Posts Written by Paul Strauss

This smooth but potent whiskey from Memphis, Tennessee distillery Blue Note has won back-to-back Double Gold awards in San Francisco’s World Spirits Competition. The easy-to-sip spirit is finished in toasted French oak barrels for a bold caramel flavor with vanilla undertones and a deep amber color.

It’s been over 50 years since Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon. To celebrate the occasion, drummer Nick Mason asked fans to create their own animated music videos for each song on the classic prog rock album. This playlist is gradually revealing all ten winners plus behind-the-scenes interviews with the artists.

This rugged bag from 5.11 Tactical works as a duffel or a backpack. It’s made from hardwearing 1050D nylon with self-healing YKK zippers. It has a large main compartment with a 56L capacity, and outside, you’ll find MOLLE webbing for attaching small bags and other accessories. Available in Kangaroo Brown or Ranger Green.

This titanium keychain offers a quick-release feature for separating its two sections. A locking ring holds it together and disconnects with a simple maneuver. It swivels 360º, has a tactile grip body, and the connector shaft doubles as a box cutter and emergency self-defense tool.

Filmmaker Thomas Blanchard was inspired to make this short film after seeing the nuclear reaction effects in the movie Oppenheimer. The images you see here weren’t created with CGI, but with alcohol inks, gold powder, magic candles, an electric screwdriver, paper clips, and a laboratory shaker. Most of the sequences were filmed in his kitchen, other than the fire.

The mighty Dog of Wisdom is back. A year to the day since his last appearance, the all-knowing canine is here to school a chihuahua on the value of a good bone. Then, our favorite animated wiener dog turns up to grant the Dog of Wisdom a wish.

This twisty metal pen has a bolt-action retraction mechanism and a fidget spinner at the end of its barrel to help you make decisions. Flick the smooth-spinning wheel, and it’ll offer up answers: YES, NO, NOW, LATER, SKIP, ASK, or AGAIN. It’s made from 6061 aluminum alloy and accepts Pilot G2 pen refills. Available in a grey or black finish.

The biggest spiderwebs we’ve encountered are a few feet across. BBC Earth introduces us to the Darwin’s bark spider, an orb-weaver that can shoot bridging lines for webs up to 25 meters (82 feet) across. That’s not the only extraordinary fact—this spider’s silk is also regarded as the world’s strongest natural fiber.

A beautiful modern pocket knife from Craighill and design studio Chen Chen & Kai Williams. The Sidewinder’s unique folding mechanism features a duo of wavy handle sections which move in concert to reveal its blade. Its design was inspired by a parallel ruler that Kai played with when he was a kid, combined with the way a snake moves through sand.

We stopped counting tires at 19, but it’s possible that this crazy looking homebrew go-kart has more than that. We’re not sure why this guy built such a ridiculous vehicle but it’s entertaining to see him driving around on it. It’s probably has mad oversteer with all of those rear tires so it could be a fun drift machine.

This hardshell box keeps gadgets, keyfobs, pocket tools, and other small items safe from the elements. It’s impact-resistant, dustproof, crushproof, IP67 waterproof, and can float with up to 3 lb. of gear inside. A 3-step locking latch ensures contents stay dry and secure. It measures 8.4″ x 4.4″ x 2.3″ inside and 9.5″ x 5.8″ x 2.8″ outside.

There are plenty of headphones tuned for pop and dance music, but Heavys H1H wireless headphones are engineered for listening to heavy metal and rock music. Their big cans pack eight drivers for exceptional frequency response and “Hell Blocker” active noise cancellation. Dress them up with artist shells to celebrate your favorite musicians.

As we’ve learned before, shrimp can be fascinating creatures. Nature show host Ze Frank takes another look at these weird crustaceans to teach us about some unusual adaptations they have developed. From their jumble of gangly legs to their food-specific pincers to their camouflage abilities, each attribute helps them survive and thrive.

Creep out your friends and family with NECA’s life-size replica of the Model 3 Generative Android robot from the hit horror flick, M3GAN. The freaky figure measures 55 inches tall and is based on film-used digital files for accuracy. Her clothes are made from the same fabric used in the movie, and she has an articulated armature and movable eyes.

Volcanoes and the Northern Lights can be amazing to watch on their own. Associated Press shared this incredible footage of a volcano erupting in southwestern Iceland while the Aurora Borealis danced in the skies above. The contrast between the orange flames and the green and pink skies showcases the power and beauty of nature at the same time.

This modular shoe cabinet makes it easy to store, organize, and display all kinds of footwear. Setup is quick and easy – just unfold, let the shelves drop into place, and snap on the doors. It’s made from sturdy polypropylene, and each door has a magnetic catch. Choose from one-, two-, or three-column versions with 5 to 8 shelves.

Wallace has been living in a computer-generated dream world. But Morpheus snuck a red pill into his block of cheese, and the real world has been revealed. Can he and Gromit destroy The Matrix and wipe out its evil agents? AdventuresOfSly gives us another movie mashup we didn’t know we needed.

This modular walking stick packs several survival tools. Its screw-together sections include a harpoon/sickle, knife/scaler, saw/grabber, firestarter, and tungsten steel glass breaker. The body is machined from aerospace-grade aluminum, and the tools are forged from heat-treated steel. Add-on modules include a T-handle, flashlight, shovel, slingshot, and more.

The Instagram page for keta_valve has a strange assortment of industrial equipment and DIY animations of pandas. This video falls into the latter category, showing off a clever animation technique that uses an iPhone moving through a sequence of paper cutouts to create motion. Watching how it was made was just as entertaining as the finished animation.

This 15-in-1 multitool from Trixie & Milo looks like a T-Rex skull. The prehistoric pocket tool is made from 420 stainless steel and packs multiple hex-head wrenches, a bottle opener, a line cutter, a headphone wrap, and flat and Phillips head screwdrivers. A built-in carabiner clip lets you attach it to a belt loop or a backpack and has a lanyard hole too.

Out with a group and can’t decide who should pick up the tab? Matty Benedetto has another Unnecessary Invention for you! Just put all of your credit cards into this roulette wheel, give it a spin, and let it randomly choose who will get stuck with the bill. Now, we want a version that decides who gets to sit in the front seat of the car.

If we had to pick the silliest musical instrument, it would be a Jew’s harp or a slide whistle. After building a MIDI-controlled slide whistle, engineer mixtela upped the complexity by creating a slide whistle orchestrion. It combines four mechanical slide whistles to produce 4-part polyphonic sounds. The best way to describe it is a drunken calliope.

Created by writer and director SouthernShotty, this family-friendly animated short film tells the story of a girl born from a watermelon seed in the belly of a fallen King. But instead of following the same selfish path of her maker, she’s sent on a quest for a new home and a journey of self-discovery. (Thanks, Rob!)