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Mike Newman

Managing Editor at Cool Material

The Most Searched Terms of 2017

Google unveiled the most searched phrases and names in 2017 for a variety of categories yesterday, meaning you can see what the world was thinking about the past year. From the hottest tech to the movies that had people buzzing, Google's searches are a good indicator of what was on…

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The 10 Best Podcasts of 2017

Podcasting is still in its infancy. Only recently have we seen companies spring up to try and capitalize on its popularity. While we're all for giving everyone a shot at audio glory, we do appreciate the polish that comes along with a bit of a cash flow. That, along with…

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What ‘Star Wars’ Could Have Looked Like

The Star Wars universe you know and love, the one you're about to dip back into this weekend, could have looked a lot different if some of the original concept art made its way into the films. Ralph McQuarrie's early sketches and designs painted a very different picture, and that work…

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The 10 Best Books You Can Give This Holiday Season

A good book is always a solid standby. Not only are they relatively affordable, but there are so many quality titles to choose from. Whether they have a niche hobby or just like reading what’s hot, finding the right book is not all that challenging. We can’t get into every…

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A Very Loose History of Skateboard Shapes

If you've picked up more than one skateboard over the last handful of decades, you've probably noticed they've undergone a good bit of transformation in their time. A Very Loose History of Skateboard Shapes is a visual journey through the history of the deck. Joe Pease brings a colorful, well composed…

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ARES Project Panther

For the Italian supercar lover who wants something more unique than a Lambo or a Ferrari, there's ARES Design to offer them something for their eight-car garage. And the latest project from ARES is the company's most head-turning yet. Project Panther is a Lamborghini Huracan below the surface, so you…

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‘The 15:17 To Paris’ Official Trailer

On August 1, 2015, a gunman boarded a Paris-bound train with the intent to kill many people. His plans were upended by a collection of brave men who's training prepared them to act in the face of danger. This is their story, as told by Clint Eastwood. The 15:17 To Paris…

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Morphcooker Is an Electric Campstove

We don't mean to go all Veg-O-Matic on you, but listen to all the Morphcooker can do. This electric campstove is a hot plate, a frying pan, a pot, a grill press, an oven, and express water boiler. But wait, there's more! Morphcooker can be charged through an outlet before…

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This Spoon Was Created Just for Peanut Butter

If you gathered up all the peanut butter jars you've thrown away in your life and were able to extract all the leftover contents, you'd probably have a few more jars of peanut butter. That's the idea behind PBspoon, which is a cross between a spatula and spoon, and is…

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S.T. Dupont X-Wing Pen

Early reviews for Star Wars: The Last Jedi are overwhelmingly positive, which should make you sufficiently hyped for this weekend, assuming you got tickets. That means your Star Wars excitement meter could be at an all time high and you might actually consider dropping almost $2,000 on a pen inspired by the iconic films. S.T. Dupont…

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‘Annihilation’ Official Trailer

A couple of months ago, Paramount got us in a tizzy with the release of a teaser trailer for Annihilation, a film from Alex Garland (Ex Machina) that's based on the first book in the incredible Southern Reach Trilogy by author Jeff VanderMeer. Well, if we were excited then, we're bouncing off…

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Moonshots: 50 Years of NASA Space Exploration Seen through Hasselblad Cameras

Your last-minute holiday gift has arrived for anyone with a barren coffee table on your list. Moonshots: 50 Years of NASA Space Exploration Seen through Hasselblad Cameras is 240-page hardcover filled with stunning photos of space and Earth plucked from NASA's archives. Every picture you see was shot with a Hasselblad…

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Makedo Cardboard Construction Toolset

Believe it or not, there will be times when kids and kids at heart need a break from the LEGO bricks. Shockingly, the 1,000th boxy car just doesn't hold the same appeal as the first few. For the budding DIYer in search of something else, consider Makedo's Cardboard Construction Toolset.…

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Gift Pick: Yaket Ice

Your standard ice pack was not meant to coexist with the beer can. That's kind of strange when you consider 90% of the time we are using one to keep beverages cold. (The other 10% is for icing injuries that happened after drinking those beers.) The Yaket Ice is a…

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The Most Streamed Netflix Programs of 2017

As more and more people cut the cord, more and more people turn to Netflix for their entertainment. That's why Netflix is channeling so much money into original programming. This past year was the streaming service's biggest to date, as people plopped on their couches in droves to flip through…

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