reverse engineering Researchers reverse-engineer Roman concrete Andrew Yi

legend of zelda Gamers create web tool to help solve the worst Zelda minigame ever Clive Thompson

cereal It's not easy to make Lucky Charms from scratch Rusty Blazenhoff

Boing Boing Gadgets Reverse-engineering a connected Furby toy, revealing its disturbing security defects Cory Doctorow

security Shazam song-identification program keeps your mic on, even when you turn it off Cory Doctorow

bad idea A Bluetooth speaker named "BOMB" ruined everyone's flight to Mallorca Jason Weisberger

science fiction From vibranium to unobtainium: the periodic table of made-up stuff Ellsworth Toohey

Hackers reviving early Nest thermostats abandoned by Google Rob Beschizza

Games Fans bring back Sony's $400 million gaming disaster from the dead Grant St. Clair

Technology Company bricks $300 vacuum when owner blocks it from spying Ellsworth Toohey

gadgets Doom for Nintendo Alarmo Rob Beschizza

cars Tiny vehicles, big impact: the past, present, and future of the ingenious microcar Yoy Luadha

Technology Hacker defies the odds, unlocks $3 million Bitcoin wallet locked since 2013 Mark Frauenfelder

Internet ICQ is EOL: 28-year-old chat service to shut Rob Beschizza

politics USC valedictorian Asna Tabassum speaks out after school cancels her speech Natalie Dressed

Games Classic 90s game Worms 2 hacked to run on modern computers—and to have its hidden features Rob Beschizza

california Sewage to be recycled into drinking water, as California battles drought Jason Weisberger