philedwardsinc

The rise and fall of kitschy 90s restaurants

How did restaurants become so chaotically wonderful? And why did it all disappear?

You can watch the full video here.

Why Minecraft Won

Minecraft is culturally dominant. How did a blocky game from nowhere take over the world?

Here's the video on YouTube.

Frozen orange juice is actually super weird

It's FCOJ's world. We just live in it.

Frozen orange juice is a strange, incredibly creative solution to a bunch of different problems. What does it do, and how did it change the 20th century...

The Secret Economics of D&D

What happens when a company tries a huge experiment with their most famous game? And what happens when they change their mind?

2025-03-02 15:01:45 +0000 UTC View Post

The United States of Pizza, mapsplained

How did we get so much — and so many types — of pizza? It's a complicated story with some cheesy digressions.

How this video happened

This has long been the most requested ma...

The loophole that made Temu — and could kill it

How did Temu take over the world? And can it keep it?

How this video happened

It really is like I say in the video: I got a Temu drone for Christmas and wondered — how did this...

2024, in 6 weird minutes

It was a weird year. What year isn't? Watch the video here.

How this video happened

It's no secret that Vox does a...

The State of the Phil Edwards Channel: 2024

Is this navel gazing? You bet! But I feel that for a channel made for curious people, it's only natural to provide a bit of behind-the-scenes info.

Long and short, things are going...fine...a...

Why the Soviet Union was obsessed with corn

Original video here: https://youtu.be/9w7WrXsHkIQ

How this video happened

I think I saw Khrushchev's corn-adoring ...

Sam Altman, the CEO behind Chat GPT, unpacked

He controls ChatGPT. But what controls him? Here's the video.

How this video happened

In Spring of 2023, I did a s...

The secret economics of Escape Rooms

The only way out is through (spending a ton of money). Here's the video link.

How this video happened

Once I put a...

The real reason we drove on the moon

The Lunar Rover was an incredible feat of engineering. But it was a feat of political engineering, too.

At the end - a question for you!

How this video happened

I think...

The United States of Beer, mapsplained

Here's the real question: how did beer get to the United States, then get bad, then get good again? Here's the video<...

The secret economics of Google Street View

There's a whole world of Street View economics. You just have to know where to look. Here's the video.

How this video hap...

2024-09-29 14:07:16 +0000 UTC View Post

The geography behind Migrant Mother

How did these two people meet and, in a few minutes, make history? Here's the video.

How this video happened

I wan...

Reaction video for: The geography behind Migrant Mother

Original video here: https://youtu.be/PHJ9GNTwwas

Why gas stations are at war

Gas stations have evolved from random roadside stops into sandwich-slinging, turf-protecting superstores. How? That's what this vide...

The truth about Utopias

Utopias are kingdoms of the imagination. So why bother with them?

How this video happened

What began as "Frank Lloyd Wright's Insane Utopia" became a much more meditative piece once I...

Why Taiwan Can't Compete Under Its Own Name

Chinese Taipei is at the Olympics this year. It also doesn't exist.

How this video happened

Initially, this video&...

When America broke the Olympics

The boycott was an existential threat to the Olympics. How did it happen?

How this video happened

I cast about for a few different Olympic topics: the Olympic Village; breakdancing; t...

Why the suburbs were built for cars (and the forgotten plan for shopping centers)

The suburbs won't change. Why?

How this video happened

This started with strip malls.

I stumbled on this 2024-06-30 14:05:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Why he went into space without a rope

Bruce McCandless II made the first untethered spacewalk in history. Why did he do it?

How this video happened

A wise commenter named Beetmonster recommended I check this story out. 2024-06-09 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Reaction video to: Why 295,000 businesses are in this little building

Original video here: https://youtu.be/b4q99EuZF_Q

Why Your Gum Says "Contains Phenylalanine"

For years, I've cultivated an addiction to Trident White, an addiction that has slightly freshened my breath and had no apparent effect on the whiteness of my teeth.

2024-05-20 01:07:53 +0000 UTC View Post

Beautifully Weird Photo

Researching a video about "how TV went from dumb to good." Through my lens, I think it'll be a rambling story about how changes in business and technology, not culture, changed the medium. So I ran...

How I made Steamboat Willie's visual soundtrack

After this, I realized it probably makes as much sense as a text post as a video. Nevertheless, I made a video (above).

As I explain there, I couldn't find a period-appropriate scan of SW (sc...

My Joke Deciphering Promise

By the end of my next video, you WILL understand this joke. OK, by the end of this post (I can't leave you hanging).

2023-12-20 20:16:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Why have we been denied Aerobic Defense classes?

Imagine a world in which, at one moment, you're slow-exercising to "Lady in Red." The next, attack. How to combine the two?

Aerobic defense is the answer. Finally, leotards and violence can b...

Moscow McDonald's - old minidoc I found

I ran into this doc when researching an upcoming (90% unrelated) McDonald's topic. It's pretty fascinating — 90s footage, Christopher Plummer, and lots of background music.

Who can guess the map?

Well, I guess some of you have had it spoiled in chat. But I'm pretty excited for this one. I've already had FaceTimes with people from A to B (Atlanta to Boise).