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Abstract Popular Science

I ran across this delightful account that explores and explains everyday scientific questions through maddeningly catchy songs. Like why a cast saw cuts through plaster but spares your skin:

How working principle of an electric kettle is another banger:

My gateway into this account was why are steel coils placed upright when trucks are hauling them:

These will get stuck in your head. Available on YouTube and TikTok (e.g. how is a football made).

Comments  4

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J
Jburka

A common element of the videos I watched were that all of the videos were reversed (all of the text was mirrored). Is this a way of avoiding copyright claims or something else going on?

M
Mark Gould

I suspect that is exactly what is happening. There is a spate of accounts on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube using other people's footage mirrored or with odd digital artefacts (such as horizontal glitches or imitation grain) in an attempt to make money from that content. I hadn't seen this one before, but I very often see accounts that have clipped scenes from sitcoms -- those can have view counts in the millions.

E
Eric Logan

The first one is clearly a, ah, reimagining of Steve Mould's video. The third has such awkward phrasing as lyrics ("moreover"?) it can only be that they've lifted the original script wholesale. I don't know if putting other people's words to music is enough distance to make this a new thing but it is sailing pretty close to the wind.

J
James Risley

Fairly sure these are AI singers turning words, likely the edited transcripts of videos, into singing. I wouldn't be surprised if the music is just based on a nice prompt as well.

This thread is closed for new comments & replies. Thanks to everyone for participating!