Found on the Web
We Surf So You Don't Have To

9/23/2024

World First! Bike Flip on a Moving Train: “Red Bull makes you crazy” is the subtext for me.

8/27/2024

The Most Iconic Skateboarding Trick Ever Done?: absolutely nuts.

8/19/2024

List of Common Misconceptions: this is a great list of prevalent “common knowledge” that isn’t so.

5/10/2024

Amazing Goat Eyes: I always wonder why their pupils are rectangular when I see them but I forget to look into it. Now I know, and so can you!

4/19/2024

Fishermen saved by ‘Help’ message on same tiny island where ‘SOS’ saved three others: palm fronds, good to know.

4/16/2024

That self-appendectomy: you’re the only doctor on station in the Antarctic and your appendix bursts, what do you do? Click through if you want to see for yourself.

4/12/2024

meow.camera: watch Chinese cats eating. For some reason. {via}

3/28/2024

Barbaras Rhababerbar: I think this is a comedy song about a villager named Barbara and her famous rhubarb cake. {via}

3/27/2024

Red Hot Copper Ball Experiments: that’s one of the things I love about the Internet—distributed shenanigans.

2/28/2024

LiMu Emu and Doug: hilarious sketch of an especially insufferable commercial.

1/25/2024

Most Canadians Live South of Seattle and Other Map Surprises: geographic ignorance is rampant.

12/12/2023

Car Manufacturing Process Overview: Toyota is such an amazing company and this is a very clear presentation.

11/27/2023

Tenochtitlan: I am a sucker for architectural reconstructions of the past. It’s easy to forget that the Aztec Empire was huge and developed completely independent of the Greco-European civilization with which we’re more familiar.

11/17/2023

why do beds have to be so boring: yeah, sure, sure, pretty leaves. WHY ARE BEDS NOT ELEVATED FOR MAXIMAL STORAGE UNDERNEATH?

11/6/2023

A city under the sand – The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille: said elsewhere in the comments, “I sometime wonder if in the 25th century people will be searching for the exact location of Hogwarts from Harry Potter.” It’s an odd thought. {via}

10/30/2023

The Impossible Drone Shot: I’m not sure exactly what makes it impossible but it’s certainly an impressive tracking video.

“NO CIG” is really just “INVISIBLE CGI”: this sort of exposé is exactly the sort of thing I love.

10/25/2023

Venice’s streets and their strangeness: the general term for these sorts of constructions is “defensive architecture.”

10/24/2023

Queenright vs Queenless Colony Sound: eerie. I hate bees and that’s why I stay inside mostly.

10/12/2023

The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge: quite an exhaustive journey to satisfy his curiosity but I get it.

9/26/2023

Out of the Trees: 1975 sitcom by Graham Chapman and Douglas Adams. {via}

9/20/2023

Boomhauer Performs Rap God: so good. The channel “There I Ruined It” is worth a few hours viewing.

How I Made $7 Selling Books: it’s a little long at one page as the title itself gives away the plot.

9/15/2023

I’m a fake brand, in a fake world: gorgeous discussion

9/13/2023

AskHistorians – What does McCain’s monument in Hanoi say?: I’ve seen American politicians repeatedly go there to pay homage—Biden most recently—but they should not.

Fictional Brands Archive: wonderful collection. {via}

5/9/2023

Ten Thousand Ways to Use Chopsticks: thorough exploration of chopstick holding options.

4/19/2023

Enjoy the Silence: this looks like the boat version of hanggliding.

The Art of Auto Engineering: it’s a steal at $25.

RedBull Airborne Skate Park: I guess?

4/14/2023

Make Something Wonderful: beautiful, inspiring reminder of “too early.”

4/4/2023

Corn: words are fun.

My Pleasure: accurate.

1/31/2023

Batman and Robin’s Falling Out: memes plus voiceover really works here. Favorite YouTube comment: “I love how Batman concedes to every point that robin makes, it feels like if he had just spoken up sooner a lot of these problems would’ve been resolved and they’ll probably develop a better working relationship after this” {via}

Wonders of Street View: quite a rabbit hole.

2/11/2022

Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band – Jaan Pehechan Ho: love this take!

2/8/2022

Your Brain-Gun: Turn the Safety Off: hilarious parody from The Onion in a series of parodies of TED Talks. “Shooting with intellectual blanks.” (More here.)

2/2/2022

GPS: fantastic, thorough, and interactive explanation.

1/26/2022

How Cell Service Actually Works: this is a clear and helpful explanation of a stupendously-complicated topic.

1/21/2022

Virtual Ancient Rome in 3D: impressive work! I enjoy the detail and expanse but it’s bereft of people—thus barren and lifeless. (One thing you notice is how much statuary there was.)

1/7/2022

How To Get Your Picky Toddler To Finish All Of Their Foie Gras: I’ll have to try the tip about shaping it into a fleur-de-lis—that seems like a solid suggestion.

1/4/2022

The Killdozer: depraved actions of an insane man, but quite methodical and singularly focused.

12/14/2021

Reddit Reads: what a resource! You can put in any subreddit and see what’s most talked about there, like /r/biology or /r/showerthoughts. {via}

4/30/2021

Disney Imagineering’s Project Kiwi is a free-walking robot that will make you believe in Groot: I don’t know if I’d go that far but it’s pretty damn sophisticated. { -->

Extreme autotomy and whole-body regeneration in photosynthetic sea slugs: two species of sea slug can shed their bodies (including heart) and regenerate them from their heads. Oh, don’t worry, there’s video…

3/12/2021

The Antikythera Mechanism: a series attempting to recreate the mysterious ancient Greek device. There’s also scholarly interest, of course.

Clash: this is jarring but fun. {via}

Mercedes-Benz Museum: this really gives a sense of the space—though it’s far too rapid to replace a visit—and I look forward to this becoming a thing that happens regularly. {via}

3/11/2021

Sweden Solar System: neat, seemingly organic representation of celestial bodies.

2/26/2021

deeptomcruise: fun deepfake videos that illustrate how terrible the future is going to be. Imagine if totalitarian regimes had these in the past! No need for show trials.

Mars Decoder Ring – Secret Message on NASA’s Perseverance Rover’s Parachute: fun Easter egg that will likely never be found in situ. I like the idea of “dare mighty things.”

Iceberger: surprisingly satisfying.

2/24/2021

Watch real video of Perseverance’s Mars landing: so moving and impressive.

2/21/2021

LEGO Colosseum: over nine thousand pieces.

2/19/2021

Monkeyball Masterclass: funny parody of those ads.

2/18/2021

5 to 9 by Dolly Parton: this is such a great commercial. It’s on brand, clever, and inspiring.

2/17/2021

‘Gorilla Glue girl’ Tessica Brown now has a full-time agent: oh, she’s not going to sue her way into riches—companies are going to pay her for her audience. I foresee future viral videos of her confusing tar for her mascara or a TidePod for some candy.

2/12/2021

The Princess Bride – Home Movie: whoa. {via}

2/10/2021

GORILLA GLUE HAIRDO
– I STILL CAN’T GET THIS GLUE OUT AFTER ER!!! – Might Be Time to Sue
: this cannot result in a settlement. This cannot result in a settlement.

2/5/2021

Delightful Acapella Versions of Familiar Jingles: this is some acapella that doesn’t annoy me.
[UPDATE: Brand new one today!]

1/29/2021

Pee-Wee Park: exquisitely-crafted trailer—seamless to my eye.

12/11/2020

Epic NPC Man: funny Web series about the life of a supporting cast in a fictional RPG. {via}

10/16/2020

Charles Bridge Construction: 3D modeling of how the Charles Bridge in Prague was built from 1357 to 1402. Stunning, eye-opening animation.

9/25/2020

Steve Inman: he’s an MMA commentator that can’t work due to COVID-19 restrictions so he passes the time by providing color on MMA-worthy “protest” videos. His “Ludacris Cam” segment of this Cone Guy is a particularly inspired choice. Is there a Twitter Emmy?

9/11/2020

Smashed Mouths – All Star Deepfake Smashup: not perfect but pretty darn close. {via}

8/23/2020

The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife: the same guy who did The Wave also painted this in 1814.

8/21/2020

The Flying Train (1902): this is amazing footage and such an inspiring view of alternative modes of transportation from the past. {via}

[UPDATE: Someone colorized and 60fps’d the footage and it adds in some missing realism.]

8/20/2020

Landing on the Melbourne Citadel in Microsoft Flight Simulator: the backstory on this is someone mistakenly entered “212” into OpenStreetMap instead of “2” for the number of stories that a building in Melbourne, Australia had. Apparently, the information in OSM is used to generate maps and landmarks in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which just released a new version, and the monstrosity in this video was the result.

[UPDATE (8/21/2020): And the Washington Monument looks less accurate. Found an article with more examples.]

7/31/2020

Vocodes: you can make your own David Attenborough voiceovers for your home movies now! {via}

SpongeBob Anime: wow. I’m not a fan of anime but this is an amazing effort. {via}

7/5/2020

How does ‘Hamilton,’ the non stop, hip-hop Broadway sensation tap rap’s master rhymes to blur musical lines?: very neat way to look at the complicated rhyme scheme of Hamilton and its influences.

Murphy Ladder: funny and makes me want one. {via}

6/20/2020

Gymnasts Try to Keep Up With Parkour Experts: parkour is so beautiful. The informality contrasts interestingly with the formal moves of gymnastics.

5/22/2020

Danger Zone – X-Wing Tribute: this works surprisingly well. {via}

Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe 2020: it’s like a British Last Week Tonight. {via}

5/15/2020

Unreal Engine 5 Revealed: this is nummy. {via}

5/13/2020

Out of Touch: solid satire.

5/1/2020

I Went to Hogwarts for Seven Years and Did Not Learn Math or Spelling, and Now I Can’t Get a Job: yes, the curriculum there lacks in many, many areas.

4/27/2020

Lamest edit wars – Wikipedia: so much effort about so little. It’s a microcosm of Wikipedia, if you think about it. {via}

4/24/2020

Barbie Of All Trades: in a different era, these would just be miniatures or dioramas. Still impressive! {via}

How Many Rubberbands Can Explode A Watermelon: a question I never knew I had until I found out about this video. {via}

4/17/2020

ZoomerBackgrounds: oh, these are perfect!

4/14/2020

Engineering Vids: this is likely Just Another Aggregator but it is so compelling to watch.

4/10/2020

Project 88: a scene-by-scene, crowdsourced remake of Back to the Future 2 and here’s the result. {via}

3/27/2020

Covid 19 Protecting Your Family Dr Dave Price 3 22 2020: great reasonable video from a front-line practitioner in NYC.

3/10/2020

CAR vs. WORLD’S STRONGEST TRAMPOLINE- 150ft (45m) drop: it’s 10 seconds of footage expanded out to fifteen plus minutes but that 10 seconds is totally worth it! {via}

3/7/2020

Disunited Nations Maps: excellent visualizations from an excellent geopolitical analyst.

2/27/2020

Official McDonald’s Clothing and Merchandise: the sesame seed socks are inspired!

2/24/2020

Gallium Metal 99.99% Pure 20 Grams: its melting point is 85° so it literally melts in your hand.

2/7/2020

SnowCrystals.com: wow, that is one passionate site. The guy literally wrote the book on snowflakes. This is the sort of thing that amazes me about the modern world: specialization is a wondrous thing! {via}

60 fps 4k version of 1896 movie from neural networks: very captivating. He describes the process in the YouTube description and has a colorized version as well.

@royalty_now_: what iconic faces from the past might look like today or in real life. They’re well crafted though obviously suspect.

11/20/2019

Was a $280 million emerald destroyed in California wildfire? PG&E is dubious: and they are right to be!

10/21/2019

Rebel Alliance Life Insurance: yes, it’s a BYU sketch show but this is a solid premise and execution.

10/18/2019

Soviet Soldiers Dancing: Twitter delights, at times.

Grouch: this is well done and funny.

10/15/2019

Urban BASEjumping – Fifty In Five: what would possess someone to do this? Look at all the close calls with street poles, for starters. Just do drugs, for crying out loud.

9/11/2018

Brand New Roman: your text in rendered using logo letters. {via}

8/30/2018

First Ever Life-Size and Drivable LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron Is a Pioneering Piece of Engineering and Design: very impressive and repairs would be very cheap.

8/24/2018

Everybody Dance Now: this is so impressive to me given that it’s just using statistical analysis at its core. {via}