When does skateboarding not require a skateboard? When you use the wheels from the bottom of your office chair instead. Inline skating expert Ilia Savosin shows us how its done by strapping a pair of five-wheel chair bases to his feet and hitting the skate park. We wonder how much smoother they would roll on these casters.
Muppets fans will recognize these Super7 action figures as the members of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. The Muppets ReAction Wave 1 set includes 3.75″ Kenner-style figures of the band’s leader, Janice, Floyd, Zoot, Animal, and road manager, Scooter. They’re also available individually, but why would you break up the band?
We’ve heard Radiohead’s In Rainbows played with the sounds of Super Mario 64. Now enjoy another classic alternative album played in Nintendo style. Something is Real put together this epic remake of Nirvana’s Nevermind using the 64-bit game console’s sounds. The chiptune version of In Bloom is something special.
We’ve seen an airplane land on a ridiculously short runway before, but never like this. Red Bull Poland stunt pilot Lukasz Czepiela landed his lightweight, single-engine plane on a 93-foot-long helipad atop the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, a 56-story-tall hotel in Dubai. Then he took back off.
Mondo Books and authors Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali offer up a fantastic retrospective of 1970s kung fu movies. This encyclopedic 432-page book recounts the history of these martial arts classics, accompanied by hundreds of movie posters, ads, and archival images. A must-own for any serious martial arts buff.
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide. Leo Morachiolli didn’t start the fire, but he did an impressive job covering Billy Joel’s wordy 1989 hit, adding fuel to the inferno with his hard-edged guitar and gravelly vocals. If you’re waiting for Joel to update the song for the 21st century, don’t hold your breath.
Freestyle mountain bike rider Sam Pilgrim got his hands on an old-timey penny-farthing bike with a huge 32″ front wheel. But instead of riding it over to the neighborhood thrift store, he hit a sketchy downhill trail and a BMX track on the two-wheeler. That fixed hub for pedaling looks like quite the workout.
This smartly designed portable grill is great for cooking over an open fire. Its stand lets you adjust the height of its grill grate from 6″ to 42″ above the flame, and it comes with an attachment for holding a killer or dutch oven over a fire too. Its base comes with stakes to anchor it securely to the ground. Assembles easily without tools.
Following up on the now-retired LEGO Technic Defender, LEGO and Land Rover have revealed a model based on the classic 2-door, 1983 Defender. The 2336-piece kit features a working suspension, winch, and steering and comes with a fire extinguisher, jerry cans, a toolbox, mudguards, and more. Coming 4.3.23.
Musician Joel James has a unique talent – he’s able to perform songs backward so they sound like the original when played back in reverse. It’s a simple concept, executed brilliantly by Joel. See if you can guess these songs before he hits rewind.
During their visit to the BBC’s Radio 2 Piano Room, U2’s Bono and The Edge were joined by an orchestra for this toned-down cover of the ABBA track SOS. They also turned in an excellent orchestral version of their hit track Vertigo. Also, this isn’t the first time U2 performed an ABBA song.
Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton star in this lighthearted dramatization of the rise and fall of Research in Motion, the company that created the Blackberry. What started as a pager on steroids became a worldwide phenomenon – then the business collapsed in a similarly spectacular fashion. In theaters 5.12.23.
(PG-13: Gore) As crime in Detroit reaches a new high, you are the solution – at least Omni Consumer Products thinks so. OG RoboCop Peter Weller returns to voice the man-machine hybrid in this FPS splatter-fest with a hint of detective work. Coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 9.2023.
Now that he’s schooled us on the history of heavy metal music, guitarist Andrea Boma Boccarusso is back with a medley of iconic rock riffs from 1965 to 2022. Crank up the volume to 11 on your headphones and see how many you can guess without looking.
Celebrate your love for Spielberg and Lucas’ classic collab with this official LEGO Indiana Jones set. Inspired by the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the 1545-piece Temple of the Golden Idol kit includes a rolling boulder, vines to swing from, four Minifigs, and a light-up brick to shine upon the idol. Drops 4.1.2023.
Bicycles and rollerblades work in similar ways, maintaining balance on skinny inline wheels. With that in mind, Jake Carlini ripped the handlebars and other parts off of two bicycles, then installed a bar and snowboard bindings to hold his feet in place. After several major revisions, he came up with a design that sort of works.
St. Patrick’s Day is one holiday when people usually don’t show much restraint when it comes to imbibing, so the concept of the World’s Smallest Irish Coffee is a fun novelty… and an authentic one at that, when made for a crowd with triple-distilled Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey.
The KISS song I Was Made for Lovin’ You offered a deliciously fun blend of rock and disco music. Now the 1979 track has a whole new sound courtesy of Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Effie Passero. Scott Bradlee’s deft arrangement of the song is equal parts cabaret act and Ennio Morricone western soundtrack.
(PG-13: Language) Creative writing requires persistence and a willingness to accept failure far more than success. J. Marcelo Borromeo of 101 Things I Learned About Fiction from Film created this video essay on the challenges and rewards of writing, told using footage from the films of Wes Anderson. (Thanks, Rob!)
Making waffle cones at home is pretty darned easy. But when you need to churn out millions of these tasty treats every month, you need some serious industrial equipment. In this classic video from How It’s Made, they show us just how factories mass-produce waffle, sugar, and cake cones.
This sweet flat-pack wood model kit from Robotime looks like a fat-cat cruiser motorcycle. The 420-piece, 10.6″ long wooden motorcycle features a working front suspension, steering, wheels that spin, and a spring-wound drive mechanism. Expect a build time of around 4 to 5 hours.
Paul Blair is an expert at precision driving. In this video from a few years back, he showed off his skills behind the wheel of a 1600cc Vauxhall-powered MK Striker kit car. This particular event is known as “Autotest,” which combines elements of autocross and gymkhana, along with drifting around obstacles in reverse.
Pianos have been an important part of the musical landscape for hundreds of years. To celebrate this popular instrument, musician David Bennett put together this excellent 17-minute chronological medley of some of the most melodic piano intros ever. See how many you can name with your eyes closed. No peeking.
