The Secret Life of Components is a new series that provides guidance about specific materials that are often used by makers and designers. The series hosted by artist Tim Hukin (previously). Hunkin, whose 1979 arcade game inspired The Disgusting Spectacle project by Tracy Feldstein and Don Bruce, offers excellent real…
A Marvelous Modular Magnetic Marble Run Made From Laser Cut Wood That Sticks Onto Metal Surfaces
Luke Clifford of Deep Make Designs has created Infinity Trax, a rather marvelous magnetic marble run that sticks onto metal surfaces such as whiteboards or refrigerators, which is sold as a kit. Each piece of the kit is made from laser-cut wood and features a wide variety of tricks that…
Playful Inks Dance Around Colorful Flowers to Evoke Their Natural Hues in a Whimsical Short Film
The short film “Bucolic” by Emilie Grange and Thomas Blanchard creates a whimsical environment for playful inks to dance in and around colorful flowers as if to evoke their coordinating natural hues. The flowers remain still while the inks vivaciously swirl around as if they are being emitted by the…
How to Build a Vietnamese Dan K’ni, A Wooden Bowed Single String Instrument That Connects to the Mouth
Musician Nicolas Bras of Musiques de Nulle Part (previously) showed how to make a Vietnamese dan k’ni, single string wooden instrument that connects to the mouth with a piece of twine and a plastic disc. This talking instrument is played with a violin bow. Bras had previously made two others,…
How Marvel Uses a Visualization Tool to Map Out Their Movies Years Before the Actors Get Involved
In a fascinating piece for Movie Insider, narrator Abby Tang explains how Marvel movies are started years ahead of filming by partnering The Third Floor, renowned visualization studio in Hollywood. The tool, known as Previs, allows the director to map out action scenes in the virtual world before any actors…
Investigating the Mystery Behind the Burning Skier Footage From the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Opening
Fascinated with the origins of clips used in the title sequence from the classic 2000s television show Malcolm in the Middle, Kid Leaves Stoop noticed one such clip had no apparent source information behind it. Thus began the investigation into the mysterious skier who leaped off a mountain while on…
The World’s Most Innovative Banknotes
British vlogger Half Asleep Chris (previously) took a financial tour around the globe in order to knowledgeably declare which countries have the “world’s coolest banknotes”, as voted upon by his viewers. Criteria included shape, design, color, history, innovation, and creativity. Banknotes are pocket-sized works of art teeming with color, creativity,…
True Facts About Animals Using Camouflage in a Very Crowded Rainforest Where Everyone Looks Like Prey
In a cloaking episode of his nature series True Facts, the very deadpan Ze Frank offers his distinctive view about how camouflage works inside the very busy and crowded rainforest where everyone looks like prey to those who may be a predator. Frank used footage from David Weiller, Thomas Marent,…