Awesome Etc

We’ve seen some large and impressive LEGO structures, but the biggest ones are often held together with glue or have structural supports. The Corridor Crew wanted to know how high you could go with LEGO bricks without any cheats. After conducting real-world testing, they used 3D graphics and physics simulations to create the tallest tower possible.

In the early 2000s, big-budget movies took a turn away from camp and humor towards dark realism. Starting with Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “dark and gritty” became the go-to reboot strategy for studios. Pyramid Peak looks at the origins of this trend, its growth, and its demise as audiences tired of darkness and sought lighter escapism.

Julius von Bismarck and Benjamin Maus brought the fourth-dimensional concept of a tesseract to life with Round About Four Dimensions. Built from metal and polymers, the motorized sculpture folds endlessly in on itself. The work is on display at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Watch more footage on Creative Applications.

Inspired by vintage carbon arc lamps, YouTuber Turnah81 got the bright idea to make his own arc-based lighting unit. Well, he actually started by attempting to build a mythical “death ray.” After version 1.0 of the high-intensity light source, he took some advice from viewers to focus and optimize its beam using tiles he cut from a super-shiny first-surface mirror.

UK band Bloc Party stopped by the NPR Music offices for an intimate concert. Led by vocalist Kele Okereke, the UK alt-pop band kicks things off with their 2005 hit Banquet, followed by the tracks Signs, Mercury, and the uncharacteristically chill Blue. We couldn’t help giggle each time he called the venue “Tiny D.”

Made in Holland’s oldest distillery, the Nolet family’s fine gins date back over 330 years — and they still have new tricks up their sleeves. With its unique blend of botanicals — namely, rose, peach, and raspberry, three ingredients never before used in gin distillation — Nolet’s Silver Gin offers a distinctly smooth and versatile canvas for delicious summertime sips.

Long before HBO became HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, Max, and HBO Max again, the network used to open its shows with a flyover of a detailed cityscape and a 3D logo that looked like it was flying in space. This 1983 BTS video shows how Liberty Studios created the sequence using handmade models, a metal sculpture, and motion control. Who needs CGI?

From MTV to Pac-Man to the fall of the Berlin Wall, a lot happened in the 1980s. Weird History compiled all 10 of their 1980s Timeline videos into an epic four-hour retrospective. CDs, Rubik’s Cubes, The Terminator, The Golden Girls, Macintosh computers, WrestleMania, Transformers, and Cherry Garcia ice cream all debuted during this totally awesome decade.

If you love watching things get obliterated under extreme pressure, check out this video of the best hydraulic press metal crushes of 2025. This compilation features nuts, bolts, tow balls, and machine parts meeting their demise under a 150-ton and 300-ton press inside a bunker. It seems like the softer the metal, the more satisfying the squeeze.

From craving sugar to fear of the unknown to the need to control things, humans have some instincts that have followed us for thousands of years. This fascinating video from Trust Me Bro explores some of these primal urges that we may not need anymore, but continue to influence our behavior and emotions on a regular basis.

The most aerodynamic cars on the road generally have smooth, curved surfaces to minimize drag. But when you’re restricted to primitive shapes like cubes, pyramids, and spheres, which would move fastest through the air? Car Pal raced 10 weird karts using the BeamNG.drive physics simulation engine to see which performs the best. Place your bets.

If you’ve ever launched a remote controlled airplane by hand, you know it can be challenging to get it airborne. While there are catapult launchers on the market, Michael Rechtin wanted to see if he could engineer a launching mechanism to give planes an extra boost during take-off. His first design uses pneumatic power, while the second is driven by rocket motors.

Craving a burger? Satisfy your visual appetite with this impressive stop-motion animation by tomosteen. Using nothing but colorful LEGO bricks, he painstakingly assembled a juicy cheeseburger – with fries and a Coke. The smooth animation, detailed construction, and playful presentation make this plastic creation look (almost) good enough to eat.

TysyTube is an expert at restoring distressed objects. This time, they brought a 116-year-old roulette wheel back to life. After disassembling its hardware, they filled in the cracks in its wooden shell, sanded it, and stained it to achieve a shiny new finish. Then, they painstakingly polished its hardware and disassembled, sandblasted, and rebuilt its spinner.

TED-Ed’s Stephanie Honchell dives into the bizarre origin of Graham crackers, created in the 1800s by minister Sylvester Graham, to curb Americans’ sinful urges. Believing that bland, whole-grain foods could temper lust and promote moral purity, Graham and other reformers promoted a strict diet as a path to salvation. Animation by Anton Bogaty.

Jacob Adler’s award-winning short film, Total Pixel Space, uses generative AI to explore the nature of images and the vast combinations of pixels and colors that produce visuals. While the possibilities may seem infinite, the math says there is a limit to the number of unique arrangements, at least when it comes to digital images of a given resolution. (Thanks, Rob!)