30 Life Hacks Debunked - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 30)

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  • Опубліковано 12 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 8 тис.

  • @MentalFloss
    @MentalFloss  4 роки тому +11

    This Friday, 4/17/20 @ 7PM EST catch the LIVE premiere of Tub Trivia, the new quiz show from Mental Floss. ua-cam.com/video/wqeK4fQcTtQ/v-deo.html

    • @AndyouareWrong
      @AndyouareWrong 4 роки тому +1

      You can fold a fitted sheet just gotta use that brain. And also your standard wooden spoon will fit he was using an abnormally large handled spoon looking like it was made for Micheal fox

    • @merryc.5466
      @merryc.5466 3 роки тому

      Your WRONG abt the fitted sheet. A little old lady @ laundromat in Marquette, MI showed me how. Altho my impatience usually turns them into rectangles.
      Edit: Don't need a wooden spoon either!

    • @emersonwilson872
      @emersonwilson872 3 роки тому

      i know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a way to get back into an instagram account??
      I was stupid lost the account password. I would love any assistance you can give me

    • @chasearjun2744
      @chasearjun2744 3 роки тому

      @Emerson Wilson Instablaster =)

    • @emersonwilson872
      @emersonwilson872 3 роки тому

      @Chase Arjun I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and I'm trying it out atm.
      Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

  • @wilfredynunez5263
    @wilfredynunez5263 8 років тому +262

    He did a lot of these things dangerously close to his laptop.

    • @thihephan3003
      @thihephan3003 8 років тому +2

      Wilfredy Nunez t0thoitibţtino

    • @Smokey420Greenleaf
      @Smokey420Greenleaf 4 роки тому +6

      he's wasting a fortune recording this shit in a studio when he could be doing it in his own kitchen. you think he cares about a laptop that someone else likely payed for? lol. its just a crapple anyway.

  • @drwhoeffect
    @drwhoeffect 9 років тому +376

    That laptop charger bottle opener seems like a really terrible idea...

    • @Kyrmana
      @Kyrmana 9 років тому +26

      One of these costs 60€. Think of all the bottle openers you could buy for 60€

    • @gallectee6032
      @gallectee6032 9 років тому +10

      drwhoeffect yeah u can just use a corner of something like a table and hit the lid with the palm of ur hand, or use a lighter or anything that u can put the lid firmly on and hit it, you could even use a sheet like an a4 and open it

    • @ariehu1188
      @ariehu1188 9 років тому

      drwhoeffect kumsa

    • @cyndie26
      @cyndie26 9 років тому +1

      +drwhoeffect My dad says that he can open a bottle like that with anything.

    • @FlekyJeky
      @FlekyJeky 9 років тому +13

      +drwhoeffect Yeah seems like an easy way to break your charger.

  • @ginagarrick9383
    @ginagarrick9383 10 років тому +212

    You can definitely fold a fitted sheet into a square/rectangle. Martha Stewart showed how to do it years ago on her show and is fairly simple

    • @BoMwarriorVlog
      @BoMwarriorVlog 10 років тому +25

      Yeah, my mom taught me before Martha Stewart and I've done it all my life. Not hard to fold (they didn't even try in the video). :P

    • @HiMyNameIsAsh
      @HiMyNameIsAsh 10 років тому +3

      Lol, I just posted that...then saw your comment.

    • @mingogarcia1907
      @mingogarcia1907 10 років тому +3

      You suppose to use a screw

    • @LaurenIreland02keepsmiling
      @LaurenIreland02keepsmiling 10 років тому +5

      i learnt on grade six camp how to fold them properly

    • @Mineav
      @Mineav 9 років тому +10

      They're two guys. What do you expect? We're complete idiots when trying to fold anything made of cloth.

  • @copper_qween
    @copper_qween 5 років тому +18

    I MISS these videos 😭 they were always my favorite. I return to this one, in particular, often.

  • @cheyennemarie7075
    @cheyennemarie7075 8 років тому +174

    Omg I can't believe John just tried to spear the cookie part of that Oreo😂😂

    • @js2426
      @js2426 7 років тому

      Cheyenne Marie 😂

    • @kenbrown2808
      @kenbrown2808 4 роки тому

      it works even better if you just set it on a spoon to dunk it.

  • @TheTexas1994
    @TheTexas1994 8 років тому +197

    Does John intentionally do some of these wrong?

    • @AKorigami
      @AKorigami 8 років тому +51

      No he is just a moron.

    • @7777..7..
      @7777..7.. 7 років тому +3

      Nicolas Gleason-Boure yes, that is part of his joke!

    • @fernandoosio4031
      @fernandoosio4031 4 роки тому +13

      I actually fold my fitted sheets into a perfect rectangle all the time, he's just not doing it correctly.

    • @olo9512
      @olo9512 4 роки тому +2

      Did he take glasses off for cutting onions??!! No way that shit has any truth to it

    • @paulsimpson6290
      @paulsimpson6290 4 роки тому +6

      David Clinging perfectly possible, I do it all the time.

  • @GhoulishGwyn
    @GhoulishGwyn 9 років тому +145

    "The failiest pass of all time!"

  • @Avbitten
    @Avbitten 8 років тому +164

    take a shot everytime he says apparently

    • @chemtrailstucson6851
      @chemtrailstucson6851 8 років тому +1

      Lol

    • @sarahxbee
      @sarahxbee 8 років тому

      +Avbitten I just posted that! I didn't see your post. Totally agree!

    • @haydenlamb6309
      @haydenlamb6309 8 років тому +1

      I counted 16

    • @MatanuskaHIGH
      @MatanuskaHIGH 8 років тому +1

      i dont drink..but i smoke shit loads of weed and dabs..so I'm gonna smoke a dab every time he says apparently..

    • @brandypavano3424
      @brandypavano3424 5 років тому +1

      My friend tried this and blacked out halfway through the video 😂

  • @unclecreepy7025
    @unclecreepy7025 4 роки тому +54

    Watching him try to do some of these life hacks is like watching your dad play video games with such lack of coordination and then your dad says “it’s impossible to play video games.”

    • @deborahberger5816
      @deborahberger5816 Рік тому +1

      Jokes demeaning older people, shoving them between layers of false stereotypes, is profoundly offensive.

  • @freshtomatoes3655
    @freshtomatoes3655 6 років тому +10

    SO NOSTALGIC for me. I used to watch your videos when I was 5 or 6 and I loved them. Love it!

  • @MuttonTheDragon
    @MuttonTheDragon 10 років тому +34

    Before he told the guy to go to the kitchen, he had wet spots on his shirt. Several hacks later, he opened a jar with tape, creating the wet spots we saw earlier. This leads me to believe we are dealing with a Time Traveler!

  • @rachelscott746
    @rachelscott746 9 років тому +46

    A few of your "fails" were due to the fact that you failed to complete the hack properly. Such as the sunglass phone stand. Look at the picture you linked again. You set them inside the sunglasses. You don't prop the phone against them. You're welcome.

    • @strawberries1186
      @strawberries1186 9 років тому +4

      Rachel Scott Not to mention using a knife suited for Cheese or Vegetables to cute ice-cream that wasn't properly frozen solid.

    • @FlashMan
      @FlashMan 9 років тому

      +Angela Merkel Or trying to cut cherry tomatoes with what is clearly a paring knife. Even if you tried cutting those tomatoes one by one you'd fail.

    • @ChemECarl
      @ChemECarl 9 років тому

      +Angela Merkel I mean, for ice cream the problem wasn't really the knife, it was more that if you wanted to eat ice cream out of a tub, you could just take the top off the tub and eat it.

    • @noellepeck9586
      @noellepeck9586 9 років тому

      Yes thank you for saying that this dude is annoying he always never dose the hacks right check out the other hack video like this

  • @altiaribn-laahad946
    @altiaribn-laahad946 10 років тому +163

    Well yeah that's why there called straw Berries

    • @maverick1299
      @maverick1299 10 років тому +4

      Mind blown

    • @Razzy1312
      @Razzy1312 9 років тому +1

      Julian Anthony HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!!
      good pun

    • @UncouthTiger
      @UncouthTiger 9 років тому +2

      Altiar Ibn-La`Ahad THEY ARE
      how can you possibly confuse they are and there? Negates all the brownie pints you got for that comment

    • @altiaribn-laahad946
      @altiaribn-laahad946 9 років тому

      How can you not get that

    • @ShadeSlayer1911
      @ShadeSlayer1911 9 років тому +1

      Altiar Ibn-La`Ahad badum tsssss

  • @IQ178
    @IQ178 11 років тому +8

    With the sound "amplification" hacks: the design of these hacks is not to actually amplify the sound, but to direct it so that you can hear it better. It's the same idea as cupping your hands around your ears in the direction of the sound you want to hear. Also, I just folded my fitted bed sheet into a square. The trick is that you are supposed to start by folding it backwards.

  • @SaudiHaramco
    @SaudiHaramco 10 років тому +21

    To the thing with the two toasts in the toaster: make sure you are around when it pops out. Because it's likely that it wont jump out completely and the toasting will not stop. So if you miss it for just 2-3 minutes there is a chance your kitchen is already in flames. -Experience...

  • @robinbowman6991
    @robinbowman6991 3 роки тому +7

    I've seen all of these life hacks videos a dozen times and they always cheer me up :)

  • @JiroTheFro
    @JiroTheFro Рік тому +4

    It’s been 10 years?!? I come back to this video every time I forget how to do the chip bag hack. I also still use the freezer hacks to this day; I forgot this was where I originally saw the ice water hack

  • @blackkittyfreak
    @blackkittyfreak 8 років тому +62

    Moral of the story: ALWAYS take Doritos when you go camping.

    • @michaelgill1529
      @michaelgill1529 8 років тому +1

      blackkittyfreak learnt this fact about doritosnwhen I was camping when I was about 15, got to the point in the night when we were prettt drunk and just burning anything we could, and discovered doritos burn really well

    • @kuhnhan
      @kuhnhan 3 роки тому

      Better yet, don't go camping. Why sleep outside when you have a house or apartment that you pay to sleep in?

  • @pineandpasture
    @pineandpasture 8 років тому +20

    I fold all of my fitted sheets all of the time. It amazes my husband, but it's not difficult.

  • @dragonsorcerer285
    @dragonsorcerer285 10 років тому +9

    Two things about the life hacks. The water with pizza thing was wrong about keeping the crust crispy, but it does keep it from getting leathery or overly chewy after you microwave it. The same goes with other bread products (like sandwiches). The popcorn one works better if you open it at the bottom (where most of the unpopped kernels are).

  • @joeaskme
    @joeaskme 10 років тому +19

    the tomatoes between the lid works with a longer knife with a sharp serrated edge and saw and all corn chips burn well

    • @tomtom9509
      @tomtom9509 10 років тому +4

      What's the point any way... With a sharp knife and some practice will cut 10 cherry tomatoes one by one a lot faster than taking the trouble of putting them carefully together in between two lids and slifing them in half carefully...
      That's a bit like taking 10 min. to reaarrange your dishwasher to put one more glass when it take sabout 30 sec. to wash it up by hand.

    • @bluemunkie107
      @bluemunkie107 10 років тому +1

      ***** This trick also works well for things like grapes, I mainly use the trick when cutting large numbers of small round things. Also with the size of those tomatoes he was cutting doing them one at a time would be faster.

    • @KittyAndersonIS
      @KittyAndersonIS 10 років тому +1

      ***** When you have to cut cherry tomatoes or grapes by the hundreds, scooping them onto a lid, plonking the other lid on top and slicing through takes half the time. Until you get to 50 the time spent on digging out those lids and finding the right knife outweighs the time gained ;)

    • @tentavision13
      @tentavision13 10 років тому +1

      And I think the tomatoe one would have worked better if he had pushed with his entire hand instead of just his fingers

    • @joeaskme
      @joeaskme 10 років тому

      Nate Tanguay
      You are right, the people i have seen do it use their whole hand and press hard

  • @nightgardheal
    @nightgardheal 8 років тому +66

    Lmao you never used a knife in your life... And that's not a knife to cut so many vegetables

    • @grantbaugh2773
      @grantbaugh2773 7 років тому +6

      TaxusQc as soon as I saw him trying to cut those tomatoes I wanted to cry. thing was closer to a nail file than a knife.

    • @cutiepie4lyf674
      @cutiepie4lyf674 7 років тому

      TaxusQc It looked like a butter knife. LMAO 😂😂😂

    • @louisedwards4023
      @louisedwards4023 4 роки тому

      You need a longer knife DUM shit

    • @justins8802
      @justins8802 4 роки тому

      Yeah, ability to weald a knife is a prerequisite to knife-related hacks.

    • @Gorf1234
      @Gorf1234 4 роки тому +1

      @@justins8802 Especially if you're likely to get excited about onion cutting and vigorously wave it next to your right eye 3:41

  • @Elvings92
    @Elvings92 8 років тому +63

    Dude fot the wine glass you gotta use a screw not a nail

    • @GabyGibson
      @GabyGibson 8 років тому +3

      Elvings92 Yeah, and then you use the hammer to pull it out.

    • @alfiet2717
      @alfiet2717 8 років тому +1

      Elvings92 no you can get use a line of like 4 nails Buzzfeed did it in their 16 ways to open a wine bottle

    • @user-yo2lt8ch7v
      @user-yo2lt8ch7v 7 років тому +6

      AlfieT27 well Buzzfeed are a load of clickbaity liberal God-complex shitheads so nah

    • @raggedynomo1974
      @raggedynomo1974 4 роки тому

      My husband used a nail before. It took a long ass time, but he did it.

    • @historian252
      @historian252 3 роки тому

      So you say. Yet you guys haven't shown any way that you are better than people on the right.

  • @kristimas13
    @kristimas13 9 років тому +75

    "He didn't even try." "You did it wrong you idiot!" "Number ___ TOTALLY does work I did it!!" I really think these videos are to entertain rather than teach us the secrets of life. Maybe dial back the anger a little?

    • @pinkkryptonite86
      @pinkkryptonite86 6 років тому

      I was about to say this. Thank you

    • @fish4225
      @fish4225 5 років тому

      Fair enough, but I'm pretty sure he didn't take his glasses off before cutting that onion and that just makes the test redundant.

  • @nickisabelle724
    @nickisabelle724 10 років тому +21

    The popcorn kernel one totally works. I do it every time. Though you don't need to open it a tiny bit, it already is. You shake things weird.

    • @chocolatecereal7996
      @chocolatecereal7996 10 років тому +5

      Is there a proper technique to shaking something? Does he have to shake it at a perfect 73 degree angle while singing Wrecking Ball for it to be a normal shake?

    • @nickisabelle724
      @nickisabelle724 10 років тому +16

      Steven Seaneiros I could write you a parabolic function simulating the necessary positive and negative acceleration in a bidirectional loop, but I could also just say "up and down". Ass.

    • @nickisabelle724
      @nickisabelle724 10 років тому +5

      Nick Isabelle The smaller more dense objects will fall to the bottom in a free flowing environment. Not super complicated.

    • @steveburton1980
      @steveburton1980 10 років тому +1

      Steven Seaneiros no he just has to actually, you know, shake it. More than half an inch and more than once. He called it a fail and I was wondering why he didn't even try. I do this too, it works absolutely fine.

    • @nickisabelle724
      @nickisabelle724 9 років тому +2

      Steven Burton The science on this one isn't exactly perplexing. Small, dense objects fall to the bottom. There's a hole. They fall out the hole.

  • @andidv8
    @andidv8 8 років тому +26

    Use a sharp knife for cutting tomatoes between lids and you won't have that problem. We do it all the time in the restaurant industry.

    • @andidv8
      @andidv8 8 років тому +4

      Also, that's a steak knife you tool.

    • @Vudar
      @Vudar 8 років тому +3

      I've personally done this with a chef's knife and it works great. This guy is just an idiot who probably has never cooked in his life.

    • @djflamingo9339
      @djflamingo9339 8 років тому +1

      He's an author, not a chef, jeez. We can't all be perfect at everything. You must also remember that sometimes these "life hacks" aren't the most comprehensive in terms of information and details.

    • @BananaMammoth
      @BananaMammoth 8 років тому +2

      Write me a novel that get turned into a movie real quick and lets see how you take his criticism of the work of "an idiot who probably has never written in his life"

    • @thihephan3003
      @thihephan3003 8 років тому

      DJ Flamingo tih

  • @paxtoncat9795
    @paxtoncat9795 9 років тому +94

    At the end I thought he said "menopause" instead of "mental_floss"...

    • @stoof3797
      @stoof3797 9 років тому +9

      Maybe he's trying to be crazyrussianhacker

    • @BeLoud13
      @BeLoud13 9 років тому

      RougePenguin77 CrazyRussianHacker is handsome and sexy, with a great accent, but he takes way too long to demonstrate his hacks.

    • @RebbelReb
      @RebbelReb 9 років тому +5

      paxtoncat Cannot unhear

    • @mycatsademon
      @mycatsademon 9 років тому

      paxtoncat nope, he said mental floss

    • @Smokey420Greenleaf
      @Smokey420Greenleaf 4 роки тому +3

      yeah it sounds like he's saying menopause in like every video i've seen so far lol.

  • @KJMartinETC
    @KJMartinETC 9 років тому +8

    1) It is entirely possible to fold a fitted sheet into a perfect square, I have to do it all the time at work.
    2) The cup amplifier trick amplifies in one direction (towards the opening of the cup) so of course it doesn't amplify in his direction...so yes someone didn't go to school for acoustic engineering...just not the guy who came up with using the cups...
    3) Using the sunglasses as a stand does work, so long as the phone is seated On the glasses.
    4) It isn't a nail and hammer, but a screw and a hammer that you need. the normal screw acts like a cork screw and you use the hammer or pliers to pull the cork out.
    5) The wooden spoon does fit in the hanging hole of some pans...
    6)Cutting grape tomatoes using two plates or lids does work and is faster, it just requires a knife the width of the plates used.
    7)Chewing gum doesn't stop you from crying when chopping onions. You cry because the aromatic smell released by onions is actually made up of Propanethiol S-oxide which when it makes contact with the eye creates sulfuric acid. He didn't cry because the onion he was cutting was old enough to have converted the Propanethiol s-oxide into baser components or to have had it leached and thus it didn't release the gas when cut.
    Lastly: Yes, the dogs do "understand" each other. Dogs, like many animals, have distinctive sounds they make which is almost a pseudo language or even proto-language. While there isn't an exact sound that means an exact phrase, as is the case with our languages, dogs communicate aggression, friendliness, and other emotions and intent through their barks. Barking is an extension of the hunting sounds made by wolves in packs which would signal through growls, howls, barks, and so on while hunting to direct the pack on where to go to catch prey.

  • @RozenHusky
    @RozenHusky 10 років тому +105

    So many of these were done wrong lol

  • @GradyRho92
    @GradyRho92 10 років тому +21

    you can fold a fitted sheet. theres a certain way. yall just gave it a half ass attempt

    • @vickymachnicka7162
      @vickymachnicka7162 10 років тому +1

      GradyRho92 i know arint they doing some of them wrong

  • @TheMegadethMonk
    @TheMegadethMonk 9 років тому +45

    I'm going to debunk 30 Life Hacks by proving that half work and doing the other half obviously wrong!

    • @chdreturns
      @chdreturns 9 років тому

      #1 was done wrong... The ends of the roll were not sealed so the sound could escape that way instead of amplifying.

    • @ccarrinn
      @ccarrinn 9 років тому

      +chdreturns where would the sound go if the ends were sealed? Not being rude just wondering

    • @joshsdkytre7497
      @joshsdkytre7497 9 років тому

      +Carin Archer you can put a phone in any box and it will amplify the sound. it bounces off the walls more and also makes it sound alittle more bassy. I do this with the cupholder in my car to redirect my phones audio towards me.

    • @ccarrinn
      @ccarrinn 9 років тому

      joshs dkytre oh cool

    • @gibsondanny
      @gibsondanny 8 років тому +1

      +joshs dkytre you cant amplify the sound like that. you can focus it, so it reflects the sound toward you. bit it doesnt actually get louder.

  • @notottomedic
    @notottomedic 7 років тому +11

    The soda tab “trick” is the intended use.

  • @JRLB38
    @JRLB38 4 роки тому +6

    Every Mental Floss video outro:
    "Menopause is brought to you by these nice people..."

    • @janedoe8566
      @janedoe8566 4 роки тому

      J R I heard menoplause haha

  • @HomestarRunner20X6
    @HomestarRunner20X6 10 років тому +30

    The cherry tomatoes thing works if you use a decent knife, glass plates and even pressure.

    • @ellieban
      @ellieban 10 років тому +12

      Agreed. Also works on olives and grapes. But not if your knife is too short. Rookie error.

    • @rushore1
      @rushore1 10 років тому

      Seems obvious enough to anyone with a brain. He even catches his own mistake but still rates it a fail.

    • @gregoriusmaximus64
      @gregoriusmaximus64 10 років тому +1

      ellieban not really a rookie thing, more of a common sense thing where you KNOW that you HAVE to have a knife length EQUAL to the size of the plates,..

    • @jiquerez
      @jiquerez 10 років тому +1

      As in many situations in life, I still favor the two-handed sword. Though it is heavy and bulky, it is very versatile in the kitchen.

    • @natewagner2946
      @natewagner2946 10 років тому +1

      ***** depends on how many you are cutting. My kids eat a ton of grapes, and cutting a bunch of them in half is a pain...

  • @MiggsMultiple
    @MiggsMultiple 9 років тому +25

    30 life hacks debunked....Where half don't get debunked....

    • @fernandoosio4031
      @fernandoosio4031 4 роки тому +4

      And the other half are just executed incorrectly

  • @nicknack125
    @nicknack125 11 років тому +6

    5:33 you did the ice cream thing wrong, John :P You cut a line around the base of the ice cream horizontally, so there's only around a centimeter at the bottom. Then cut a line intersecting that one vertically, and peel the container off of the Ice Cream, so you have a big hunk of ice cream left with only a tiny bit of the container at the bottom for you to hold.

    • @Leogryph
      @Leogryph 11 років тому

      That makes more sense! Although I prefer it in a bowl with chocolate syrup! Mmmm... So good

    • @robertanderson7160
      @robertanderson7160 11 років тому

      Kieth11 you take the big hunk of ice-cream and put it in to bowls

  • @KatherineJane001
    @KatherineJane001 10 років тому +46

    Every time I boil water in a pot I put the wooden spoon over it. It works for me every single time.

    • @nickisabelle724
      @nickisabelle724 10 років тому +1

      Why/how does this work?!?!

    • @drrnfl
      @drrnfl 10 років тому

      The spoon pops the bubbles. Kind of like when you pour a fountain soda and get that bubble head, you can make it go down by putting your lips to it

    • @killersatellite3838
      @killersatellite3838 10 років тому +3

      it all has to do with surface tension of the foam and the wooden spoon upsetting that surface tension by lessening the viscosity of the liquid

    • @WoodlandsWorld
      @WoodlandsWorld 10 років тому +3

      I use a wooden spoon and it works great, i try to have the widest part of the spoon over the pot, not just the handle spanning across, this give more wood surface area to the water, seems to work better. If you put the spoon on at the last second with mostly the handle over the pot, you will have a fail.

    • @Infamousdoyle
      @Infamousdoyle 10 років тому

      Yeah, my mom does it all the time. You have to put the spoon on it earlier. ( FYI don't use a metal long spoon, it burns when you grab it...)
      Also, roll works, we did it in class, and proved it with" Science" or devil magic... You have to make the hole small, and other one you have to use aviators to make your iPhone stay. I also do that all the time in class.
      The bed sheet one... I only own one lol... Fuck folding it, but I believe you can fold it, they have to fold it when they package it right?

  • @sophie7412
    @sophie7412 7 років тому +12

    i don't know john, my mom can fold a fitted sheet into a square.

  • @ezeo22790
    @ezeo22790 8 років тому +14

    the wooden spoon works if its the right type

  • @elizabethc.306
    @elizabethc.306 10 років тому +5

    Can we just take a moment for John Green's reaction to spilling the jalapenos?

  • @FeasableOption
    @FeasableOption 11 років тому +5

    Simply not being coordinated/smart enough to successfully perform a task does not indicate a "fail". Several you failed are indeed useful if you're coordinated/smart enough to do them.

  • @Buzlter
    @Buzlter 11 років тому +18

    You actually did a lot of them wrong, but still great video.

    • @AwakeningAvalon
      @AwakeningAvalon 11 років тому

      ***** The iPhone speaker is on the bottom.

  • @CobaltTheCrusader
    @CobaltTheCrusader 9 років тому +3

    The one with the Pizza and Glass of Water one is incorrect.
    It's not supposed to keep the pizza crust crispy, as you said, it's just supposed to keep it from drying out and turning hard as a rock.
    That Glass of Water trick also works for pasta and I found that it also helps with keeping chicken moist if you want to use your microwave to thaw it out and cook it a little bit before tossing it onto a grill or a pan.

  • @AITheRetroProject
    @AITheRetroProject 10 років тому +15

    You did like 13 of these wrong by count.

  • @PsychChika
    @PsychChika 11 років тому +11

    You did the sunglasses one wrong..
    For the wine bottle you're supposed to use a screw. not a nail.
    For the wooden spoon on the pot handle - you're supposed to use aluminum foil to tie them together.
    For the tomato one, you have a tiny knife

  • @JordanRagus
    @JordanRagus 10 років тому +23

    4:01 Get it? .....Straw-berry? :D

  • @synapse349
    @synapse349 8 років тому +2

    I love how he has these honest reactions...

  • @samanthahughes8145
    @samanthahughes8145 11 років тому +4

    Personal experience: I have personally folded fitted sheets into squares. It's obvious they can be folded since they're SOLD folded :P Also, you can cut cherry tomatoes between two lids, it's just takes practise and a sharp knife.

  • @Nimiety327
    @Nimiety327 11 років тому +8

    As many have mentioned already, you're simply not doing some of these life hacks properly. I saw more than a few that you've listed as fails that shouldn't have failed, if done right. And others where you almost seemed to work against it (the wooden spoon fitting into the pan holder for example.. there isn't one standard pot handle hole size/shape, or wooden spoon size/shape) I really hope you make a fallow up video correcting the misinformation in this video.

  • @minnsminns
    @minnsminns 11 років тому +4

    There's a knack to the popcorn one. Open it less and shake it up and down holding onto the tab on the other side, works perfectly.

  • @jetnut89
    @jetnut89 8 років тому +6

    Nothing like watching John Green hurt himself.

  • @Sephyroth97
    @Sephyroth97 10 років тому +46

    Actually ALL of them work, don't trust this guy, he just half-assed some of them; cool demonstration though ;)

    • @Sephyroth97
      @Sephyroth97 10 років тому +5

      ***** Try them, watch other videos, search them; he was lazy and didn't try some of them like they were supposed to. Don't trust him, he's a good guy and I like this channel but he does a lot of mistakes in a lot of his videos :(

    • @Sephyroth97
      @Sephyroth97 10 років тому +7

      ***** Really?? Wow, I'm not even the one that discovered that this guy can't cut some tomatoes or fold a fitted sheet and gives the fault to the internet :D
      I want to thank all my friends and of course you, because you gave me this incredible news :*

    • @bochamo3895
      @bochamo3895 10 років тому +3

      some of them not all.

    • @Sephyroth97
      @Sephyroth97 10 років тому +3

      Sergio Amesty All of them do, free to try them...well, try them properly, not like he did ;)

    • @gamingphone7201
      @gamingphone7201 10 років тому +4

      Darkus45 Tried them, they don't.

  • @nafinapkin5439
    @nafinapkin5439 8 років тому +7

    The rules are....
    "If these life hacks dont work in 10 seconds it's a fail"
    MOST OF THESE THAT YOU SAY IS A "fail" WORKS
    also those arent red onions (theyre the ones that make you cry)

    • @jessechu2224
      @jessechu2224 8 років тому +2

      a month late but life hacks are supposed to make you do stuff faster not take longer than taking like a real tool for it

  • @nakaharaindria
    @nakaharaindria 8 років тому +9

    Pretty sure Barry from SORTED Food did that cherry tomato between two plates thing with a bigger knife and it did work. Hahaha.

  • @TheIrishJesusXD
    @TheIrishJesusXD 7 років тому

    Easily the greatest and funniest series on Mental Floss

  • @JWMCMLXXX
    @JWMCMLXXX 9 років тому +30

    That time at 3:42 when John almost stabs himself in the face with a knife while making explodey noises

  • @SVURulez
    @SVURulez 11 років тому +4

    The toilet paper roll is supposed to prop up your phone when you're using it as speakers, not amplify the sound. The wooden spoon is supposed to be wet (which works to temporarily cool the water when it starts to boil over - good temporary solution). Obviously you're not going to cut through all the cherry tomatoes using a 2" paring knife. Not sure if the cups work but if they could amplify your speakers, you probably have to have speakers on that part of your computer first.

  • @arose92795
    @arose92795 10 років тому +27

    with the nail in the cork, you didn't do it right.pull at an angle (more of an angle than how you put the nail in) it will work that way.

    • @kirbylisk
      @kirbylisk 10 років тому +4

      other option, use a screw, and then use the claw on the hammer to pull the screw out GENTLY.. had to do it that way when we lost the cork screw, and dont have nails.

    • @Ballsmung
      @Ballsmung 10 років тому +1

      Don't forget, you should pull it out in the direction opposite the angle. Say this [/] is the cork and nail. Pull it out left. Otherwise, it will still slide out, like in the video. Also, a longer nail.

    • @jsheski2734
      @jsheski2734 10 років тому +11

      Here's an option. Buy a fucking corkscrew.

    • @arose92795
      @arose92795 10 років тому

      Jerome Tomasheski II It's for if you don't have ready access to a cork screw. not like you'll have one in your pocket 24/7.

    • @jsheski2734
      @jsheski2734 10 років тому

      arose92795 So you're telling me that it's more likely for you to have a bottle of wine in your pocket? I think someone needs an intervention.

  • @fuchgoog4643
    @fuchgoog4643 10 років тому +5

    I love how the guy just barely tries on many of them. Like the one for the cork and nail. A lot of them take a little finesse and he was not honestly trying for many of them.

    • @fuchgoog4643
      @fuchgoog4643 10 років тому +1

      I say this not meaning they all work, but that he doesnt necessarily fully disprove them either.

  • @ZakeryFyke
    @ZakeryFyke 8 років тому

    John, you opening that jar with the duct tape is the hardest I've laughed at a youtube video in my 10 years of being on youtube. XD

  • @SomeCallMeWeird
    @SomeCallMeWeird 11 років тому +4

    On the contrary, I've added a bag of doritos to my emergency survival kit that I keep in the trunk of my car.

    • @Pables1994
      @Pables1994 11 років тому

      contrary to what?

    • @SomeCallMeWeird
      @SomeCallMeWeird 11 років тому +1

      That we should not be lighting doritos on fire.
      Awesome username.

  • @marief2502
    @marief2502 8 років тому +8

    It annoys me that he didn't even use a long enough knife to cut all those tomatoes and then said the hack didn't work because he only cut a few of them. Duh! Use a long sharp knife.

    • @TheGerobird
      @TheGerobird 8 років тому +1

      Not only that the knife was not long enough, he couldn't even cut straight... not to mention the cutting "technique" of the onions...

  • @CorrosionX4
    @CorrosionX4 11 років тому +10

    #14 Heat your knife in boiling or hot water. Cuts through goat cheese like butter and makes the slice all shiny and shit (Gordon Ramsay hack)

  • @JBC352
    @JBC352 4 роки тому

    I’d never heard of Mental Floss and only clicked on the thumbnail cuz I wanted to watch a roasting of “life” hacks, and did a double take when I saw John Green on the screen. I thought at first I was hallucinating or clicked the wrong video. I’m glad I clicked; now I have hours of binge watching to do.

  • @bradtravis9321
    @bradtravis9321 10 років тому +7

    The gum trick worked by having a closer smell to your nostrils. Your eyes water because of the slight burn in your nose from the onion juices. The smell of the gum cancels that out.

    • @emilyprobst5977
      @emilyprobst5977 10 років тому +12

      Actually your eyes burn because a chemical in the onions causes a chemical reaction with the saline in your tears that literally turns your tears into sulfuric acid (source: chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/onionscry.htm). I have no idea why chewing gum works, but it does. *shrug*

    • @bradtravis9321
      @bradtravis9321 10 років тому

      Ah, thanks for correcting me. I would have ended up making that mistake again.

    • @codediporpal
      @codediporpal 10 років тому +7

      Actually the "gum trick" doesn't work.. It only "worked" because he was not sufficiently exposed to the irritant anyway. This shows problem with not having a control group.

  • @jamesbinnie8765
    @jamesbinnie8765 11 років тому +11

    $90 charger to open a $2.50 bottle of coke.
    Just buy a bottle opener.

    • @MattMcConaha
      @MattMcConaha 10 років тому

      Your logic doesn't entirely make sense unless you _only_ use the charger to open bottles or if opening bottles breaks the charger. Which is possible, I suppose, but I don't know that it's likely.

    • @jamesbinnie8765
      @jamesbinnie8765 10 років тому

      Dude these chargers are so fiddly, they break from the friction of your skin.

  • @Goatmeal
    @Goatmeal 10 років тому +11

    What monster came up with the idea to waste doritos like that?

    • @emily1813
      @emily1813 10 років тому +3

      Is it bad I said that like rainbow dash

    • @Goatmeal
      @Goatmeal 10 років тому +1

      Emily Deason Haha I can totally picture that in Dash's voice.

  • @emmetlewiecki6777
    @emmetlewiecki6777 9 років тому +5

    Guys it's not his fault he's doing them wrong. The website he got them from obviously didn't tell him how to do it correctly. And before you say "well he should have researched them more!"- the point of life hacks is that they're fast and easy, so you shouldn't have to research them before you do them.

  • @slaaayx
    @slaaayx 10 років тому +15

    The 2th Live Hack you did wrong!

    • @slaaayx
      @slaaayx 10 років тому

      And 11

    • @soon2boo
      @soon2boo 10 років тому +1

      "2th" I do believe you meant to type 2nd. Have a good day.

    • @slaaayx
      @slaaayx 10 років тому +1

      Sydney Gil Sry German :D

    • @soon2boo
      @soon2boo 10 років тому +1

      Totally cool w/ it, glad you're trying in English *thumbs up*

    • @slaaayx
      @slaaayx 10 років тому

      Sydney Gil
      xD

  • @AlexandraGoddard
    @AlexandraGoddard 10 років тому +8

    Could've used spaghetti to light the Doritos

  • @YamisQueenJess
    @YamisQueenJess 11 років тому +8

    if you set Dorritos on fire, will the smoke smell like the flavor of dorritos?

    • @Em-mu2gd
      @Em-mu2gd 11 років тому

      I wanna know really bad but I feel like I would burn my house down...

    • @anter176
      @anter176 11 років тому

      Emma nem Do it outside then maybe?

    • @Em-mu2gd
      @Em-mu2gd 11 років тому

      I'm so gonna try it

    • @Crantr0n
      @Crantr0n 11 років тому

      Emma nem ... AND?????

  • @LifeofMarie267
    @LifeofMarie267 8 років тому +1

    The glass of water in the microwave thing works great for keeping your soft pretzel soft when you reheat it. It also works for reheating burgers & bagel sandwiches. I've tried it.

  • @T1000.Android
    @T1000.Android 10 років тому +6

    Obvioulsy there are many factors in each of these 30 life hacks. For example the glasses would work fine for a phone stand if the surface was different. And then again some are just useless. My fav was the yoke extraction with the empty water bottle :)

  • @ashdragon1
    @ashdragon1 10 років тому +6

    Didnt know guys needed a life hack to open a beer bottle, just use your hands....

    • @Faith_Walker
      @Faith_Walker 10 років тому +4

      Some beer bottles can't be twisted off and NEED a bottle opener. You'll slice up your hand a fair bit before you notice the difference.

    • @ashdragon1
      @ashdragon1 10 років тому +1

      David Stocking No offense but im not talking about just twisting it off, if you NEED a bottle opener, try toughening up. Been drinking for to long and travel everywhere, Haven't come across a beer that i couldn't open myself.

    • @remyclarke4020
      @remyclarke4020 10 років тому +10

      ashdragon1 You make a valid point but some people don't have hands made of hardened rhino hide.

    • @ashdragon1
      @ashdragon1 10 років тому +1

      Remy Clarke
      lol i like that, that was funny.

    • @thexulterius
      @thexulterius 10 років тому +2

      ashdragon1 Apparently you can use your hands to open a beer bottle..
      PASS!

  • @InsanePorcupine
    @InsanePorcupine 10 років тому +8

    Your methodology is flawed for some of these. #4 use a screw or maybe try pulling on the nail at an opposing angle so the nail doesn't just pop out. #8 while not perfect doing this will break the surface tension of the bubbles, and will prevent it from boiling over for a bit, but when the spoon gets coated by the liquid it will not break the surface tension. So this works for a little bit, but not for to long. #9 that is the biggest wooden spoon ever. Some will fit others will not, obviously this isn't a fail for everyone. It depends on the size of the hole, and the pot. #10 seriously you got a guy to try and fold a sheet? Definite fail. #11 That's not a knoif this is a knoif. Everything else was fine I thought.

  • @spressi
    @spressi 8 років тому

    Great video! I have two interesting additions:
    Open a jar:
    1. Slide a knife between the lid and the glass.
    2. Lever until you hear a click from the air exchanging.
    3. Open without effort because there is no more difference in pressure between the inside and the outside of the jar.
    (Only do this right before opening the jar because the content will rot faster otherwise)
    Cool a beer quickly: This has probably nothing to do with the wet paper towel. If anything, I expect the towel to hinder the cooling process because it shields the beer from the cold air within the freezer and thus has to be cooled first. Would you put in two beers - one with and one without it - and see which one is colder after some time?

  • @0Kevsta0
    @0Kevsta0 11 років тому +5

    Nice Drp Pepper/ Doritos/ Oreos/ Hersheys/ TicTac/ Guiness ads

  • @ThisIsLawless
    @ThisIsLawless 11 років тому +10

    I hosted a bbq/bonfire in the Summer, and used Doritos to start the fire.

    • @Yonkage
      @Yonkage 11 років тому

      Most people I know use about a pint of gasoline...

    • @laerketis
      @laerketis 11 років тому +6

      Yonkage Most people you know are apparently idiots

    • @ThisIsLawless
      @ThisIsLawless 11 років тому +1

      It's very easy to start a fire without gasoline (or Doritos,) provided proper placement of the wood/logs, and some newspaper (or any paper) to get it going. I just happened to have Doritos on hand that night, and wanted to test the life hack for myself, it worked better than the paper method.

    • @jamesbinnie8765
      @jamesbinnie8765 11 років тому

      Did It taste oh so cheesy?

  • @imreloadin
    @imreloadin 9 років тому +9

    4:38
    Click several times in a row.
    You're welcome!

    • @johnssff
      @johnssff 4 роки тому

      Not So Pro Gamer awesome

    • @imreloadin
      @imreloadin 4 роки тому

      @@johnssff Nothing like commenting on a 4 year old comment xD

  • @annamitchell9875
    @annamitchell9875 4 роки тому +1

    I feel like you got “That’s not a knife, THAT’S a knife” and “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” mixed up! 😂

  • @elenadelach6722
    @elenadelach6722 10 років тому +6

    i've heard that instead of using a nail with the wine bottle, you r supposed to use a screw and pry it out with a hammer

  • @dulcevera1613
    @dulcevera1613 10 років тому +6

    If you wanna open up a jar, hit the side of the lid with a spoon/fork all the way around the lid and then open it. It opens up super easy and quick!!! :)

    • @amphixious
      @amphixious 10 років тому +1

      poke a tiny hole in the lid with a knife. werd.

    • @dulcevera1613
      @dulcevera1613 10 років тому

      Or that too... Lol

    • @Telamon8
      @Telamon8 10 років тому +8

      Step 1) Aquire [glass] jar
      Step 2) Slam jar against table/counter

    • @pazztrizz
      @pazztrizz 10 років тому

      or just have some muscles to open a jar bare hands

    • @pduffy211
      @pduffy211 10 років тому

      Except tapping around the edge with silverware may chip the jar leaving glass in the product. Just hold just the metal lid in both hands for a minute or two and it will warm and expand making it easier to open.

  • @phoebesookim
    @phoebesookim 3 роки тому +1

    The algorithm brought me back here after all these years and I am not upset in the slightest

  • @themichelezara
    @themichelezara 9 років тому +4

    4:35, "the fault in our jars."

  • @darkmanafest63
    @darkmanafest63 10 років тому +10

    And the wooden spoon does help stop water from boiling over it takes much longer to boil over with a wooden spoon across the top than without one. Of course it's not going to cover the top of the pot with a magical forcefield and stop all water from ever boiling over the pot's sides it just slows the process down. You didn't even properly test this, you should have boiled two identical (that means same size and material, so just use 2 of the exact same pots) pots of water, one with a spoon on top and one without and compared the amount of time it took for the water to boil over.

    • @keeganmonceaux5478
      @keeganmonceaux5478 10 років тому +6

      That moment when someone on UA-cam types an entire paragraph about a wooden spoon and a pot... And then spends extra time editing it.

    • @darkmanafest63
      @darkmanafest63 10 років тому +2

      Keegan Monceaux The edit was because I noticed a grammatical error, which took all of 2 seconds.

    • @keeganmonceaux5478
      @keeganmonceaux5478 10 років тому

      Nevertheless, you put forth a lot of effort constructing a paragraph to try to prove something that has no significance. I think this show focuses more on comedy than even scientific fact.

    • @darkmanafest63
      @darkmanafest63 10 років тому +3

      Keegan Monceaux Wait, this video is supposed to be funny!?

    • @darkmanafest63
      @darkmanafest63 10 років тому +3

      Mitchell Sansone I wouldn't call comedy and entertainment the same thing, I mean they're separate words for a reason. Some people find football entertaining, but that doesn't make it comedy. .____.

  • @TheSheepster
    @TheSheepster 9 років тому +9

    popcorn one does work...

  • @mickidee6714
    @mickidee6714 3 роки тому

    This is one of the funniest I’ve seen. I miss this guy!!! Bring him back!!!!

  • @HiHowAreYouuuuuuuuuuuuuu
    @HiHowAreYouuuuuuuuuuuuuu 10 років тому +8

    Can't find a corkscrew, but can find hammer and nail???

    • @wilpri
      @wilpri 10 років тому +3

      Basic home repairs require hammer and nail. Not everybody drinks.

    • @JUSTADDSAM1
      @JUSTADDSAM1 10 років тому +1

      Priscilla Wilson, yep, and if you had a screw and hammer, I'd bet it would work. Just turn the screw in and pull it out like a nail.

    • @yunofun
      @yunofun 10 років тому

      Ronnie B
      That does work. Certain nails work too despite what he says. Ring-Shank nails by example sort of work...
      Standard wood screw, deck screw, or particle board screw works best though.

  • @alecrisser12
    @alecrisser12 10 років тому +4

    John you should learn how to cook, especially if you are carnivorous; and microwaving usually isn't cooking, it is reheating or finishing the final step.

  • @cheonsaaa_cat
    @cheonsaaa_cat 10 років тому +4

    Right, so if you're desperate and camping with a bag of Doritos, and you feel too lazy to find kindling, light them on fire if you don't want to eat them. Uh yah...

  • @thermitebanana
    @thermitebanana 4 роки тому

    Thanks John -my son is still obsessed with the soft-crunchy toast thing a couple of years after first watching this.

  • @kevinwesel2472
    @kevinwesel2472 10 років тому +18

    you did the glasses stand wrong

    • @kevinwesel2472
      @kevinwesel2472 10 років тому +2

      and the spoon in the ho;e is only for specific ti the pan

    • @hexadecimal5236
      @hexadecimal5236 10 років тому +9

      He also did the hammer and nail wrong, and the wooden spoon has to be thin not thick. This video seems really lazy and low quality, they should re-do the entire thing and actually investigate these hacks doing all of them properly.

    • @gamma11pro39
      @gamma11pro39 10 років тому +4

      and the toilet paper roll speaker

    • @kevinwesel2472
      @kevinwesel2472 10 років тому +1

      Rose BPOS yea

    • @coolguy6366
      @coolguy6366 10 років тому

      I agree

  • @2cbeats826
    @2cbeats826 10 років тому +5

    You where wearing your glasses when you cut those onions

    • @Candylover2013
      @Candylover2013 10 років тому +12

      That dosnt make a diffrence just saying

    • @jamiecreel7892
      @jamiecreel7892 10 років тому +1

      In fact, it keeps the fumes in between your eyes and the glasses, no joke, it hurts.

    • @noone8838
      @noone8838 10 років тому

      the sinnaces are what makes ur eyes water not eyes.....it's a fact

    • @goldeneye0010
      @goldeneye0010 10 років тому

      If you chew a gum while cutting onions, it will not make you cry... I've tried it..

    • @TheAsianGuys9000
      @TheAsianGuys9000 10 років тому

      Lily Ober
      No it isn't.

  • @i_am_raph
    @i_am_raph 10 років тому +5

    My mother can fold a perfect square out of a fitted sheet. Mark's just a pleb.

  • @dr.michaellittle5611
    @dr.michaellittle5611 4 роки тому

    Two tips:
    1. To chop onions without tears, perform the chop on a cutting board that is also under your stove top exhaust fan. The running fan will take the volatile organic compounds that cause tears away from your face.
    2. To mitigate foaming over from pans when you are cooking rice or other similar carbs, just add 1 tbsp of olive oil. It will help break up the bubbles.

  • @jonc3519
    @jonc3519 11 років тому +7

    A screw works with the cork, though.

  • @doncheeto1
    @doncheeto1 11 років тому +4

    the popcorn kernal one actually works. I use it all the time

  • @laurynabbott6901
    @laurynabbott6901 10 років тому +5

    "Menopause is brought to you with the help of..."
    It really sounded like he said that.

  • @akaLisette
    @akaLisette 4 роки тому +1

    A part of me died when he drank ICE COLD Guinness RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE!!!