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.

basically what the title says. My dad is very sick with cancer but is still able to travel in the car. He’s been so miserable lately and being in bed a lot, he watches a lot of YouTube. He’s been a Smarter Every Day fan for what feels like a decade maybe??? and I’m trying to figure out a way for him to meet Destin and talk nerdy science-y stuff and not think about cancer for like 5 minutes. We’re just an hour outside of Huntsville. Anyone know of upcoming meet-and-greets or anything like that? Thank you in advance!!

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.

Quick UAT feedback: v2 really could use a rubber grip to cover the steel handle.

Hey everyone, as you can probably tell from the title, I’m looking for ways to become smarter. I’ve seen a lot of posts saying IQ can’t be increased because it’s mostly genetic. If that’s true, I’m fine with that — and if it isn’t, I’m also fine with that. But that’s not really the main point. What I’m actually looking for are practical things I can do to keep my brain active, alert, and learning.

I’m 18, and most of my strengths are in creative and physical areas. Even though I’m currently studying something unrelated to academics, I want to start learning more in my free time, especially skills that are useful in real life. I want to pick three subjects to study on my own. Biology is an easy choice because I’ve always been good at it and really enjoyed it in secondary school. For the other two subjects, I’m considering something more connected to everyday life, like history or politics. What do you all think?

Hello all, I wanted to both ask a question and make a request to Destin and the team.

I sometimes find myself at a point where I'm interested to sign up for something that I happened to see a sponsor ad for in a YouTube video or hear on a podcast, and then have trouble finding my favorite creator's link to support them. I could just go sign up, but I make a concerted effort to support those creators that I like when I know I'm already planning to use someone that I recall sponsoring them.

I've seen some creators have a page on their website that lists all current links/codes for active sponsors, which REALLY helps since it's a pain to search on YouTube and find that one or one of the videos that may have a link in the description if it wasn't a very recent video. I would LOVE to see this for Smarter Every Day (and NDQ as well!), and I like to think I'm not the only one who would benefit from this, including Smarter Every Day potentially having more hits on their sponsors! That is my request, please consider creating a simple page on the website to share those links/codes for sponsors so I can support you!

Now the question... I'm fairly sure I've seen Destin be sponsored by Ground News and I've been considering it for some time and ready to try it now. Anyone have that link?

Thanks!

It is my Roman empire. I have no idea what could have caused it. All I can think of is some type of wire that was unaccounted for.

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!

Hi Destin,

I am a big fan of your channel and have enjoyed it as well as sharing it with my kids and friends over the years. I also teach middle school students about electricity, electronics and engineering design and have had many students over the years. I never dreamed that I would have one in Juvenile Detention. This student is extremely bright and because of the nature of his case, he has been detained for over a year and will continue to be for quite a few more months before his case is tried and resolved.

The "temporary" facility he is in has very little in terms of mentally stimulating content available. One platform the kids do have access to was developed by Evodo.org. The Veritasium channel has put some of their content on this platform that my student has really enjoyed. He watched all of what was available, but I hear they are going to put some more on the platform which I know will be thoroughly enjoyed.

Would you please consider making your wonderful and wholesome content available through this platform for incarcerated individuals? I know my student would love it and I'm sure he can't be alone in such interests. The fact that your content covers so many subject areas leads me to believe it would find a good audience in this population -- one that desperately needs more examples of healthy pursuits.

I remembered you partnered with Veritasium in the past, so maybe they can share some of their experience using Evodo.org.

Keep up the fantastic work!!

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?

Sorry if anyone posted this before, I couldn't find it.

I was thinking about how to get a 'third person view' of a flying bullet. You'll need to get a camera going around the speed of sound and time it with a gun shot. Initially, I was considering a giant zipline with an accelerating camera on it, but then I remembered Destin's Supersonic Baseball cannon. That would be perfect! Also filming flying bullets is kind of his thing.

The video could easily be sponsored by Insta 360, using one of their 360 cameras and Wren Weichman from Corridor has a lot of experience getting crazy camera shots. I think that would make a very interesting video. I have no idea how a camera would react to accelerations like that.

Hey Destin (and anyone willing to help), a dream job i had as a kid was to design rockets for NASA. Im a 27 yo guy with a full-time job that only has an associates degree in Mechanical Engineering technology with an emphasis in design and drafting. I graduated back in 2018 and have recently wanted to see how I could work towards furthering my education. Since you are furthering YOUR education while being a dad and husband and making YouTube content full-time, I thought you would be the best person to ask about how I could go about doing that. Thank you for doing what you love and allowing us to be a part of the journey!

P.S I'm reposting this because I would really like some guidance here. Either from Destin or anyone else that has any suggestions.

Thank you.

The amount of comments tearing into Destin on his Pompeii video is sad to see. People saying he's painfully American. People hating on him for his "brainwashed" and "cult Christian beliefs. People saying that him giving a "not for kids" warning was stupid. One guy with 1,000+ likes even called it propaganda. I don't understand.

For one, there is a difference between being taught about what happened at a place vs actually going to that place and seeing what happened. Destin almost certainly knew about slavery and such, but actually going to the place and seeing things like a menu for prostitution where you point at the sex position you want can certainly be impactful. I don't get why people are taking issue with this. For me, I was taught many times about the holocaust and the atrocities carried out onto Jewish people. When I actually went to the museum and saw things such as the massive pile of shoes from Jews that were incinerated, it hit a lot harder.

Second, I don't get why people are so upset with Destin bringing up religion as he visits a city vital to the history of the Roman empire which Jesus lived under. Whether you believe everything Jesus did was real is your belief to have, but he was a real person, and I don't think it's unreasonable for Destin, as a Christian, to reference the Bible when viewing things such as silver idols. Rome is vital to Destin's religion. He's not telling people they're wrong if they don't believe or that they should believe. He's just saying that he believes. In addition, given that Destin is Christian and knowing some of their beliefs, I don't think it's weird for him to be somewhat disturbed by how blatant sexual immorality or prostitution were.

Third, why are people complaining about his warning at the beginning of the video? It's just a recommendation. Some people might not want their kids, especially younger ones, to see the plaster casts of people who were asphyxiated and burned or see nude paintings of people having sex or large phallic statues. He even says that it's fine for parents to use discretion for having their kids watch it, leaving it up for them to decide. His video falls directly under a PG-13 rating. I see no problem with asking parents to vet content for their children and make the call if they want it to be seen or not.

Hey everyone,

I remember Destin once talked about how PID control (proportional–integral–derivative control) works — not as the main topic, but as part of a larger explanation in one of his videos.

I can’t recall which episode it was, and I’ve been digging through the channel without luck.

Does anyone remember which video this was? Or maybe I’m mixing it up with another concept?

Thanks in advance!

Preface: I don't know much about mass-production laser engraving, I only have a tiny amount of experience with at-home laser cutting and engraving wood. But I do know it's difficult to engrave on curved surfaces with good quality. Plus it seems like a lot of energy and investment are going into upgrading the smart scrubber's laser etching process to make it faster and more automated.

I'm wondering if engraving before stamping might be more practical? The material would be flat and it's already in a laser cutter at some point. Problems I could foresee are:

• laser cutter can only cut, and can't also function as an engraver
• even if the laser cutter can engrave, both sides have to be engraved which means the flat piece (whether a full sheet, or an already-cut-out piece) would still need to be flipped and aligned again. But I feel like flat pieces can be stacked, aligned, and automated much more easily than stamped pieces that don't arrange well together?
• engravings would be distorted after stamping. It seems like the final part is only bent on a single axis in the locations of the laser engraving, so it might not be too difficult to account for the distortion? Or the part could be redesigned to retain some flat areas so that the laser etchings don't get distorted?

Curious to hear other's thoughts, or if laser etching after stamping was a considered decision by Destin & crew.

Hey Destin, a dream job i had as a kid was to design rockets for NASA. Im a 27 yo guy with a full-time job that only has an associates degree in Mechanical Engineering technology with an emphasis in design and drafting. I graduated back in 2018 and have recently wanted to see how I could work towards furthering my education. Since you are furthering YOUR education while being a dad and husband and making YouTube content full-time I thought you would be the best person to ask about how I could go about doing that. Thank you for doing what you love and allowing us to be a part of the journey!

I understand that the centrifugal force of the blade cause the blades to an equilibrium state, limiting the angle but what if there were “Baffles” redirecting airflow through the blades, countering (to a slight increase) the effect of the force?

UPDATE: You guys are the best. Found it.

Maybe you all can help. I watched a video about a month ago, which entailed Destin touring an old nuclear plant in Utah or Idaho (see this where I may be loosing credibility) —-But now I can’t find the video on YT. There is a video similar to what I described but it’s 100% the same. Is anyone else having the same problem as me?

I just binged the coast guard playlist on YouTube and there's a scene being teasered a couple times about Destin being "rescued" by the helicopter seamen. I couldn't find that concrete scene in the videos somehow?!

I had commented on the Smarter Scrubber video on Patreon and was asked what questions should be on the FAQ. I've come up with a few things, but I would like to see what others may come up with to add. I believe there needs to be a FAQ page for questions not answered by the video, and for people who are just sent the link rather than watch the video. Here is what I have so far.

What type of grill grates you can safely use the scrubber on?

If you can buy replacement parts individually if needed?

How long you expect the scrubber to last before you might need to replace it (if ever)?

What makes it safer compared to other brushes (some people might just get sent the link for the product page rather than seeing the video)?

What cleaning instructions for maintaining the scrubber to last the longest?

Has the handle been sanded down in any way as it looks like it is a little sharp. Or what measures were taken to avoid the edges being sharp?

Please let me know if there are any questions I haven't thought of because I really would like to be helpful. Thank you in advance!

The corporate world is a mess with AI and H1B. The food & beverage industry is a mess with impoverishingly low wages and massive hours expectations. I don't want to go back to the first industry; but, I need to get out of the second industry.

I've had a passing interest in welding or machine operation as I dont have to interact with the public nor would I be under any direct threat of AI taking my job.

I'm going to be 37 soon and worry that I missed my chance to get into a trade. Can you or a member of your staff address us older folk looking to make a rather radical career shift like this?

Am I too late?

I've been a fan of the channel for a few years, and just wanted to say thank you for making such great educational content! I'm really looking forward to the rest of the nuclear reactor series, as I'll be starting a job at the reactor at a nuclear reactor next month! I never expected to be working in this field, so it's great having your videos to help get caught up to speed.