Posts Written by Paul Strauss

It might not be a muscle car, but the Dodge Hornet is more fun to drive than most compact crossovers. It has a zesty powertrain, dynamic handling, and a sporty interior with premium materials. We spent a week getting to know this fully loaded 2023 Hornet GT Plus model, though the 2024 model is identical.

Do you like music and math? Then you’ll dig polyrhythms. JLChnToZ (Vistanz) created this captivating video that displays a representation of these complex and often hypnotic sounds in concentric circles. For maximum effect, put the video on full screen, dim the lights, and crank up the volume.

Nico Fischer is an amazingly skilled parkour athlete. This clip shows Nico bouncing between two walls with such command that he looks like he’s defying gravity at times. He couldn’t decide if the moves were more Spider-Man or Prince of Persia, so his pal Aziz came up with a more appropriate superhero name, “Elevator-Man.” More wall-climbing antics here.

These modern folding pliers adhere to Windeler’s minimalistic aesthetic. They measure just 4.13″ long when folded, so they’re pocket-friendly. They’re made from stainless steel and anodized aluminum, and their full-size plier jaws feature a wire cutter. Windeler also integrated their Polnetik magnetic connector to attach modular tool blades.

Bungee cords are handy for tying things down, but their open hooks can come loose easily, especially without enough tension. Nite Ize’s smart HookLock bungees have locking hooks, ensuring secure and reliable attachment at both ends. Available in color-coded 24″, 36″, and 48″ lengths.

Speedbag Bard has a unique talent – he can punch a speed bag in time with music. Here, he shows off his bag skills with a rhythmic performance of the hit Gorillaz track Feel Good Inc. His YouTube channel is packed with other speed bag covers, includingPost Malone & Swae Lee’s Sunflower, and Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, and Sisqo’s Thong Song.

E-paper, or E-ink displays, use tiny color-changing capsules to display high-contrast, daylight-readable images with a minimum of electricity. David Zhang shows off a neat use for an E-paper screen—an always-on desktop display with widgets for the time, date, weather, and device status of his computer. It’s not for sale, but David did share source code.

This backpack from Coalax is ideal for photographers who need to carry a lot of gear. Its exoskeleton design allows for modules to be attached and detached, including an optional 335Wh power pack. Its main compartment has dividers for cameras and lenses, and outside, you’ll find an extendable and adjustable selfie stick for hands-free shooting or lighting.

Damascus steel is made by pressing layers of forged metal together. HANS shows how he made a gorgeous dagger using thousands of steel bearing balls. The resulting metal pattern is something he calls Dragon Skin. After making the blade, he fabricated a brass crossguard and a wooden handle. It’s based on a design by Neels Van Den Berg of Black Dragon Forge.

From Batman to Beetlejuice to Birdman, Michael Keaton is a man of many personas. Keaton sat down for an interview with GQ to talk about some of his most iconic characters, their sources of inspiration, and how he got inside their heads. For some roles, the costume and makeup provided enough of a hook, while others required him to dig much deeper.

This bargain-priced gadget packs more than ten tools. Its carabiner-style clip attaches easily to your belt loop or backpack, and its fold-out blades include Phillips, Torx, hex, and flat-blade screwdrivers, a SIM card tool, and a small knife for opening boxes. It also has a bottle opener and a fold-out phone stand. Made from stainless steel.

Jared Owen presents another fascinating animation of a complex machine—or, in this case, multiple machines working together. In this video, he walks us through the automated donut factory, which you can find at many Krispy Kreme locations. These machines can crank out up to 3000 donuts per hour. Our favorite part is the glaze waterfall.

Science expert Joe Myheck shows how he made a unique crown fit for a mermaid queen by pouring a crucible filled with molten metal into a vat of water-absorbing Orbeez gel beads. The metal he used is called Nordic gold – a colorful alloy composed of copper, aluminum, zinc, and tin.

Valtcan’s keychain storage canister is longer than most, so it can store toothpicks, rolled up dollar bills, pills, or even a AAA battery inside. It’s made entirely from titanium, and has a waterproof O-ring seal. Measures 3″ x 0.6″ outside, and holds items up to 2.5″ x 0.45″ inside.

Flasutie shows off an insane toy gun that looks and works like an oversized revolver. It fires plastic projectiles using a high-voltage igniter and oxyhydrogen (HHO) gas as a propellant. Before building the main weapon, he made a single-barrel unit to test its firing system. Despite the TPU bullets being relatively soft, they could still leave a mark on unprotected skin.

This elegantly designed hand tool from Phil & Robbie elevates the multi-bit screwdriver to new heights. It features a locking chuck for 1/4″ hex bits and a knurled brass collar. Its faceted, non-conductive handle hides an internal container for six bits. The kit comes with a set of long, double-ended steel bits and a special bit that works as a pen.

North of the Border just won’t stop making things creepier than they should be. Adam’s latest nightmare fuel is an oversized clay and wire scorpion with human features like nipples, chest hair, fingernails, feet, and flesh-colored skin. Goopy black eyeballs, Tighty-whities, and mouth-arms bring it all together.

Oldboy director Park Chan-wook teamed up with Robert Downey Jr. for this limited-run series about a spy who was planted in the South Vietnam army and later moved to the U.S., where he secretly reported back to the Viet Cong. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, it Stars Hoa Xuande as The Captain and premieres 4.14.24 on Max.

To create this pleasantly hypnotic sequence of sounds, musician Jeremie Carter played 15 different notes on a marimba. He performed each note repeatedly at a rate of 0.2 bpm faster or slower than its neighbor, then edited them side-by-side. He says every time you hear a bell ring, a subdivision has been reached, progressing from quarter notes to various tuplets.

A group of talented kids celebrated their friend’s birthday with a kick-ass performance of the Nine Inch Nails track Wish. The music video serves as a fundraiser for the O’Keefe Music Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps offer free music lessons and music camps to young musicians. Crank up the volume to 11 for this one. (Thanks, Myriam!)

This electromechanical plaything from Nikola Toy automatically steadies itself and balances on its point. Its curved Reuleaux triangle shape allows it to teeter while sensors, circuitry, and a spinning wheel help hold its position. It also has built-in RGB LED lighting.

veridiz vz•tv put together a full-length recreation of Pink Floyd’s classic album Dark Side of the Moon using 8-bit synthesizer sounds. After a very monotonous start with Speak to Me, things kick into gear by the time they hit On the Run and Money. veridiz has also made chiptune covers of Another Brick in the Wall, Echoes, and The Final Cut.

This special material uses a precision-engineered lens array to bend light around you, making it look like you vanished into thin air. Crouch down behind the full-size Invisibility Shield 2.0 or cloak your entire body with the 6-foot-tall MEGASHIELD. Both roll up for easy transport, and the shield is also available in a 12″ by 7.9″ Mini size for $69.