Enlarge / Grab a hot drink, snuggle up, and let the staff of the Ars Orbiting HQ find you a good book to read. (credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus) With the holiday season kicking in and many people about to find themselves flush with downtime, we thought we’d try to answer a perennial question: […]
Enlarge / The Curta mechanical calculator. (credit: Getty Images) It’s no bigger than a drinking glass, and it fits easily in the palm of the hand. It resembles the pepper grinder—or perhaps a hand grenade. The diminutive “Curta” is a striking machine, a mechanical calculator that combines the complexity of a steamship engine and the […]
Enlarge / Galaxy brain, meet Ubisoft brain… (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images | Ubisoft) Ubisoft became the first big-name game publisher to jump on the non-fungible token bandwagon Tuesday. After teasing its interest in the space last month, the company is officially rolling out Quartz, a system of in-game cosmetic items powered by a […]
Enlarge / Chief and “The Weapon” bond through adversity in Halo Infinite —and not just in the game’s plot or firefights. (credit: Xbox Game Studios / 343 Industries) Halo Unlimited is the best campaign-driven entry since 343 Industries took over the particular series in 2011 . It is also the messiest Halo game yet. To […]
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) It’s that time of year again—time to buy more board games than you possibly have time to play. To aid you in your quest, we’ve once again updated our massive board game buyer’s guide for the year by adding new entries (including a bunch of games from 2020 […]
Enlarge / A rendering of SpaceX’s Starship traveling to the Saturn system. (credit: SpaceX) Jennifer Heldmann stared at the computer screens on her desk, watching as a rocket’s upper stage slammed into a crater near the South Pole of the Moon. In the name of science, a 2.3-ton chunk of steel struck the Moon with […]
Enlarge (credit: David Silverman / Staff) Look, we’re not totally ignorant about time. We know that the dimension of time is woven together with the three dimensions of space, creating a four-dimensional fabric for the Universe. We know that the passage of time is relative; depending on your frame of reference, you can slip forward […]
Enlarge / Plenty of worthwhile tech deals are still kicking for Cyber Monday. (credit: Ars Technica) To help those looking to get a good price on worthwhile gadgets and tech gear this holiday season, we’ve put together a comprehensive roundup of the best Cyber Monday deals we can find. And though Black Friday is over, […]
Enlarge / A sampling of the best Black Friday deals we’ve found. The turkey has been consumed and the particular football games are over, which means the avalanche of Black Friday deals has begun. To help you sort through the barrage of breathless retailer promotions, we’ve pored over every so-called deal all of us can […]
Enlarge / Mario loves us. We love Mario. (credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / Getty Images) Ars Technica Editor-in-Chief Ken Fisher has a rule: If you have a dumb, fun conversation in the Ars Slack that lasts for more than 10 minutes, it’s probably worth turning that conversation into some kind of article. And that’s how a weekday […]