MOLLY MCHUGH: My Drunk Kitchen’s Hannah Hart gets technical
I am an unabashed My Drunk Kitchen (MDK) fan. If you don’t know what that is, head here, and just be prepared for the glory and wonder that is the pun-loving Hannah Hart trying to make food while also getting incredibly intoxicated. It generally does not go well.
In this installment, she left the kitchen and is trying to install RAM in her MacBook Pro… while, naturally, drinking… and the results are as cringe-worthy and hilarious as you can imagine. It’s basically 11 minutes of struggle and eventual success – it has everything! And if you hate those electronics instruction videos where hosts drop specifications and overly technical terms, you’ll appreciate the honesty here; as Hart puts it: “Because that’s all this is – a magical, aluminum box of computer, Internet wonder.”
ANDREW COUTS: Eli Pariser pops the filter bubble
My Web and your Web are not the same. The stories, pictures, and videos we come across on many of the most popular websites are all hand-picked, in a sense, by algorithms that used data gathered about our Internet usage to decide what we see and what we don’t. In this classic TED Talk, Eli Pariser, CEO of Upworthy, explains why this is a serious problem for our Web-dominated society.
NICK MOKEY: The Lego Great Ball Contraption (or: Why I’m not an engineer)
Having spent the better part of my childhood working my fingers raw with Lego blocks and almost pursuing a career in engineering (prior to giving up all hope of ever making money and choosing writing instead), this video holds a special place in my heart.
Had I clawed my way into some illustrious engineering school and seen this halfway through getting my degree, there’s a good chance I would have just given up. “Seriously, I have to compete for a job alongside the guy who made this?”
There’s definitely some obvious jokes to be made here about how much time this guy has, how many romantic partners he has (or more likely has not) entertained with this contraption, and how often the gears become clogged with the fur of the 16 cats he likely keeps for company. But I’m not making them. Nope, this is just too awesome to touch. Enjoy.
CALEB DENISON: This would be much more useful than my kids
Check out the LS3 – Legged Squad Support Systems, designed and built by Boston Dynamics. While Boston Dynamics has an entertaining portfolio of 16 other robot videos to view on YouTube, I think this clip of the LS3 in action absolutely takes the cake. As Boston Dynamics describes it, the LS3 is designed to follow a human leader through just about any kind of terrain — while carrying up to a 400 pound payload, no less — for a distance of up to 20 miles. The LS3’s development was funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Marine Corps., so it is logical to envision it carrying heavy gear through the sort of dangerous terrain that can’t be traversed by motorized vehicles. Still, I can’t get this image of a gigantic robotic bull bearing down on me out of my head.
Let us know what you think of the LS3 in the comments below!
AMIR ILIAFAR: The future of ground effects
As the resident car guru at a tech site, and a self-professed sci-fi nerd, it’s not often I get to bridge both passions. While cars are undeniably cool, my affinity for a certain galaxy far, far away is probably considered less so. But every so often a car will come along that lets me bask in both my appreciation for all things on four wheels and my love of anything with a sci-fi twist, which is exactly why I was so excited to discover this Tron-inspired Chevy Camaro.
Built by Team Turbo Legacy of San Jose, California, and sporting an awesome Tron-inspired paint job, the twin-turbo Tron Camaro is a testament to how a little bit of nerd love can make a car so much cooler. Or less cool. Just depends on how you look at it, I guess.
RYAN FLEMING: The Avengers, now in 4D!
On Tuesday 9/25, the ultimate edition of Joss Whedon’s record-humiliating film, The Avengers, arrives in stores. This version includes four discs: the blu-ray 3D, blu-ray, DVD, and the digital copy that includes the digital music download. The set will contain 8 deleted scenes, as well as several special features including the original short film Item 47. The collection will also offer bragging rights amongst your geek friends at no additional charge. This bundle will be the definitive edition of the movie that heeded the call of beleaguered fanboys inundated with decades of poor superhero movies. At least until the studio decides that it is fond of money and releases a director’s cut or another version of some sort.
