1. Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage, everything is awesome
For as much bullshit as America churns out on an hourly basis, today we got one thing really right. In a true watershed decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states. Predictably, the likes of Alabama and Clarence Thomas are raging against the tide of history, but the rest of us are just happy as hell—including NYC Pride grand marshals Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. Good job, nation. [NY Times]
2. Hoverboards and jetpacks both becoming a thing
Back to the Future Part II is getting even closer to now, with two big futurist announcements this week. First off, there’s Lexus, who have taken a break from making SUVs for grandmothers in order to invent what they’re billing as the world’s first working hoverboard. The prototype, naturally, functions with a combo of magnets and liquid nitrogen (just like the Terminator?). Meanwhile, Martin has announced that it has plans to launch the first commercially available jetpack next year, which operates with engines and fans and will set you back a cool $150,000. It’s not exactly Rocketeer-level sleek, but it’s still totally awesome. [Bloomberg] [The Guardian]
3. Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler bring back “Really?!?”
We sure miss when Seth and Amy were in the anchors’ chairs on SNL‘s Weekend Update, even though both of them have gone on to bigger and better things. But on Late Night earlier this week, Meyers brought in his former cohost to revive their old “Really?!?” bit, in which the two express their disbelief at the ridiculousness of the world. Meyers and a red-haired Poehler were in fine form as they took down Sports Illustrated jerkwad Andy Benoit and his ilk for his comments that women’s sports aren’t worth watching. “You think someone would rather listen to someone talk about hats than watch some badass American bitches take down Colombia?!?” Poehler demanded. Check out the video below, and let’s cross our fingers that this becomes a regular bit on Late Night. [Jezebel]
4. Man pays for Fallout 4 with 2,240 bottle caps
Who says the barter economy is dead? A diehard fan of the Fallout video game franchise took a cue from the game’s post-apocalyptic world and prepaid for the next edition of the game in bottle caps, a valid form currency in the Fallout universe. The Reddit user saved up more than 11 pounds of bottle caps over an eight-year period and sent his booty to the game makers at Bethesda, in order to pair for the fourth installment, which comes out later this year. Miraculously, Bethesda has agreed to honor the payment. Company being really cool to its fans, or company setting themselves up to receive hundreds of beer-stained packages? You decide. [Washington Post]
5. Extinct Hallucigenia worm was even more insane-looking than scientists thought
Around 400 million years ago, a creature the size of your thumb walked the earth that pretty much looked like a Blast-Ended Skrewt from Harry Potter. This was Hallucigenia, an extinct species of worm discovered in 1977 that has been puzzling researchers for decades. The little guy had everything: spines, tentacles, legs, other stuff—but until recently, no one knew exactly where its head was. Now, University of Cambridge scientists think they’ve figured it out—and realized that Hallucigenia is even stranger than previously thought. Not only did they find a head, but they found eyes, teeth, and a second set of teeth somewhere in the region of its stomach. Basically, just be glad this little monster is long gone. [The Verge]
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