somewhat of a Christmas grinch. At least, when i ...more

Adjusting the brightness on your Samsung Galaxy S3 can be a real pain sometimes. Each app you open may need a different amount of light to better optimize its use of the screen, and then you have to worry about it potentially eating up your battery life if it's too bright. We ...more

Thanks to its dedicated ImageChip, the HTC One has one of the best cameras out of all the smartphones currently on the market. Their branded UltraPixel Camera can take full resolution photos while shooting video, has superior auto-focusing, and provides great overall quality f ...more

You've probably tried just about every method of hanging your holiday decorations: nails, thumbtacks, sticky hooks, and, in desperation, even tape. Each method can leave a host of complications when removed, though, from chipping paint to visible holes. Your holiday adornment ...more

Rumors about the 2022 iPhone series stirred well before the iPhone 13 models were even released. While Apple remains quiet on the next big iPhone, as it always does, we're seeing more and more leaks and reveals for the iPhone 14 series as we lead up to a likely fall release. ...more

You know Moana's a rock-solid pick for Halloween this year. The question is, how far will you go to become Moana? Are you going to just slap on a cream skirt and a red bandeau? Or do you want to go all out and end up with the finished product like YouTuber Gladzy Kei did? Alre ...more

The newly-announced Moto G7 Play offers some of the same upgrades as its sibling, the Moto G7, but at a much lower price. The upgrades are pretty significant when compared to last year's Moto G6 Play, taking this phone from the "only if you're on a strict budget" category into ...more

If, unlike me, you have stopped using crayons for your daily art endeavors (and light, yet nutritionally-bereft snacks), here's a reason to buy a new pack of rainbow glory. Buy a Pack of Crayons The bigger the better. Don't scrimp—get Crayola! In my humble experience, Crayol ...more

As useful as they can be, 360-degree photos are a total pain to create. The process usually involves taking a bunch of pictures with expensive equipment or software, and not just anyone can do it. But a new iPhone app called CupChair changes everything—it lets you take 360-deg ...more

NASA just released this beautiful image of what's leftover from a supernova explosion. The red cloud is expanding cosmic debris, the blue is a blast wave of electrons, and the stripes at the edge tell of a high energy burst of x-rays that may be bound for earth. This image was ...more

Taking great photos doesn’t mean you have to invest in an expensive camera. By learning a little bit about photography and the camera you have, you can use a simple point-and-shoot to capture amazing pictures. Try out these tips to begin! 1. Take the time to learn your camera ...more

Chance are, you or someone you know is that person in the gym: flexing in front of a mirror, posing for the perfect photos to show off your workout results. But finding the right picture is hard. The thing is, it doesn't need to be. A good gym selfie or workout video doesn't ...more

It's safe to say that we can call the annual ranking of AR investments a holiday tradition at Next Reality. Following our 2018 and 2017 editions of the biggest AR investments, we've expanded the list to include the top 25 this year. While there are many familiar names at the ...more

With the new year just around the corner, it's a time we all reminisce about the year that was. In the midst of families fighting over white elephant presents and the financial stress that comes with holiday gifting, you may also be dealing with the stress of hosting parties a ...more

Super Mario Brothers! No, wait... Super Meat Boy! Yep, that's right. Meat. As in "cube" steak. As in a square piece of beef with eyes and a shitty grin, who just happens to be in love with a band-aid. I have no idea why. And no matter how shocked you are to see your dinner on ...more

How to draw a tattoo. I go over how to draw your own tribal tattoo design. i sketch out a random assortment of extremely light lines. This is meant to help find distinct interesting shapes. Once you find something elaborate on that shape. Whether you want t be a tattoo creator ...more

We've covered a variety of life perks, short cuts, and cheats (35 to be exact), but what about your health? Neatorama has compiled a list of "tricks" to staying healthy and keeping off the pounds. Click through for all fifteen weight loss hacks; my five favorites below. 1. D ...more

A spectrometer is a device that splits light into all of the different colors it's composed of that can't be seen with the naked eye. It does this by using a prism to refract or bend the light. Jeffrey Warren over at Public Labs created a tutorial showing how you can make your ...more

One of the major additions in the Google Pixel 4 is the new Soli chip. It's the miniature radar sensor that powers Motion Sense, a new way to interact with your phone without touching it. There are a few new gestures you'll need to learn to take advantage of Motion Sense, so l ...more

PopSci's Gray Matter demonstrates again and again what the layman should absolutely Not Try at Home. Which is precisely what makes Gray's experiments so fun. Remember when the mad scientist fully submerged his hand in liquid nitrogen? Today's demonstration also plays with what ...more

If you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid reaching for your laptop to check emails, or your TV remote to catch a few late-night shows. Instead, keep the light in your bedroom dim and do something relaxing like de-stressing breathing exercises, meditation, light yoga, or ...more

In response to Collin Erickson's awesome abstract light painting. And yes I know...I've already submitted 2 pictures. I'll eliminate myself again. :)

The third developer beta for iOS 13 has been out since July 3, and while devs have had fun exploring all the new features, those of us on the public beta have sat on the sidelines running the public version of dev beta 2. But we don't need to wait any longer, as Apple just rel ...more

Parties are a great way to celebrate and have fun with your good friends, so to make sure your next party rocks, I've assembled some of the biggest life-hackers on YouTube to bring you 10 outrageous party tricks your guests will not forget. Video: . All these YouTubers posted ...more

I grew up in a household where bacon was considered its own necessary food group. My mom saved the bacon fat in a jar and reused it in other dishes, which my friends considered vile, unless they were also from immigrant families or the American South, where saving bacon fat ha ...more

If you're between the ages of 20 and 40, then video arcades probably hold a special place in your heart. Whether you all but lived in one (me), wished you could, or detested those with a liking for them, there's no denying that arcades were a ubiquitous part of American cultur ...more