Awesome Etc

We’ve broken our share of metal drill bits, so the idea of making one out of paper seems ludicrous. Mr. Hacker shows how a densely packed cone of paper can be used to drill through various materials. It’s definitely clumsy and inefficient, but we’re impressed it held up as well as it did.

“Who should pay on a date? This depends on if you made a YouTube video that month or not.” Casually Explained offers up some of his typically sage advice on dating. In addition to some of the things you definitely shouldn’t do when you meet someone new, he’s actually got some good pointers on avoiding awkwardness.

Budapest-based clock maker Ardeola created this clever wall clock that tells the time using a spiral. Each of its birch plywood sections covers a 210º arc with a red hour marker evenly spaced along the spiral. Check out the Ardeola Amazon store for more unique clock designs. Measures 11.5″ in diameter.

These days, we can watch TV shows on our phones, tablets, and laptops. While the first mechanical television was invented in the late 1800s, it didn’t become usable until the early 20th century, eventually giving way to CRT, Plasma, LCD, and OLED tech. Captain Gizmo offers a brief history lesson on this transformative visual medium.

Next time you get a cut and slap a bandage on it, remember this factory video in appreciation of all the engineering and operational complexity that goes into producing that little thing you stuck on your skin. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching all of those roller machines running.

Spigen’s keyfob gives your Apple AirTag tracker a handsome and substantive place for keeping track of your keys. It features a zinc alloy clip that doubles as a bottle opener, a webbed nylon strap, and a sleek AirTag holder with matte black and faux carbon fiber accents. If you prefer real carbon fiber, check out Nimalist’s case.

When we want a smoothie, we just stick the ingredients in a blender and push a button. But when you’re a show-off like this guy, you do it with a bit more flair. We watched in awe as this unidentified smoothie expert deftly filled cup after cup without spilling a drop.

Orbitkey’s carabiner-style keychain has one big differentiator – it’s easy to grab your keys without fumbling with the clip. Its magnetic quick-release system lets you quickly detach just the keyring, then snap it right back into place when not in use. It comes in matte silver or black finishes.

Back in the 19th century in Wales, one of the common ways of celebrating was with something called a rock cannon. Tom Scott reminisces about these forgotten gunpowder displays and works with a professional pyrotechnician to reproduce their explosive effect.

Drones can produce some outstanding video footage, but they also are restricted in many areas and require flying skills to get the most out of them. Learn Online Video shares some tips and tricks on ways to simulate the smooth flying look of drone videos using an extendable tripod and various stabilization technologies.

While walking through the woods, the ActionAdventureTwins came across a pipe in the middle of the ground with no idea of where it led to. So they attached a GoPro and a light down into it to see where it might end. The camera reached the end of their 125-foot tether and emerged into what may have been an abandoned mine.

When space junk falls towards Earth, it’s supposed to burn up in the atmosphere. This video from the ESA simulates the conditions of re-entry on a satellite’s solar array plasma wind tunnel. Satellite operators are required to minimize the risk of casualties from falling debris, and this kind of testing can help reduce such risks.

Apparently, the guys from How Ridiculous have gotten bored with dropping stuff off of a tower. They recently expanded their destructive repertoire by tossing stuff into the air from an airbag, and now they’re smacking stuff with a giant golf club on the front of a truck. The Phantom slow-mo footage really adds to the experience.

It’s been a while since we checked in on PhotonicInduction’s dangerous and destructive electrical experiments. With 1000 amps running through the blade of a kitchen knife, it glows a brilliant reddish-orange and can surely slice through much more than a stick of butter. But how long until the knife itself fails?

Here’s a fun alternative to traditional puzzle books. This two-volume book series is filled with challenging riddles that will exercise your grey matter. They’re enjoyable to solve on your own, but can be even more fun to figure out with friends. Grab the Kindle 3-pack and get Riddles for Smart Families too.

Nintendo has yet to announce the title of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but they are here to tease us with a bit of footage. See Link take to the skies, face off against a giant beast, and witness gorgeous vistas as far as the eye can see. Coming to Switch in 2022.

This pack of glow-in-the-dark markers will help you keep track of tent pegs, ropes, and other parts of your campsite in the dark. They glow for up to 12 hours on a daylight charge, and the set includes round markers, straight markers, and markers that can hang from zipper pulls. Find more glowing goodies in the GLO-X store.

We never thought that sitcoms needed laugh tracks, but apparently, some TV executives think audiences need to be told when to laugh. In this video from the 1980s, we get a look at a unique piece of equipment that used 10 tape players to add various kinds of laughter, with audio engineer Carroll Pratt at the controls.

The latest in EA and DICE’s popular FPS series will offer massive online battles with up to 128 players. In this pre-alpha footage revealed during E3 2021, you’ll witness epic ground-to-air and air-to-air combat, ziplining between buildings, and the destructive force of a massive sand tornado.

We can think of few nastier pests than ticks. They spread disease, make you and your pets itch like mad, are difficult to remove, and are completely gross looking under a magnifying lens. Naturally, Zefrank thought they’d be a good subject for their tongue-in-cheek nature show. We’re itchy just from watching this.

This three-piece kit slides together to form a compact fire pit and grill for backyard cookouts. It’s made from stainless steel and comes with Velcro-padded handles and a pair of leather gloves so you can transfer the unit even when it’s hot. Save an extra 20% through 6.20.21 with code WELOVEDAD.

The guys from How Ridiculous love to drop stuff from a height to see what happens to when it hits the bottom. But instead of just smashing things this time, they placed objects on one side of an airbag, then dropped weights onto the other side to see how high they could launch things.

Artist Tsvetelina Mihaylova aka PXLprincess makes these 3.5″ floppy coasters entirely from fused Perler beads, and they look awesome. They come in a rainbow of colors, so buy them all and pretend you need to install Windows 95. She also makes coasters that look like tiny vinyl records.