(Credit: Screengrab from carsandwater/YouTube) Once you stick a red-hot ball of nickel onto a block of Velveeta cheese, there’s no turning back. Once you reach that point, everything in the world must pass the scorching nickel test. Matthew Neuland, who goes by the username “carsandwater” on YouTube, has carved out his Internet celebrity by creating short videos where he puts super-heated nickel onto stuff. Sometimes stuff burns, other times it melts, often it boils and on rare occasions it does nothing at all. But regardless of the result, Neuland’s videos satisfy some deep-seated curiosity that leads us to ask “What if?” Neuland’s YouTube channel description says, “I play with fire so you don’t have to.” And, with help from a water torch and a nickel sphere, Neuland has produced 70 videos putting everything from water to thermite to the test. Here are some of our favorite “hits” from Neuland’s history of pleasing destruction.
Fireworks explode (not much of a surprise here):
A block of ice produces some mesmerizing visuals:
Velveeta cheese is remarkably resilient:
A jawbreaker is quickly broken:
Anyone care for a game of ping-...ahhhh fire!
Things get weird with floral foam:
Toasting with liquid nitrogen:
This is how you open a soda can:
Glass reaches its breaking point:
Gunpowder?!
Despite Neuland's best efforts, hockey pucks prove to be just as strong as the guys who lace up the skates:
Matthew, thank you for making it easier for millions to procrastinate at the office every day. Keep doing what you're doing, and we can't wait to see what you'll destroy next with your now-famous red-hot nickel balls.
