This Hand-Made Darth Vader Grill Will Ensure Your Next BBQ Is a Big Hit

Summer is almost here and as long as the cicadas don’t get you, that means grilling season!

Star Wars fans take notice, nerd culture is alive and well, and there is a grill or fire pit out there just for you.

Etsy is simply the best for shopping small and finding incredible hand-made crafts, and this grill is no exception.

Artist and entrepreneur Burned by Design from Barnsley in Yorkshire, England has designed a grill and fire pit in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet.

The charcoal grill is completely unique!

As described by Delish.com:

The grill is about 17.3 by 17.3 by 30.7 inches, and comes with three chrome-plated swivel racks.

and because they are hand-made to order, they take about a month to deliver.

But just look at the Imperial glory that could set your next backyard cookout above the rest:

I mean come on:

And if The Betrayer isn’t really your Star Wars jam, there are other wood-burner options to choose from.

So whether you’re a fan of Boba Fett, R2D2, or the Mandalorian, there’s something here for you.

Prices range from in the $600s for a smaller-sized wood burner to the $700s for the Vader grill and all the way up to $1200+ for some of the larger spacecraft-inspired fire pits.

That’s right. You can hang with your friends and watch for meteors seated around your very own Death Star.

And just in case you are more Rebel-Alliance-minded, there is a Millennium Falcon fire pit, too.

I think I’ve been doing summer wrong for years. Time to hit up Etsy.

What do you think? Did these make you long for summer and nerding out with your BFFs? Tell us what you think in the comments.

The post This Hand-Made Darth Vader Grill Will Ensure Your Next BBQ Is a Big Hit appeared first on UberFacts.

A Comedian’s Drive-Thru Revenge Story Went Viral, and People Say “I’d Do That!”

You know how there are certain urban legends that spread across the internet and they always feel vaguely familiar?

Sometimes that’s because they are all too real, and we can all relate.

And sometimes they’re just too good to be true.

Recently comedian Nelly Zenani went viral for posting an incredible story on Facebook.

At first it looked like he was doing a turn-the-other-cheek kind of thing, but stick around for the twist ending.

When I got to the last window to get my food, I showed the assistant both my receipts and took her food too!

I paid for it, it’s mine! Now she has to go around again and wait even longer.

She gonna learn today!

Many commenters were not amused by this little stunt. They felt Zenani should have been the bigger person.

But nope… he wasn’t. And that’s hilarious.

But personally, I gotta say, if I’m having an emergency, I’m not stopping at the drive-thru.

For the record, it almost always seems faster just to go inside.

Have you seen the lines at Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A?
Pandemic aside, if you don’t have time to wait, don’t get in line, is all I’m saying.

Whenever funny stories like this one come around, some people immediately want to do them.

And a lot of people doubted it was true, but still find it hilarious anyway.

Because yes… people actually ARE this petty.

Does that mean everybody believed him? Nope. But they didn’t get too deep into it…


.
Multiple users tagged their friends and agreed they should try it together sometime, which almost makes you wonder if the story keeps going around because different people are actually inspired to try it.

Real or not, the story obviously strikes a chord with people, and there’s usually a grain of truth in things, right?

I’d love to know the origin story of this one.

What do you think–worth a laugh or annoying remix? Let us know in the comments.

The post A Comedian’s Drive-Thru Revenge Story Went Viral, and People Say “I’d Do That!” appeared first on UberFacts.

A TikTok User Asked for Examples of Men Who Are Insecure, and the Video Went Viral

We all know some guys who have to prove how masculine they are.

There are the old jokes about the size of his car proving that he’s compensating for something.

American men especially are brought up to perceive a very narrowly defined definition of masculinity as “right.”

Recently, a TikTok user challenged those assumptions when he asked his followers what their biggest indicator was for a man feeling insecure in his masculinity.

@richtiktoxic

Stitch or Duet me with your favorite indicator!! #stitchthis #toxicmasculinity #peab

♬ Esco Like Yhop ft. Shawn P – Èsco Upp?

He also provided his own answer.

“I’ll go first. As soon as a man refers to himself as an ‘alpha,’ …”

In many circles, this is referred to as toxic masculinity.

Buzzfeed explains:

According to dictionary.com, toxic masculinity is defined as “a cultural concept of manliness that glorifies stoicism, strength, virility, and dominance, and that is socially maladaptive or harmful to mental health.”

Here are some of the top responses that @richtiktoxic, a photographer and environmentalist, received:

Mal: when they lift their cars/truck unnecessarily high to make their vehicle look bigger (laughing face with crying eyes). RichTikToxic: THIS.

Image credit: TikTok

A lot of the responses shared similar themes.

One indicator was an obsession with money:

“When they get upset at how much money you make.”

-@marin.hope

“I made more money than my ex, so I would pay for things. But he wouldn’t let me pay — as in, he wouldn’t let me physically hand my card over to the server. So when the server would come, my ex would look me straight in the eyes and say, ‘I got this, babe.’ Then, he would hand her my card.”

-@toxicatok

Another common theme was emphasizing their straightness.

Zsuuuuu: being weirdly specific about how he's not gay.

Image credit: TikTok

“When they refer to themselves as ‘super straight.’” —@reggieherold

A very common theme centered on a general aversion to anything associated with being female.

Redd: When they refuse to talk about anything relating to eMoTiONs because it's too girly.

Image credit: TikTok

“When he says, ‘Periods are gross.’”

-@basicminiwheats

“Whenever they find ANY reason to discredit women’s issues.”

-@nigelmylesgordon

Zeke Yeager: Refuse to do any form of self care because it's only for woman (rolling eyes emoji)

Image credit: TikTok

“When they hate or dislike something for the sole reason for it being a ‘girls thing.’”

-@cm12k

Many women found it was a big red flag if the guy won’t help you out with your bag.

user8830742952726: Omggggg if they refuse to hold your purse. (frowning face)

Image credit: TikTok

And of course several reasons just fell into the category of having a generally gross personality.

“Whenever someone gets off on hating everything and constantly projecting toughness. I was like that when I was, like, 15, and my entire personality was a device to try and convince people I was tough in some way. Like, if a new song came out, I had to assert that it was terrible.”

-@cwelz_

“When they won’t date a tall girl.”

-@user715430319797

“Owning guns is a personality trait rather than just owning them.”

-@vicki.lester

“It was when he said ‘I’m the BOSS in this relationship’ for me ?”

-@ninjaskuxx

These would definitely all be red flags for me. What do you think? What is the most obvious indicator for you?

Let us know in the comments.

The post A TikTok User Asked for Examples of Men Who Are Insecure, and the Video Went Viral appeared first on UberFacts.

Tiny Clogs for Dogs Went Viral…and Got Mixed Reviews from the Dogs

I’ll be the first to admit that cute dogs in cute clothes slay me.

On a flight some years ago, my husband flipped through SkyMall until he found a beagle wearing Pugz, which he showed to me, and I absolutely lost it.

It still makes me laugh.

Now a new company has created new dog shoes for the Instagram and TikTok generations.

Dogs have long been interested in Crocs footwear.

Mine likes to chew them if they get in the way of her evening treat, so I had to start keeping them by the back door.

Now Crocs enthusiasts can buy a matching pair for their favorite pooch.

According to Mental Floss, the Croc-like shoes are made by an unaffiliated company called GEHARTY, and people are going bananas.

These shoes are only for little canines though.

Measuring 2.76 by 1.15 inches, the footwear is designed to fit tiny paws, so larger dogs will have to get their novelty shoes elsewhere.

And unlike real Crocs (and Pugz!), these sandals are not actually meant to be comfortable–or worn while walking.

But if you want to make your pet look cute and comfy while lounging around the house—or posing for pictures—these are the perfect shoes.

From the Instagram #dogcrocs, it looks like people are taking them at their word.

Olive, a Boston terrier from the account @oliveandgus, dressed up in her finest for Valentine’s Day.

Gus looks less amused.

But Olive seems to own a pair in every color.

Meanwhile, this Corgi put its foot down and refused to play along.

But Michael Anthony the Chihuahua doesn’t seem to mind.

They were selling on Amazon for $13 until recently.

After going viral, the shoes sold out in every color.

Now two colors are back in stock at the new price of $20.

What do you think? Cutest thing ever or a trend that should disappear? Let us know in the comments.

The post Tiny Clogs for Dogs Went Viral…and Got Mixed Reviews from the Dogs appeared first on UberFacts.

An ER Doctor Went Viral for Pointing Out That Fast Food Is All Some People Can Afford

There’s no question that everything, including food, keeps getting more and more expensive.

Add in a food desert, and people are paying crazy prices for fresh food the rest of us take for granted.

So when a doctor tweeted about the relative costs of fast food compared to fresh food, her thread went viral, with lots of people weighing in on both sides.

Emily Porter is an ER doctor and cancer survivor living in Austin, Texas.

When she tweeted about the cost of food, she was urging empathy and asking people not to judge others, but she had to know it was going to be controversial:

A lot of Twitter users doubted that a medical doctor would eat McDonald’s for lunch, as though they don’t rack up thousands in debt from medical school, and as though they don’t crave fast food like other humans.

But Dr. Porter took the time to explain her background:

Not only did she grow up poor, but she worked on the front lines of poverty, watching others in her community purchase what they could afford at a fast food restaurant.

She even took the time to explain the food desert in her area, and the fact that people basically only shop at the dollar store.

The responses to her tweet ran the gamut. Some came with empathy and agreement, others did not.

Apparently some even suggested that the poor should invest in Blue Apron meals, which surprised me, because meal kits tend to be pricey. They definitely cost more than McDonald’s.

Here was Dr. Porter’s response:

But that is the point of such a tweet–starting a conversation that needs to be had.

Some people argued that fast food eaters were lazy:

To which others replied, it’s not just about the money. It’s about the cost of time and labor too.

Some people even argued that the poor should buy a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s Club or Costco.

Few pointed out that those are loaded with sodium, but some people did point out the absolute tone-deafness of such a suggestion.

Bored Panda said that a major argument, that cooking healthy food is cheaper, isn’t necessarily true.

And unlike Twitter users, they brought the receipts:

According to the results of a meta-analysis published in 2013 in BMJ Open, a healthier diet costs $1.48 more a day, which would add up to $540.20 a year, and for a family of four, the amount would equal to $2,160.80.

The article did note that a UK study disagrees with this assessment, so maybe it’s regional. The UK is very different from the US in a lot of ways, maybe it would generally be less expensive to eat healthier in the UK and not in the US.

A lot of people suggested eating beans.

Many users, however, completely agreed with Dr. Porter’s assessment of the cost of eating.

And they pointed out a lot of things that it’s easy to overlook from a privileged point-of-view.

Like the cost of time…

…the fact that just because something is possible, doesn’t mean everyone has the ability to make it work…

…and the simple fact that fast food is easier to chew than, say, a carrot.

It’s safe to say that there are no easy answers to this question, but one thing is for sure: it’s a frustrating situation that needs to improve.

What do you think? Does Dr. Porter have a point? Is this system set up to be broken? Let us know in the comments.

The post An ER Doctor Went Viral for Pointing Out That Fast Food Is All Some People Can Afford appeared first on UberFacts.

A General Suggests We Should Let Drones Do More Work the Military

Perhaps you got a toy drone in a White Elephant exchange at work. Or a neighborhood kid crashed one in your backyard. Maybe you’ve used one yourself to take wedding or real estate photos. It feels like something out of Asimov or Jules Verne, but it’s 2021 and the hot topic in the military is what to do about drones.

Specifically: swarms of them.

In a recent article for Forbes, David Hambling, the author of of Swarm Troopers: How small drones will conquer the world, lays out this military conundrum for the lay-reader.

Image credit: Indian Army via Forbes

The problem is both simple and complex.

Simply: The more outnumbered humans become in battle, the harder time they will have reacting to threats. In the future, humans won’t be able to keep up.

We get tired. We can be distracted. We have consciences, most of the time.

But just how much autonomy do we want to hand over to machines? We all know about The Terminator and I, Robot, right?

Image credit: U.S. Navy via Forbes

That is exactly the question military leaders around the world are grappling with.

General John Murray, who leads the U.S. Army Futures Command, believes it’s time to turn over some, but not all, of the control.

These require meaningful human control over any lethal system, though that may be in a supervisory role rather than direct control – termed ‘human-on-the-loop’ rather than ‘human-in-the-loop’ … Pentagon leaders need to lead a discussion on how much human control of AI is needed to be safe but still effective, especially in the context of countering new threats such as drone swarms.

Such a move, to allow humans to supervise but not fully control drones, would require the government to change current rules around their use and deployment.

Image credit: U.S. Army via Military.com

But General Murray thinks this is going to be necessary because:

Faced with large numbers of incoming threats, many of which may be decoys, human gunners are likely to be overtaxed.

Unsurprisingly computers are just faster and better.

It seems our humanity gets in the way. Research shows:

Human operators kept wanting to interfere with the robots’ actions. Attempts to micromanage the machines degraded their performance.

Then there’s the brain versus microchip processing speeds.

“If you have to transmit an image of the target, let the human look at it, and wait for the human to hit the “fire” button, that is an eternity at machine speed,” said one scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If we slow the AI to human speed …we’re going to lose.”

The threat that governments are most concerned about, massive drone swarms, is already very real.

Military swarms of a few hundred drones have already been demonstrated, in future we are likely to see swarms of thousands, or more. One U.S. Navy project envisages having to counter up to a million drones at once.

China is known to have a drone swarm launcher ready to go, and other nations may not be far behind.

Image credit: CETC via Forbes

Drone swarms present a clear and present danger, a new kind of weapon of mass destruction.

Analysts can use computer-generated swarming algorithms based on swarming and flocking patterns of birds and insects to anticipate attacks and design counter measures.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

And billions is being spent on new technology to combat the drones, including an anti-aircraft vehicle called IM-SHORAD, but without machines to control our defenses, it may not be enough.

At this point, we have 2 options: we can try to pass a treaty along the lines of the nuclear proliferation treaty that limits the creation and use of nuclear weapons, or we can try to fight like with like.

The European Parliament supports a full out ban.

“The decision to select a target and take lethal action using an autonomous weapon system must always be made by a human exercising meaningful control and judgement, in line with the principles of proportionality and necessity.”

The other line of thought is that these machines could actually be more ethical in the long-term, due to their lower margin of error.

So outlawing them altogether may not be the right answer.

Unlike with nuclear weapons, where a lot of people have them stored but know that using them would result in retaliation, AI is a bit of a gray area. It can be built and programmed and owned without its very nature being destructive, which makes it harder to control.

If AI-controlled weapons can defeat those operated by humans, then whoever has the AIs will win and failing to deploy them means accepting defeat.

Image credit: YouTube via Forbes

The argument over what to do has dragged on for years, but the technology is here now, without a clear answer.

At this rate, large-scale AI-powered swarm weapons may be used in action before the debate is concluded. The big question is which nations will have them first.

The whole debate reminds me of the brilliant 1985 sci-fi novel novel Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (which sadly was not done justice by the 2013 film of the same name).

The time to make a decision and prepare for these types of attacks is now. And it sounds like unless we’re going to train up a super-genius army of video-game playing children to counter other countries drone attacks, we might need to let out the leash a bit on the machines.

The post A General Suggests We Should Let Drones Do More Work the Military appeared first on UberFacts.

A Kid’s Poem About Online School Went Viral Because It Is Too Real

It’s been a rough year for most of us in a lot of ways.

But there has been comfort in the fact that we were all going through it together–the staying in doors, the wearing masks, the endless meetings on Zoom.

So when one 7-year-old wrote a poem expressing his dissatisfaction with online schooling, literally everyone on Twitter ecstatically agreed.

The child’s babysitter Julia posted the anti ode online last year and instantly went viral.

Here’s the text…

Boring online school
Today is just another day
in a long line of days
staring at a dumb screen
Just boring boring
online school that’s the
only thing that did happen
it’s the only thing that is
happening that’s the only
thing that will happen

So many people commented their concern about the boy that his baby sitter felt compelled to elaborate that he wasn’t depressed or in danger.

She went on to explain that this was an assignment for school, and I personally loved that she described him as snarky, because it feels like something I would have done in college, rather than first grade.

Many of the more literary minded Twitter users were impressed with the artistic nature of the poem.

I’m guessing they were English majors like I was.

Others took the poem and played with it, putting their own spin on the form, such as this one, which distilled the poem down into one perfect Haiku that encapsulates 2020.

While others cleverly compared it to well known classics:

And still others compared it to funny things other children have done, both in the distant past:

And more recently:

The poem evoked a lot of visceral feelings about life amid the pandemic.

It raised debate over the merits of online schooling and the fact that kids generally feel just as bored sitting in a desk in person.

But as someone who loves working from home, and at the same time despises the endless hours of meetings, I felt this poem in the very depths of my being.

As one user expressed so clearly:

What do you think? Did his poem make you feel seen, or just make you a little bit sad for kids these days?

Let us know in the comments.

The post A Kid’s Poem About Online School Went Viral Because It Is Too Real appeared first on UberFacts.

People Challenged Her Right to Wear a Metallica Shirt, so a Woman Pulled Out a Guitar and Set Them Straight

If you’re going to put yourself out there online, you expect that you will have to deal with some level of haters.

It comes with the territory.

The trolls come out, armed with keyboards and masked by anonymity.

And when that day comes, I hope we can all handle it with next-level grace and grit, like Zaria Joyner did.

Last December, Zaria, a young musician, posted a video to her TikTok account @zariasmusic describing the difficulties of being a woman trying to break into the industry, and asking her followers to stream her songs on Spotify.

@zariasmusic

The song is called “Romanticized” by Zaria let me know what y’all think #music #spotify #artist #studio #rap

♬ original sound – Zaria

A small, unexpected detail in the video brought in the trolls, not because she was asking for help, but because she generally presents herself as an R&B musician, and she had the audacity to wear a Metallica t-shirt.

But then… a troll rolled into the comments.

@paytonnsmith said: “Name 3 Metallica songs.” And others followed the troll’s lead.

Undeterred by the haters, Zaria responded in the most amazing way possible.

Instead of naming 3 songs, she played them. She may be soft spoken, but she absolutely shreds on guitar.

@zariasmusic

Reply to @paytonnsmith I hope this video finds the #Metallica fans lol, not my best #guitar playing but that wasn’t really the point #guitarist

♬ original sound – Zaria

With chops like that, you have to wonder how long she’s been dedicated to her craft.

Turns out, Zaria was practically born with a guitar in her hands.

@zariasmusic

follow your dreams kids. @sullyguitars #guitar #guitarist #rock #metal #GEICOLipSync

♬ Original Sound – Unknown

And she always knew that she was going to be a star some day:

@zariasmusic

Me in the first picture would be so proud of me now, I’m dropping my first rock song very soon so follow my Spotify ❤ #guitar #rock #metal #emo #punk

♬ Dead Man Walking – Brent Faiyaz

Lots of Zaria’s TikTok videos show fun little snippets from her song-making process. Like this one:

@zariasmusic

Do y’all want more videos like this? #studio #homestudio #artist #spanishpop

♬ original sound – Zaria

Or recordings of her laying down backing vocals for famous singers like Ariana Grande.

@zariasmusic

If you guys like this drop a like and comment and check my music out on Spotify! #arianagrande #positions #Bye2020 #NewYearNewMiO

♬ original sound – Zaria

And Zaria understands how the TikTok logarithms work, so she’s definitely willing to engage with her critics, as she did in this video response to people who disapprove of her use of auto-tuning.

@zariasmusic

#duet with @wshanelance thanks Shane for teaching these plebs a lil something about the music industry #autotune #rap #producer

♬ original sound – SHANE LANCE

She apparently took the whole experience in stride and is “taking requests, I guess.”

She added…

“I really just thought it would be funny and I didn’t expect the response that the video received.

The supportive comments just kept rolling in.”

Zaria says that Metallica was one of her earliest musical influences, and the reason that she learned to play guitar in the first place, a background that is now helping her to redefine the genre of R&B.

As she likes to put it, her sound is more like R&R&B (Rock & Rhythm & Blues).

@zariasmusic

Reply to @soultun3 What do y’all think? This comment has me weak ?? #randb #blues #rock #guitar #guitarsolo

♬ original sound – Zaria

She loves what she’s doing, and she’s proud of her work. But she’s quick to remind viewers that it’s a tough industry to break into.

Check out her Link Tree from which you can stream her songs on Spotify or Apple Music and see for yourself.

I’d say she totally showed the haters. I wish I could ever have a comeback that solid.

Have you ever had the opportunity to respond to trolls like that? Let us know in the comments.

The post People Challenged Her Right to Wear a Metallica Shirt, so a Woman Pulled Out a Guitar and Set Them Straight appeared first on UberFacts.

Plant-Based “Stem Cells” Could Possibly Drive an Environmental Revolution

For the last couple of years, my family has been making a conscious effort to buy less plastic.

Certainly we try to avoid single-use plastics, but even for things that we’ll use again and again we try to find more durable, organic or metal alternatives.

But of course, there’s often an environmental cost to wooden items, too. It presents a conundrum.

Until now. Are you ready to have your mind blown? Lab. Grown. Furniture.

I warned you.

Image credit: Goashape via Unsplash

Wooden furniture is gorgeous, and plant fibers are supremely useful for other everyday items too, like clothing.

That’s why bamboo has become so popular–it grows quickly, with less environmental impact.

But now a PhD candidate at MIT, Ashley Beckwith, and her co-author, Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, have a brilliant plan to reduce waste and environmental impacts even further by growing wood in useful shapes (like 2 by 4’s) right in a lab.

The MIT research team has been working with zinnia tissue, and they published their findings recently in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

As Fast Company reports, their goal is to:

…quickly produce in a lab what would take decades to grow in nature. From there, they could even coax wood tissue to grow into fully-formed shapes—like, say, a table—in order to mitigate the environmental harm of the logging and construction industries.

It’s not a completely new concept. Velásquez-García, a scientist in the university’s Microsystems Technology Lab, explains it in pretty simple terms.

“The plant cells are similar to stem cells. They have the potential to be many things.”

And it’s not just human stem cells. Other scientists have had similar success with lab grown meat products.

So isolating the ability to reduce plants down to a version of a stem cell is just the first step.

Like the meat manufactures who want to grow only the most desirable parts of the animal, Beckwith and team have similar plans for their saplings.

“Trees grow in tall cylindrical poles, and we rarely use tall cylindrical poles in industrial applications.

So you end up shaving off a bunch of material that you spent 20 years growing and that ends up being a waste product.”

Rather than stopping with just growing trees, the team could grow planks, or, rather like 3D printing, they could even guide the development of the plant fiber into the exact shape for its intended purpose.

Of course not every manufacturer has a noble drive to safe the planet.

That’s why this new process is so exciting. It’s so easy, that when compared with the cost of logging, transportation, and everything that goes into cutting down trees to shape them into boards, lab grown trees could actually come out on top, at a lower cost!

Image credit: Lukasz Szmigiel via Unsplash

If the idea of lab-grown veggies freaks you out though, don’t worry. The folks in charge don’t see this being a process that is used to grow food. More like the kinds of plants used to make clothes and industrial materials. There are so many things that could be made from biodegradable plant fibers! Deforestation could become a thing of the past! At least due to human consumption.

How’s that for exciting? Did it blow your mind?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

The post Plant-Based “Stem Cells” Could Possibly Drive an Environmental Revolution appeared first on UberFacts.

This is How Lava Lamps Are Protecting You from Hackers

Everyone worries about data encryption and cybersecurity. I’m certainly no stranger to the concept.

I think my credit card has now been skimmed 3 times in 2 years, but 2020 was 5 years long, so I may have lost count.

That’s where cybersecurity companies like San Francisco based Cloudflare come in, bringing a very unique perspective to data encryption.

As Atlas Obscura reports:

Cloudflare covers about 10 percent of international web traffic, including the websites for Uber, OKCupid, or FitBit.

I’m betting most readers have used at least 2 out of 3 of these sites at some point.

So it’s fascinating to learn that Cloudflare has a pretty unique method for generating random encryption code to protect those sites: a wall of lava lamps.

Posted by Cloudflare on Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Yes, you read that right.

The wall features over 100 lava lamps, spanning a variety of colors, and its random patterns deter hackers from accessing data.

It feels like the most hipster thing ever, but we all know the feeling of zoning out in front of a randomly swirling blob of light and color, right?

Well it turns out:

As the lava lamps bubble and swirl, a video camera on the ceiling monitors their unpredictable changes and connects the footage to a computer, which converts the randomness into a virtually unhackable code.

Posted by Cloudflare on Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Who knew that kind of magic was even possible?

Someone smarter than me, that’s who.

Cloudflare might have taken it to a whole new level, but they didn’t actually invent the “LavaRand” concept, which was patented for a few years by another company in the ’90s.

As Cloudflare explains on their blog:

In cryptography, the term random means unpredictable. That is, a process for generating random bits is secure if an attacker is unable to predict the next bit with greater than 50% accuracy (in other words, no better than random chance).

True randomness, they explain, only exists in the natural, physical world. Most encryption companies rely on pseudorandomness, or the generation of random data.

Pseudorandomness is generated through the use of a deterministic algorithm that takes as input some other random value called a seed and produces a larger amount of random output (these algorithms are called cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generators, or CSPRNGs)

The lava lamp system, it seems, may be a little bit of both, which is kind of mind boggling all on its own.

They’ve withstood the test of academic analysis, years of being used in production, attacks by resourced adversaries, and so on.

Be sure to check out this video from Tom Scott about the lamps:

And if you ever find yourself in the Bay Area, you can go see the futuristic cybersecurity in action for yourself.

Since any kind of external disturbance affects the lamps, increasing the randomness of their patterns, the company has no problem with visitors coming to gawk.

Simply enter the lobby of Cloudflare’s San Francisco headquarters and ask to see the lava lamp display.

I definitely want to check that out.

Did this story blow your mind as much as it did mine? Let us know in the comments!

The post This is How Lava Lamps Are Protecting You from Hackers appeared first on UberFacts.