> temp > à-trier > flash-photography-used-to-be-pretty-wild-technology-connections

Flash photography used to be pretty wild

Technology Connections - 2024-02-02

I see spots.
Many thanks to Gav @theslowmoguys for making this video possible!

Links 'n Stuff:
If you haven't seen that video of the speed of glass, go do that now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMVge5TYz4

My Photography playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0jwu7G_DFV6yW240e6CbiwCLaZ0Z6PV

Technology Connections on Mastodon:
https://mas.to/@TechConnectify

(I'm also trying out BlueSky on the same handle, if you've managed to get invited there)

This channel is supported through viewer contributions on Patreon. Thanks to the generous support of people like you, Technology Connections has remained independent and possible. If you'd like to join the amazing people who've pledged their support, check out the link below. Thank you for your consideration!
https://www.patreon.com/technologyconnections

@theslowmoguys - 2024-01-31

Brighter and goopier than I could have possibly imagined.

@spartenz14 - 2024-01-31

Dan looks weird in this video

@kaptainKrill - 2024-02-02

I love that my favorite YouTube channels are collaborating together more and more.

It’s a regular YouTuber extended universe

@mysticmarble94 - 2024-02-02

Awesome 😲

@brightsde3511 - 2024-02-02

How did you already watch the vid? its only been out for 14 minutes and the vid its self is 30 mins

@spartenz14 - 2024-02-02

@brightsde3511 you get to watch videos a day or so early if you're a supporter on Patreon

@MinerMike24 - 2024-01-31

I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get a “And through the magic of buying two of them!” as Dan stepped into frame at the start there

@DogsRNice - 2024-02-02

Biggest missed opportunity in youtuber crossover history

@speeter6345 - 2024-02-02

Same, i even said it while watching hoping he was going to say it too

@TheVeryHungrySingularity - 2024-02-02

I was completely prepared for this to happen

@piparalegal2019 - 2024-02-02

Agreed!

@Galerak1 - 2024-02-02

I was disappointed we didn't get any Dan as well, even if it was only a 'Dan walking in from stage right with a good old British "What the bloody 'ell is goin' on 'ere then?" in the outtakes at the end.

@MeriaDuck - 2024-02-02

Using 2020s era photo tech to see 1960s era photo tech at single digit microsecond time intervals is an actual technology connection. ❤

@bobweiss8682 - 2024-02-03

I'm sure the engineers at Sylvania, GE, and Kodak would have killed for a camera like that during the development process...

@TheLaXandro - 2024-02-03

1963: there's not enough light!
2023: there's too much light!

@nickbob2003 - 2024-02-03

@bobweiss8682that’s what I was thinking too. The people who made these did so without the benefit of being able to see what is happening. I’m sure they would love the footage and it makes me wonder if they would be surprised by anything or just say, yep that’s how I designed it

@shaider1982 - 2024-02-03

@bobweiss8682 Some form of the tech probably existed but for governments/military, to expensive for them.

@YT-Observer - 2024-02-03

@shaider1982 not single digit microsecond exposures

@TristanDreamer - 2024-04-11

So... We made mini bomb lights.

Then we made a bullet light.

@adissentingopinion848 - 2025-07-06

Hot-swappable 4-shot "cylinder" with a schweet semi-auto trigger pull

@robonator2945 - 2026-01-02

​@adissentingopinion848 The Phot Single Action Army

@SpaceWitchAurora - 2024-02-02

I love how so many youtubers bring Gavin on not because of clickbait, but because of his equipment and experience. Like, barely anyone mentions that they got him on in the title or thumbnails, so you just get surprise Gavin in the middle of a video, and honestly I love that.

@Aviertje - 2024-02-02

Yeah. It makes me feel bad for Dan. When are other Youtubers going to need an almost-disposable english dude for some hazardous tests? He deserves some love, too!

@Atmatan - 2024-02-02

How collabs should be

@c4rr07 - 2024-02-02

@AviertjeDoesn't Dan still live in the UK? I was under the impression he travels to the states for a big filming batch periodically, and then the actual videos come out over time as they're edited. Must be awkward to sync that up with other YouTubers as well.

@MrNoipe - 2024-02-02

It's mostly the million dollar camera

@gorak9000 - 2024-02-02

what other non slow mo guys videos has he been in?

@jegog. - 2024-02-05

My Uncle, Bernard Kopelman, invented the Magicube. He was the head of research at Sylvania Lighting. I remember him explaining how it worked back around 1970 when I was a teenager. He was a material scientist and before working at Sylvania he was involved in the Manhattan Project developing materials for nuclear reactors. Sylvania (GTE) rewarded him for his work on the Magicube by making him the Vice President of their materials division. He regretted the promotion the rest of his career since he was an inventor at heart and did not enjoy being a manager. My uncle got me a summer job at the Sylvania factory in 1976 when they were developing a machine to make a million electronic flash tubes.

@C4CH3S - 2024-02-07

That's awesome. Shame your uncle didn't get to keep inventing things like he wanted. This is a very common feeling talented engineers have even today.

@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 - 2024-02-07

Wow, your uncle was a wizard?

@isaac10231 - 2024-02-07

Woah, you should into contact with Alec!

@salvatoreshiggerino6810 - 2024-02-08

So which fulminate did they use?

@bb5242 - 2024-02-08

This is such an American type of story that doesn't hardly exist today at all. All our innovation seems like it is just gone.

@Loop_Kat - 2024-02-03

The fact that this is one of the rare times in Slow Mo Guys history where there was actually too much light for the camera really says a lot about how insanely bright these things burn

Also, love the shot at 30:47

@darrennew8211 - 2024-02-03

That and the recent "shaped charge" video, yes.

@johannweber5185 - 2024-02-03

​@darrennew8211 There also was a video about actual thunderbolts.

@peanutsandvich1319 - 2025-02-26

I mean, it makes sense, these things are designed to deliver a whole lotta light, really quickly. You could probably use them as viable light sources for very fast slow-mo.

@blakksheep736 - 2025-05-09

Also the rocket test.

@erickacuna1322 - 2025-05-26

Now I understand “no flash photography” signs at museums. Something that shines as bright as the sun would definitely age and yellow paintings over time

@kg790 - 2025-07-05

Sunlight for a microsecond though. It could very well be the reason but I'm not convinced, since there's at least one other reason I can think of: They lower the brightness in such exhibitions for this reason, and firing a flash in there will ruin other visitors' sensitivity to light.

@kg790 - 2025-07-05

Or it could be that instead of brightness (photons per time I guess), which I don't think is the concern really, but that some flash technologies produce high energy (UV) photons that do ruin pigments etc.

@toddverbeek5113 - 2025-07-27

It’s mostly about cumulative exposure over time.

@toddverbeek5113 - 2025-07-27

A neutral density filter over the high-speed camera’s lens might’ve helped with the exposure blow-out.

@worawatli8952 - 2025-08-24

Yea, most of no photo signs in the past was actual concern on safety of items and people. Now it's more of privacy and copyright concern.

@BEM684 - 2024-01-31

Congratulations on flashing thousands of people and not even getting a content strike.

@newq - 2024-02-01

Yep. That's it. I don't have to leave my obligatory Patreon comment now. This one beats anything I could possibly come up with.

@quantumblur_314 - 2024-02-02

​@newqyou're nothing in comparison

@FFKonoko - 2024-02-03

​@quantumblur_314 what even is your Comment?

@quantumblur_314 - 2024-02-03

@FFKonoko I could ask the same thing about what I replied to.

@vcouw - 2024-02-02

I love Gav going “na na na naa na na na” at 32:42 It makes me feel like he’s a genuine fan of your channel.

@DavidLindes - 2024-02-02

Yeah, I had the same thought. Yay.

Definitely a fun collab to see! Thanks, both! 🎉📸

@joolsstoo3085 - 2024-02-02

I had subtitles on. Thats when the "blindingly smooth jazz" starts.

@Karnnos - 2024-02-02

I think Alec should have synchronized this part with an actual music.

@isaacfortner - 2024-02-03

I watch and listen to Gav’s other stuff through Rooster Teeth, and I want to say he’s mentioned enjoying watching Technology Connections before.

@BlooShades - 2024-02-03

​@isaacfortnercan confirm, I remember him mentioning it

@NoahErickson - 2024-02-05

As a kid (born in '78) I would dismantle the blue dot flash cubes and throw the bulbs on the concrete (post down, of course) for magic ninja escapes when playing with friends after sunset. Until my parents discovered we suddenly had no flash cubes.

@jdeltia - 2024-02-11

what do you mean by "post down"?

@pietrog - 2024-02-11

@jdeltiathe part with the fulminant

@NoahErickson - 2024-02-11

As a kid, I think possibly they didn't figure out I needed glasses yet at that point, I thought the bulb was solid glass with a solid metal post sticking into it. I didn't realize it was hollow, and that the "post" was also hollow and contained a fulminate of some sort.

@jdeltia - 2024-02-11

@NoahErickson ohhh i thought you meant post as in like after, thanks for the explanation

@philipfreeman - 2024-02-11

Yes, I used to do the same. I would even heat the bulb to remove the film, so it would literally explode. Yes, it's a wonder I lived to the ripe old age I am now, and with all my fingers!

@LtJMP - 2024-03-22

As a person who worked in a G.E. Lamp Plant for over 20 years making the actual bulbs for the FlashCube, SuperCube, HiPower, MagiCube, & FlipFlash (names such as GE, Osram, Wootan, & several store brands); your assessment of the parts (glass bulb, glass beads, zirconium/magnesium foil, tungsten filament, oxygen, primer, etc...) were spot-on. The most dangerous part of the process was the use of the primer for MagiCube, which the post was dipped into. (A safer & different primer was used to dip the tungsten filament & electrical posts for the other flash bulbs. That primer wasn't as pressure sensitive.) The cup that held the primer was changed every 3-4 hours. As long as the primer wasn't dried out on the inside of the dip cup; which happens as the level in the cup drops, it was safe. BUT dried primer was extremely volatile & accidents have happened. As a side note... back in the heyday of chemical flash; our plant was just one of several that ran over 100 machines; each machine producing 2000-2500 bulbs/hour, 24 hours a day, 6+ days a week, for about 20 years. THAT'S A LOT OF BULBS!!

@wta1518 - 2024-04-27

That's almost 30 billion bulbs!

@DxDiag-exe - 2024-05-03

Wow!

@sanis799 - 2024-05-16

I’m

@orandilu989 - 2024-06-26

Thank you, LtJMP, you popping in here with your experience is a wonderful reason behind what makes the internet so great!

@filipe.estima - 2024-07-18

@wta1518 My calculations is about 300 million: 2000 x 24 x 6 x 52 x 20.

@vailpcs4040 - 2024-02-04

I'm not ashamed to share that I once picked up an already-opened box of magic cubes and they all slid out and hit the garage floor and ALL went off at once. That was an expensive lesson back in the day.

@Gractus - 2024-02-05

As soon as Alec showed the mechanism I wondered to myself if they could go off if someone dropped them. So that's a yes then.

It's like a ninja smoke bomb haha.

@Fan-lq6uv - 2024-02-05

Makes one wonder how the store dealt with customer complaint that a new box were full of blown bulbs because it got dropped?

@Dargonhuman - 2024-02-06

@Gractus More like a ninja flashbang...

@DUKE_of_RAMBLE - 2024-02-06

​@Fan-lq6uvHell, I'd be slightly concerned about the amount of light generated by a potential 12 flashes going off simultaneously, causing the cardboard package to ignite from all the heat!

(... and incase anyone wants to think that's not possible, just remember what the sun + a magnifying glass can do 😅)

@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 - 2024-02-07

@Fan-lq6uv Come to think of it, I wouldn't want to be the USPS worker handling those.

@linksbro1 - 2024-02-04

The Blue Dot in the bulb (known as the Sylvania Blue Dot) is actually to indicate whether or not the bulb has leaked its sealed low pressure oxygen atmosphere, if the blue dot turns pink, the bulb has leaked and is likely to explode.

@leevons_home_vids - 2024-02-04

Thank you for that. I was hoping he might talk about what it was for but he didn't. I was wondering a out it

@tinman5322 - 2024-02-04

I remember the commercials advising that if the blue dot was black it was a sure way to know the bulb was spent (but they used much smoother language). I thought it was ridiculous since every bulb that fired melted almost all the way through the shield.

@Zaurthur - 2024-02-04

blue dot, in sealed bulb

@16vSciroccoboi - 2024-02-05

Why would it explode? If it's leaked wouldn't it be less likely to explode? It goes from full Oxygen environment to atmosphere

@linksbro1 - 2024-02-05

@16vSciroccoboi because it's a LOW PRESSURE oxygen rich atmosphere, which is BELOW ambient atmospheric pressure. Being AT atmospheric pressure could potentially mean there's more oxygen inside than intended for a controlled reaction.

@JimFaindel - 2024-02-05

I love how Gavin knew and performed the ending jingle, now that's a true friend!

@antipoti - 2024-02-10

Exactly my thought, it was such an amazing ending, with a so smooth and heartful transition, the music slowly creeping in. Just perfect!

@doublestrikePhoto - 2024-11-24

The lady at 0:15 didn't wind the film between shots. I call shenanigans.

@tariceanuadrianalexandru3130 - 2025-05-07

That zenit et is being abused so i call shenanigans too

@AureliusR - 2025-09-02

Stock footage is so weird sometimes. Like why is she acting so overzealous and dramatic? She's just taking photos in a park or something.

@xeniph_AnTo - 2025-10-19

​​@AureliusR i guess it's meant to cover a wide range of intensity in that specific area.

@coke-cone-shaped - 2025-11-07

​@AureliusRits stock photos, the description is probably lady in park enthusiastically taking pictures

@AureliusR - 2025-11-07

​@coke-cone-shapedyes I know it's stock photos, I was just pointing out if you actually go through stock photos there are a lot of strange ones

@Faris_V5 - 2024-02-03

I want to bottle the feeling I got upon hearing you say "slow mo guy"... and then not just pass it off as a joke! I can't believe you didn't clickbait Gav when it would've been so easy to and it lead to such a delightful surprise as I had not looked at the description nor comments yet. So, thank you for that. It brought joy to my heart.

@MrBattlecharge - 2024-02-03

I want to get rid of the feeling I got upon hearing him say "slow mo guy" instead of "one of the slow mo guys" - its daneraser

@Jo-hw6pp - 2024-02-03

1:22 ​@MrBattlecharge
Xxx

@gefagnis - 2024-02-04

same

@KalebPeters99 - 2024-02-04

Around 3mins in I was literally drafting a comment in my head about how it would be so cool to see these flashes go off in slow motion, and of course a collab with Gav (and/or Dan) came instantly to mind.

Seconds later I was grinning ear to ear, cursing myself for ever doubting Alec 😅😅😅

@davemccage7918 - 2024-02-04

They should have just called Michael Bay’s cameraman and asked him how he got those slo-mo flashbulb shots in “Pearl Harbor”. That’s the movie that taught me that cameras were a lot more explodey back in the day.

@Brocklebird - 2024-02-03

"Very calibrated, easy to set-off firework"

is also match-grade ammunition

@0neDoomedSpaceMarine - 2024-02-03

Is it really though? How consistent is the burn and produced light between individual flash bulbs? How consistent is each shot on a cube, how consistent are cubes amongst each other?

@asacreglow6422 - 2024-02-03

​@0neDoomedSpaceMarineProbably more consistent than the steel core ammo we're outshooting you with

@whyiwakeup6460 - 2024-02-04

@asacreglow6422 ??? outta pocket behavior

@light-master - 2024-02-02

You missed a joke with Gav and Dan about "through the magic of buying 2 of them" 🤣

@nathanhachey - 2024-02-02

I waited the whole video for this joke!

@curiousfirely - 2024-02-03

Absolutely!!

@AlexSh789 - 2024-02-03

I was more disappointed at the absence of "the magic of having four of them!" when introducing the cubes.

@ranolden9717 - 2024-02-03

I mean. Do we really want Alec to go to prison for taking apart a slow-mo guy?

@nathanhachey - 2024-02-03

@ranolden9717 excellent point

@flywingless - 2024-10-27

@30:47, I've never cackled so hard during an educational video. I wasn't prepared for the surprise 😂

@ElectroBOOM - 2024-02-02

I do remember people using those Magicubes!!! eh... I'm old I guess...

@molenmelon1 - 2024-02-02

i see some people using these to this day

@VAXHeadroom - 2024-02-02

I used them - have boxes of pics I took with an old Kodak w the Magicubes!!

@christo930 - 2024-02-02

I remember being sent to the local rite-aid to buy them in the middle of a party. I was a kid in the 70s when these things were at their peak. But they died very quickly. I had no idea these started in 65. I thought they were much older. By 1980 they were gone.

@paulmurgatroyd6372 - 2024-02-02

@molenmelon1 I remember seeing a camera with a cube stick on it in about 1973.

@sirnickity - 2024-02-02

I definitely remember having one of those little trays of bulbs arranged in two staggered rows. It think it was for a Polaroid camera..?

@vwestlife - 2024-02-03

Press photographers from the era would often have burn marks on their legs from flash bulbs that accidentally went off in their pockets.

@jkvdv4447 - 2024-02-03

The good ol days before liability lawsuits

@Mark-Lebowitz - 2024-02-04

I did not know that. But how did flashbulbs accidentally go off in their pockets unless they had pockets big enough to carry pre-loaded flash units with the power source connected? Only the Magicubes had self-powered detonators. Flash bulbs and regular Flashcubes needed an external power source.

@vwestlife - 2024-02-04

@Mark-Lebowitz Static charge from wool fabric.

@ichtyorniscretace9624 - 2024-02-04

Can you please source this? I can't find anything talking about that

@Mark-Lebowitz - 2024-02-04

@vwestlife, wow, I never would have thought of that (and apparently they didn't, either😬), but it makes sense.

@Paul_Wetor - 2024-02-02

"The sun is pretty stinking bright". Your mastery of technical jargon really makes this channel fun.

@LittleDancerByGrace - 2024-02-03

I never fail to learn something on this channel. 😛

@stevenclark2188 - 2024-02-03

I think I once did the math to find than an indoor area that I thought had fantastic lighting was still something like 10 stops dimmer than it was outside, an that might have been the shade. The conscious side of the brain just refuses to believe how much the visual side of the brain is lying to it.

@Veptis - 2025-02-07

28:52 the out of focus bokeh of the probe lens (heavily overcorrected with these rings) looks beautiful as an particle effect. I might even try to program this in a shader later...

@ToccataEtFugue711 - 2026-04-20

Its absolutely beautiful 🤩

@Yakkers - 2024-01-31

The moment you started to imply slow motion I was like "please be a slow mo guys collab," I'm happy I wasn't let down

@Toksyuryel - 2024-11-17

Your avatar is super adorable!

@mpbx3003 - 2024-01-31

That shot at 30:47 might be the best thing out of many very good things to have happened on this channel. It's so perfect in composition and framing.

@rivkahwinter - 2024-02-01

My thoughts exactly

@everythingbrassorange - 2024-02-02

Might need to be the new channel profile picture

@bobosims1848 - 2024-02-02

Actually, I found the burn of the broken tube at 28:30 rather unexpected...

@SuburbanDon - 2024-02-02

The Big Bang

@PlittHD - 2024-02-02

Stupid idea: Make each frame of this shot a picture and set it as a Desktop Wallpaper slideshow where it'll get brighter each hour

@HoneyMike - 2024-02-02

I love the collab, that filament explosion at 28:32 is some of the most beautiful footage I’ve ever seen

@bryanayer - 2024-02-03

Right? I NEED a 4k wallpaper of that

@Lamename12 - 2024-02-03

I didn’t think it was even real for far too long

@chelsealynn9866 - 2024-02-03

It was gorgeous. Reminds me of early CG art from the 90s.

@CheapFlashyLoris - 2024-02-03

Even more beautiful than the sequence at 30:47?

@gargantuablargg - 2024-02-03

Agreed, the various clips were captivating, some of the best slow-mo footage I've watched. It reminds me of those movie reels from the Space Shuttle liftoff pad ("Best of the Best").

@mickey8643 - 2026-04-28

4:15 best guest appearance iv'e ever seen

@theoneandonlyflexo - 2024-02-12

That face at 30:52 is just priceless. The eyebfow raise the way the face just becomes unveiled from the darkness. Just perfect.

@ardamilk7606 - 2024-02-29

Came to make sure someone had already brought this magnificient moment to light. My favorite shot too.

@reru_personal - 2024-03-16

​@ardamilk7606I like the pun in your reply,

@fifiwoof1969 - 2024-03-30

33:41 the box of crap is SUPER important.

@ttty2242 - 2024-05-13

Like a mix of Doctor Who and Mr. Bean

@noodlefunny - 2024-02-04

the bokeh effect at 28:32 is INCREDIBLE. Great video

@patriotic-panda - 2024-02-04

Funny seeing you here

@TheBloodyViki - 2024-02-04

It really is beautiful

@formdusktilldeath - 2024-02-04

reminds me of christmas lights instantly

@Ogaitnas900 - 2024-02-04

I really thought grandma would be waving at me from the light.

@MattH-wg7ou - 2024-02-05

That was beautiful!

@WKfpv - 2024-02-02

Gav singing na na na at the end, showing he's a fan of the channel was heartwarming.

@LilyB-st7zc - 2024-11-20

It’s so cute to see Alec talking to something other than the audience, he seems so friendly and warm

@joe-u9t8y - 2025-05-18

right?

@startiger2 - 2024-02-04

Out of college, I worked for an aerospace company. The plant started during WWII as a small/medium caliber ammo producer. After the war, they got into other things. During the 50's and 60's, they had a contract to make flash bulbs for Kodak. They converted one of the buildings they used to make .50 cal rounds into a mechanically controlled automated flashbulb line.

The line was not overly safe or reliable. When you are working with molten glass, primer, high o2 levels, and a lot of other things that burn really well, there were a lot of fires on that line. Somehow that managed to turn a profit until the 70's when they finally took the line out. Somehow they managed to keep a descent safety record and not burn the building down, despite many fires on the production line over the years.

They actually had some of the equipment in storage into the late 2000's because they couldn't scrap it due to contracts with Kodak. No one wanted to even attempt recommissioning that line. It would never fly with modern safety and quality control standards for handling explosives. It would have required a total redesign of the process. Eventually, they finally decontaminated and scraped the equipment when Kodak went under in 2012.

@m1goodwin - 2024-02-05

Was this the Montoursville PA Sylvania plant? They made proximity fuses for WWII, then radio tubes, then light bulbs and flashcubes.

@lukeonuke - 2024-02-07

@m1goodwin what a set of things that sound totaly unconnected but when you think about it have a lot in common

@timprussell - 2024-02-15

Amazing thing was Kodak engineer invented the digital camera in the 1970's but they were never a leader there. I guess when your business model is selling film you don't introduce a product to undermine it. They are a shell of their former selves today post-bankruptcy but still supplying film, chemicals etc.

@kevinalmgren8332 - 2025-05-29

Would those have been something like Bliss 5012 transfer presses?

@BasedNerdOnline - 2024-02-20

You just answered an old mystery of mine by sparking an old memory. When I was a young whippersnapper probably under the age of 8 I discovered electricity. I would like to hook a bunch of batteries together in series and connect random things to them(motors, leds, random components that would just get hot). One of the things was an interesting looking light bulb that looked just like the ones you're showing... I connected it to probably about five or six C cells.

Then BAM! Mega flash blinded me scared the shit out of me I was like I need to respect the batteries more. At that time I thought I just blew the thing up now I know it worked as design. Remember my grandma watching in the background and giggling.. That evil woman taking joy in my response 😅 ❤ lol. All this time now i know!

@chasler1741 - 2024-04-26

Grandma knew what she was doing. You were supposed to find that flash bulb.

@ildart8738 - 2024-04-29

There is a saying in Russian: every man is a boy who survived by accident. Considering the much riskier experiments we did as kids in the 90-s, I can say that I survived by an accident too. Flashcubes don't even come close to our experiments.

@mctooch - 2024-09-09

this is the my wholesome comment ever

@jc-d6179 - 2024-02-18

I did a second year university project on the materials and processes within the Magicube in 1986 - when they were still a current technology. The oxygen inside is pressurized so as to allow a greater mass of burning zirconium per bulb for a brighter flash. The ignition tube encloses a wire post, centred up the middle. The post is coated with a pyrotechnic compound, so that when the striker wire hits the outside, the tube is crushed onto the post, pressurizing the pyrotechnic coating hammer and anvil style for a more reliable ignition. A fantastic project. Thanks to Prof. Jim Williamson for that opportunity!

@TurkeyPointSirens - 2024-11-28

2:05 fun fact, (almost) all commercial fire alarms (with strobes) use an almost (if not exact) identical copy of the camera flash, but we like to make it flash dashy, and make it flash every second :D

@RaccoonAlarmsVosgra - 2025-11-02

And the strobes can be synchronized with sync protocol!

@NutjobGTO - 2026-06-20

​@RaccoonAlarmsVosgraIf it's in a food preparation area, does that make it the kitchen sync?

@RaccoonAlarmsVosgra - 2026-06-20

​@NutjobGTO What?

@Pefnik84 - 2024-02-02

That seemingly evil-looking shot of your mug appearing at 30:52 just cracked me up! 😅

@williamreynolds6132 - 2024-02-02

I was repeating that time in my head until the end of the video. Such a weird thing to think of all that went into that photo getting made.

@headwerkn - 2024-02-02

surprised Alec didn’t use it as the thumbnail 😂

@renasouza8261 - 2024-02-03

I haven't laughed so hard in at least a decade 😂😂😂

@SomeRandomDude-zqxj - 2024-02-03

🤪

@Taolan8472 - 2024-02-03

That shot would be right at home in the montage of a mad scientist working just before "IT's ALIVE!"

@65gtotrips - 2024-02-07

As a 62 year old man, I think it’s hysterically funny that young people, as in this content creator are so fascinated by the way things were done only 40 years ago. Yet, it’s the same curiosity as I have about generations before my time as in the 1930’s thru 1950’s.

@christopheralthouse6378 - 2024-02-08

Being 41 myself, I find it amazing just how many things that used to be parts of my everyday life have become ancient relics of a bygone era…seeing younger generations coming along and rediscovering these relics…and really deep diving into them like Alec does, just brings a smile to my face every time…

It’s why I’m a subscriber…☺️

@blakksheep736 - 2024-02-09

Give us a break. 😆 I'm nineteen. Flip phones have been around longer than me. This, to me, is incredible.

@evandyrr - 2024-02-12

i love old things to the point where i want to someday collect old hardware. my current stock of old hardware is a commodore64, ti99a4, and an original atari (which is sadly hit or miss when it comes to working). I'm 19 and id absolutely love to own more hardware, rarer hardware from back in ye olde days

@katherineanand5892 - 2024-02-13

As an 18 year old, I do not know how to use photoshop, but I can shoot, develop, and print large format.

@jool - 2024-02-14

Lol. I'm 38 and i work with guys who are mostly around your age. I'm starting to embrace being the old guy. I got my first flip phone in 2004 when i was 18. Imagine a 19 year old in 20 years saying the iphone is older than them. 😂 @blakksheep736

@sylvainmichaud2262 - 2024-02-02

When I was about 10 years old, we used these flashcubes on a Kodak Instamic 60.
I come from a poor family. The camera was a gift and we were very, very selective as to when we took a picture.
We couldn't really afford the films, the processing and the flashcubes.
So basically, taking pictures in a very small number was limited mostly to Christmas parties and special events such as weddings.
Forget birthdays ! We were five children so it was too expensive.
That meant that sometimes, it would take more than a year (multiple events) to get the pictures.
That's what being poor seemed like back then.

@Subiromba - 2024-02-02

I think this is the biggest difference between film and digital: when we used film we just waited for the best moments and opportunities to take a picture, it was something really special, from a moment you really want to save for your whole life. Film and development were expensive and limited, so we didn't want to waste poses. Then digital came and photos became something easy, unlimited and trivial.

@denisohbrien - 2024-02-02

@Subiromba while true, and i lived as such, i dont disagree with modern times, my daughter (5yrs) just took , i want to say abut 30 photos on her little digital camera just this afternoon, it has a thermal printer and she printed off 10 of them . had I had that opportunity as a child id have a lot more memories saved of dens projects and life in general.. hopefully she appreciates im collecting all these photos , and perhaps not her adolescence, but adulthood she can look back on them!

@sylvainmichaud2262 - 2024-02-03

@denisohbrien
Still, today we tend to think that most people can afford a printer but most of all, the ink cartridges.
It's not the case.
The business model remains the same. Sell them one thing for cheap, a thing that requires regular use items that will become your main sources of incoming revenues.
Anyway, I'll go get my cup of Nespresso freshly prepared with the help of Alexa and watch a poorly rated film, an Amazon Prime Exclusivity, on my Fire TV.

@0neDoomedSpaceMarine - 2024-02-03

@Subiromba Phone cameras are often not that great, and photography remains a skill, thus why professional photographers never went away.

@davefink2326 - 2025-09-07

The film buying dilemma 12 or 24 exposures? 12 exposure film cost less per roll but more per photo - yet at least you would use it up and see the pictures before more a season passed by. Going thru a roll of 24 exposures might take a half a year with a bigger up-front cost. Lots to work out for a 9-year old geeky kid.

@AureliusR - 2025-05-08

At 29:16 those aren't pre formed beads. They are liquid metal pulling together because of surface tension. You can clearly see the outline of the filament before the beads appear - and you can even see the liquid metal drawing together into the beads.

@Pcrrc-zx7ic - 2024-02-13

In my college years in the early 80's I was in the co-op Engineering program at General Electric. I worked at a plant that made flashcubes. We conducted reliability testing by exposing the flashcubes to high humidity for several weeks. Once the data was collected and the tests were completed, I would take the flash lamps out of each cube and combine them in a large grocery bag which was quite dangerous due to 'sympathetic flash', which means when one lamp flashes, they all flash. I'd connect 2 wires to one lamp, put it in the middle of the bag which held several hundred lamps, place it on the porch at night and wait for my roommate to come home. Touch the 2 wires to a 12 volt battery and you'd get what looked like a small nuclear explosion scaring the hell out of him. Great fun back in the day. 33:52

@RoseBrassSarah - 2024-02-14

Sympathetic what! Oh Lord! That sounds like a heck of a prank.

@renee61026 - 2024-02-20

Several... several hundred... yeah I'd laugh if it were just the roommate, maybe, that still sounds kinda dickish, but it sounds like this was done outside, on a porch, where it could scare neighbors and pets. At night.

@micahphilson - 2024-02-23

The craziest part would be how silent it would be! Like, with a flash that big, you expect a massive bang as well, like a bomb just went off, but it's just a quick, silent flare out of nowhere!

@Pcrrc-zx7ic - 2024-02-24

@micahphilson
Exactly

@h8GW - 2024-02-26

It's a homemade (and a very expensive) flashbang

@MartyFox - 2024-02-03

I’ve been noticing for a while that Alec is “your favorite YouTuber’s favorite YouTuber.” Glad to see he’s benefiting from that!

@Alex-After-Hours - 2024-01-31

Today I learned we innovated on the lightbulb, which was initially famous for its long life by having a durable compact filament in an enclosure with no oxygen... by creating a bulb famous for its short life, by having a volatile, long filament in an enclosure of pure oxygen. BRILLIANT!

@trevinbeattie4888 - 2024-02-01

“Brilliant” in both senses of the word! ;)

@MirliTheDeerli - 2024-02-01

It's like taking a test and getting every answer wrong.

@lucasw4r - 2024-02-02

The issue with longer lasting ones is that they only last so long if you're not turning it on or off constantly. It practically needs to stay on to last long.

@nobodyinteresting9967 - 2024-02-02

Uno revers card hahaha

@RothAnim - 2024-02-02

@MirliTheDeerli Failure is just a solution for a different problem. :P

@nathanlee105 - 2024-04-12

why did I decide to watch a video about flashes on my 65 inch TV at night in the dark

@doritoseminar - 2024-12-31

Probably because you probably didn’t think too much about the consequences of the decision to watch it before making the decision to watch it. You probably just evaluated the video based on your typical criteria (does it seem interesting, or funny, or etc.).

@MichianaAlerting - 2024-02-02

A collab that nobody ever asked for but EVERYBODY NEEDED. Thanks a ton Alec!!!

@mralistair737 - 2024-02-03

I asked for it... don't remember in what context, but i asked.

@nickbob2003 - 2024-02-03

When he said I’ll need some sort of slo mo guy I was expecting it to just be a joke

@BlooShades - 2024-02-03

I remember Gav mentioning on a podcast a while back that he is a fan of Alec's channel and finally we have this

@elektro3000 - 2024-02-04

The way your face with that expression of pure insanity just fades into existence at 30:52 is probably the funniest thing I've ever seen on your channel. I just keep replaying it and I can't stop laughing.

@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 - 2024-02-07

alec jumpscare

@rootbrian4815 - 2024-02-08

I know right?!?! xD

@acd6374 - 2024-02-09

A true mad scientist.

@JC-jv5xw - 2024-04-04

It's like the manic grin in the reflection on the toaster.....

@TheOtherSlideYT - 2024-02-05

This has to be one of the more unexpected, yet welcome crossover episodes 😆

@AntonioClaudioMichael - 2025-06-25

The 200k high speed Footage of the ignition with the bulb removed with only the Filiment showing bubbles during ignition was Wild 28:27 @Technology Connections

@jezeski2011 - 2024-02-03

I like that blooper at the end: "You still have to carry this and a box of crap"... priceless
LMAO

@megumei044 - 2024-02-02

The shot at 30:52 is pure perfection with you lit up in the background!

@redroyal4287 - 2024-02-02

was looking for this

@RooneyMac - 2024-02-02

That's EVERYONE'S favorite shot