Awesome Myths

Can a tornado cross water? Does lightning ever strike twice in the same place? Wired interviewed WNBC Chief Meteorologist Janice Huff to talk about a variety of myths, misconceptions, and to share her extensive knowledge of the weather and forecasting.

You might think that robots are a 19th or 20th century invention, but the idea of a humanoid machine dates back way further. TED-Ed looks back to an ancient Greek myth that involved a giant automaton warrior built to defend an island kingdom. It was also the first story about a robot struggling with its humanity.

Standing here at our fancy height-adjustable desk, researching stories and typing away most of the day, we’re feeling a bit deflated after Adam Conover’s latest bubble-burster, in which he explains how the health benefits of standing while working may have been exaggerated.

A while back, a video made the rounds showing what was supposedly a flying phone case. We figured it was fake, but as Mark Rober and Captain Disillusion point out, it also scammed people out of cash. Keep an eye on Peter Sripol’s channel for his WORKING version.

For his latest lesson on the harsh realities of reality, Captain Disillusion takes on a classic internet video, in which a Rochester Institute of Technology student attempted to create the urban legend that an Escher-inspired staircase actually exists somewhere on the campus.

By now, just about everyone on the internet has seen the video of the Plinko-like machine that appears to magically sort thousands of colored marbles neatly into a rainbow. We always figured it was fake, and now Captain Disillusion explains how he thinks it was done.

Captain Disillusion usually takes on videos which at least appear to be somewhat believable, but this time he went after stuff like the ridiculously fake “Gateway to Sedona” because he was incredulous that the video actually has true believers.

ElectroBOOM’s Mehdi Sadaghdar is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore. After seeing way too many videos of fake science and “lifehacks,” he decided to do something about it, and debunked a few of the more heinous ones.

There are millions of trick shot videos on YouTube (and we’ve featured our share of them.) Now, Captain Disillusion is here to burst our bubble – and all of those basketballs, footballs, tennis balls, and golf balls, as he shows us some of the tricks of the trade.

Captain Disillusion takes on yet another internet myth – this time its the guy who claims to be able to aim his tape measure with the precision of a crossbow. With the help of a fan, he yet again illustrates how VFX, camera angles, and editing can make anything believable.