Awesome Leisure

If you can believe it, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the first theatrically-released animated movie to feature one of the Avengers. It was a huge gamble to create it like a live-action comic book, but that creative decision paid off. Danny Boyd from CinemaStix offers his take on why it worked so brilliantly.

This stainless steel card is the ultimate cheat sheet for guitar players. One side of the pocket card features 42 common chords and their finger placements, while the other side has a fretboard diagram, chord charts for minor and major keys, and a circle of 5ths. The card comes with a matching leather card sleeve.

Formula 1 drivers are used to zooming around race tracks at speeds over 200mph – but that’s in forward gear. In this video from Red Bull Racing, F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda challenged each other in a race where they had to stay in reverse the whole time while navigating obstacles.

Learn to defeat chess opponents with this 56-hour bundle of classes taught by chess Grandmaster Damian Lemos. Along the way, you’ll pick up advanced strategies, the secrets of attacking, and tactics for middlegame and endgame positions. Save 75% in The Awesomer Shop.

The Offspring’s Come Out and Play is one of the best-known pop-punk tracks of the 1990s. We had no idea it would work so well as a Klezmer band tune. That’s Robyn Adele Anderson on lead vocals, Matt Dallow on Accordion, Tom Jorgensen on Drums, Georgia Weber on Bass, Ben Golder-Novick on Clarinet, and Tiffany Weiss on Violin.

A slick and futuristic desk for gamers or any computer setup. Its triple-decker design provides room for dual or ultra-wide monitors, a keyboard, mouse, controllers, headphones, and more. It has built-in cable management, a front-facing USB hub, and RGB LED accent lighting. They also sell a matching gaming chair.

Guitarist Marcin Patrzalek is back with another fantastic acoustic performance. His arrangement of Für Elise might not be the most traditional take on the familiar tune, but it’s the most dynamic and vibrant version of the Beethoven classic that we’ve ever heard.

This 1/10th-scale statue was inspired by the Spider-Man Pointing at Spider-Man meme. The 8.2″ tall scene features Spidey in his cartoon red and blue costume pointing his figure at whatever you want, along with a miniature shipping crate. You’ll need to buy two or more to replicate the meme, so that could get expensive.

Artist Ross McSweeney specializes in mechanical sculptures called automata. Among his creations is this kinetic plaything that uses gears and crankshafts to make concentric circles of wood look like pond ripples. If you have access to a laser cutter, you can purchase the template files to make your own on Etsy.

Ghost Design’s stainless steel plaything can spin for up to 12 minutes, thanks to its low-friction ceramic ball bearings. Its gyroscopic action is self-balancing, and can it can spin in an inverted position as well. Available in brushed, mirror, or black-coated finishes, with optional desk stand and carrying case add-ons.

Heavy metal musician Leo Moracchioli busts out the banjo and euphonium for this oompah-rock cover version of Mungo Jerry’s classic skiffle track In the Summertime. The only thing Leo neglected to do was grow out some epic sideburns like Mungo lead singer Ray Dorset wore.

After a soldier loses his youngest brother in an apparent police altercation, he returns home to help bring justice to the fallen. But things quickly escalate as the community wants revenge. Director Romain Gavras’ immersive Athena drops us smack-dab into the middle of a tense and chaotic scene. Coming to Netflix 9.23.2022.

Author and audiophile Gideon Schwartz follows up the excellent Hi-Fi with a visual history of turntables and vinyl recordings. The 264-page hardcover includes hundreds of images of turntables, their stories, and the rise, fall, and rebirth of the medium.

The action RPG Black Myth: Wukong is looking even better than it’s first gameplay video. The environmental effects are truly impressive, but it’s the fighting and enemy design that has us really excited for this game, inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Initially released in 1934 by author Edward Powys Mathers, the book Cain’s Jawbone is a fiendishly difficult mystery for puzzle fanatics. Your task: read the book’s 100 pages, cut them out and put them into the correct sequence to reveal six murders and identify their killers.

Super7 pays homage to the Beastie Boys and their track Sabotage. The 3.75″ figures feature Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D in their music video personas: Vic Colfari as Bobby, “The Rookie,” Nathan Wind as Cochese, and Alasondro Alegré as “The Chief.” Vic has a donut, The Chief gets a walkie-talkie, and Cochese has two bananas for his holsters.