Snapchat's Update Lets You Replay One Snap Per Day

Snapchat just rolled out a big update with a bunch of new features, the most important being Replay. Now, every day brings a one-time chance to review the most recent message in your stream.

The Replay option is opt-in for recipients, not senders, and only gives you one extra look at the message — it's still deleted from Snapchat's server after the first view. The rest of the app's updates include color and black-and-white visual filters, a larger Helvetica caption font, front-facing flash (using your phone's screen as a flash), and an option for up to 7 "best friends." And a little puzzlingly, smart filters, which overlay the time, temperature, or speed you were traveling when you took your snap. More here.

Crazy Hacker Wants to Save Bitcoin by Blasting a CubeSat into Space

Jeff Garzik is a dreamer. You know, the kind of guy who probably thought that he could fly with his red cape when he was younger. (Note: As a toddler, I unsuccessfully tried to fly several times.) But now Jeff Garzik is looking higher. He's looking to space, and he wants Bitcoin to live there.

No, seriously. Garzik recently proposed a plan to send a Bitcoin computer into space with an inexpensive CubeSat, so that there would always be a node in the network that hackers couldn't crack. The CubeSat would be able to communicate with Bitcoin computers on Earth by radio.

It sounds crazy, but it's actually not a bad idea. As Wired's Robert McMillan points out, Bitcoin computers are vulnerable to so-called Sibyl attacks. "It could give criminals a way of spending their bitcoins more than once," he explained in a recent blog post, "and it's also part of the so-called selfish miner scenario that Cornell University researchers described last month, saying it could bring down the entire system." Bring down the entire system? That can't be good.

Garzik is serious, and he's already raised 37 Bitcoins—about $37,000 at current exchange rates. Trips to space are more expensive than that, of course, but the dreamer thinks he can get everything together and have a Bitcoin computer in space in only three to five years. It's not the first such plan, either. More here.

Stone-Tipped Spears Pre-date the Human Race

Spears feel very much like a human weapon of war—so it's surprising to find out that, in fact, the stone-tipped projectiles pre-date our species by a bewildering 85,000 years.

A team of archaeologists from University of California at Berkeley have uncovered remains of the oldest known stone-tipped throwing spears, and their analysis suggests they're 280,000 years old. They were found at an Ethiopian Stone Age site known as Gademotta, and are reported in PLoS One.

But that age means that they're far older than Homo sapiens—which either suggests we're wrong about how long our race has existed, or that our predecessor species were smart enough to make weapons. Yonatan Sahle, one of the researchers, explains:

"Technological advances were not necessarily associated with anatomical changes.. The advances might have started earlier... High-quality raw materials were nearby, so those could have allowed for the full expression of technological skills... [and there] was a mega lake at the site. It might have attracted stable occupations there, further fueling technological advances."

It seems most likely, then, that intelligence existed before us that was enough to assemble some crude, stone-tipped weapons. Most likely, say the researchers, they were put together by Homo heidelbergensis—Heidelberg Men to their friends—who lived in Africa, Europe and western Asia from at least 600,000 years ago. And clearly had a little bit of an aggressive streak. More here.

Make Yourself Known With a Bike Light That's As Loud As a Car Horn

If the ringing of your bicycle's bell isn't getting the response you're after from motorists—namely, please don't hit me—it might be time for an upgrade. Sixty-five bucks will get you the Orp, an LED headlight that easily lashes and unlashes from your handlebars and emits a loud shriek that can be heard inside a running car—even with the windows rolled up.

The Orp actually has two different horns to choose from. A polite and subdued 76-decibel chime to alert pedestrians of your approach, and a more obnoxious—though effective—96-decibel shriek to let drivers know you're nearby.

It's completely waterproof, and of course rechargeable—the 87-lumen LED headlights run for a solid three hours on a charge (and even longer if set to flash). It's a little on the expensive side—no doubt there—but can you really put a value on not getting creamed by a distracted driver who didn't know you were there? More here.

An Accordion Shelf That Grows With Your Knick-Knack Collection

You can forget about allen wrenches and magnets altogether—at least if you're in the market for a new shelf—because Meike Harde has come up with a pre-assembled storage unit that unfolds like an accordion to accommodate whatever you need to store.

The hinged zig-zag design of the Stockwerk Shelf's walls allow it to collapse for easy portability. But it also gives the shelf support and stability when unfolded, without the need for extra braces or assembly. It can be as tall or as short as you require, and as your collection of knick-knacks and tchotchkes grows and demands more space, the shelf can easily grow with them. More here.

McLaren Is Using Fighter Jet Technology for Wiper-free Windshields

Anyone who's ever driven in a southern thunderstorm knows that windshield wipers suck. They smear water more than they remove it, and, my God, is that "whip-flick" sound annoying.

Well, worry no more. McLaren says it's doing away with wipers altogether in favor of fighter jet technology that keeps windshields clean. The British supercar company isn't revealing too many details, but experts have a pretty good idea of how the new system will work. The fighter jet technology to which McLaren is referring is likely a high-frequency electronic system that pumps sound waves through the windshield, effectively creating a vibrating ultrasonic force field that deflects water, mud, and even bugs.

If that sounds wildly futuristic and out of your reach, don't be too hasty. The same system that will go on McLaren's $250,000 sports cars by 2015 could be available for the rest of us for as little as $15 on mass market vehicles within a few years. And just think of all the money you'll save on wiper blades. More here.

NASA-Developed Moonglow Material Keeps This Watch Glowing All Night

A built-in battery-powered light is the easiest way to check the time on your watch in the middle of the night. But what if your watch doesn't have a battery? Schofield's newBlacklamp Carbon features a hand-wound movement, but still manages to stay visible in the dark of night thanks to a material developed by NASA called Moonglow that glows much longer than the stickers you decorated your ceiling with as a kid.

The watch also features a small Tritium gas light—a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that gives off a faint glow as it decays—but it's the strip of long lasting Moonglow, running all the way around the rim of the dial, that will have night owls enthusiastic for the timepiece.

And as the watch's name and that telltale pattern on the bezel allude, the Blacklamp Carbon is actually made of a newly developed material called Morta that's based on carbon fiber. So it's strong, lightweight, and of course, incredibly expensive. The watch, limited to 101 pieces, sells for just over $16,000. More here.

China's Rover Has Reportedly Landed On the Moon

China's state-run television network is reporting that the unmanned Yutu lunar rover has successfully soft-landed on the moon.

The Chang'e-3 landing craft carried the rover to the smooth Bay of Rainbows region of the moon after a voyage launched December 1st. The rover, named Yutu (Jade Rabbit in English), is a 260lb six-wheeled solar powered explorer with a top speed of 660 feet per hour. For the next three months, it will conduct tests on the lunar surface and set up a telescope to study earth's plasmasphere.

An earlier Chinese spacecraft successfully orbited the moon, collecting data before being intentionally crashed into the moon's surface. The next mission in the Chang'e program is intended to bring back rock and soil samples from the moon some time before 2020. More here.

This Magical Table's Electromagnetic Field Turns On Nearby Light Bulbs

The table was designed by Florian Dussopt, a French product designer who describes it as Here's how The Guardian once explained what's going on inside the bulbs:

A fluorescent tube glows when an electrical voltage is set up across it. The electric field set up inside the tube excites atoms of mercury gas, making them emit ultraviolet light. This invisible light strikes the phosphor coating on the glass tube, making it glow.

In other words, the table is harnessing the power of wireless energy—a feat that has proved so elusive to those who would harness it on a larger scale, like Nikola Tesla, whose doomed Wardenclyffe Tower was an attempt to transmit electrical power across great distances.

In fact, the base of the table looks remarkably similar to the structural framework of Tesla's 1900 tower, making it a kind of tribute.

How To Make a Terrifying, Spinning, Ferrofluid Buzzsaw

There are almost as many fascinating ferrofluid videos on YouTube as there are clips of kittens being cute. So it's rare to come across one that offers anything new and interesting. But CrazyRussianHacker has done just that with this simple trick that turns ferrofluid into some kind of nightmarish liquid metal spinning saw blade.

The secret here is to magnetize a large bolt stood on its end, and then gently pour a bit of ferrofluid on top of it. Gravity will pull the liquid down the bolt along its spiral thread, and the magnetic field will create those terrifying spinning spikes you see. Simple, but no less wonderful once you know how it's done.

The Awesomely Weird Biological Shoes That we will Wear in 2050

London-based designer and researcher Shamees Aden has a vision for the future of footwear. It's a future where shoes are 3D printed out of synthetic biological material that responds to your every step and can regenerate overnight. She's even made a prototype.

Behold the Protocell sneaker. The shoes are customized for the wearers foot so that they fit like a second skin, and in its own way, the protocell technology that they're made of works like skin. Protocells aren't alive, but they act like they are which is how the shoes get their responsive and self-healing qualities.

"The cells have the capability to inflate and deflate and to respond to pressure," Aden told Dezeen. But they special material requires a little extra care, as you have to store them in a jar full of protocell liquid. Aden explained, "You would take the trainers home and you would have to care for it as if it was a plant, making sure it has the natural resources needed to rejuvenate the cells."

Who wouldn't want half-living shoes that make it look like you have alien feet? Unfortunately, the project is only in the concept stage now, and Aden thinks it could be nearly four decades before we see this kind of technology on the market. More here.

Sticky Notes On a Roll Let You Decide How Much You Need

You can already get sticky notes in a few different sizes, but for those who want even more control, you can now get them on an endless roll—letting you tear off the perfect size as needed. After all, some days you just need a few groceries, while others you need to completely restock the pantry.

Available in yellow, blue, or pink, the Pensée (French for "thought") includes sixteen feet of sticky notes in a plastic dispenser complete with a perforated cutter. And the entire back of the roll is covered in a low-tack adhesive, which means wherever you stick it, it's going to stay put until you tear it off. They're just $9 a roll—and the handy grid that helps keep your handwritten notes neat and tidy is included at no extra charge. More here.

World's Thinnest Mechanical Watch Is as Thick as Two Stacked Quarters

You don't think it's only laptop, tablet, and smartphone designers that go the extra mile to make their devices thinner and thinner do you? Watch makers are constantly battling each other for the same notoriety, and now Piaget has reclaimed the title of 'world's thinnest mechanical watch' with its new Altiplano 38mm 900P that measures in at 3.65mm—making it thinner than many digital alternatives.

Snatching the title from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget managed to shave a full 0.4mm off the thickness of the previous record holder. But the company's watchmakers did it in a very clever way. Normally a mechanical watch features a movement—all the gears and mechanisms that make it tick—inside a case. But with the Altiplano 38mm 900P, the movement is built right into the actual watch's body.

So the watch is just as much a technological and engineering achievement as it is comfortable to wear. Every single one of the Altiplano 38mm 900P's 145 components had to be manufactured with extreme levels of precision, which, not surprisingly, contributes to its wallet-thinning price tag. When available, the watch will sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, but eventually you can expect to see the innovations that made it possible trickle down to other more affordable pieces. More here.

A Full-Size Hybrid Vacuum You Can Charge By USB

When you hear the words 'vacuum' and 'USB' used in the same sentence, you probably picture a tiny keyboard cleaning tool with barely enough power to suck up crumbs. ButPanasonic's hybrid MC-HS700G—now available in Japan—is a full-sized vacuum cleaner strong enough to lift a bowling ball that can also be charged from a USB port giving you up to 20 minutes of suction without a tether to a wall outlet.

For most of your indoor cleaning needs you'll want to keep the MC-HS700G plugged into an AC outlet to take full advantage of its dust sensor, cyclone-action suction, and built-in headlights for spotting dirty areas on your floor. But for cleaning your car, or areas in your home too far from an outlet, the vacuum's rechargeable battery boasts up to 20 minutes of cleaning on a single charge.

Of course, that's with minimal suction. Battery life dwindles to a mere six minutes at full power, so you may want to reinstate that 'no eating in the car' rule. And the vacuum is a hefty $700, making it more expensive than even Dyson's high-end models. But looking over at the tangle of cables on the floor, a rechargeable vacuum that can outperform a dustbuster and share our smartphone's charger is still very, very tempting. More here.

Insane Seattle Bus Crash Captured On Google Street View

Fansite Google Street View World today found that Google Maps has a Street View pictureof a Northwestern Trailways charter bus hanging somewhat precariously over Interstate 5 following a crash.

No, it's not a fake. According to TV station KATU, this happened back in December 2008. They called it a "bizarre incident" in which two charter buses collided while nosing down an icy Seattle hill, sending both of them crashing through a metal railing above the freeway. The bus in the photo hang 30 feet above the Interstate before it was towed to safety.

The Google camera car must have just been in the right place at the right time, I guess. More here.

You'll Actually Be Excited For Snow With This Gorgeous Toboggan

Is there anything more soul crushing than waking up and checking the weather on your phone, only to discover that there are inches of snow outside waiting to complicate your morning commute? Snow in the forecast doesn't always have to be a letdown, though. With this steam-bent wooden toboggan from Lucky Bums, you'll embrace every flake that falls.

Plastic sleds with brakes and steering have come to dominate snow-covered hills over the years, but there's just nothing as thrilling as climbing onto an old-school wooden toboggan, lining up your path of descent, and then hoping you won't hit anything on the way down. If you do, this made-in-the-USA toboggan's padded seat should help you ride out the worst of it.

At $200, it's certainly more expensive that other sledding options you can get your hands on. But remember, like a set of skis, with a little bit of wax a wooden toboggan can send you rocketing down a hill, leaving other higher-tech sledders eating your snowy dust. More here.

Apparently People Will Buy Cans of French Air for $7.50

Money doesn't grow on trees. You can't get something for nothing. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Except all of these cliches are apparently false, because Antoine Deblay, a student who lives in southwest France is actually making money selling cans of air from his town.

For €5.50, or about $7.50, Deblay is shipping 250ml cans of air called "Air de Montcuq" for his hometown. This summer he raised about $1,000 on KissKissBankBank, a French crowdfunding site, which allowed him to make a website and get the tins/packaging he needed. Deblay told Business Insider that in the first three weeks he received a thousand orders and has already made thousands of dollars with a 60 percent profit margin.

The appeal of the cans comes from a pun that is inherent in the name of Deblay's town. Montcuq can be mispronounced "mon cul" or "my ass," meaning that "Air de Montcuq" can be translated as "the wind of my ass." Novelty gift? Sure, why not.

Because he apparently is not afraid of taking the whole thing too seriously, Deblay is only selling 10 liters of air per week so he doesn't put a strain on his supply, and when he hits that limit he puts a warning on the website that orders are done for the week. Deblay told Business Insider, "Of course I knew it was going to sell, but not so much in so little time!" Of course!  More here.

Researchers Discover Huge Freshwater Reserves Under Ocean Floors

As earth's population surges, mankind faces an increasingly limited supply of fresh water. Thankfully, Australian scientists report this week that they've found vast new fresh water supplies. Unfortunately, it's in one of earth's least accessible places: under the ocean floor.

Published in this week's Nature, the research compiles mounting evidence that fresh groundwater reserves exist off the shores of Australia, China, North America and Africa. The researchers estimate that 500,000 cubic kilometers of fresh water is trapped in aquifers under the ocean floor — more than 20 times the volume of water in all five Great Lakes.

Getting to the water without contaminating it presents an enormous challenge. But with 40% of the world's population already living in conditions of water scarcity, it may prove to be necessary. More here.

Mind-Boggling Spherical Gear Made from 3D-Printed Moving Parts

Proxy describes the project as just "the first in a series of kinetic, 3D-printed objects designed to explore the limits of 3D printing as an art form":

Created in a one­-shot fabrication process, Mechaneu #1 features an elaborate network of interlocking gears and support structures. Spin one gear and the entire sphere is catalyzed with the rotation. The effect is mesmerizing, a visualization for the eye and a tactile experience for the hands. The Mechaneu design explores the limit case of commercial 3D printing; all aspect of the design are calibrated to the minimum thicknesses and maximum detail levels.

But it's the insane, nested spherical rotation of this thing—or, rather, the fact that it works, and that it came from a 3D printer—that blows my mind.

Avoid Injuries With Smart Sneakers That Tell You How To Run Properly

A daily run can be great for your health and fitness, but it can actually be harmful too if not done properly. Of course the right shoes are an important part of the formula, especially thissensor-laden pair developed by the Fraunhofer Institute which provide real-time feedback on your running style, and how to improve it.

So what makes these sneaks so smart? Built into their sole is a biometric sensor working alongside an accelerometer and GPS hardware. Together they collect data on the runner's speed and technique, and transmit it to a smartphone app via Bluetooth which analyzes the information and makes suggestions to improve the wearer's running style or routine.

One day it might suggest you try rolling off your foot differently to improve your stride, while others it might recommend running on a softer surface like grass. The shoes and software can even make intelligent recommendations on when you need to give your feet a break. The only feature that might be lacking is giving you the motivation to get off the couch and out the door to begin with. More here.