Pluto May Have a Polar Ice Cap
Images captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft reveal bright and dark features on Pluto’s surface, including a patch at one pole that scientists believe may be an ice cap.
The telescopic Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera onboard New Horizons took the images early to mid-April from 70 million miles (113 million kilometers) as the craft makes its approach to the dwarf planet.
“As we approach the Pluto system we are starting to see intriguing features such as a bright region near Pluto’s visible pole, starting the great scientific adventure to understand this enigmatic celestial object,” says John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “As we get closer, the excitement is building in our quest to unravel the mysteries of Pluto using data from New Horizons."
Tesla Unveils Powerwall Home Battery System
Tesla Energy unveiled a home battery system called the Powerwall during an event today hosted by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.
Powerwall comes in a US$3,500 10 kWh weekly cycle model and a US$3,000 7 kWh daily cycle model. According to Tesla, the Powerwall automatically switches to battery power in the event of electricity outages, and allows users to switch over to battery use during the more costly peak evening hours.
“Powerwall is a home battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low, and powers your home in the evening. It also fortifies your home against power outages by providing a backup electricity supply. Automated, compact and simple to install, Powerwall offers independence from the utility grid and the security of an emergency backup.”
Augmented Reality Game Night Terrors Maps Your Home
If you’ve ever wanted to use your home as the setting of a survival horror game, then Night Terrors might be the game for you.
Night Terrors is a survival horror game that will use a system designed to map your house through your mobile device—utilizing its flashlight, camera, screen, and headphones—to place you in a haunted environment, with real-time generated photorealistic elements and enemies.
Geek reports that developer Novum Analytics’ is seeking funding through an Indiegogo campaign for what they hope is the “scariest” augmented reality mobile game ever made.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Unfinished Episodes Now Online
You can't keep a good trooper down! If you weren't able to catch the Star Wars Celebration panel debuting never-before-seen story reels of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, you're in luck -- StarWars.com has released all four unfinished "Bad Batch" episodes online!
As IGN's own Eric Goldman described the arc, we "meet the Bad Batch of the title, a foursome -- Hunter, Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker -- of Clones who came out somehow malformed (like the Clone '99' we met once before), but were then mutated further into a squad of super soldier types, sent on especially dangerous missions."
50 Shades Sequel: Watch the New Teaser Trailer
Who was that masked man? Why, it's none other than billionaire BDSM enthusiast Christian Grey.
The first teaser trailer for Fifty Shades Darker -- the first of two planned sequels to the blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey -- has made its way online.
This new video, pointed out to us by Latino-Review, shows Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) dressing for a black-tie event ... complete with a mask:
Universal Pictures boss Donna Langley tells THR that Fifty Shades Darker will be "more of a thriller."
Get Your Own Suicide Squad Deadshot Mask
A mask that looks extremely similar to Deadshot's mask from the upcoming Suicide Squad movie can be yours, right now, for less than $60 USD online.
Photos from the set of the upcoming Suicide Squad film showed up today online and among them were shots of Will Smith as Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot. Among the photos was a single snap of Deadshot's costume for the movie. That cool mask can be bought online, except it has no official link to the movie whatsoever.
In fact, the mask is actually really, really similar to a full-face protective
. It's so similar as to actually look less like a strange coincidence and more like the actual paintball mask in the link.
Activision Support Says ‘Stay Tuned’ on Call of Duty for Wii U
When it was revealed that Black Ops III would be coming out later this year, the Wii U was conspicuously absent from the list of platforms.
One Twitter asked the official Activision support account why the ability to link Nintendo Network IDs was on the Call of Duty site if the game wouldn't be hitting Wii U. The response from support? "Stay tuned for more Wii U releases."
The Call of Duty website allows gamers to link their Nintendo Network ID, a move that fueled speculation at the beginning of April that the next Call of Duty would make an appearance on Nintendo's flagship console. The game is currently only slated to come to Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
Omen TV Series Switches Networks
Damien, the upcoming Omen TV series from The Walking Dead's Glen Mazzara, is making a switch.
Originally developed for Lifetime, where it received a straight-to-series order, Damien is changing networks. As a modern continuation of the classic horror film The Omen -- starring Merlin's Bradley James as an adult Damien Thorn unaware of the satanic forces around him -- Damien will now air on sister-network A&E. And with four episodes added to the series order, upping the original six episodes to 10.
Bradley James as Arthur in Merlin.
How Old are Han Solo, the Joker, and Black Widow?
During Microsoft's Build 2015 conference, the company showed off a fun new "How Old Do I Look?" tool that uses facial recognition software to determine your age and gender.
A quick glance at the #HowOldRobot hashtag on Twitter shows that tons of people are using the new tool not just for pictures of themselves, but for professional athletes, actors, cartoon characters, plates of food, and other, even more ridiculous things.
We decided to plug in some of our favorite characters from pop culture, including the Joker, the Hulk, and more. Here are the results.
How Old are Han Solo, the Joker, and Black Widow?
During Microsoft's Build 2015 conference, the company showed off a fun new "How Old Do I Look?" tool that uses facial recognition software to determine your age and gender.
A quick glance at the #HowOldRobot hashtag on Twitter shows that tons of people are using the new tool not just for pictures of themselves, but for professional athletes, actors, cartoon characters, plates of food, and other, even more ridiculous things.
We decided to plug in some of our favorite characters from pop culture, including the Joker, the Hulk, and more. Here are the results.