ca Angry Nerd - Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Today’s Remakes of Classic Cartoons By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Pertinent question about the Mr. Peabody and Sherman cartoon: Why? It's a half-century-old cartoon with no brand recognition. But more to the point, all these expensive reboots tend to take away the things that made the original kids' shows…weird. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - The Veronica Mars Movie Project and the Pitfalls of Crowdfunding Films By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Veronica Mars fans pledged more than $5 million on Kickstarter to get a film adaptation of the show off the ground. And while Angry Nerd is all for crowdfunding for a good cause, when it comes to fans calling the shots in return for financial backing, the money-making model might end up causing more harm than good. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - Captain America’s Unrealistic Vibranium Shield By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Angry Nerd is ready to demote Captain America from his current rank to lieutenant. In the Marvel superhero’s newest movie adaptation, his vibranium shield defies everything that physics and materials science has taught us. Angry Nerd calls blasphemy on the ingredient-altered shield. Full Article
ca Design FX - Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Staging the Helicarrier Crash By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:00:00 +0000 Industrial Light & Magic was tasked with updating the helicarriers in the new film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. FXguide’s Mike Seymour talks to the visual effects company to find out what new details were added to the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircrafts, and how the effects team created a digital modeling environment for the epic helicarrier crash scene. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - How Hollywood Can Get Evil Twins Right By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Put a bit of facial hair (or swap hair color) for your protagonist and you get an evil twin. But just because you can doesn't mean you should. The Angry Nerd describes the slippery slope from plot twist to lazy trope. Full Article
ca What's Inside - Inkjet Cartridges By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Inkjet cartridges are comprised of 95 percent water, but what’s inside the other 5 percent? We break apart the compact containers to find out what’s inside the mostly liquid assets. Full Article
ca Game|Life - Teaser: Excavating the Atari E.T. Video Game Burial Site By www.wired.com Published On :: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 05:30:00 +0000 In 1983 after the critical and commercial failure of Atari’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game, the company allegedly dumped millions of cartridges into a landfill in Alamogordo, N.M. Now, more than 30 years later, the site is being excavated and filmed for an upcoming docu-series by The Incredible Hulk screenwriter Zak Penn. The day before the big dig we headed south to talk with Penn about the urban legend. Plus, check out our exclusive first look at the excavation site. Full Article
ca Game|Life - Excavating the Atari E.T. Video Game Burial Site By www.wired.com Published On :: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000 It’s been dubbed The Great Video Game Burial of 1983, but did Atari really toss millions of cartridges of its biggest flop: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial? Chris Kohler is onsite to witness an excavation of the landfill to see if the joke’s really on us, and to talk with those involved with the project, including original game designer Howard Scott Warshaw. Full Article
ca Gadget Lab - A Look at Ducati & the Technology Behind One of the Fastest Production Motorcycles in the World By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 09 May 2014 10:30:00 +0000 The 195-horsepower engine isn’t exactly meant for a daily commute. But Ducati’s 1199 Panigale S has a slew of features and the aerodynamics, torque, and weight reduction to make it one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world. Transportation editor Damon Lavrinc tests out the bike and talks to Ducati designers to see how they engineered one of the lightest street motorcycles on the market. Full Article
ca Design FX - X-Men: Days of Future Past: The Sentinels’ Complicated Follicle Animation By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 In X-Men: Days of Future Past, the mutant clan goes head-to-head with the Sentinels—a group of dystopian-era robots. Effects experts MPC created the Sentinels’ special effects using a follicle-like animation, comprised of tiny scales. Mike Seymour explains how they accomplished the technically complicated designs. Full Article
ca Catch Vic Mignogna Behind the Scenes in the Series Star Trek Continues By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Intended to pick up where the original show left off, the web series “Star Trek Continues” has brought about a wave of nostalgic appreciation for the classic sci-fi show. After a successful Kickstarter campaign and now, with two full webisodes under its belt, the show, by producer/director/super fan/star Vic Mignogna, is ushering in brand-new voyages of the starship Enterprise. Full Article
ca Teen Technorati - Meet Catherine Ray—A 2014 Thiel Fellow and Mathematics Wunderkind By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 20:59:41 +0000 Seventeen-year-old Catherine Ray just received a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship. Armed with a B.S. in computational physics, the mathematics whiz is planning to fix everything that’s wrong with wheelchairs. Get to know the teen technorati. Full Article
ca Teen Technorati - Say Hello to Rebecca Jolitz, the 19-year-old Thiel Fellow Who Wants to Disrupt the Satellite Industry By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 With degrees in mathematics and physics from U.C. Berkeley, 19-year-old Rebecca Jolitz is planning to revolutionize the satellite development industry. Get to know the 2014 Thiel Fellow and find out what first inspired her love of science. Full Article
ca WIRED Live - What’s a Robot in 2014? Rodney Brooks and Andrew McAfee Debate By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 What is a robot in 2014? Founder, chairman, and CTO of Rethink Robotics Rodney Brooks and co-author of The Second Machine Age, Andrew McAfee, sit down to discuss the past, present, and future of robotics. Full Article
ca Meet the Cast & Crew of Star Trek Continues with Vic Mignogna By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Get to know the dedicated cast and crew that are bringing Star Trek Continues to life. Plus, find out which cast member spent time on set of the original series when his dad starred as Scotty. Full Article
ca Teen Technorati - The Thiel Fellows Get an Inside Look at Silicon Valley on a Field Trip to the Google Campus By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 The Thiel fellows get a dose of Silicon Valley life as they visit Google’s collaborative workspace, The Garage. After a demo of Google Glass, the group gets hands-on with an innovation exercise to hone their creativity and team-building skills. Full Article
ca Bonus Content: See How to Build Captain Kirk’s Chair from Star Trek Continues with Vic Mignogna By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 It’s more than just a prop. Vic Mignogna, who stars as Captain Kirk in “Star Trek Continues,” shows us the famous Captain’s chair and explains how the set designer re-created a replica of the original version, down to the hand-poured control buttons. Full Article
ca RetroGrade - Before Snapchat People Took Videos on This JVC Camcorder By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 The color is striking, but beauty is more than skin-deep with the JVC GR-C7U camcorder. You can record picture and sound in one unit and watch your masterpiece immediately on instant-playback. Watch out, John Hughes—there’s a new era of filmmakers on the horizon. Full Article
ca How to Make a Giant Creature - How Do You Scale Up the Design of a Giant Creature? By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Designer Greg Smith walks us through the process of scaling up the massive beast to see how much volume is needed to create it. After taking photos and videos of the rough frame and superimposing it onto an image of the creature, the team is able to get a better idea of what dimensions they'll need to bring it to life. Full Article
ca Teen Technorati - He's Only 17 Years Old, But He's Well On His Way to Curing Cancer By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:00:00 +0000 Seventeen-year-old Thomas Hunt isn't old enough to vote, but he's conducting research that may one day cure cancer. Get to know the Thiel Fellow, take a tour of the lab where he's working to help make history, and find out what inspired him to get involved in cancer research. Full Article
ca How to Make a Giant Creature - Using 3-D Printing to Build a Small-Scale Figure of a Giant Creature By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Lead systems engineer Jason Lopes walks us through the process of creating a maquette—a 10 to 18-inch 3-D figure—which gives the team a tangible and highly detailed representation of the creature. Full Article
ca Design FX - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Transforming Human Motion-Capture Performances Into Realistic-Looking Apes By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:00:00 +0000 In the latest incarnation of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell deliver human motion-capture performances to help bring the realistic apes to life. Shot with a combination of high-speed cameras, Mike Seymour breaks down the tech behind shooting the motion-capture scenes on location versus on a sound stage. Full Article
ca How to Make a Giant Creature - Alien Cop Car Invades San Diego Comic-Con 2014 By www.wired.com Published On :: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 14:58:59 +0000 Why drive a regular cop car when you can patrol the streets in a massive beast? Watch what happens when the San Diego police department upgrades their regular vehicle to Bodock the Giant Creature. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd Takes on the Avengers Cast, Cosplay Superheroes, and More at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 16:02:17 +0000 Angry Nerd is on location at #SDCC2014, and he's got a bone to pick with cosplay fans waiting to get into the coveted Hall H. Plus, he stops by a signing with the cast of Avengers: Age of Ultron to give Marvel a piece of his mind about the new Ant-Man movie. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - Luc Besson Can Give Us "Lucy" But Marvel and DC Can't Give Us She-Hulk or Black Widow? By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Scarlett Johansson stars as the ass-kicking, nearly superhuman protagonist in the new sci-fi action flick Lucy. But while the French—namely the film's writer and director Luc Besson—continue to put out films with strong heroine leads, Marvel and DC seem content to sit on a reservoir of amazing female characters like She-Hulk and Black Widow. Full Article
ca What's Inside - Trojan Tingly Warmth Lubricant By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:30:00 +0000 What do sex dolls, caulking, and lotion have in common? They all contain active ingredients also found in Trojan's Tingly Warmth Lubricant. Find out what else is inside the slick sex aid. Full Article
ca Design FX - Hercules: Creating Mythical Creatures with Advanced Special Effects By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:30:00 +0000 In Brett Ratner's new big-budget flick Hercules, the title star portrayed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson battles mythical creatures, including a three-headed dog, giant boars and lions, and multi-headed serpents. Mike Seymour shows how the visual effects experts at Double Negative created the complicated, yet lifelike beasts. Full Article
ca How to Make a Giant Creature - How to Fabricate Alien Fur for a Giant Creature By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Just how does a giant creature get its realistic, custom fur? Find out, as we break down the process of fur fabrication for this year's massive beast. Full Article
ca Teen Technorati - Teenage Wunderkinds Explain How They Got Into Cancer Research, Astrophysics & Product Design By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:30:00 +0000 What inspires a 17-year-old to go into cancer research or a 19-year-old to develop an obsession with astrophysics? Find out, as the 2014 Thiel Fellows explain how they first discovered their passions and why they've decided to turn them into careers. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - I Can't Remember Why, But Movies About Amnesia Are Awesome By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +0000 In the upcoming thriller Before I Go to Sleep, Nicole Kidman stars as a woman who's grappling to remember what happened in her past. The amnesia plot line works, as it does for every film centered around memory loss, because it puts the protagonist on the same level as the viewer. Angry Nerd explains why. Full Article
ca Battle Damage - How Fast Can We Spin a $50,000 Camera? By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Erik and Justin from The Indie Machines show you how they built a fast-moving DIY camera rig to capture all of the action from each destruction test. Full Article
ca Design FX - The Maze Runner Exclusive: Building the Mechanical Grievers & Complex Maze Set By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 17:55:00 +0000 Based on the hit YA novel of the same name, the upcoming flick The Maze Runner takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. To create the vast maze and relentless mechanical creatures called Grievers, FX experts Method Studios used technical and complicated special FX. Mike Seymour breaks down the tech behind the film. Full Article
ca WIRED Live - ABC's Dan Harris on How Meditation Can Make You Happier By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +0000 ABC News correspondent and Nightline co-anchor Dan Harris explains how meditation helped him feel better—and how corporations are using it for their workforce, too. Full Article
ca RetroGrade - Skip the Apple Watch, Go for the Casio Timepiece Calculator By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Apple recently announced its new timepiece, but the tech giant was hardly the first to make a foray into smartwatches. In the early '80s Casio debuted a dual watch-calculator, paving the way for multipurpose, wearable gadgets. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - Will the New U.K. Import “Gracepoint" Join the Ranks of “The Office,” “House of Cards,” and “Shameless”? By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 16:20:16 +0000 The British are coming. Can the new crime drama Gracepoint (based on the U.K. hit Broadchurch) find success stateside and join the shortlist of Brit expats that found their footing on red, white, and blue T.V.s, like The Office, House of Cards, and Shameless? Full Article
ca Lim: A Prosthetic That Radically Improves Lives By www.wired.com Published On :: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 02:45:00 +0000 A new company called LIM is radically rethinking the way prosthetics fit the human body, so that wearers of artificial legs can walk farther than ever before. Full Article
ca Battle Damage - Can a GoPro Survive a Golf Club? By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000 It’s time to test everyone’s favorite action-camera. The GoPro performs under extreme sports conditions, but how does it hold up against a 9-iron and a powerful swing? Find out, as we take the camera out of its durable case and tee it up for a test of total destruction. Full Article
ca WIRED by Design - What Power Plant Software Can Learn From Consumer Apps Like iTunes By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Greg Petroff at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com Full Article
ca WIRED by Design - Radical Ideas for Reinventing College, From Stanford's D.School By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Sarah Stein Greenberg at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com Full Article
ca How Animals Can Predict Human Performance By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Stanford researcher Mark Denny used models from the animal world to examine just how much faster we might get in the future. Here, he explains his work. Full Article
ca WIRED by Design - Designing a Brand That Even Non-Designers Can Work With By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Natasha Jen at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com Full Article
ca WIRED's Gadget Challenge - Can a Hand Vacuum Suck Up a Kiddie Pool of Fruity Pebbles? By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000 Erik and Justin test out the most stylish gadgets available at this year’s WIRED Store. See what happens when the two get their hands on a Dyson handheld vacuum, the Ballo stool (a sleeker update to the balance ball chair), and a modern, Bluetooth-controlled gramophone. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - "Penguins of Madagascar" & Animated Spin-offs that Rock By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Animated sequels are nothing compared to their spin-offs. Why watch “Madagascar 4” when the new “Penguins of Madagascar” looks infinitely better and it isn’t bound to the original template? Angry Nerd explains why he’ll take animated spin-offs like “Puss in Boots” to another “Shrek” any day. Full Article
ca WIRED by Design - Capturing The Invisible World of Technology With Graphic Design By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Carl de Torres at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com Full Article
ca Design FX - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Crowd-Simulation On a Behemoth Scale By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 15:08:16 +0000 Weta Digital was behind the striking effects in two of this year's big-franchise films: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”—which picked up an Oscar nomination for best visual effects—and “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” Mike Seymour takes an exclusive look at the impressive, large-scale battle sequences that Weta designed for the final installment in The Hobbit trilogy. Full Article
ca Design FX - Agent Carter: Creating Movie-Quality Effects on a Weekly TV Schedule By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2015 11:30:00 +0000 In the new series “Agent Carter” Marvel expands its universe to the small screen with help from Industrial Light & Magic. Creating high-quality visual effects was nothing new for the the award-winning team, but working against grueling weekly delivery dates proved to be a monstrous challenge. Mike Seymour finds out how they did it. Full Article
ca Out of Office with Brent Rose - What $500 Can Get You on Magic (Silicon Valley’s Newest Texting-Based Delivery Service) By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:00:00 +0000 We gave tech writer Brent Rose $500 to stress-test Silicon Valley’s overnight sensation, Magic. From meatballs to medicinal cannabis to Mexican wrestling, see what unfolds when he pushes the new text message-based delivery service. Full Article
ca Angry Nerd - Can Will Forte’s “The Last Man on Earth" Defy the Sci-fi TV Curse? By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 03 Mar 2015 11:30:00 +0000 The new Will Forte TV show “The Last Man on Earth” is sort of a funny version of “I Am Legend,” without the vampire zombies. But science fiction comedy has a grim history on American television, as even fans of “Alf,” “Mork & Mindy,” or “3rd Rock from the Sun” would have to admit. Angry Nerd hopes Forte’s approach escapes the curse. Full Article
ca Battle Damage - Easter Candy Destroyed in Slow Mo By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 02 Apr 2015 13:00:00 +0000 What better way to celebrate Easter than by destroying a basket of candy, painted eggs, and a giant chocolate bunny? Experience the holiday the Battle Damage way. Full Article
ca Cardistry: The Juggling of Playing Cards By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 20 Apr 2015 10:30:00 +0000 Inside the mesmerizing world of cardistry, the new performance art of manipulating playing cards. Full Article