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Plastics 101
National Geographic has a history of thought-provoking covers but their June issue was one of the most captivating in recent years. The now iconic iceberg made from a grocery bag has everyone talking about plastic. Formerly a natural product, the man-made material now accounts for 18 billion pounds of pollution in our oceans. In line with the launch of their "Planet or Plastic?" campaign, NatGeo has released this video covering the history of the product as well as ways to reduce its waste.
The Utility of Building Useless Things
Simone Giertz isn't a professional engineer — or even that good of one. Her mechanical monstrosities are largely failures — and that's important. In this TED talk, Simone explains why building useless things is important and the creativity of failing.
Designing Impenetrable Airport Security
When it was announced that the Transportation Safety Administration had failed to find weapons in 95% of airport tests, the news was shocking. But while the results look bad, there hasn't been a terrorist attack involving airplanes in the US since 9/11. A solution might be the controversial practices of Israel's Ben Gurion airport, probably the most secure airport in the world.
A Guide to Professional Photography
You've mastered portraits and are ready to start taking pictures for a living. You're off to a great start but there's more to changing your photography status from amateur to professional than a dedicated Instagram following and some fancy equipment. There's also finding clients and promoting your work. With a seven-step guide, Cooph is here to coach you along the way to going pro.
The Great American Read
Reading is one of the most important shared cultural aspects of American society. Online or off, reading is the primary way we exchange ideas and information — and books play a huge part in this. PBS' The Great American Read need you to vote for your favorite book as they put together a list of the 100 most popular reads in the US.
Blade Runner Snub-Nosed Blaster Build
Adam Savage is a Blade Runner fanatic. He's built numerous replicas of the Blade Runner blaster and even owns an actual prop from the film. In this one-day build, Adam and Norman each make their own take on a blaster that wasn't actually in the films — the Goldberg Arms snub-nosed blaster.
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James Brand County Knife
Built at their HQ in Portland, the James County is exceptionally handsome while retaining all of the utility and usefulness of your favorite pocket knife. The knife features beautiful ebony wood or walnut inlays, a Sandvik 12C27 steel blade in either stainless or black PVD with matching 416 steel hardware, and an opening at the end for attaching a lanyard. With a blade length of 2.5-inches and a clip-less design, the County knife will live in your pocket undetected — both by you and by anyone who thinks you shouldn't be carrying one.
Length: 3.5" (closed), 6" (open) / Depth: 0.35" / Weight: 1.96 oz
Timex Waterbury Traditional Chronograph
Timex has been in the watch business for over 160 years and as a tribute to their heritage, the company has created the Waterbury Traditional Chronograph. The watch celebrates classic timepieces with a timeless design, featuring a 42mm stainless steel with a polished finish. The dial offers a date window, an INDIGLO Night-Light, Arabic numerals, and hands powered by a quartz movement. It's finished with a natural leather strap, completing the traditional aesthetic.
Presented by Timex.
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The Crazy Story Of A Real Life Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunts aren't just for pirates. Kit Williams proved so when with his 1979 book "Masquerade." The puzzle book was filled with clues leading to an 18 karat gold bunny buried in a secret location. It took over two years before the treasure was found by a man named Ken Thomas. This is where the story gets weird — there is no Ken Thomas. Nerdwriter dives into the bizarre tale of this real-life treasure hunt.
The Government Grows Weed
Yes, the US government grows weed. In one place. Under strictly controlled circumstances. The University of Mississippi is the only place in the country that has a DEA license to grow marijuana for research purposes, and they've been doing it for 50 years. Mashable sat down with Dr. Chen, Director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, for the inside story of the government's history of growing pot.
The History of Acanthus Leaves in Architecture
You've probably seen acanthus leaves hundreds of times in your life. Whether you ever noticed them or not, they're just about everywhere. The sculpted plants adorn the tops, or tops if you want to get technical, of Corinthian columns. The design dates back to 550 B.C. and has managed to remain an architectural staple for over a millennium.
Voice-Activated Fire Blaster
Alexa can play your favorite music, dim your lights, and reorder the paper towels. Colin Furze is adding a more sinister task to her resume by giving Amazon's hands-free speaker the power to shoot blasts of fire. With some help from James Bruton, the mad inventor programmed the smart home device and a fire extinguisher to become a voice-activated fire blaster.
How To Fold World Record Paper Airplanes
You could say John Collins is a paper plane expert. Designing and folding them himself, he turns humble pieces of paper into record-holding flying machines. He's even earned himself the nickname "The Paper Airplane Guy." In this video, he shares his knowledge with the masses by showing how to recreate his World Record-holding plane, Suzanne.
How Dark Patterns Trick You Online
Websites are a band of shady tricksters. Using something called Dark Patterns, companies like Amazon and Facebook keep you forever in their grasps by making simple tasks like deleting your account nearly impossible. In this video, Nerdwriter unveils the secrets behind this sneaky design feature and how to be aware of them.
DIY Aluminum Foil Knife
Usually, you'd use aluminum foil to cook your food but here, the material has been repurposed to take on the prep side. Created by Kiwami Japan, the unconventional knife maker layers sheets of foil and sands it within an inch of its life to create a makeshift blade that MacGyver himself would be proud of.
How To Break Your Bad Habit
Some of us smoke. Some of us eat fast food. Some of us procrastinate. Some of us procrastinate by smoking while we eat fast food. The bottom line is we all have bad habits that are hard to break. In their latest whiteboard lesson, AsapSCIENCE explains why you're really craving that cookie and how to stop these patterns for good.
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Hamilton Khaki Pilot Auto Day Watch
Combining vintage design and modern materials, Hamilton celebrates 100 years of aviation timepieces with the Khaki Pilot Watch. The dial is modeled after the flight instruments inside classic aircrafts, featuring a day display at the 12 o'clock and sand-colored Super-LumiNova numerals. It's housed in a 42 mm stainless steel case which has been coated in dark brown PVD. The watch is finished with a rugged leather strap. Inspired by U.S. military jackets, it sports a signature hot stamp and an authentic cockpit patina.
Presented by Hamilton.
Casper Mattress
When Casper entered the mattress market a few years ago, they changed the mattress industry. And now, after 30 engineering improvements and nearly half a million happy customers, the Casper mattress is more breathable and comfortable than ever. Each mattress is made of multiple layers of foam, including one for support and pressure relief, and one to make sure you sleep cool and comfortable. It's all wrapped up in a durable woven cover, and shipped right to your door in a box that's easy to maneuver into even the smallest homes or apartments. You get 100 nights to try it out and can return it for free if you're not satisfied.
Presented by Casper.
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Lego Prosthetic Arm
David Aguilar grew up like any normal kid. He loved tinkering and playing with Legos — despite having been born with a deformed arm. Now 18, David has perfected a prosthetic arm made from Lego's Technic bricks, capable of opening doors, picking up objects, and strong enough for pushups.
What Happens in a Lifetime
The average lifespan is about 28,689 days or about 78 years for those in the US. So what happens in those 78 trips around the Sun? Lots of things. AsapScience looks at what humans can do in the course of a lifetime, from bathtubs full of saliva to 16 years spent int he office.
The Broccoli Tree
In this short video, Hank Green recounts the rise and fall of The Broccoli Tree. It was made famous by photographer Patrik Svedberg, even spawning its own Instagram page. It brought many people, over 27,000 to be exact until an angry internet troll tried to saw it down. Through this, we've learned not only that you can't un-saw a tree, but also the risks and the rewards of sharing what we love.
The Case for Museums
For thousands of years, humans have stored some of our most important cultural possessions in museums. But the idea of a museum being available to the public is a much more recent phenomenon. PBS looks at the history of museums and why they're important — for all of us, and not just the wealthy.
The History Of Dazzle Camouflage
Ships are hard to hide but with the addition of U-boats in WWI, these massive vessels needed a way to dodge incoming torpedoes. That's where artist Norman Wilkinson came in. Taking inspiration from cubist painters, he developed Dazzle Camouflage. The method didn't make ships invisible, but its bizarre patterns and bright colors confused u-boats and therefore misdirecting their fire.
Homeopathy Explained
Everyone has an aunt or friend that swears by homeopathic medicine. Before you write them off as crazy, you must first understand their alternative methods. Kurzgesagt gives an animated lesson in the principals of Homeopathy and explains how the remedies actually work.
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Lego Technics Snowblower
This Lego Technics snowblower makes you wonder what can't be built with Legos. Some very ingenious work from The Brick Wall made this along with a few household parts. This fully-functional piece of heavy equipment is powered by nine total Lego RF motors, 5 for the blower and 4 to power the tracks. And judging from the video, it works even better than you'd think.
How Paintballs are Made
Gelatin, sweetener, food dye. No, these aren't the ingredients for gummy bears, they're what goes into making paintballs. Surprisingly, those exploding, dye-filled capsules are made with nontoxic, food-grade ingredients.
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How Overnight Shipping Works
For the right price, you can have just anything shipped from anywhere in the world overnight. But to get a package from Scotland to Alaska in one day is a science of its own. In this video, Wendover Productions outlines how major delivery companies like UPS, FedEx, and DHL diligently get our stuff across the globe, all while we snooze away in our beds.
NERF Rival Minigun
Over a year in the making, Captain Xavier has taken the wraps off of his NERF Rival minigun. Fed by a backpack filled with around 2,000 rounds of ammo, the minigun is capable of firing 20 rounds per second, providing the heavy cover fire necessary for winning any NERF war.
Arcade Game Scams
Aside from the fact that it takes 700 tickets to get a spider ring, arcades are total scams. Using a super-precise robot that he created himself, former NASA engineer Mark Rober uses science to call out game makers and their deceitful creations for hustling little kids out of their Chuck E. Cheese tokens.
Managing Time Effectively
Just because people are busier than ever doesn't mean they're getting more done. Between emails, social media, and random cat videos, procrastination eats up most of our time. It's not just a human problem, even computers get caught up in menial tasks. After observing our programmed friends for 50 years, computer scientists have compiled some good strategies for effective time management.
Lost in Light II
Somewhere up above us, there is a sky filled with stars — even though most us can't see it. Our always-on, constantly-lit modern life is causing massive amounts of light pollution, even in non-urban areas. This is causing profound environmental consequences beyond simply star-gazing, interfering with the natural rhythms of the world around us.
Exploding Elephants and the Science of Size
Imagine yourself as Rick Moranis in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! and looking on in horror as your tiny children fall over and die after being shrunk. Science doesn't always make for fun movies, but it can make mice explode and tiny elephants die. In the second part of their Size of Life series, Kuzgesagt takes a closer look at the fundamental rules for being alive at both ends of the size spectrum.
