Mobile device customization is a rarity. Manufacturers might offer a few different colors and there are a plethora of cases, but you're probably carrying the same black or white rectangle in your pocket that everyone else is. But if you have a Samsung Galaxy S8, there's a DIY option that is sure to make you stand out in the crowd — JerryRigEverything's tutorial on making the back of the phone totally clear. Although it voids your warranty, it's also a call back to one of the best handheld gaming systems of all time. If you're brave enough to try it yourself, check ou the full walkthrough here.
It's a lesson nearly as old as film itself: Show the audience what you want them to know instead of explicitly telling them. Like the saying "actions speak louder than words", how a character reacts to situations gives a much sharper definition to the role than reeling off chunks of dialogue. In this video essay, Lessons from the Screenplay takes on the touchy subject of critiquing Rogue One and The Force Awakens, contrasting the character of Jin with Rey, and how Rey's far more active role in shaping the story makes her a more engaging character.
Elon Musk hates Los Angeles' infamously terrible traffic as much as anyone. While you might think his electric car company Tesla and his dream of fully autonomous cars might solve that problem, there isn't much that satisfies a supervillain. Now he wants to disrupt the construction industry with The Boring Company and build tunnels underneath cities to transport cars on electric sleds at speeds of up to 124 MPH. This demonstration video shows Elon's idea to relieve congestion in cities once and for all.
Switching wireless carriers has traditionally involved enough friction to keep most people exactly where they are, but T-Mobile is trying to remove that excuse with a streamlined digital process designed to get customers through checkout in 15 minutes or less per line. The experience focuses on speed and simplicity, allowing users to switch online or through the T-Life app while keeping the device they already own. To further lower the barrier, T-Mobile's Keep & Switch program offers up to $800 via virtual prepaid card to help pay off eligible phones when customers make the move, creating a proposition that is equal parts convenience and cost savings.
Built for long days that start in the surf and end somewhere near the bar, Brixton's latest trunk lineup balances heritage styling with modern performance without leaning too hard into either. The Blitz Boardshort is the more aggressive option, a lightweight stretch trunk cut from quick-dry polyester and spandex with a water-repellent finish, invisible zip pocket, drainage eyelet, and bold graphic treatments that push beyond the standard washed-out beach palette. Available in both 19-inch and 21-inch outseams, it is engineered to move cleanly from paddle-outs to pool decks with minimal fuss. Countering it is the Classic Trunk 17", a stripped-back staple with clean lines, minimal branding, and an easy shorter cut that feels rooted in vintage surf culture while still delivering dependable quick-dry performance. Together, the collection hits the sweet spot between technical utility and everyday wearability, exactly where Brixton tends to do its best work.
Close-ups, medium shots, long shots, panning shots, tracking shots, zooms, dolly zooms — there are a million different ways to shoot a scene. That makes trying to categorize and then pick the best of each a monumental task, one which Cinefix is up too. In the first part of their Best Shots of All Time, they work through the close-up, medium, long, extreme close-up, and extreme long shots in their search.
Mathematics and art are two things that aren't usually thought of as going together. The geometric spirals of Stanford professor John Edmark combine the two in animated sculptures that seem to bloom and fade and bloom again — a never-ending cycle of life captured in a time-lapse. SciFri visited John to discuss his process, inspiration and the role of math in his art.
From its base in the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii's inactive volcano Mauna Kea rises over 33,000 feet, with 14,000 of that above sea level. Atop the mountain is the Mauna Kea Observatories that form some of the most important astronomical observation sites in the world. The dry atmosphere and subsequent lack of clouds make it a perfect place to watch the stars. The light pollution project Sky Glow Project spent a day on the mountain, capturing this incredible time lapse of the crystal-clear skies above Hawaii.
The annual Activision cash cow is returning from space and getting back to its roots. The 14th entry in the venerable first-person shooter franchise takes us to the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion. The hyper-realistic CGI sequences are nearly Saving Private Ryan-worthy, but the actual gameplay remains to be seen. Call of Duty: WWII is planned to release later this year on multiple platforms.
The Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 continues the march toward fully autonomous floor care, combining powerful vacuuming with an equally capable mopping system in a package designed to require as little human intervention as possible. Its 25,000Pa Vormax suction, driven by a sixth-generation TurboForce motor, tackles everything from fine dust to pet hair and cat litter, while DuoScrub mopping and extendable SideReach and MopExtend technologies ensure corners, edges, and tight spaces don't get overlooked. The real centerpiece, however, is the multifunctional PowerDock, which automatically empties debris, cleans the mops, and uses hot-air drying to keep the system fresh between runs. Intelligent carpet handling, off-peak charging, and enough battery life to clean large homes in a single session round out a robot designed to do more than maintain floors. It aims to eliminate cleaning chores altogether, especially for busy households and pet owners.
Vita Coco has become the warm-weather essential for a generation constantly on the move, delivering a cleaner, more functional answer to hydration during another brutal summer of record-breaking heat. Packed with naturally occurring electrolytes — including 3.5x more than the leading sports drink — the brand's coconut water helps replenish what long commutes, beach days, workouts, and heat waves quickly drain away, without the artificial colors or overly sweet formulas crowding store shelves. Equal parts refreshing and performance-minded, Vita Coco bridges wellness and lifestyle with an easy-drinking formula that feels just as at home in a gym bag as it does beside a rooftop pool, making it one of the smartest ways to stay cool when temperatures refuse to cooperate.
With Superman and Batman, she's long been one of the three pillars of DC Comics — but after 72 years on the page, Wonder Woman is only now getting her big screen debut. While the argument has been made that Wonder Woman is as marketable as her peers, a look at how widespread Wonder Woman has become as a major part of our cultural symbolism begs otherwise. But before you can begin to understand the character, you first need to understand the character's origins. Kaptain Kristian goes all the way back to her comic premiere and the people who created her for a look at what she stands for today.
What begins as a simple exercise extrapolating a line across a grid quickly becomes an otherworldly animated adventure. As the line crosses the boundary of the grid a surreal deformation begins that spreads across the frame, again and again. Read more about the creation of this hand-drawn animation at artist Johan Rijpma's website.
