Awesome Etc

Waterskiing usually takes place on a lake or maybe a river. But Canadian outdoor adventure channel BCmtb shared this POV footage of a waterskier taking a wild ride down a narrow drainage canal. Without the room to carve or do a pizza maneuver, the only way he’s stopping is at the end of the ride.

Ralph Giese has an amazing whistling ability. His facial expressions might be weird as he whistles, but man, can he carry a tune. His performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird is truly out of this world. Who needs a guitar solo, when you’ve got Ralph and his mouth? Clearly, he’s been doing this for a while.

From creepy cryptids to killer kids to murderers hiding in mirrors, there are plenty of myths that people still believe. List 25 catalogs a whole bunch of these urban (and rural) legends that have their origins in both reality and total fiction. How many of these have you heard of before?

We’ve seen how incandescent bulbs are made. Now see how modern, LED ones are produced. All Process of China goes inside a factory that cranks out these energy-efficient bulbs. They start by forming plastic around a metal body and molding light covers. They then make circuit boards for the LEDs and assemble them to create the long-lasting bulbs.

The Star Wars movies have shown the Death Star in various stages of construction, but we’ve never seen the in-between steps as it came together. Star Wars: Tales Untold used Kling AI to imagine time-lapse footage of the Empire’s killer space station from the assembly of the flawed thermal exhaust port at its center through the completion of its Alderaan-annihilating superlaser.

Aerospace company SpinLaunch created the Orbital Accelerator, a system that launches payloads into space by spinning rockets at nearly 5000 mph and hurling them skyward. Engineer Michael Rechtin built a miniature version of the system for launching model rockets. Like the full-size system, the big challenge is how to stop the rocket from tumbling end-over-end.

When you want to cover the end of a metal pipe, you typically attach a cap and solder it in place. This brief factory video shows how a machine closes the end of a copper pipe by tapering and flattening the metal in one smooth motion. Enjoyed that? We found many more satisfying videos from the same Chinese metal fabrication shop on Instagram.

Ever since watching Sleeper, we’ve wanted a robot butler. In this video from Figure, they show how the Helix AI model unifies awareness, language comprehension, and coordination by asking it it fold some towels. The Figure robot can also perform tasks like setting a table or sorting packages – though the latter seems better suited to conveyor systems.

Spiders are feared by many due to their venomous potential and their creepy looks. But how do these arachnids stack up in the animal kingdom? TierZoo has the answers, with an in-depth look at spiders’ unique attributes, with a focus on their web-spinning skills. Spider webs help spiders move between locations, catch prey, evade enemies, and provide shelter.

In the 1990s, NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) teamed up to conduct an unusual series of experiments. The Tethered Satellite System (TSS) planned to launch a 20 km (12.5 mi) long wire and satellite into space in an effort to harness magnetic energy. Dumb Doggo digs into this strange, but flawed idea.

This folding pocket tool provides 10 useful functions in a compact package. Its stainless steel scissor blades fold into its body for safety, and it packs a mini pair of pliers, Phillips and flat-blade screwdrivers, a file, a knife, a bottle opener, and a SIM card extractor. It also has an integrated steel loop, so you can hang it from your keychain.

This extravagant chess set features design and craftsmanship inspired by Rolls-Royce motor cars. The board is handmade from obsidian tulip and blackwood veneers arranged at a 45º angle. Its minimal, ceramic-coated pieces are magnetic and pack away in a hidden compartment that rises from beneath its board. Available in four finishes and 13 leather colors.

When we first laid eyes on this thing, we thought it was some sort of beer pong set. It’s actually a vintage tinplate toy that shoots a ball into buckets using a pinball-style plunger. Old Things Never Die applied their expert restoration skills to this plaything, removing decades of rust and bringing it back to its original condition, complete with colorful cups.

Like many of you, we assumed that if a bottle says it contains honey, it was made entirely from honey. Apparently, some companies have been cutting their honey with ingredients like sugar or high fructose corn syrup to increase yields and cut their costs. PBS series Reactions used chemistry to help identify if any honey they bought was adulterated.

Did you know you can flip the child-proof lid on pill bottles to make them adult-friendly? Or that some mattresses have a cool side and a warm side? Mike from List 25 offers real-life cheat codes for sneakers, staplers, truck beds, and other everyday items with lesser-known features. That trick to silence your microwave really comes in handy.

Sit back and relax with Taschen’s 1000 Chairs. This compendium is a must-have for anyone interested in modern design. The 664-page art book is packed with photos, historical information, and creator biographies about iconic chairs by Mackintosh, Eames, Ponti, and many other design greats. Expect designs from the 1800s through the early 21st century.