Inspired by this tweet, researcher Kate Petrova did a deep dive of scented candle reviews before and after the pandemic. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, reviews of scented candles took a deep drop after the pandemic started with numerous complaints that the candles lacked any scent. One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is losing your sense of smell and taste so, ya know, put two and two together.

First, I downloaded a random subsample of US-based customer reviews of the 3 most popular scented candles on Amazon. Between January 2017 and January 2020, the average rating stayed around 4.3/5, but there was a sharp drop between January and November 2020. 2/n pic.twitter.com/kpCRZ1StKZ

— Kate Petrova (@kate_ptrv) November 27, 2020

Since the beginning of 2020, customer satisfaction with scented candles has been dropping at a much faster rate compared to unscented candles. 4/n pic.twitter.com/LULlUh9P6W

— Kate Petrova (@kate_ptrv) November 27, 2020

You can view the complete Twitter thread here. Personally, I’ve noticed my candles have also started losing their flavor. Not sure what gives, but they taste terrible now.

Source: Geekologie – This researcher correlated negative reviews of scented candles with COVID-19 cases

This is a super impressive illusion featuring two stationary circles that look like they’re not only moving, but expanding and contracting. I don’t know how it works, but I do know that it involves the inner and outer rings. And also maybe magic. Here’s the video:

矢印の方向に動いて見えますね～？
人間の脳は単純なので矢印で惑わされてしまうのでーす pic.twitter.com/lUPySup2du

— じゃがりきん (@jagarikin) November 25, 2020

Keep going for a video proving that the circles are stationary, as well as a video demonstrating that the key to the illusion are the inner and outer rings.

Source: Geekologie – Mind-bending optical illusion using stationary circles

Software engineer and Line Rider enthusiast David Lu spent 11 years creating this absolutely incredible Line Rider track he titled Omniverse II. It would suck if you spent 11 years on something and the end result was bad, but this isn’t that. This is good. I didn’t know it was possible for a Line Rider track to have a narrative arc but now after watching the video I’m beginning to question the foundations of my beliefs and reality itself.

And as if spending 11 years working on something like this wasn’t insane enough, David Lu wrote an article documenting the history and creation of the track. Even the article about the insane thing that he did is more impressive than anything I’ve ever done. Not only could I never make what he made, I can’t even understand his explanations of how he made what he made.

Keep going for the full Line Rider track, along with a video essay discussing it in more detail. It goes way beyond some guy just sitting in his bedroom all day playing around with a game.

Source: Geekologie – This guy spent 11 years working on this Line Rider track

Back in July, the official Guinness World Record for most Jenga pieces stacked on a single vertical piece was set by Tai Star Valianti with 485 pieces. Well that record is now poo poo, because last Tuesday Kelvin the Menga Man set a new world record with 517 pieces. And then just days later, his friend lamlei of Team Captain Noodles broke that record by stacking 518 pieces.

Neither of those were verified by Guinness, but there’s a time-lapse for both attempts and also is anybody actually worried about people cheating at this? Do they really need an offiical to stand there and make sure they’re not taking steroids or something? Just give these guys whatever Guinness certificate they hand out and let’s move on with our lives.

Keep going for lamlei’s 518 piece time-lapse and Kelvin’s short-lived 517 piece record time-lapse.

Source: Geekologie – Guy stacks world record 518 Jenga pieces on single vertical Jenga block

This is video of Moto2 rider Aron Canet narrowly avoiding being turned into soup after falling from his bike during a qualifying session for the Portuguese Grand Prix. He ends up in the middle of the track and even before he finishes sliding he realizes where he is and starts scrambling to the edge for safety. It almost looks cartoonish how he’s scrambling on all fours and barely moving. But to be fair, it is difficult to crawl when your underwear is completely filled with poop.

Keep going for the full video.

Source: Geekologie – MotoGP rider barely manages to dodge motorcycles after falling

While clearing snow from a vehicle in Russia, the owner noticed a massive slab of concrete falling from the building above and narrowly got out of the way in time. When I say massive, I mean massive. Like 100% this guy would be dead if he didn’t have his Russian reflexes with him. Also, what is happening n Russia that giant concrete slabs just fall from the sky? From what I’ve seen on the Internet they’re already playing life at the max difficultly so it seems excessive to add in randomly falling objects.

Keep going for the full video. The size of the concrete slab is truly impressive.

Source: Geekologie – Guy narrowly avoids being killed by a massive slab of concrete

This is a video of a group of skydivers losing altitude awareness and narrowly avoiding being turned into pancakes on the side of a mountain. Apparently the group was the second to exit and nobody noticed the drop was at the wrong place until it was almost too late. All their safety gear (AADs, audible altimeters, etc.) was set for ground level and nobody noticed there was a mountain where there wasn’t supposed to be. Anyways, nobody dies, but apparently this is a famous video in the skydiving community as a reminder to spot your jump location and make sure there aren’t mountains where you don’t expect there to be mountains. Seems kind of obvious, but apparently not.

Keep going for the full video.

Source: Geekologie – Skydiver loses altitude awareness and almost hits a mountain at terminal velocity

This is a video of a Russian lunatic firing an AK-103 until it catches fire. And then he, uh, proceeds to fire some more. The craziest part is that this was put out by the Kalashnikov Concern, the actual manufacturer of the AK-103. I mean, props to the Russians for risking their employees’ lives for the sake of demonstrating how tough their products are. I don’t consider myself an overly cautious person, but watching the guy constantly bash the gun to reload because it was jamming due to being on fire gave me anxiety. Why not fill the room with knives while you’re at it?

Keep going for the full video. The thing catches fire at 5:20 and the video is 18 minutes long if you want an idea of how far they take it.

Source: Geekologie – Shooting an AK-103 until it catches fire

In one of the most Italian things that has ever happened, the Italian police used a Lamborghini Huracan to transport a donated kidney more than 300 miles from Rome to Padua, averaging 145 mph for the two hour trip.

The Lamborghini Huracan they used, which was specially modified for such tasks with a refrigerated frunk, was obtained by the Italian police back in 2017. Speedy organ delivery isn’t its only job, though. In fact, it’s a regular patrol vehicle for the department with lights, a police computer and other equipment necessary to perform traffic stops and arrests. Luckily for other speeders, it was too busy flying down the road for officers to check their radar guns.

The Italian State Police actually has a few Huracans for situations like these, and they’re also outfitted with a refrigerated frunk for transporting organs or other temperature-sensitive medical supplies. The vehicles also have defibrillators on board, making them much more than just a loud way to give tickets to speeding Italian motorists.

Sure, they could’ve helicoptered the kidney which would’ve been safer and faster, but this is Italy. Obviously it makes more sense to drive the thing with a damn Lamborghini (and make a video of it in the process). I imagine they must’ve also been yelling “Mama mia!” the entire time and scarfing down plates of spaghetti to calm their nerves.

Grazie alla nostra @Lamborghini Huracan abbiamo trasportato in tempo il rene di un donatore per il trapianto a una persona
“Per salvare una vita non servono superpoteri” anche solidarietà, tecnologia ed efficienza aiutano @CNTrapianti @MinisteroSalute #essercisempre#5novembre pic.twitter.com/teUxqbMgvW

— Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) November 5, 2020

Source: Geekologie – Italian police deliver donated kidney 300 miles in two hours using a Lamborghini

This is a video of a McDonald’s employee showing how they make a Big Mac. It’s not particularly interesting unless you’re interested in how a Big Mac is made, but I am, so here we are. If you’ve ever wondered why the top bun is always off centered it’s because they let the lid do all the work when they close it. I will admit I’m loving this trend of people showing how the sausage is made on TikTok. I’m sure corporate doesn’t like seeing their secrets being revealed (there’s nothing more appetizing than a bin filled with old patties), but as a consumer I can’t get enough of videos like this. Now can somebody make a TikTok showing what exactly is in a McRib? Don’t get me wrong they’re delicious, but I have a hard time believing they’re made from actual rib meat and not a reconstituted shoe.

Keep going for the video.

Source: Geekologie – McDonald’s employee shows how they make a Big Mac

This is a video of a Utah teen saving his choking friend with the Heimlich maneuver during a school lunch. It’s weird how everybody else is so casual about somebody choking to death just a few feet away and basically nobody even acknowledges that this kid saved his friend’s life. I’ve always wondered if the Heimlich maneuver actually works and turns out it does. Or maybe the choking friend thought he was getting a big hug and the friendship gave him the determination to not die. Guess we’ll never know, but somebody owes somebody their bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Keep going for the entire ordeal caught on camera.

Source: Geekologie – Utah teen saves choking friend with Heimlich maneuver during school lunch

It doesn’t look terrible and I actually kind of dig the style, I’m just not sure why it exists and who it’s for. Do kids still watch Tom & Jerry? Is it for the adults who grew up with it? It feels like something that would’ve come out in the early 2000’s, not in 2021 when movie theaters aren’t even a thing anymore.

Keep going for the full trailer.

Source: Geekologie – There’s a live-action Tom & Jerry movie and here’s the trailer

Atomic Shrimp built this machine to test the wobbliness of hot dogs. Is he a pervert? Unclear. Is he a hero? Definitely. I’ve always tested the wobbliness of my hot dogs by hand like a plebian, but now we can get the hard scientific data we’ve all craved. Who hasn’t wanted to know the resonant frequency of their hot dogs? And if you get confusingly aroused in the process of finding out? Just an added bonus.

Keep going for the full video.

Source: Geekologie – The Wobble Dog 9003i – a hot dog sausage wobbling machine

In the saddest video you’ll see today, this poor dog thinks the dart player on TV is playing fetch with him. And judging by the other dog’s expression you can tell he’s been doing this all day. Look, I get it. I’m guilty of imagining the TV is talking to me too and have made out with my fair share of news anchors. Is it creepy? Yes. But in these tough times you gotta do what you gotta do to get by.

Keep going for the full video.

Source: Geekologie – Dog thinks dart player on TV is playing fetch with him

Judging by how good she is at recreating it, clearly this woman does this dance every night before going to bed. Also, the fact that in both versions she’s doing the dance in socks on tile and doesn’t kill herself makes it even more impressive.

Source: Geekologie – Woman recreates dance she made as a child for Britney Spears’ Womanizer

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the exploding beached whale incident that took place in Florence, Oregon on November 12, 1970 when highway patrol used way too much dynamite to remove a whale carcass.

…a half-ton of dynamite was detonated under an 8-ton beached whale. As it turns out, that was overkill. Mammalian marine guts spewed everywhere, raining down on townsfolk. A quarter-mile away, cars were smashed with chunks of cetacean carcass.

This story remained a local legend for two decades, until the early ’90s, when the newspaper columnist Dave Barry mentioned seeing footage of the exploding beast. Soon after, a video clip went viral on the internet, long before “going viral on the internet” was even a thing.

To celebrate the anniversary, the Oregon Historical Society arranged for a 4K transfer of the original raw film footage from their archive and KATU re-edited the package from the new high resolution video. If you’ve never seen it, you’re either Amish or an infant. I believe it’s a law that you have to watch it when logging on to the internet for the first time otherwise police come to your house and arrest you.

Keep going for the gloriously remastered video in all its legendary glory.

Source: Geekologie – The Exploding Whale footage was remastered for its 50th anniversary

HomeAdvisor decided to imagine what the Simpsons’ interiors would look like if they were designed by Wes Anderson. The key to the look seems to be symmetry and a uniform subdued color. Oh, and being able to imagine Bill Murray standing in the scene showing absolutely no emotion while deadpanning dialogue.

Keep going for the shots of Moe’s Tavern, the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and more.

Source: Geekologie – What if The Simpsons was designed by Wes Anderson

A driver on San Tan Loop 202 in Arizona called 911 saying the car behind her was chasing and rear-ending her. The suspect kept ramming the driver even after Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers showed up, so they decided to deploy a Grappler Bumper to end the pursuit. The Grappler Bumper is basically a net that’s attached to the front of a police vehicle and can be lowered with the touch of a button. When the net contacts the tire, it’s pulled over the axel and the vehicle is immobilized within five or six seconds.

This thing is shockingly effective and I hope they go out of business because what fun are high speed pursuits if they all come to a safe and anti-climactic end? I want crashes and explosions, not cars coming slowly to a stop on the side of a road. I basically want all high speed pursuits to look like they were directed by Michael Bay.

Source: Geekologie – Arizona troopers deploy Grappler Bumper to safely end pursuit

This is a video of world champion hurdler Grant Holloway running the 110-meter hurdles but with his head stabilized to stay in the middle of the frame. It shows how little up and down movement actually occurs when hurdlers are “jumping” over the hurdles. It’s more like their heads are continually moving forward and their bodies just fold in half. It reminds me of those videos showing how chickens stabilize their heads when being moved around. Maybe somebody should pick up Grant Holloway and shake him around and see if his head also sticks in one place.

Keep going for the full mesmerizing video, as well as a video of a chicken doing something similar.

Source: Geekologie – World champion hurdler Grant Holloway’s head stabilized through a race

Language enthusiast Diego Rivas shows what languages sound like to non-speakers. All of his non-English gibberish definitely sounds like what I think those languages sound like so I’m assuming his English gibberish is probably pretty accurate too. The only way to know for sure though would be to repeatedly hit my head with a wrench until I actually forgot the English language. Wait is that how brain injuries work? Only one way to find out. And let’s begi–aeaeg srltdfx drsfklbxv bxncvx wrutvb.

Keep going for the full trippy video, along with the music video for Prisencolinensinainciusol which was an Italian song made to sound like American English but without any actual English words.

Source: Geekologie – What languages sound like to non-speakers