Awesome Etc

Instead of buying flavored waters in aluminum cans and plastic bottles, Corn Next makes water more sustainable (and tastier) with flavored straws in orange, blueberry, strawberry, lemon, and lime. They’re made from a 100% biodegradable corn material that achieves a negative carbon footprint, naturally decomposing in around 30 days. 50 straws per box.

Industrial Light & Magic compositing supervisor Todd Vaziri sat down with Vanity Fair to uncover the hidden details tucked into visual effects. From Rogue One and Star Trek Into Darkness to Transformers, he reveals how invisible VFX can place actors into environments, fix timing and continuity issues, and alter reality in subtle ways you might never notice.

Current Concept didn’t have the budget to buy a real boat, so he went the DIY route instead. To create his homebrew boat, he headed to the local Dollar Tree store to load up on cheap supplies. Made primarily from plastic bins, broom handles, zip ties, and foam boards, will his low-budget vessel stay afloat, and can it propel itself? Hit play and find out.

Mike from List 25 explores the surprisingly fascinating world of maps. Many maps distort reality, due to the way they are rendered or for geopolitical reasons. From maps that stretch the truth to ones filled with odd historical quirks, this video uncovers 25 strange and obscure facts about cartography. And yes, the globe looks really weird when flipped upside-down.

LEGO builder Jamie’s Brick Jams built an overpowered LEGO bolt gun driven by a custom-built brushless motor and an 11-volt LiPo battery. The wild creation fires LEGO liftarm pieces and 3D-printed bolts at high speed using a pair of spinning tires. It’s not the most deadly weapon, though it can do damage at a short range.

Polka-dot, paisley, zig-zag, tartan, and camouflage are few popular patterns that have curious names and colorful backstories. In this video from Name Explain, host and language expert Patrick Foote explores the origins of these names and how they reflected the culture and trends of their times.

If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s, you’re missing out on a uniquely American phenomenon – a gas station and convenience store that has become a major tourist attraction. Reporter Phil Edwards delves into what makes the Texas-based chain special, and why its success may be unstoppable as it launches its massive travel centers in more states.

A parachute with a bunch of holes in it seems ludicrous, but engineers from Polytechnique Montréal developed a design that’s filled with them. Inspired by the Japanese paper art of kirigami, these parachutes start as a flat disc that springs open as it falls. The way that it falls keeps it on a straighter path than regular chutes, helping payloads land accurately.

After watching this earlier video, we thought concrete-reinforcing rebar was only made in straight sections, but apparently it’s sometimes shipped in coils. This fascinating factory video shows how a machine takes the bent metal and straightens it out before cutting. Watch the original video here, complete with a mellow jazz soundtrack.

This tiny keychain screwdriver from KeyUnity is great for quick fixes of small items. The light-duty mini tool is made from sturdy titanium alloy, is smaller than a key, and has a titanium alloy handle with a magnetic bit holder. This package includes Phillips and flathead bits. Note that it only accepts skinny 4mm bits and not the larger 1/4″ bits.

If you ask us, pizza and pasta taste even better the next day, especially straight from the fridge. Weird History Food explores the origins of leftovers, then dives into the fascinating science that explains why certain kinds of foods actually improve overnight, making them yummier than when they were first cooked and served.

Kurzgesagt already explained how the universe will probably end – with the last star dying and nothing left but an empty void. But it turns out there might be a workaround. The entertaining and educational channel explains what could keep life going in the darkness — though it would demand a society far more technologically advanced than ours.

There’s something about the sight of red-hot steel that gets our blood pumping. Satisfying Tech shared this video from the Iraeta Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. showing how the Chinese megafactory produces enormous, seamless steel rings by forging thick logs of metal, smushing them into a donut, then uses rollers to stretch them into their final form.

Get your laptop in just the right position with the KeebMonkey Laptop Stand. This sturdy stand holds laptops up to 15.6″ and offers angle and swivel adjustments that outdo simpler fixed-position stands. Made from carbon steel, it’s strong enough to support up to 22.1 lbs – though that would be one very heavy laptop.

This lightweight mug from GSI Outdoors is perfect for hiking and camping. It holds up to 17 oz. of liquid, has a spill-resistant lid, and sits inside of a cloth-wrapped neoprene sleeve with a velcro strap that serves as a handle and a hanging loop. It’s made from BPA-free polypropylene, and safe for hot or cold beverages.

Wealth inequality has grown astronomically in the past few decades. But just how big is the difference between a million and a billion bucks? Jordan Allen from Corridor Crew used his CGI talents to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. Seriously, how many billions does one person need when there are people working three jobs to put food on the table?