Awesome Leisure

If you’ve ever set up a hammock, you know it can be a pain. But Republic of Durable Goods‘ freestanding hammock sets up as easily as a folding camp chair. It’s got built-in pads for your head and feet, a folding sunshade, and a basket with drink pockets. It weighs just 14.5 lb. and can hold a person up to 250 lb. and 6’4″ tall.

Hedron Rockworks handmakes dice from gemstones. In this video, he transformed a hunk of amethyst into a stunning purple D20. He started by scanning a 3D model of the stone to identify the best orientation, carefully cut and polished its facets, then sandblasted its numerals. Those frosted edges and star facets are gorgeous.

To celebrate the release of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, musician and producer Jared Halley performed a wonderful a cappella version of Redbone’s 1973 hit Come and Get Your Love. Jared’s multi-layered approach gives added depth to an already great song.

The Stash lets you carry a functional stove in your backpack, while only adding 7.1 oz. to your pack weight. Its made from lightweight titanium and is perfect for quickly boiling water for coffee, tea, or cooking freeze-dried meals. It runs on propane and features FluxRing tech, which boils 2 cups of water in just 2.5 minutes.

In LEGO terminology, “GBC” stands for Great Ball Contraption, and Berthil van Beek is an expert at building these complex LEGO machines which connect to other GBC modules. His latest build is an enormous Ferris wheel that picks up tiny basketballs and soccer balls, takes them on a trip, and delivers them to the next station’s inbox.

An electric guitar sends vibrations to an external, electrically-powered amplifier. Instrument hacker Mattias Krantz thought it would be a good idea to build one that runs on gasoline instead. Rather than install the tiny 4-stroke engine into the amp cabinet, he built the rig into the guitar itself, which looks so much cooler.

Shanghai, China firm 100 Architects designed this vibrant outdoor space inspired by hot lava. Instead of drab concrete, it’s been decorated in brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. The park includes lots of play areas, including an obstacle course, see-saw, and merry-go-round, along with a jogging path for adults.

UK artists Two Brass Monkeys make wonderfully challenging sculptural puzzles from brass and stainless steel. Among their tricky designs are the spherical Gob Stopper, the hexagonal Joy of Hex, and log-shaped Pygmy and Marmoset. Each one will flex your brain as you attempt to separate and put together their geometry.

Robyn Adele Anderson and her bandmates knocked it out of the park with this vintage Broadway-style performance of the My Chemical Romance hit Welcome to the Black Parade. That’s Demi Remick clacking her feet and proving what pop-punk always needed was more tap dancing.

System of a Down is known for its ferocious guitar shredding and staccato vocals. Musician Andre Antunes replicated their guitar sounds and melded them with the similarly rapid-fire vocals of Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi and his energetic 1998 Indi-pop track Tunak Tunak Tun. We’ve struck internet gold, baby.

The Gran Turismo franchise hits the big screen with a true story about a gamer who got so good at the racing sim that he became a pro race car driver. Director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) brings his VFX prowess along with stars David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, and Djimon Hounsou. In theaters 8.2023.

There have been lots of memorable battles in the Star Wars universe. To celebrate his love for these action sequences, Boylei Hobby Time created a diorama with a trio of tiny battle scenes. He used miniatures from Star Wars Legion to recreate moments from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

If there’s one thing we’ve struggled with in life, it’s having a voracious sweet tooth. So we were ready to run out the bakery by the end of this delicious supercut by Little White Lies featuring movie moments where people were chowing down on cakes, pies, pastries. Also, where’s The Great Pie Fight from Blazing Saddles?

Charles River Woodwork creates delightful handcrafted home decor. This 25″ x 25″ table has a built-in Scrabble board. Its recessed board has cutouts to hold tiles in place and is surrounded by letter racks for four players. A removable glass top lets you pause and resume games. We also dig their backgammon, chess, and puzzle tables.

James from Project Air likes to make things that go fast. Recently, he produced a series of experimental builds to see which method of propulsion would make the fastest possible LEGO vehicle. Which will hit the top speed? Multiple LEGO motors, rocket engines, or a brushless motor from an R/C sports car?

This palm-sized remote-controlled car is designed for competition-level racing. The tiny SUV has an independent suspension, proportional steering, working lights, and an optional roof-mounted camera for a first-person perspective. It runs for up to 60 minutes per charge without the camera, and 30 minutes with it running.

This 208-page reference book is packed with tips and tricks you can use to build your DIY abilities. You’ll pick up skills like building your own metal forge, working with glass, wiring basic circuits, screenprinting, and more. It’s also got a section on organizing your workshop for efficiency.

Warm weather is here, and there’s no better time to explore the country. Family camping and RV experts Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi explore more than 300 of America’s best camping and glamping spots in and around national parks, monuments, and seashores. A must-have on any traveler’s bookshelf.

GazR’s Extreme Brick Machines modified a LEGO treadmill they built and turned it into an extreme obstacle course for a remote-controlled tank. The treadmill is powered by four Powered Up L motors and includes a variety of hills, rollers, ramps, speed bumps, a turntable, and a spinning gate for the tank to navigate.

This action-packed Korean sci-fi series envisions a future where only 1% of the population survives catastrophic climate change. While a handful of elites live underground, those on the dusty and dystopian surface rely on deliverymen to bring them critical supplies and fight off raiders. Coming to Netflix 5.12.2023.

Colin Furze was asked by the makers of Warframe to build a machine that could let him jump and fly like the characters in the game. So he got to work doing what any mad inventor would and built a massive gimbal that uses hydraulics and a counterweight to let him bounce around like he’s in a low-gravity environment.

Whether you played with Slinkies, Silly Putty, or Sea Monkeys when you were a kid, you’ll find some wonderful nostalgia in Steven Heller and Jim Heimann’s catalog of American toy advertising. The 528-page book features hundreds of vintage ads that sold dreams to kids and often served as a reflection of their time.

Writer/director Taika Waititi takes a break from big-budget superhero movies with a return to indie form. Next Goal Wins is a lighthearted underdog comedy about a coach (Michael Fassbender) who reluctantly relocates to American Samoa to help fix the world’s worst international soccer team.