Chanoatx

A new gadget on Kickstarter is basically designed to make you feel like a secret agent. It's called Sgnl, and it lets you make phone calls just by wearing a wristband and touching your ear, with your fingers acting as the receiver.

There's no speaker on the device — instead, audio is directed into your ear through vibrations that are sent through your body, into your wrist and up to the fingers touching your ear; a mic is built into the band. It's not a new concept, but it's a neat twist on the not-very-cool Bluetooth headset.

The project comes from Innomdle Lab, a startup that's been spun out of Samsung. This is its first project, and it's launching with a Kickstarter campaign looking for $50,000, which it's very nearly reached at the time of this writing. Sgnl units are selling for around $139.

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Innomdle Lab

There's one other interesting twist to Sgnl. While you can wear it as a standalone wristband, it's meant to be used as a watch strap, either for an analog watch or a smartwatch. It definitely looks a bit clunkier than a normal wristband, but integrating it straight into another gadget that you're already wearing is a nice idea, as it's one less gadget to keep track of.

This is probably something that could be built right into a smartwatch in the future, but for the time being, Sngl seems like a cool, if totally unnecessary way to take a phone call without pulling out your phone. It'll probably make for a great party trick, too, although I'm not convinced that anyone will look suave while wearing this thing, as Innomdle's Kickstarter video wants you to think.

Instagram just announced an update to its iOS app that will let you pinch to zoom on photos or videos. The new feature will be available across the entire app, according to Instagram — pinch-to-zoom will work on the media that shows up in your standard feed as well as on people’s profiles and in the Explore tab. Instagram said the new feature will be rolling out to Android “in the coming weeks.”

Zooming in on photos and videos in Instagram is a feature that has been requested enough over the years that there is actually a wealth of “how to” posts that point people to the zoom feature in the accessibility menus of Android and iOS. I grabbed the update from the App Store but the feature still isn’t live in my app. Instagram posted a video announcing the feature that offers a vague idea of what pinch-to-zoom will look like, but PetaPixel apparently already got its hands on a working version here:

It looks like when you pinch photos and videos, a lightbox effect takes place and then they actually come out of the original frame as you zoom. It’s a handy way of peeking at the details, but don’t be surprised if things look a bit gross when you zoom in too far — Instagram still caps uploads at around 1080 pixels wide.

Columbia Sportswear is hiring. Only the ‘tough’ (and outdoorsy) need apply.

Today, Columbia Sportswear began its search for two new Directors of Toughness. The dream job includes nine months of adventure while testing the brand’s gear and sharing the experience on social media.

It’s a tough job, but somebody gets to do it! For the adventure-minded, this job is amazing, including constant travel, participation in world-class events, and unique challenges around the globe.

The new hires will replace Columbia’s inaugural Directors of Toughness, Lauren Steele and Zach Doleac.

Last winter, GearJunkie editors took Steele and Doleac on a road trip across a portion of the U.S. and up a tough climb to the summit of Colorado’s tallest peak, Mount Elbert.

Unique Interview

This is not your run-of-the-mill job, and getting it will be a challenge.

To stand out from the thousands of expected applicants, those eligible for employment in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. must register to interview online at Columbia.com/ToughJob then prove their “toughness” by making it to one of four remote locations for “The Toughest Interview (To Get To).”

Once hired, the Directors of Toughness will serve as full-time beta testers, brand ambassadors, and social media personalities.

Registration for the first U.S. interview is now open and will take place in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, just outside of Columbia’s home city of Portland, Ore.

Additional interview locations will be revealed and will open for registration in the coming weeks. A limited number of interview slots will be available, so act quickly if you want a shot at the once-in-a-lifetime job.

–For more information, visit Columbia.com/ToughJob.

The post Dream Job: Columbia Hiring ‘Directors Of Toughness’ appeared first on GearJunkie.

A curved bill, a mesh back, and a tall (often foam) front, the trucker hat is so popular in the outdoors that technical gear makers now manufacture the trendy lids.

The trucker hat may seem an unlikely performance choice for activity-oriented headwear, but the retro look can cut it on both the aesthetic and the athletic fronts.

A fad built on irony and pop-culture adoption, the outdoors industry is a bit late to the game. But the trucker shades the eyes of athletes from ultra runners to ski bums, and manufacturers have taken note.

Trucker Hat Trend

Brands like Oiselle and Patagonia now sell the style. The North Face markets to runners with its Trail Trucker. Headsweats, a stalwart performance-hat maker, jumped in with a trucker option.

We tested the Headsweats 5-Panel Trucker Hat. It’s made to “wear every day” or as a performance piece for running.

Review: Headsweats 5-Panel Trucker Hat

I tested it both ways, donning a bigfoot motif from the brand for fast adventure runs around Minneapolis and also for leisurely afternoons in the sun.

The $25 hat is made with a woven mesh that’s soft and breathable on back. Instead of foam, a taut, layered fabric is employed up front for the main face.

A terry sweatband wrapped in knit helps absorb sweat as you run. This is a Headsweats signature, and the trucker build keeps the salty drips out of your eyes similar to the company’s tight-fitting running hats.

Style points come from the fun look. I got comments on the hat and its declaration of “feeling alive” in the outdoors. A bigfoot graphic on front is embroidered extra thick, its bulked thread creating a subtle 3D effect.

Black under the visor helps reduce glare from the sun. It has a common button closure on back for adjustment and is sold as “one size fits most.”

On the run, the hat is comfortable and stays on tight. It’s breathable enough for summer days and keeps the sun at bay, save for the mesh, which lets some light through to the head.

The 5-Panel Trucker has a stiff bill and weighs about 2.5 ounces. This is an ounce or more heavier than other running hats I have and it is more “noticeable” up there, though not cumbersome. (A new Buff performance hat I am reviewing, for example, weighs an even 1 ounce.)

Performance From A Trucker Hat?

Headsweats sells multiple trucker designs alongside its regular line. The company said the trucker hats have been top-sellers over the past year.

For serious running, most athletes don more streamlined headwear. Trucker hats can blow off easier in wind, and the bigger build has disadvantages if you’re seeking absolute performance on your head. They also do not fit easily under a helmet.

However, some ultra runners wear truckers in marquee events, preferring the comfort and the bigger bill. It’s not uncommon to see the hats worn for 50- or 100-mile events.

Try out a trucker, from Headsweats or another brand, if you’re in need of a new style for the outdoors. The look is easy to like and does double duty as a sun-shading, sweat-sucking lid on the trail.

The post Trucker Hat Outdoors? Headsweats Builds ‘Performance’ Option appeared first on GearJunkie.

No campground, just a spot on the side of the road on public land: Dispersed camping is free, fun, and easier than you might expect.

(Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with new information and free camping tips.)

A few years ago, I rarely spent the night in a tent, didn’t know what “dispersed camping” meant, and had no idea of places across the country where camping is completely free. Now, after more than a year on the road (and hundreds of nights camping across North America), I can say without a doubt that dispersed camping is my favorite.

Not only does it save major cash, but by getting off the beaten path you will discover some of the loveliest and most isolated spots available. Camping for free can take a bit more effort but leads to adventure far and wide.

Primitive, Dispersed Camping

Dispersed camping (also called wild camping, boondocking, or dry camping) is not about luxurious amenities. It is about beautiful natural places and camping in an area that is not a designated campground.

Imagine driving into the forest, turning down a dusty dirt road, and discovering a spot right in the wilds with no camp noise, bathrooms, or showers.

However, you’ll need to do a bit of extra planning. Make sure to bring everything you need – most importantly, plenty of water. Because there is no way to reserve a dispersed camp spot, plan to arrive with plenty of daylight.

Research ahead of time helps, but finding an ideal campsite can still take time. A search that’s fun in the daylight can be miserable in the dark.

Find Your Free Camp Site

In the United States, you can camp on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas and in national forests across the country. You can also find free camping opportunities in some Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), state forests, and grasslands.

Certain high-use areas or sensitive habitats are marked with “no camping” signs. Other environments have specific ways to minimize damage, like avoiding the living biological crusts of desert environments or fragile plants of high alpine areas. But the majority of public lands are available for respectful use. Below is my favorite strategy to find an epic camp spot.

Scour Google Maps. Look for the green areas on Google Maps that signify public lands. This is a rough demarcation of national forests and other public areas, so be sure to respect private land at the fringes. Take note of what’s available in the region you plan to explore. Use the Google Earth mode and zoom function to get an idea of roads and landscapes.

Use a paper map. Some wild spaces don’t show up on Google Maps. And once you’ve gotten off the beaten path, cell service may not be available. This is where paper maps come in handy. Choose one of the options listed below or stop by the ranger station for a local map. These will help you identify roads, trails, potential obstacles, and water sources.

Look up rules and regulations for the area you plan to visit.

Talk to a ranger. Call or stop by the local National Forest or BLM office. These folks are full of useful information and are usually happy to share advice. Get firsthand tips on where to go and what to avoid. Plus, it’s always a good idea to let someone know where you’ll be when you head off the grid.

Head into the wilds with a sense of adventure and an open mind. The spot you pick on the map might be perfect or might not. Remember the journey is the destination. If it was just about rolling into a spot and setting up the tent, there are plenty of campgrounds meant for that.

Resources

Camping away from designated campgrounds takes extra effort; here are some ways to find great spots.

National forests: There are nearly limitless opportunities in National Forests across the United States.

BLM land: BLM land covers 247.3 million acres in the United States, making good odds of finding a nice spot for your tent.

Campendium.com: A helpful compilation of free campsites.

Freecampsites.net: Users can add campsites, reviews, and tips on free campsites across the U.S. Sites vary from noisy parking lots to pristine wilderness gems.

onX Maps: This app, designed primarily for hunting, is a treasure trove of public land information. Navigate public land interspersed with private land and avoid trespassing with this powerful tool. It’s great for anywhere public and private lands mingle.

Know Before You Go

Do you need a fire permit? Are there seasonal restrictions? How are the road conditions?

Droughts cause fire bans, hunting can form seasonally crowded areas, and rain creates impassable roads. It’s better to know before you go. Give the ranger a call.

Leave No Trace

There’s nothing sadder than finding a spot in the middle of nowhere covered in garbage. Leave things better than you found them. Pick up trash, pack out waste, and tread lightly.

Follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace and keep the rugged places pristine and wild for future adventurers to come.

Park only where legal and safe, and don’t create new paths with vehicles. Your goal should be to leave the place without any evidence of your visit.

Bring a Paper Map

Cell phone coverage is unreliable and often nonexistent once you get off the beaten path. This is where paper maps become invaluable. And even when you’re in cell range, it’s hard to beat the detail and information provided in a quality map.

Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas: These comprehensive, detailed atlases cover entire states. Coming in at 11-by-16 inches, they take up some space but provide plenty of useful information. This includes public lands, updated road conditions, campgrounds, and boating access. A must-have for epic road trips and long-term life on the road.

National Geographic national forest map: If you know a certain area you plan to visit, grabbing a Trails Illustrated Map is the way to go. They provide detailed info on campgrounds, trails, and local topography. Plus, they’re constructed of a sturdy, waterproof material, so you can easily stick them in your pack when you leave the car behind.

Free maps: Most ranger stations have free maps of the area. Swing by when you drive into the forest and see what’s available. If nothing else, they’ll have a large map on the wall. Snap a pic with your phone and at the very least you’ll have a reference when you get out of cell range.

Be a Better Camper Every Time

I once awoke floating in a field because I didn’t understand local tides. It was an unpleasant lesson, but one that I won’t soon forget. Mistakes are an inevitable part of learning something new and also valuable lessons that make us better campers.

But when you wake up, unzip the tent, and lie back to enjoy the rising sun, disconnected from the frantic pace of modern civilization, you’ll realize the extra effort is worth the hassle.

When you sink into the mellow rhythm of nature, surrounded by open spaces and wild places night after night without any wallet-pinching worries, you’ll be hooked.

So don’t wait. It’s time to get off the beaten path, live outside, and enjoy nights under the stars. Best of all, it’s time to do it all for free.

The post Camp for Free on Public Land: ‘Dispersed Camping’ 101 appeared first on GearJunkie.

1887

Tourists pose on Glacier Point above the Yosemite Valley.

Image: Library of Congress

Though it was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, the area of the Wyoming and Montana territories known as Yellowstone was not mapped in detail until the late 1860s

After an 1871 survey documented the space's stunning natural beauty and unique geological character — perched atop the largest supervolcano on the continent, the area contains half of the world’s geothermal features — Congress was persuaded to protect the region from development and set it aside as the first national park.

Other national parks were soon dedicated in turn, including California’s Yosemite National Park in 1890. Tourists and adventurers drawn by photographs of dramatic peaks, valleys, waterfalls, lakes and geysers, flocked by rail, car and horse to these early preserves. Read more...

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Meet Kevin, your back-to-school expert.

In an interview with FOX 7 in Austin, Kevin shares that his excitement about starting fourth grade is paralleled only by his excitement about starting fifth grade next year. Also, he's jazzed about starting high school or college — whichever comes first.

A true hero among us, Kevin's favorite subjects are math and science, which he plans to use in his career as an inventor. Again, he is very excited about school — as we all should be, because learning is power.

In the wise, adorable words of Kevin: "Hello students. And also, have good luck when you enter fourth grade or fifth grade." Read more...

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The war against homework has begun.

A massive pile of homework after a long day at school is enough to make any kid go insane. Even the best students will half-ass their way through their take-home work. One teacher has had enough.

Image: monetclaude

The note, which was originally posted to Facebook and reposted to Reddit, describes a new homework policy that will easily make this teacher every students' favorite.

We're sure all of the kids in this class are on board with all of this, except maybe for the going to bed early part.  Read more...

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John Oliver, of HBO's Last Week Tonight, really hopes Donald Trump's presidential bid has just been one big giant hoax. The late night host said he would welcome Trump on his show, but only if he would be making a speech saying that he would drop out.  Read more...

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‘I was pretty sure I was about to die.’ — Hans Florine

The dire opening salvo to Hans Florine and Jayme Moye’s new book On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb, sets the tone for a relentless, near-fatal pursuit to conquer the world’s most iconic ascent.

An immaculate 3,000+ foot vertical face, the Nose route on Yosemite’s El Capitan is widely considered the greatest rock climb on Earth. It has made both legends and failures of innumerable climbers, including the man who has climbed it 101 times (and nearly died on his first attempt): Hans Florine.

The undisputed master of the Nose, Florine has whittled his time from 46 hours down to the current 2-hour, 23-minute record during his 101 ascents. On The Nose goes deep into the big wall’s history to uncover what makes El Capitan and the Nose route one of a kind.

The following excerpt of On The Nose: A Lifelong Obsession With Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb by Hans Florine and Jayme Moye is printed with the permission of the publisher, Falcon Guides.

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Speeding Toward Disaster

I was pretty sure I was about to die. One second before, I’d been standing on a piton, a metal spike wedged into a granite rock face some 300 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor. Suddenly the piton had shifted, causing me to lose my balance. I pawed frantically at the rock wall to steady myself.

Before I could catch either my breath or my balance, the piton dislodged completely, taking me with it. As I began to fall, I squeezed my eyes shut. This was it.

Less than 24 hours earlier, I’d been speeding northward along California State Route 41, my college roommate Mike Lopez at the wheel and me riding shotgun in a pair of Big Dog volleyball shorts and no shirt.

July of 1988 was a scorcher, with temperatures regularly hitting 100 F. On that particular weekend we were headed to Yosemite. It was to be both my and Mike’s first ascent of the Nose route on El Capitan— arguably the most famous rock climb on the planet.

Climbing’s ‘Baptism’

It doesn’t matter if you learn to climb at the Cleveland Rock Gym in Euclid, Ohio, or in Eldorado Canyon in Boulder, Colorado, or in my case, on a big boulder in the middle of the cow field in San Luis Obispo, California. Sooner or later you’ll hear about the 3,000-foot granite cliff that presides over Yosemite Valley. There’s been more books, films, and general campfire lore generated about El Cap than anything else in climbing.

The same way that Mount Everest draws the world’s most adventurous mountaineers, El Capitan lures the world’s greatest rock climbers, along with wannabes like me and Mike. In my five years of climbing, I’d gotten the sense that there were really only two kinds of climbers in California—the ones who were good enough to climb the Nose and the ones who weren’t. I was ready to find out to which side I belonged.

Besides being a proving ground, climbing the Nose is also a pilgrimage. During prior trips to Yosemite, I’d come to understand that climbing demands a certain reverence for its history. Climbers, real climbers anyway, speak of the sport’s early pioneers, like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, the way non-climbers speak of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Real climbers know and respect Yosemite as the birthplace of big-wall climbing and consider its first ascents sacred. If climbing were a religion, sending the Nose would be like getting baptized.

The Trailblazer, Warren Harding

The way the story goes, rock climbers began exploring Yosemite in the 1940s and even more so after World War II. By the late 1950s they had scaled all the major formations and rock walls there—except El Capitan. It was considered the most technical rock climb ever conceived, for both its steepness and its length.

Many claimed it wasn’t possible. In fact, it wasn’t until 1958—five years after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary claimed the first summit of Mount Everest—that El Cap saw its first ascent. The man responsible for the expedition—I call it an expedition because it took forty-five days over the span of eighteen months—went by the nickname “Batso.”

Warren Harding stood just 5 feet tall, but his intense blue eyes, thick crop of dark hair, and devil-may-care-demeanor made him seem larger than life. Harding set up camp in Yosemite in the summer of 1957 and, along with a small team of friends, began fixing ropes on El Capitan.

The sight of climbers dangling on the wall astonished tourists and caused so many traffic jams on the single road through the park that the Park Service initially shut the project down. Allegedly, a ranger stood in the meadow with a bullhorn and bellowed, “Get your ass down!”

It was only after Harding agreed to work on the ascent exclusively during the park’s off- season (before Memorial Day and after Labor Day) that he was allowed to resume.

In the car Mike and I bantered around tales we’d heard of Harding during our earlier visits to Yosemite. He was bold, controversial, and more often drunk than not. Yet his talent was unmistakable. Of all the words used to describe Harding, who died at age 77 in 2002, the one that resonates most with me is “visionary.”

Following The Legend

The guy pulled off the biggest wall of them all, in a world where so-called big-wall climbing didn’t really even exist yet. The right gear for what Harding aspired to hadn’t even been created. There weren’t even plastic water bottles. He and his team used motor-oil cans to hold their water.

They lugged up hammers to bang metal spikes called pitons into cracks in the wall. In comparison, the nuts, hexes, and spring-loaded camming devices that Mike and I would carry were featherweight and slid easily into cracks, no pounding required. And they were amazingly strong. You could hang a VW bus—the climber’s car of choice—off one tiny nut.

We also had far better climbing shoes and significantly stronger ropes. I don’t know if Harding deliberated over what section of El Cap to climb or not. The cliff is about a mile wide, so he had a lot of options. I like to think he was immediately drawn to the Nose—El Cap’s massive prow—because it would have been the most audacious choice.

It’s pretty much smack in the center, jutting out like the beak of a parrot. And it’s visible from any vantage point in the park. The Nose wasn’t a choice for me. If you’re going to climb El Cap, you’ve got to climb Harding’s original line up the prow. Mike and I knew that much. What we didn’t know was that most teams set aside three to five days to send the Nose. Whether it was ignorance or arrogance, or some combination of the two, we were planning to climb it over the weekend. . . .

On The Nose: A Lifelong Obsession With Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb, by Hans Florine and adventure journalist Jayme Moye, sells for $17 online).

The post Greatest Climb On Earth? El Capitan Book Dives Deep appeared first on GearJunkie.

Nintendo isn’t the only one making a smaller NES.

Today the company behind the gorgeous, aluminum Analogue Nt — a modern console designed play classic games — announced new version that keeps the same beautiful style, but shrinks it down into something more compact. The new version of the Analogue Nt is 20 percent smaller than the original, and has a number of useful new features, including an HDMI input built right in (the previous version required an adaptor) and an included wireless controller and adaptor that let you play NES games with modern gamepads like the Wii Remote or Dual Shock 4.

Despite its smaller nature, the Analogue Nt mini features the same solid, aluminum exterior design as the original. And while it may not be as tiny as the NES Classic Edition, it’s able to play a much larger selection of games. The Analogue Nt mini not only supports both NES and Famicom cartridges, but you can also buy an expansion port that makes it possible to play Disk System games, as well. The company says that the console is compatible with over 2,000 games, with no region restrictions.

The best part? Even with all of these improvements and features, the Analogue Nt mini is actually cheaper than before, coming in at $449, $50 less than the bigger version. The console won’t start shipping until next January — but you can preorder one right now.

While most Stranger Things fans can agree that no one's fashion sense was more tragic than Barb's, Eleven's distinctive hairdo was hard to miss.

The young actress who played Eleven, Mille Bobby Brown, bravely shaved her head for the role. And while that was old news by the time the series debuted on Netflix in July, Brown decided on Sunday to share a video of that momentous occasion.

She had so much hair. Can you believe it? Good on Brown for letting go in the name of portraying an authentic character.

The Stranger Things kids have gotten a lot of play on social media in recent weeks. Brown, along with co-star Finn Wolfhard — he played Mike Wheeler in the series — both participated in the "22 Push-Up Challenge" to raise awareness of the suicide rate among military veterans. Read more...

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Like the original, the Automatic Pro plugs into your car's OBD-II port. Unlike the original, it doesn't need your phone to work. It uses an always-available, completely free 3G wireless...

Visit Uncrate for the full post.

LONDON — Grim footage of a crash that took place during last weekend's British Touring Car Championship event has been published online.

In the clip above, which was shared on YouTube by Richard Howlett, cars line up for the start of the last day's race at Snetterton Race Track.

Things start to go wrong as one of the cars collides with the right-hand barrier, leading to a mini pileup that eventually causes one car to flip onto its side and come pinwheeling towards the edge of the track.

The car strikes the side barrier, rolls over the top, and knocks down an elevated camera stand. Read more...

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In a summer movie season burdened by laborious franchise updates and a calendar all but void of fun, April and the Extraordinary World should have made a splash. Its synopsis is as grand and ambitious as any blockbuster. A family of scientists hope to create an elixir to end aging — and with it, death. Things spiral out of hand, and by the conclusion Albert Einstein, laser rifles, and talking animals are in the mix. Not to mention the story takes place in an alternate history in which the 20th century’s greatest inventors have been kidnapped, stranding culture in the age of steam.

April and the Extraordinary World released in April, shortly after Batman v Superman, albeit with a crumb of that superhero flick’s marketing budget. The animated film also lacked the brand recognition of Independence Day: Resurgence and the other sequels, reboots, and rehashes that took up screens. Public perception was yet another battle. A PG-rated cartoon might have spooked away the adults the film would appeal to. And though it received an English dub, its international film status may have relegated the movie to art houses. As you might expect, all of these reasons why you may have missed April and the Extraordinary World are, in part, what makes the film so special.

The hero isn’t a bald, muscular dude with a sharp chin and a bucket of quips. Instead (thankfully!) we have a smart, adventurous, and courageous heroine in April. Her PG-rated world is often colorful and inventive, managing to feature a bleak alternate timeline without succumbing to the industry's artistically suffocating color palette: teal and gold. Speaking of fellow blockbusters, by not being produced in Hollywood, April and the Extraordinary World has a structure and tone that feels both refreshingly unique and distinctly French. My colleague Tasha Robinson wrote in The Verge's review of the film how the story phases between epic world-building and cogent narrative with an uncommon ease.

I had the opportunity to see April at Fantastic Fest last fall. For almost a year now, I’ve been pushing the film on friends, grasping for a point of reference by listing the many things it reminds me of: classic G.I. Joe cartoons, Kiki’s Delivery Service, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tintin. And for months, my friends have no practical way to actually see the film, and shut me up. That changes this week, as April and the Extraordinary World is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming. Finally more people can see how this film is like its great inspirations, and also so much more.

In one respect, the timing is perfect. April and the Extraordinary World can be your favorite action spectacle of the summer — and with only a few weeks to spare.

This dog was truly one man's best friend.

Since his owner passed away eight months ago at Ruth Cardoso Hospital in Santa Catarina, Brazil, sweet pup, Negão, has faithfully remained outside the building, waiting for him to return.

As the G1 Santa Catarina reported, late last year, Negão's owner — a homeless man — was taken to the hospital after developing an infection, which later proved to be fatal. It was reported that Negão raced alongside the ambulance, watched his owner get taken in to the hospital and remained outside waiting for his return. Read more...

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Netflix’s new show Stranger Things might have captivated audiences with its nods to some of the classic films of the 1980s, but one of the best things about the show is the fantastic soundtrack that accompanies it.

The show follows a small town in 1983 Indiana when a boy goes missing one night. Hailed for its nostalgia for films such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goonies, and others, it’s scored by an incredible synth-based score composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of the Austin-based band S U R V I V E. The show’s soundtrack perfectly suits the show’s somber and dark tone, and fans of the show have been asking if a soundtrack would be released.

Due to the demand, Netflix announced yesterday that a soundtrack is coming:

There’s no release date for the soundtrack just yet, but if you can’t wait for the it, you can find the band’s music on Bandcamp. The band also has a new album coming on September 30th, titled RR7349.

If that doesn’t hold you over, you can listen to a playlist of the rock music that was used in the show over on Spotify.

Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.

Chances are, you've heard of Netflix's buzzy Stranger Things by now. Set in a small town in Indiana in 1983, Season 1 of the Duffer Brothers' eight-episode show comes off like a brilliantly nostalgic ode to the '80s, as it blends horror, sci-fi and supernatural elements and affectionately nods to movies like The Goonies, E.T. and The Thing. 

But the show's soundtrack and score are equally '80s, as they woo fans with synth-tastic sounds, cheesy hooks, and creepy, atmospheric electronic effects. 

Grab your Trapper Keeper and get ready to take notes — here's what you need to know about the music behind Stranger Things. (Warning: Mild spoilers ensue.)  Read more...

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Visions of the future of medicine often involve digital sensors that constantly monitor patients, but not many people imagine that these sensors could be stitched directly into us. But that's the suggestion of a team of researchers from Tuft University, who have developed prototype "smart stitches" that can be used to close wounds — but also send real-time data on tissue health to doctors.

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the stitches can monitor chemical balance as well as tissue strain

To make their stitches smart, Tuft scientists created a few basic thread types to act as building blocks for more complex sensors, as described in a paper published in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering. The two most important of these were threads that could transmit small amounts of electricity, made by dipping strings of cotton in conductive ink; and threads that would carry liquid through the tissue, created by giving the threads a hydrophilic coating that increased their capillary action (that's the same force that's in action when liquid soaks through a paper towel).

An illustration showing the current implementation of the threads (top left), and future uses. (Image credit: Tufts / Microsystems & Nanoengineering)

By combining these two threads with other materials, the scientists were able to create stitches and bandages with an array of different functions. These include gauging the amount of strain exerted on muscle (done by coating threads with a material that conducts more or less electricity based on whether it's being stretched), and measuring the pH, or chemical composition, of the tissue (done by wicking liquid from the wound to a sensor on the exterior of the skin). Other threads were created that measured glucose concentration, temperature, and pressure, and all the sensors sent their data to an external module that transmitted the information wirelessly to a computer.

sewing the sensors into the tissue means getting information quicker

All of this information is useful for doctors monitoring a patient's health. The pH of a wound, for example, is a good indicator of how it's recovering. The healing process is more effective in an acidic environment, but if the acidity becomes too high, it's usually indicative of a bacterial infection. This sort of information can be difficult to retrieve, even using smart sensors build into bandages. But because smart stitches would be embedded deep into the tissue, they could pick up on warning signs as soon as they manifest.

There's still a lot of work to be done on smart stitches before we can say whether they'd be useful in the real world though. Tuft's scientists only did limited testing of the smart threads in live tissue, and the sensors would also face scrutiny in terms of accuracy and reliability. Still, for an update to a medical technology that dates back some 5,000 years to the ancient Egyptians, making stitches smart could be a major step forward.

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When you're outdoors and on the move, it's less than ideal to pull out your phone in order to keep track of your group. The Bonx Wearable Walkie Talkie gets...

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Drones flying over a war zone are nothing new, and as they've proliferated, there have been more efforts to make them harder to see from the ground.

Case in point? A drone that was recently downed in Mogadishu, Somalia looks less like a drone and more like a large bird.

Local reports associate this drone, which came down on May 1st, with Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). It's unclear exactly how it was downed, or if similar drones have been used in the country before.

What’s most interesting about this particular drone are its wings: in addition to looking like a bird, the wings will flap, although it looks like it’s actually powered by two sets of propellers. A quick glance at it flying overhead likely won’t attract a lot of attention, which is exactly what you’d want for a surveillance robot.

The US Army Special Operations Command has used a similar drone that can be fired out of a canon or deployed by hand. Like this drone discovered in Somalia, it has wings that can flap, making it appear like a regular bird flying overhead.

As Atlas Obscura points out, there have been concerted efforts for companies to mimic bird behavior in drones both for appearance and for the obvious reason: physics. Birds, after all, are the experts at flying, and learning just how they fly is a good step in adapting their mechanical counterparts to accomplish the same tasks.

It’s unknown who is responsible for manufacturing this particular drone, but it’s certainly going to give observers on the ground pause when they see a flock of birds overhead.

Last November, market-leading drone manufacturer DJI bought a minority stake in famed medium format camera manufacturer Hasselblad. Today, the first fruits of that investment have arrived, with the announcement that DJI and Hasselblad are releasing a bundled version of DJI’s top of the line pro-level M600 hexacopter and Hasselblad’s A5D medium format camera (the aerial photography focused version of the Hasselblad H6D's predecessor, the H5D).

Together, the package deal has some impressive specifications. The DJI M600 features DJI’s A3 flight controller and Lightbridge 2 transmission system for live video broadcasting up to 1080p, with a carrying capacity of over 13 pounds. The bundled A5D-50c aerial camera, from Hasselblad’s recent return to aerial photography, offers a 50 megapixel CMOS sensor, and is designed specifically to take high-resolution aerial images for topographic and surveying work — seemingly a perfect fit for drone photography. The kit also includes an HC 3.5 / 50mm-II lens.

While DJI and Hasselblad have not yet announced a price or release date, the M600 drone and Ronin-MX gimbal together cost $6,198 without even factoring in the cost of a Hasselblad A5D-50c, making this bundle strictly a tool for professional aerial photographers, surveyors, or the extremely wealthy.

Additionally, Hasselblad and DJI have stated that the two companies are looking at additional collaborations in the future. While it’s unlikely that any Hasselblad products will directly end up in a consumer-level drone, it’s possible some of the lessons DJI and Hasselblad learn may help influence and advance the cheaper Phantom line.

Disney has released a new illustration depicting the physical layout for its upcoming Star Wars theme park expansions — in an idealistic, concept-arty kind of way. According to the Disney Parks Blog, the artwork went up today on a fence in Frontierland in Disneyland, near a trail that will serve as an entrance to the new land when it eventually opens. It depicts a sprawling series of marketplaces and buildings, nestled amongst trees and foliage, with the Millennium Falcon attraction seemingly cut from the side of a massive mountain. (You can peruse the image in its full-sized glory right here.)

Now, if you've been to Disneyland you'll know that there aren't actually any massive mountain ranges surrounding the park to build a Millennium Falcon ride into. The area where Disney's Star Wars land is being constructed previously consisted of a slew of buildings butting up against a boring old street. Of course, creating fake topography, and cutting off all lines of sight to help guests forget that they're actually in the middle of crowded Southern California is a big part of what Disneyland does, so while the park may never actually look like this in its entirety even after it's completed, it's no doubt the kind of geographical layout that guests will think they're in.

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There aren't really any massive mountains in Anaheim

Selling that illusion will likely be key to the success of the new expansion, as part of the pitch since it was first announced was that everything inside the new Star Wars land would be completely in-world. There will be no Disneyland sales clerks, no Disneyland sanitation workers, and no Disneyland ride attendants, the company has said. Instead, every staffer that guests interact with will be playing a character inside the Star Wars universe — so if you go into a shop to buy some blue milk, it's going to be sold by someone that's playing the role of a vendor in a Star Wars world.

There's still no official name or opening date for the Star Wars expansions, which are being built at both Disneyland and at Disney World Resorts in Florida, but with a new movie scheduled every year for the foreseeable future, there will no doubt be plenty of hype to peg the opening to.

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Building the ultimate Star Wars lightsaber

So you don't live in Australia and couldn't get a free Cardboard viewer from that Optus giveaway a couple of days ago. Maybe you live in the US — actually our Analytics tell us that a nice majority of you do — and you'd like a chance to get your free VR viewer nonetheless. Maybe you're a fan of Conan O'Brien and maybe you've missed that Cardboard giveaway that he did last year.

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[Team Coco FTW] Get a free Google Cardboard courtesy of Conan O'Brien (US only) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Hello and welcome. The year is 2017. You’ve missed a lot over the past few months. Let me catch you up: Apple nixed the headphone jack with the iPhone 7, so throw out those earbuds. You won’t be needing them anymore. Most other phone manufacturers decided not to follow Apple’s lead. Instead, they’re using USB-C. It’s great! Everything’s universal and reversible — except for everything Apple. Life is fabulous. Yeah we have some dongles, but it’s cool. Dongles are cool.

We’re getting used to Bluetooth headphones, Lightning headphones, and USB-C headphones. It’s a crazy new world out there. We’re glad you’re here. We’ve even got noise-canceling USB-C headphones. Conexant Systems introduced a single-chip active noise cancellation CODEC, CX20888, in June 2016, allowing this to happen. It can cancel with a depth of up to 30dB with a range of up to 3.8kHz. Because it’s a single chip, headphone makers can easily make USB-C noise-canceling earbuds that are decently affordable. It’s got voice control, too. What a time to be alive.

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