io9 Weekend Roundup

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: 7/9 - 7/10 | Superheroes waterski at Sea World in the 1970s. Photographer unknown (via Leigh Walton).

Synthpop legend Thomas Dolby takes us to a dieselpunk dystopia for his first studio album in 20 years

After becoming famous for such hits as 1982's "She Blinded Me With Science," synthesizer maestro Thomas Dolby spent 20+ years in the private sector inventing new digital music technologies. Now Dolby's getting back to his electronic music roots with his new album, the dieselpunk-inflected A Map of the Floating City. More »

The entire plot of Harry Potter on a single poster

Cartoonist Lucy Knisley has finished her Harry Potter poster project, summarizing the series in eight comic posters poking loving fun at the books. She's also amassed one mega-poster with the entire synopsis. Behold the "Sumharry!" More »

Taiwan's funeral strippers dance for a dead crowd

Should you meet your demise in Taiwan, a funerary option open to you is the Electric Flower Car (EFC), a wheeled, neon-lit platform upon which pulchritudinous women strip down to their skivvies for the benefit of audiences...both living and deceased. More »

The Lizard Man is terrorizing South Carolina again

In 1988, Bishopville, South Carolina fell under the thrall of a dark and handsome Lizard Man. After being out of the limelight for 20+ years, the Lizard Man's returned to carve up random automobiles and shards of metal. Local news anchors were on hand to welcome his scaly excellence. Don't call it a comeback! More »

30 Comic-Con exclusive toys you'll sell your organs for

The cruel economics of Comic-Con dictate that gee-whiz collectibles (produced in ludicrously small quantities) will be rewarded to those who make the pilgrimage to San Diego. Here are the 2011 exclusives destined to whip convention-goers into a rampage. More »

Physics exonerates baseball players' corked bats

After many carefully controlled collisions and hours of video of bats striking balls, a group of physicists at Washington State University came to the conclusion that the relationship between a baseball and a bat was inelastic. More »

Beware the cardboard kaiju of Argentina

In August 2006, designer Pablo Curutchet placed a 28-foot-tall, 882-pound cardboard box golem leering at pedestrians in Cordoba, Argentina. Unfortunately for this giant, a steady rain could spell the end of his reign of terror. More »

Infographic lays out your chances of surviving an Alien vs. Predator film

Steven Taubman's handy infographic breaks down your chances of survival should you be caught in the middle of an Alien Vs. Predator film (although I wouldn't put a lot of stock in the "facehugger deflection via paper bag" technique). More »

This is the first ever photo of a fish using tools

This blackspot tuskfish, found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, held a clam in its mouth and smashed it against a rock to reach the food inside. This photo is the first incontrovertible proof that fish are capable of tool use. More »

Perhaps the least enthusiastic rendition of Thriller ever performed

At last month's Denver Pridefest, a trio of dancers reenacted Michael Jackson's zombie-stomp number "Thriller." The performance would've been otherwise serviceable if it hadn't been for a flailing werewolf who appeared perpetually on the verge of forgetting his choreography. More »

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms rediscovered after 170 years

In 1840, English botanist George Gardner was traveling in Brazil. One night, he noticed some boys playing with a strange, glowing object. To his shock, he had encountered a bioluminescent mushroom. It's only taken 170 years to find some more. More »

Watch 155 seconds of Robin screaming "Holy [Fill in the blank]"

Some intrepid soul has cobbled together a supercut of Casey Kasem yelping for two and a half minutes as the Boy Wonder on the 1960s Batman cartoons. And for posterity's sake, here's Burt Ward losing his mind for 143 seconds. More »

Tally-ho, old bean, might that be a Star Destroyer on horizon?

Reddit user DoubleChops decided that John Constable's 1825 painting "Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden" didn't have enough Star Destroyers. So he rectified that shit. More »

Check out Peter Jackson's new video blog from the set of The Hobbit

After teasing us with his first vlog (I hate that word) from Tolkienesque New Zealand, Peter Jackson's posted a new clip jam-packed with cinematic goodies. Check out Andy Serkis Golluming it up, Jackson scouting shoot locations, and much more. More »