I’m playing this recording of soft droning engine noise from Star Trek TNG as I type this and I can hardly keep my eyes open. This is just one of several space ship sounds recordings featured on Open Culture. There’s also the USCSS Nostromo from Alien , Dr. Who’s Tardis (yes, not really a spac…. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz
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This 24-hour recording of idling engine noise from a Star Trek ship in Star Trek will put you to sleep
Fifty years ago, American Airlines’ flight from New York to Los Angeles took 5 hours and 43 minutes. The same flight is 6 hours and 27 minutes today. Wendover Productions examines why planes don’t fly faster in this interesting video. (more…)
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Fifty years later, the same flight takes longer. Why?
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) just launched an amazing 104 satellites in one mission , setting a new record. (more…)
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Watch India launch a record 104 satellites in one mission
YouTuber Proto G shot these cool experiments with plasma vortex force fields . Scientists are looking into large-scale practical applications of the force field generated in this manner: (more…)
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Fun with plasma vortex force fields
André Roubo’s series on carpentry called L’Art du Menuisier mentions a polissior , a small device made of broom straw for polishing wood. In the two centuries since Roubo’s book, the device had faded from memory until a couple of years ago, when Don Williams recreated one from an illustration in Roubo’s book. It turned out to work amazingly well. (more…)
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Artisans revive the polissoir, a nearly-forgotten woodworking tool
If you end up at some fancy event this month where gold leaf decorates the food, that gold leaf will be far thicker than traditional Japanese hand-pounded gold leaf, which can be as thin as 0.0001 millimeters. See how it’s made in the fascinating video. (more…)
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Watch how incredibly delicate Japanese gold leaf is made and applied
Skier Mathieu Bijasson didn’t think it was insane enough to ski down the steepest faces of the French Alps during the day, so he rigged up some skis and poles with LED lighting and did it at night. The result is visually beautiful and teeth-clenchingly terrifying all at once. (more…)
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Freeskiing. At night. On LED-covered skis.
Jimmy DiResta kept passing by a 1911 Chandler & Price letterpress sitting out in the rain. After buying it from the neglectful owner, he spent several years lovingly restoring it , eventually learning how to print with it. (more…)
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Guy restores a century-old letterpress to perfect condition
With Putin and Russia in the news more and more thanks to Trump and Steven Seagal, maybe it’s high time to learn how to pronounce Russian text. Thanks to the instructor’s lovely accent in this ten-minute tutorial , you’ll be pronouncing (if not understanding) in short order. (more…)
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Learn the Russian alphabet in ten minutes
In this video, a man plays Abba’s 1976 classic Money Money Money using one of the new £5 notes issued in the UK. They’re made of plastic. The new polymer five pound notes have a rather curious ability of being just about able to play vinyl records (with the aid of a contact microphone and small amplifier not shown on screen). As the corners on these new banknotes are more durable and sharper than its paper counterpart it acts like a very crude record needle. Like a lady barbarian’s armor in a computer game, the new fiver doesn’t crumple easily or get wet or tear, but still folds, and has a see-through window. “I do quite like them,” says a Briton on the street. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChqhM9C44fM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srQSzhkh8Uo
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Britain’s new plastic money so hi-tech it can play vinyl records