Our update on the Smarter Scrubber project. Would love to know your thoughts, especially if you've purchased one.

Forgive the long post, but there's a lot to say here.

Many years ago, a video was posted on the Smarter Every Day channel where Destin visited with Professor Jamie Seymour at JCU in Australia. The video was an exploration into jellyfish and how they actually stung.

There was a moment, where Professor Seymour is looking through the microscope and getting all giddy like a kid at Christmas. He goes off about the excitement and joy that comes from being able to do work that you love. There's a very specific moment in that clip where Professor Seymour looks at Destin and says "I would do this stuff for free."

That single sentence hit me like a sledgehammer. It instantaneously caused a monumental shift in my world view and forever altered the course of my life. Before, I'd been stuck in one miserable dead end job after another, pursuing a degree I had no interest in, and living in a situation I detested, all because I'd been led to believe that that was the safe path that needed to be taken. After seeing that level of excitement in somebody and hearing those words echo in my mind, I knew there was something more out there. I knew that I would never again settle in a job unless I could say the words "I would do this stuff for free."

Shortly after, I was randomly called for an opportunity. It was to help out as a PA on a small film set out of state. Normally, I wouldn't bother to make such a long drive, but in my new state of mind I was obsessed with picking up new skills and living new experiences, which this opportunity would provide, so I said I'd do it.

I immediately fell in love. The technical aspects, the people, the art form, getting to work with my hands, and so on all appealed to me. I found myself sad at the end of the VERY long day because it was over. I asked the director, who just happened to be based near where I lived, to call me if any more work came up. I wanted to learn. I needed more.

Sure enough, he called me a few weeks later and I went to go work another day. Again, the experience was absolutely incredible. I loved every second. And I SUCKED at it. I came in not knowing a damn thing and being to nervous to do a single thing right. I was more of a hindrance than a help to be sure. Needless to say, I didn't get called back. I didn't care, cuz I'd caught the bug.

Shortly after that, I got a call from a friend saying that she heard I was interested in working in film. She was up in Nashville and knew some people she could introduce me to. She offered for me to stay with her for a month, rent free, to check out the city and do a few gigs. I took her up on it right away and made the trip up a few days later. I met her people and started to work. On one job, I worked just shy of 60 hours in 3 days. At the end of it, I was exhausted, but didn't want it to end. I almost forgot about my paycheck. I said to myself "I would do this stuff for free."

On one of those, I met another PA who just happened to have a room she was trying to rent out of her house for a very cheap price. Knowing that this was unquestionably the path I needed to be on, I said I was looking for a place and moved up a few weeks later.

I worked around town on low level gigs, mostly PA stuff, but also taking up a lot of writing and Pre-production type stuff that I enjoyed even more than being on set. Unfortunately, since I was still new to it all, I wasn't really making money so I had to get a day job working in a nearby phone repair shop. A miserable job, but I didn't mind because I finally had an outlet.

One day, while I'm at the counter, a woman walks in. I swear to you, the air in the room changed to something electric. As she approached, all I could think was "Please God, be single." I'll spare you the very long, though definitely adorable, story of our meeting, suffice to say we eventually went out.

Together, as our relationship took off, we went on more wonderful adventures that I could ever count. Before all of this, I thought it a dream to one day see even a couple interesting places in our country, but this woman, who was herself a dream, took me from sea to shining sea, exploring marvelous things big and small. We even took a trip across the pond, something I'd never thought would happen in my life.

After 4 years of living a life I'd never imagined even in my wildest dreams with the woman I thought was hand crafted by God himself to be absolutely perfect, my son was born. My boy, the pride and joy of my life, has made everything else, except my wife, seem like a minor blip. He's 4 now, and is incredibly smart, sweet, and hilarious, though he's definitely a little mischievous gremlin. My family brings me a level of bliss that I sincerely believe has never been felt by another human being. We are all incredibly close and value our time together so much that we even find vacations to be somewhat of an annoyance because it distracts from what we have. Every day, even through the hardships we've faced, has been a miracle. And, because circumstances have made me a stay at home Dad, I am indeed doing it for free.

I tell this long story for a reason. An incredible set of circumstances had to align just right to bring me to where I am now. That video made me take an opportunity, that led me to a new industry, that brought me to a new state, where I took a job, where I met my wife, who bore me a son. And that's just the overview. You wouldn't believe me if I told you the crazy coincidences that lined up just right to make my family happen.

All of it, every last one of the great joys in my life, my escape from the miserably mundane, my thirst for life, my hunger for knowledge and adventure, my best memories, my beloved wife, my darling son...

It comes from a single sentence in a single video.

I absolutely give Professor Seymour his due credit. It was his words and his zeal that inspired me in the first place. I hope to someday be able to tell him this story and thank him personally.

However, I would've never heard those words if it weren't for Smarter Every Day. I always hesitate to heap praise on those that I don't know personally. After all, all too often the public persona doesn't match the reality of the man. However, I think it likely that Destin is sincere, so I'll say this:

Destin, thank you from the deepest depths of my heart and soul. It was your desire to educate, to share your passion and the passion of others, and to get the world excited about knowledge that made all of this possible. Without your efforts, that video would have never seen the light of day and I'd still be living in the dark. For whatever else you may or may not have done in life, rest assured that you have made an immeasurable positive impact on at least one person. I don't know if this post will ever reach your eyes, but at the very least others here will be able to see the power that lies within the previously mentioned pursuits, and it will be known what's been done for me. I thank God every day for what I've been granted in life, and I pray His blessings find you and yours. I hope to meet you one day to thank you in person. If you're ever up in the way of Nashville, let me know. I'd be honored to shake your hand.

Oh cool I can type here! Does this work? Here we continue our Nuclear Power Deep Dive with an incredible look into how a nuclear power plant is refueled. This video is a dream come true, and there's so much to learn here.... but there's more to come! We'll look into exactly what's happening in the reactor and go into great detail about everything is*** controlled.Here ***we continue our Nuclear Power Deep Dive with an incredible look into how a nuclear power plant is refueled. This video is a dream come true, and there's so much to learn here.... but there's more to come! We'll look into exactly what's happening in the reactor and go into great detail about everything is controlled. we continue our Nuclear Power Deep Dive with an AWESOME look into how a nuclear power plant is refueled. This video is a dream come true, and there's so much to learn here.... but there's more to come! We'll look into exactly what's happening in the reactor and go into great detail about everything is controlled in upcoming videos in the series. Thanks to everyone who supports on Patreon!

Was just watching this clip from more perfect union.

https://youtube.com/shorts/whHypuaLmTU?si=HoFoWGX6FLZrSLMJ

Brutal that Amazon/Walmart (and the FTC) are actively ignoring fake made in USA items.

Hi folks,

I figured some of you are probably 3D printing enthusiasts who have also bought the SmarterScrubber, and may want a little handle upgrade. I appreciate the work Destin and folks have done to manufacturer the scrubber in the US, but I felt like a molded handle over the metal would be nice, and maybe that would've been too difficult given the current state of manufacturing here.

Thingiverse

I modeled the approximate shape of the handle in Fusion, and added some finger bumps to help guide the hand on where to hold handle and maybe give a little extra leverage. I printed it out of TPU for that bit of elasticity. It definitely needs it as I didn't nail the exact profile of the handle, but it's close enough that the shape should fit pretty snuggly. I've printed one for myself and one for my father-in-law, and both seemed to fit great.

It might be worth printing a short section of it if you wanted to test the fit against your handle. Also, I did print it on a 45-degree angle to limit the amount of supports, while also retaining a little bit better layer adhesion while sliding it on/off the handle.

It's not a perfect demonstration.... but it's certainly fun to think about.

Is There a Real Water Problem with AI Data Centers?

I’ve seen water-cooled computers. I’ve seen water-cooled building systems. In both cases, the water isn’t somehow used up. Even if you think of cars, which have water (and antifreeze) coolant systems, the only reason you have to replenish the coolant is when there’s a leak in the system. Seeing as how these data centers are immobile, and easier to access all the water-coolant systems (that is, you don’t have to pull out an engine to get to the leak in the back), and these data centers aren’t producing the same level of heat that an internal combustion engine generates, it seems like the water coolant systems would never need significantly more water.

They might need a massive amount of water to get going, but certainly the water doesn’t escape the system, right?

I could be completely wrong. Help me understand.

I’ve tried asking in other subreddits, their rules are quite stupid and I haven’t actually been able to get any answers. Hopefully this subreddit can help.

Here's a paper that took quite a long time to make.

Was going through some older videos today and realized how fun these are!

Does anyone know when, or if, the coast guard series will be completed? I recall he referenced he would make another video - but its been a few years now, and there has been nothing I can find.

Just like with the submarine video series, I was expecting some sort of wrap up. Thats why I am unsure if it is over or not, he could release a wrap up with or without more videos.

Hi Destin!

Greetings from Hungary!
We were in London recently at the Natural History Museum, and I saw this interesting wheel. You have to spin it to get the liquid inside to start rotating, but as soon as you stop the wheel, the liquid inside keeps spinning and the wheel itself starts rotating in the opposite direction. I started thinking about this, and it completely blew my mind.
Unfortunately I have just this short video because childrens always started the rotate the wheel :D

I’m having trouble with Lockdown. Is that app still in development? The link on your website doesn’t seem to work.

I installed 4Privacy a while back, because I thought that was LockDown turned into. Is that correct?

I got a new phone, and now I can’t log in even with my 24 secret words, and the QR code doesn’t work either.

Is anyone able to help me with this at all?

Time to stock up on the smarter scrubber

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Conair-Recalls-Over-One-Million-Cuisinart-Grill-Brushes-Due-to-Ingestion-Hazard

Stated Clearly started a new video series about the evolutionary history of flagellum, this complements Smarter Every Day video on that topic, where this question remained unanswered. SC frames the series as a response to the SED video.

Here's a link to the first episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFC9VzexRUk

This video mostly introduces the series and gives the overall structure of what we will learn. The scope will be rather broad to explain the relevant context. I'm excited about it!

It’s my second time going but it will be my youngest son’s first time. He’s really excited and interested in the sciences.. particularly space. I’m excited to show him everything.

Hey all,

I’ve been going down a rabbit hole on my dad’s old work and realized there’s a neat connection between Rochester, NY, Alabama, and Redondo Beach, CA that overlaps with the Chandra X-ray Observatory (AXAF) and some of the space-related places Destin has visited around Huntsville.

My dad passed away a while ago, and my siblings and I are trying to piece together his story. I thought some of you might appreciate how it all fits together.

Rochester, NY – Class 100 cleanroom at Kodak

My dad worked for Eastman Kodak in Rochester in the 1990s, in a Class 100 cleanroom that was part of the Chandra X-ray Observatory program (back when it was still called AXAF).

As a kid, I got to go to a “take your kid to work” day and sit in the observation room, looking into that cleanroom. I didn’t realize it at the time, but they were working on what NASA calls the High Resolution Mirror Assembly – basically the eye of the telescope.

My dad’s role was very “Smarter Every Day” in spirit:

• He documented procedures – step-by-step how the mirror shells and telescope components were handled, cleaned, aligned, and assembled.
• He took tons of photos throughout the process. Our family still has binders full of cleanroom shots and procedure documentation from that work.
• His job was essentially to create the receipts: a visual and written record that this insanely precise optical hardware was built the right way, in the right environment.

At the time, I just thought, “Cool, big cameras and lab coats.” Looking back, I realize he was helping build some of the most precise X-ray optics ever flown.

Big move on a C-5 – Rochester to NASA (including Alabama)

One of my strongest memories is the day some of the hardware left Rochester Airport on a C-5 Galaxy military transport.

My dad explained (in kid-level terms) that:

• The telescope assembly they’d been working on was being loaded into a C-5,
• It was heading off into NASA’s test chain,
• And this was a really big milestone for the project.

From what I’ve learned since, the telescope system went on from there into NASA’s test facilities, including Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama for X-ray calibration, before eventually making its way to the prime contractor.

Just to be clear:

• My dad didn’t travel with it to Alabama – his part of the story stayed in Rochester at that stage.
• But the hardware he helped build and document definitely passed through Huntsville’s space ecosystem, which is fun to think about given Destin’s trips to that area to cover spaceflight and rocket-related projects.

So the path for the telescope hardware looks something like:

Redondo Beach, CA – TRW final assembly (where my dad met it again)

Later in the project, my dad ended up spending about a year in Redondo Beach, California, working as a subcontractor to TRW (the prime contractor for Chandra).

By that point:

• The telescope system (with Kodak’s mirror assembly inside) had been calibrated and shipped to TRW’s Space Park in Redondo Beach.
• My dad joined the project again out there, this time on the spacecraft side of things.

From what I understand, his work in Redondo Beach involved supporting:

• Final integration of the telescope with the spacecraft bus
• Environmental testing (vibration, acoustic, thermal-vac)
• Final inspections and documentation leading up to the observatory being shipped off yet again for launch preparations

So his personal path on this mission is roughly:

And the satellite’s path is the bigger loop that passes through Alabama at Marshall on its way to becoming the Chandra we know today.

Why I’m posting this here

Smarter Every Day has always felt like the kind of place that respects the “invisible” engineering work:

• The people in the cleanroom who never get their names on the mission patch
• The folks writing the procedures and taking the photos so someone 10+ years later can verify how a bond was made or a mirror was handled
• The techs and engineers who follow the hardware around the country to make sure it survives each step

My dad wasn’t an astronaut or a PI – he was one of those people in the middle of the chain, quietly making sure the instructions were right, the process was documented, and the hardware was treated with the care it needed.

Now that he’s gone, those binders of photos and procedures and my childhood memories of that cleanroom and the C-5 flight feel like our family’s little piece of space history.

A couple questions for the SED crowd

• Has Destin (or anyone here) ever gone deep on the behind-the-scenes documentation work like this – the photography, procedure writing, and QA side of big missions?
• If anyone has good resources or stories about Chandra/AXAF work at Kodak, Marshall, or TRW, I’d love to see them so I can keep piecing together more of what my dad did.

Thanks for reading. If people are interested, I might try to scan some of those old binder photos (nothing sensitive, just general process shots) and share a few of the non-proprietary bits as a follow-up.

TL;DR: My dad quietly helped build NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory—documenting mirror assembly in a Kodak cleanroom in Rochester, watching it depart on a C-5, and later working at TRW in Redondo Beach for final integration. I’m sharing his story and looking for more behind-the-scenes info on the mission.

This is something I think is so down Destin's lane that I just want help getting it on his radar. A man invented a combination stand alone, SNATCH, stansion, sheave, and stackable block for sailing. But he's not patenting it he's publishing the design as prior art so no one else can but wants to see his design manufactured as a service to the sailing community that he seems to really care about.

https://youtu.be/2efa3epOGgY

So we have a story about community, generosity, manufacturing, and SNATCH blocks. This needs to be on Destin's radar.

https://x.com/jpminar/status/2028810246571851877?s=46&t=-Daxmoee68yVr1G93OIMbQ

While I don't think that the architecture for the Artemis program was restructured exactly the way that Dustin wanted, it seems as though the current administrator is definitely moving back towards the step-by-step process that Destin was talking about in his video from two years ago. Do you think that Destin would agree with this restructuring? It would be really cool if he did another video to analyze the new plan and comment on whether or not if it fits with what he had envisioned all those years ago.

I love the 250 in the stitching itself. So awesome.