odd look at news on the web
New supercool alloy could take the heat off helium-3
23 March 2026 @ 6:00 pm
The heated race to achieve the extreme cold that quantum technologies demand may have a frontrunner. Chinese scientists have developed an alloy that almost reaches absolute zero, the coldest possible temperature, without using the scarce isotope, helium-3.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, Engineering, TechnologyTags: Tiny tool puts a Damascus steel knife and bottle opener on your keychain
23 March 2026 @ 3:58 pm
EDC hardware brand Orioner says this new folding knife is the smallest piece of kit it's ever made: it's about half the length of your pinky. But there's more to it than its diminutive proportions.Continue ReadingCategory: Knives and Multitools, Gear, OutdoorsBMW turns April Fool's joke into Nürburgring race car
23 March 2026 @ 1:27 pm
It was one of those April Fool’s jokes that PR departments love to make.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: BMW, Performance, All-in-one mini PC aims to replace your dock, screen, and phone charger
23 March 2026 @ 11:33 am
The ViewDock Gen2 is a mini PC that combines Ryzen-powered performance with a built-in display, wireless charging, and a full I/O in a compact vertical design.Continue ReadingCategory: Computing, Consumer Tech, TechnologyMusk wants to build $20B AI chip factory for space data centers
23 March 2026 @ 9:26 am
Elon Musk has previously promised the arrival of fully autonomous Teslas and ultrafast Hyperloop transport – both of which are yet to materialize. For his next trick, the galaxy's richest earthling plans to build an enormous chip manufacturing plant that will positively dwarf every other such facility on the planet.Continue ReadingCategory: AI and Humanoids, Irsay auction recalibrates music memorabilia record books
23 March 2026 @ 12:59 am
The last of Christie’s four auctions of the Jim Irsay Collection has closed, setting 28 new world record prices, most notably the largest memorabilia auction in history (US$94.5 million), the first two guitars to sell for more than $10 million (here and here), the world’s most expensive trumpet, the world’s most expensive saxophone, the world’s most expensive drum kit (twice), the world's most exOff-grid micro house fits everything you need into just 215 sq ft
23 March 2026 @ 12:03 am
This off-grid cabin-style tiny house is seriously small, with a floorspace of just 20 sq m (215 sq ft). However, despite its compact dimensions, it has been expertly designed to provide everything needed for a short stay.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Building aMad genius attempts hoverboard build, fails, but lands a floating board
22 March 2026 @ 8:03 pm
Mad-as-a-hatter British inventor Colin Furze recently set out to create a real-life version of the hoverboard from Back to the Future II. Technically, he failed. But what he built along the way has its own considerable merit: a double-deck skateboard where the top platform floats above the lower one through the repulsive force of neodymium magnets.Continue ReadingCategory: Urban Transport, TransportTags: Wild history of unknown superfood that's now destined for fame
22 March 2026 @ 4:03 pm
Resembling something more like green grapes with thicker and darker skin, the kiwiberry may be one of the healthiest and most underrated fruits around. It's also ancient, dating back more than 20 million years. But until the last century or so, they weren't even considered a valuable fruit – instead, their ornamental vines and flowers were the selling point.Continue ReadingCategory: History, US Navy picks robot sub 'mothership' to unleash underwater drone swarms
22 March 2026 @ 1:03 pm
The US Navy has tapped Anduril's Dive-XL autonomous submarine for its Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) project, which aims at rapidly develop a fleet of underwater motherships capable of deploying smaller autonomous vehicles and torpedoes.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, Engineering, TechnologyTags: