Scorch Update - Weird News

Scorch is still on Youtube and Weird News is back! 

Your Scorch update for January 2026.

I Love the 90s

 The website:

https://www.ilovethe90s.app/

Is in Beta. It's meant to simulate watching television in the 1990s using Youtube as its database. Check it out, if that's you're thing.

It's similar to http://www.my80stv.com/ and http://www.my90stv.com/ which appear to be offline or permanently shut down.

Re-Creating the Coca-Cola Recipe

Remember a while back when Glen and Friends Cooking tried re-creating the recipe for KFC? Another project he tackled, and ultimately didn't succeed with, was re-creating the recipe for Coke.

Now a chemist from the internet claims to have cracked it, more or less.

The Coca-Cola recipe being secret has always been a fascination to me. I imagine a hundred large trucks pulling up to the Coke factory, loaded with cinnamon extract (for instance) every single day and it's all a big mystery what the recipe is. This video doesn't really get into that aspect but it at least clears up the other thing I was wondering - why not just analyze it chemically. Pretty interesting.

As with the KFC recipe, I'm disappointed that it's not doable at home (or at least, it would take a lot of money).

[I just realized my illustration above is not my own, it's basically in the "Flaming Homer" episode of "The Simpsons." The point stands though]

RiffTrax - Moose Baby

RiffTrax has made "Moose Baby" free on their Youtube channel. "Moose Baby" looms large in RiffTrax lore - I forget why - because it's arguably the most dull or the most pointless maybe. All I remember is it gets mentioned a lot.

For what it's worth, I don't get the hype other than it's a great title. I'm still more of a "Setting Up a Room" guy.

The Wirtz Pump

 

 Not only does this video explain Wirtz pumps, which are pretty cool, it follows up and clarifies the earlier "Can Water Solve a Maze?"

LiteWeight Reacting - Rocky

Yes, I've found another girl on Youtube watching the Rocky franchise. And while I don't expect anyone to still be with me on this pointless journey, it has to be noted.

Let it be noted that the pattern continues: women love Rocky.

Let it be noted that this is the first girl who appreciates the character of Mickey.

Let it be noted that this is the first girl who actually shows anything resembling tolerance of the character of Paulie.

I also want to re-state how impressed I am by their ability to intuit film analysis while watching a movie for the first time. As many times as I've seen "Forrest Gump," I never connected that Jenny prays to become a bird and then, during a certain climactic scene, "Free Bird" is played - she registered that. Even more impressive, she connects Lt. Dan saying "If you're ever a shrimp boat captain, that's the day I'm an astronaut." with the detail that when Dan gets prosthetic legs he mentions that they're "titanium alloy, it's what they use on the space shuttle". I believe I've heard people point out the irony that both Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise would both be playing astronauts together in "Apollo 13" but I've never heard anyone make that connection before. And on one watch. Impressive.

An Incomplete History of the Concert Film

Another great one from Polyphonic if you're into the topic.

My review of "Woodstock". 

My review of "The Last Waltz".

I should have made a review of "Stop Making Sense" by now.

Christmas Music From Another Room

You might find this useful: "Christmas Music From Another Room - Relaxing Christmas Ambience with Muffled Christmas Music." I suggest putting it on in the background as you wrap gifts or cook or generally go about your day. I'm loving it.

The Charismatic Voice - Don't Let Me Down

 

"Don't Let Me Down" has the peculiar property that I feel I could listen to it on loop forever and not get tired of it.

Guy Visits Chi-Chi's

As previously reported, Chi-Chi's is back from the dead. Now "Sets, Streets & Eats" on youtube has visited the relaunch and filmed it. 

To get straight to the point, skip to 9 minutes.

Mister Rogers Episode 1

 

[Embedded video removed because the source was deleted]

By the time I saw Mr. Rogers for the first time, there had been a thousand (perhaps thousands) of episodes that came before it. Now, in 2025, the first episode has been uploaded to youtube.

The differences stand out. The kitchen is different, the character of Edgar (the traffic light?) was never a thing in my day and rolling out a bed for make-believe is... pretty weird. Pretty weird. The closing song is different.

Visiting the woman who wears lampshades is an interesting segment. On the one hand, Fred traveling to another location to talk to someone is a regular part of the show. On the other hand, it was always a realistic person doing some real activity that kids could learn about. I don't remember anything like this "real" woman wearing lampshades in my day. Fred Rogers loved whimsy and lampshade fashion is certainly that.

But it's also notable how much didn't change. You're looking at a 20 year difference (this first episode being 1968) and it's pretty much the same show. Same theme song, same set (mostly), same format, same characters.

Codex 9/11

A new 9/11 documentary attempts to explain what happened using original research and gaining clues from raw footage from the day. Check it out before it's deleted, if you're interested.

Pool Cleaning Videos Are Almost My Thing

 Continuing my series of discovering and cataloging Youtube genres, I've discovered Pool Cleaning Videos and they're somewhat compelling but not compelling enough, for reasons I'll explain.

There are at least two types of pool cleaning videos. In the first type, the pool is empty and they're cleaning the cement. These are fine, these are pleasing but you'll note they don't differ in any meaningful way from the Pressure Wash genre so I will omit talking about them. See below for an example.

Categories: "Things Going from Disorder to Order", "Cleaning", "Pressure Washing", "Oddly Satisfying."

The other type of pool cleaning video - the main one for the topic of this discussion - is a pool cleaning where the pool is full of water. You'll find my favorite example below.

Categories: "Things Going from Disorder to Order", "Cleaning", "Bright Colors", "Oddly Satisfying."

There are two aspects of this example I need to point out. First, you'll see the pouring of chemicals, the churning of the water and the color of the pool changing from dark dirt to a crystalline blue. It's an amazing phenomenon and one that I'd never seen before. This process is the main feature that all videos in this genre have in common. But as much as I find the color change satisfying, it's also too slow and usually involves "checking back in" periodically so you don't really get the satisfaction of watching it change before your eyes. This is the main disappointment of the genre - the pretty color change that I want to watch mostly happens off-screen.

The second aspect of this video to discuss is pretty rare and the reason this one rises above the rest... The part where they run some sort of pool vacuum and you watch the pool bottom getting cleaned in neat strips - the part starting around 11:00 - that's superb. That's the best. More of that please, because I haven't seen other videos that feature it.

So in summary, I find the Pool Cleaning Genre to be compelling but not as satisfying as other similar genres.

NOPE

 

NOPE.

Fixing Up a $1 House

Another video I found fascinating: it's just a timelapse on renovating a beaten down shack. Makes me wish I could do this. But maybe not... When it seems like they're still getting started and it says "Week 15" maybe it's not as satisfying as I imagine.

Upscaled Film From WWI

Film footage from WWI that has been cleaned, upscaled, increased in framerate, colorized, etc.

Apologies if this is boring to you. I saw it and was struck, once again, at how close this is to time travel.

The Blind Mike Project - Alec Baldwin

 

I don't understand it all but Alec Baldwin makes a video about his dead mother (for some reason) and it somehow turns into comedy gold.

RLM - The Future of AI Cinema

Mike and Jay discuss the state of AI in cinema and what it means for the future.

When a Youtube Suggestion Offers Nothing

 

Gordon Ramsey Makes Pancakes?

A clever edit of Gordon Ramsey cooking.

I love how this is such a simple idea but so effective.