A Documentary on Documentaries
“I think of it as putting together a puzzle when you don’t have a picture of what it’s supposed to look like.” Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville talks about his world and his mindset, using the interview itself as an example.
Funko Stranger Things Action Figures
Funko’s latest Stranger Things merchandise are a pair of three-packs consisting of 3.75″ action figures. Pack 1 has Eleven, Lucas and Mike, while Pack 2 has Will, Dustin and the Demogorgon.
F-16 R/C Plane
Pilot Christian Gschwenter’s amazing remote-controlled scale model looks and flies just like a real F-16 Cobra fighter jet. While its engine doesn’t have a real afterburner, it’s got a ring of LED lighting out back to simulate flame, and even can make smoke trails.
Tense Movie Moments
“Suspense isn’t always about delay of the inevitable. It’s also about the anxiety that comes with predicting whether that inevitable will actually come.” CineFix shares its top 10 picks for tensest movie moments, from romance and drama to horror and action.
Cassie The Ostrich Robot
Oregon State University’s College of Engineering and Agility Robotics are giving the animal robots of Boston Dynamics a run for their money, with this awesome robot which balances on two legs, and walks with a gait inspired by giant flightless birds.
Ridgemont Outback II Boot
A versatile boot that goes from everyday shoe to rugged hiker. It’s made from waxed full-grain, waterproofed leather, waxed cotton canvas, and has a durable 100% rubber vulcanized lug outsole. Available in auburn/red, black/grey, black/burgundy, and brown/olive colorways.
DIY 4-Barrel Rocket Launcher
Ever resourceful maker The Q shows us how to build a shoulder-mounted quad launcher like the one Arnie had in Commando. Only this one is made from cardboard, PVC, and a cigarette lighter, and fires plastic soda bottles as its rockets. It still looks like it would hurt like hell.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Blu-ray
Better late than never. Warner Bros. will finally be releasing one of the best animated movies ever made in Blu-ray. This release of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm will be in 1080p in both 16:9 and 4:3 formats. Drops this summer.
Largest LEGO Ball Contraption
Beyond the Brick met up with builder Tom Atkinson at Brickworld Chicago 2017 for an extensive tour of this seemingly endless LEGO machine built collaboratively by LEGO fans who each worked on their own modules which linked together. That ferris wheel was amazing.
World’s Tallest Outdoor Elevator
Located in the Wulingyuan region of Zhangjiajie, China, the Bailong (aka “Hundred Dragons”) Elevator is a 1,070 foot-tall glass elevator. While some might question the impact it has on nature, it’s an incredible feat of engineering, and provides astounding views.
How Ping Pong Balls Are Made
We had no idea that it took so many steps to create a table tennis ball, but if this video of the Double Happiness ball factory is any indication, it’s more complicated than you might think, as discs of plastic are individually heated, curved, trimmed, glued, and tested before packaging.
Moerkey Sculptures
Australian artist Moerkey creates sculptures using recycled keys, coins, and copper as his primary media. While the skull, bowl, and wine bottle designs are very cool, there’s something about the giant sphere of keys that catches our eye. His smallest spheres are nifty too.
Super Augmented Mario
Developer Abhishek Singh wanted to see what kind of stuff he could do with Microsoft HoloLens, so he decided to replicate World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. in augmented reality. If you thought people wearing Google Glass looked silly walking around…
It Wasn’t Me: Tom Jones Style
Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Ariana Savalas teamed up to transform Shaggy’s raggamuffin hit It Wasn’t Me into a ’60s-style version that sounds a whole lot like Tom Jones’ classic It’s Not Unusual. It’s one of those things that shouldn’t work, but somehow it does.
Building Block Fast Food
We don’t recommend giving little kids Jecka’s tiny building blocks, especially since these kits look like food, but if you’re a grown up, there’s no reason you can’t have these cool and colorful fast food sculptures on your shelf.
Blade Runner 2049: Time to Live
This featurette for Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 features interviews with the cast and crew about creating a new universe while being faithful to Ridley Scott’s original vision, while also giving us a peak at some of the film’s fantastic scenery and cinematography.
Self-Driving Potato
It’s common knowledge that you can generate a small amount of electricity from a potato paired with copper and zinc electrodes. Engineer Marek Baczynski decided to take this idea to the next logical step, harnessing this potato power and using it to drive a robotic brain and wheels.
50 MPH Drift Trikes
DevinSupertramp captured this awesome footage of the Rad Cows as they show off their homebuilt drift trikes, which they ride downhill at speeds up to 50 mph – without brakes. It’s also an amazing promo for Samsung, since the video was shot entirely on a Galaxy S8.
Asics x Bodega Gel-Mai Underground
Kith was the first to bring back the Gel Lyte Mai, but Bodega has the better take on the asymmetrical shoe. The Underground is made of ostrich, nubuck, suede and pebbled leather with a mesh and nylon tongue. It comes with orange, white and lavender laces.
Off-the-grid School Bus Home
Believe it or not, that’s the inside of a converted school bus. Living Big In A Tiny House spoke with “schoolie” owners Luke and Rachel about their solar-powered mobile home. The couple spent about $30,000 and a year-and-a-half to complete the conversion.
Deal: Plasma Torch Lighters
Say goodbye to traditional lighters which blow out easily in the wind, and require butane fuel. These plasma torch lighters use a powerful electrical arc to light cigarettes, candles, and fires in a snap. A single charge gives you up to 300 uses, and they’re TSA-friendly too.
Engineered Garments C-1 Vest
Light and load. Engineered Garments’ US military-inspired cotton twill vest has lots of asymmetrical pockets – including two at the back – and has three adjustable cords at the rear instead of a solid back to keep things breezy.