Teddy Bear Insulation? Man Uncovers Unusual Wall Stuffing During Reno

People have found all kinds of unusual things in their walls during renovations, but this find from TikToker and woodworker Connor Nijsse may take the cake. Nijsse made a two-part video detailing the unusual items he and his team found in the walls of the home that they’re currently renovating, and people are loving it. The first video has already garnered over 4.6 million views in the first three days after publication. What was so shocking in those walls, you ask? Someone had packed in stuffed animals in place of insulation.

@c.c.woodwork Things you find Part 1 #stuffedanimals #beaniebabies #reducereuserecycle original sound – Connor Nijsse

The first video chronicles Nijsse and his team as they discovered just how many stuffed animals were in the walls. Up until this portion of the wall, it appears that they had just been finding the expected insulation, but the final three channels held a surprise. You can see that the team didn’t expect the stuffed animals to go from floor to ceiling. With just the top portion of the wall removed, it almost looks like the toys were hidden in the wall, not serving an actual purpose. But as the team removed more and more of the wall, it became clear what was actually going on.

Once the team discovered the stuffed animals, they knew they had to count them. How many could there possibly be, right? The answer is 110, stuffed into plastic bags.

Why Is Insulation Important?

Insulation helps your home stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Walls and a roof can only do so much to protect you from temperature extremes. You need that extra layer to lock in your climate-controlled air, both for the sake of your wallet and your own comfort.

Can I Use Stuffed Animals As Insulation?

Generally, insulation is light, fluffy and porous, so it makes sense that someone who couldn’t get their hands on enough of the more common kinds might think to try to supplement it with stuffed animals. However, we don’t recommend you do the same. If you’re looking to insulate your walls, stick to one of the more common types you can purchase at building centers:

• Fiberglass
• Cellulose
• Mineral Wool
• Rigid Foam
• Polyurethane Spray Foam
• Pipe Insulation

These materials are designed to be safer and more efficient in your walls, giving you the energy savings you want without posing as much of a fire hazard as stuffed animals.

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Remove Yellow Toilet Stains Without Destroying All Your Rags and Sponges

Yellow toilet seats are the worst. Toilets are meant to be sat on, after all, and no one wants to come in direct contact with a yellow seat. But as hard as you might try to keep your seats spotless and white, over time, they tend to yellow from various unavoidable things urine’s contact with the seat, build-up of minerals in hard water, and more. It can be hard to get the seat back to normal without serious elbow grease and ruining a few rags and sponges with bleach, vinegar or whatever other home remedies you try to attack the stain with.

But what if I told you there is a quick and simple hack to eliminate those yellow toilet stains without a hitch? Put the dish rags and homemade solutions aside because all you’ll need is a magic eraser, water and a little bit of elbow grease.

The solution is so simple that you may not have even thought of it: All you need to do is wet a magic eraser and scrub at the yellow stains, and voila your stain should lift in mere seconds, as displayed in countless TikTok videos of the trick, including this one by @leaderscleaning.

@leaderscleaning Have you tried this one yet?! We love efficiencient and effective hacks! #cleantok #hack #tips #cleaninghacks #cleaningtips #fyp VANNA RAINELLE –

An added bonus to this method is that you can preserve most of your magic eraser for other cleaning tasks by first ripping or cutting off a portion of your sponge necessary to complete the task and saving the rest for later.

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Self-Driving Tesla Hits Deer Without Braking—Is Pedestrian Safety at Risk?

Self-driving cars might seem futuristic, but car companies worldwide are working hard to make them a normalized part of human society. It’s easy to see how a self-driving car could make your life easier. But this sort of autonomous technology also raises serious questions about ethics and safetynamely, whose safety does the car prioritize in a dangerous situation? And can we really trust a software program to make a life-or-death decision?

Recently, a Tesla driver shared an experience that definitely raises some of those serious safety questions. X user @TheSeekerOf42 posted photos and videos after crashing into a deer on the road while his Tesla was in “Full Self Driving” mode. The vehicle suffered some minor cosmetic damage. More concerning was the fact that the video he shared revealed the self-driving vehicle did not even slow down when approaching the deer, nor did it stop after the collision.

Hit the deer with my Tesla.

FSD didnt stopped, even after hitting the deer on full speed. Huge surprise after getting a dozen of false stops every day!

Experiencing worst side of Tesla service now. Cant even get an estimate for insurance. Nearest appointments only in January. pic.twitter.com/7PMiROmk5x

Paul S (@TheSeekerOf42) October 28, 2024

“FSD didnt stopped [sic], even after hitting the deer on full speed,” wrote @TheSeekerOf42 on X.com. “Huge surprise after getting a dozen of false stops every day!”

Not slowing down before a collision and not stopping afterward seems like a pretty major safety issue for self-driving cars. But was this an example of a mistake in the software, or is this how Tesla’s self-driving software is intended to work? Let’s take a look.

How Does Self-Driving Technology Work?

Most self-driving cars use an array of sensors, cameras and radar technology to navigate the road and detect things outside the car, such as obstacles and road signs. The software takes in all of the inputs from its cameras and sensors and uses that information to make real-time decisions on the road.

Tesla’s self-driving tech is slightly different because its cars only use cameras to navigate, opting to go without the lidar and radar scanners other systems employ. Experts say this can cause major problems, especially in cases where a Tesla’s self-driving software encounters something unfamiliar.

The kind of things that tend to go wrong with these systems are things like it was not trained on the pictures of an over-turned double trailer – it just didnt know what it was, Phil Koopman, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, told the WSJ. A person would have clearly said something big is in the middle of the road, but the way machine learning works is it trains on a bunch of examples. If it encounters something it doesnt have a bunch of examples for, it may have no idea whats going on.

How Do Self-Driving Cars Prioritize Safety?

Self-driving cars have the potential to completely eliminate human mistakes from driving. A computer program doesn’t get tired, won’t drive more emotionally after a long day at work, and can’t get distracted by a text or choosing a new playlist. But another thing it can’t do is make ethical decisions.

So what happens when the software faces an unavoidable accident and has to decide between the safety of two or more people? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is still quite murky. In the case of @TheSeeker420, it does not seem like Tesla’s software made any effort to swerve or slow down, prioritizing the safety of its passengers over avoiding an external obstacle.

But what if the obstacle had been a human, not a deer? Would the software have responded differently? These are some of the difficult questions posed by self-driving cars, presenting safety and ethics dilemmas that may be hard to answer until automated driving technology advances further. Whatever the case may be, auto companies will have to be exceedingly transparent and honest about safety if they want the masses to put their lives in the hands of a self-driving computer program.

Sources:

• Wall Street Journal:“The Hidden Autopilot Data That Reveals Why Teslas Crash” (2024)
• Forbes: “What Are Self-Driving Cars? The Technology Explained” (2024)

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Tushy Just Dropped a New Bidet, and It’s the Bathroom Upgrade You’ve Been Waiting For

Tushy is a leading brand when it comes to affordable bidets that work with your existing toilet. Plus, having installed one myself, I can confidently say they are super easy to set up, even for novice handy people. Tushy just launched the Wave, a non-electric bidet attachment that replaces your entire toilet seat and is easy to cleanplus, itll help cut down on toilet paper costs. (Tushy also just launched the Oasis, a warm-water bidet seat that will keep you warm just in time for winter.)

You dont need to install another plumbing appliance in your bathroom to reap the benefits of a Tushy bidet. Tushy bidet attachments like the Oasis and Wave are simple DIY projects accomplished in under an hour. Here are all the deets about the latest Tushy bidet.

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Product Launch

Tushy Wave Non-Electric Bidet

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What is the Tushy Wave?

TheTushy Classic launched the brand into fame, becoming one of the most popular bidet options online. It’s made of tough, durable acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic and accented with stylish hardware in various colors. Users can choose the water stream strength from light to strong pressure, and the precision angle adjuster makes cleaning quick and efficient.

The all-new Tushy Wave, like the Oasis, is an easy-clean bidet toilet seat. Unlike the prior classic modelwhich is an attachment that fits under your existing toilet seatthe new models replace your toilet seat altogether. The Wave doesnt have an extended console like previous Tushy bidet models, so it can fit in even the tiniest of apartment bathrooms. No more sacrificing spa-like luxuries for apartment living.

With the press of a quick-release button, the seat and lid slide off from the base plate for an extra deep clean. The sleek, gapless seat is also equipped with a soft-close lid and has easy-turn knobs to control water pressure at the front and rear of the seat. The whole thing is designed to fit your standard toilet, and you can select an elongated or round seat based on your toilet bowl shape.

Our Favorite Tushy Bidets

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Tushy Wave Non-Electric Bidet

The clean and modern non-electric bidet seat that replaces your existing toilet seat. Its control knobs are built into the seat, so the device can fit on virtually any toilet or in any bathroom.

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Tushy Oasis Warm Water Non-Electric Bidet

The warm-water, non-electric bidet seat packs the features of the Wave plus a warm water option for a cozy clean on the coldest mornings. Like the Wave, it has an easy-clean seat.

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Tushy Classic 3.0 Bidet Attachment

Tushys best-selling bidet attachment is affordable and comes in various color/hardware combinations. Its super easy to install and makes a great gift.

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Where to Buy the Tushy Wave

You can shop the Tushy Wave at Tushy for $189. Orders should ship out almost immediately, so youll have your new throne in time for the holiday season.

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