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Adam Savage Builds The EDC 2 Bag
Last year, Adam Savage launched his first everyday carry bag. The designer/host is following up that project by adding to the collection with the EDC 2. Along with the bag, he is also selling the plans to make your own which he demonstrates himself in his latest One Day Build.
The Strange Geography of the United States
Geography seems like a pretty cut-and-dry subject — until you start breaking it down. New York City, with its cold winters, is roughly on the same latitude as Madrid, Spain, which is renowned for its good weather. RealLifeLore finds this and a lot of other strange quirks of geography in this surprising video.
Adam Savage's 1000 Shot NERF Blaster
Adam Savage's favorite NERF blaster in the Rival. The Rival can fire 100 consecutive shots, but Adam thought he could improve it — and improve it he did. Adam fabbed up a huge banana clip that holds up to 1000 rounds, ensuring that this NERF blaster will outlast whatever competition it faces.
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.
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Bamford Mayfair Watch
Taking a cue from car dealerships, Bamford Watch Department last year built a "Service Watch" that was lent out to clients while their timepiece was in for maintenance. People loved it and wanted to purchase one for themselves, so the Bamford Mayfair watch was born. Measuring in at a classic 40mm size with Military Grade Titanium Coating (MGTC), the watch is available in two versions — one with a matte grey case, anodized aluminum bezel, and leather strap, and one with a more sinister black case, matte ceramic bezel, and rubber strap. Both watches' indices and hands are finished in LumiNova for legibility and are powered by a Quartz Miyota 2035 movement. The Mayfair is your daily driver. Your vintage Rolex is the one that stays in the garage except on special occasions.
Tekto Gear Automatic Knife
Lightweight, sharp, discreet, and easy to use, this automatic knife from Tekto Gear is their most impressive to date. The knife features a 3.8-inch chrome steel blade with a double-edge that is activated by an automatic mechanism using a dual-action switch. The handle is made using durable rose wood and includes a hip clip and a glass window breaker on the end to use in an emergency.
Presented by Tekto Gear.
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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.
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.
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Squarespace
Let's get funky! Squarespace helps you bring your vision to life with easy-to use tools and award-winning templates that puts your passion on full-blast. From websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics, Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. Spin off with a Squarespace website today!
Presented by Squarespace.
Bell & Ross Diver Blue Watch
The Diver Blue from Bell & Ross is versatile enough for a formal affair and sporty enough for your next subaquatic adventure. The timepiece leads with the iconic Bell & Ross square case — made of satin-polished stainless-steel — which frames the more traditional unidirectional round bezel and dial. The dark navy dial features Super-Luminova filled numerals, applied indices, along with metal skeletonized hands for peak visibility on land or in the dark depths of the sea. The Blue is powered by caliber BR-CAL.302 automatic movement and finished with interchangeable blue rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric straps.
Presented by Bell & Ross.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
