Awesome Etc

xkcd’s What If? answers another wild hypothetical question – basically, what might happen if you put a portal at the bottom of the deepest point in the ocean and let the water run down the drain? Because of the physics at play, it might take a long time before anyone noticed, but eventually you could ride your bike from the U.S. to New Zealand.

Disney Imagineering has already built replica lightsabers that retract like the ones in Star Wars, but they probably cost a million bucks to develop. On the other hand, YouTube channel HeroTech built a version with a much more down-to-earth budget that can be built at home. The trick is the coiled sheet metal from one of those magician’s canes that springs to life.

The Muppets all have distinct voices to go with their characters, but what would they sound like if they were played by famous celebrities instead? Vocal impressionist Cameron Logsdon imagines just that, casting Owen Wilson as Kermit, Jennifer Coolidge as Miss Piggy, and Jeff Goldblum as Beaker, among others.

Previously, Mattias Krantz built a series of unusual compound guitar picks. In this video, the musician and maker ramps things up. After experimenting with a few smaller multi-picks, he built a spinning rig on a fishing reel, then engineered a set of rings that spins 1000 picks in a circle beneath the guitar strings.

These flip-flops from Aussie footwear maker Gumbies are perfect for long walks on the beach and hikes from the beach back to the resort. They feature a comfy, contoured footbed covered with soft cotton canvas and a grippy tread made from recycled rubber and reinforced with jute fibers. They are available in men’s and women’s sizes.

The idea of a tank that hops around on one leg seems like something a little kid might come up with. But as Found and Explained shows us, the hopping tank was a concept designed by an actual engineer. This unusual military vehicle was shaped like a giant pill, could pogo in any direction, and had six turrets. While it was never produced, the design was patented.

Usually, when you want to throw a pot, you put clay on a potter’s wheel that sits parallel to the ground. Ceramicist Ilya Kalashnikov decided to see what would happen if you turned the potter’s wheel on its side and attempted to create a vase from clay stuck to a spinning car wheel. It starts better than we thought it would, but gravity always wins.

Real Engineering traces the interesting origin of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first functional stealth aircraft. Ironically, its iconic diamond shape and faceted design came from a Soviet mathematician’s paper. But the engineers at Lockheed also did their part, coming up with more unorthodox solutions for the unusual plane’s radar-defying needs.

The movie Sausage Party was hilariously sick and twisted. Now Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Ed Norton, Michael Cera, and their edible pals are back with an 8-episode series about what happens to our anthropomorphic food friends when they leave the grocery store and head out into the real world – coming to Amazon Prime Video 7.11.24.

Dani Clode specializes in the design and development of prosthetics and robotic augmentation. As part of her work with the Plasticity Lab and UCL, she created an extra digit that almost anyone can control, providing a new way to grip and interact with objects. Her third thumb project also included an analysis of how the brain adapts to having extra body parts.

We’ve yet to see the fourth installment in the Bad Boys franchise, but the early buzz is that it’s another great action flick. This brief behind-the-scenes clip shows how Will Smith wielded a special camera rig to capture a visual that flips between a reverse perspective and a first-person view during a gunfight. We wonder if Will gets a camera operator credit.

While we’r concerned about the sanitation practices in this food factory, it’s still entertaining to see how they make ice cream cones. The process isn’t as sophisticated as automated production lines, but it is satisfying to watch the machines they use to make dozens of cones at a time. We especially enjoyed the sound of the cones sizzling as they’re cooked

It’s not something anyone wants to think about, but someday humans may go extinct. xkcd’s What If? contemplates how long it would take before the last artificial source of light went out if no humans were around to tend to electrical systems or replace light bulbs. While some power sources would stop quickly, others could keep running for years.

There’s no question that opossums are strange-looking critters. But it’s not just their appearance that’s weird. Nature show host Ze Frank educates us on these marsupials’ most remarkable attributes, including their strange body parts, unusual reproductive process, and ability to freeze and play dead to evade predators.

Not that anyone was asking, but the Waterjet Channel just answered the question of whether you can make a transparent circular saw blade that can cut wood. After trying to cut a blade from glass, they moved on to versions made from plastic wrap, laminated glass, and Lexan. Needless to say, there’s a reason they make saw blades from steel.

This pocket tool from Gerber packs seven useful functions. At its heart is a plain-edge blade with a frame lock mechanism, but it also packs spring-loaded scissors, a bottle opener, a serrated saw blade, a package opener, and a pry bar. It also has a small hammer head for pushing in brads or other small nails. Choose from Burnt Orange, Onyx, or Green.