Are you among the million people who have seen the video clip of the girl wearing a green helmet that brushes her teeth for her?
Simone Giertz now has nearly 2 million followers on Youtube where she chronicles making dozens of “useless” machines. Giertz’s machines solve some of “life’s pesky little challenges.” She’s made an alarm clock that smacked her (gently) awake and “The Breakfast Machine” that (spoiler if you haven’t caught on) didn’t actually feed her breakfast.
Not Really Useless
She’s made plenty of useful things too, like turning a Tesla electric car into a very useful Tesla “Truckla” electric pickup truck! But no worries, that wasn’t a new direction for Giertz, she also turned a tiny car into an enormous computer mouse.
Giertz is originally from Sweden, where she lived on a house boat, and yep there are videos of her house boat adventures too. In 2017 she co-starred in a Swedish TV show called “Manick.” The show continued to build solutions to life’s pesky problems, such a creating a portable mattress, although that may have been the only truly useful thing.
She is now living in California and has collaborated with numerous other channels, such as Good Mythical Morning, Adam Savage and Laura Kampf. Recently Giertz has been battling a brain tumor with surgery and radiation treatment. In her signature witty and slapstick style, she continued making videos during the process and named the brain tumor “Brian.”
Why Get into this Revolution…
In her Ted Talk “Why You Should Make Useless Things,” Giertz explains how making her silly machines helped her get over some serious performance anxiety she suffered in school. “And as soon as I removed all pressure and expectations from myself, that pressure quickly got replaced by enthusiasm, and it allowed me to just play.” Play is a crucial aspect of thinking creatively, so if you haven’t played in awhile, begin by watching Giertz’s inspiring Ted Talk.
Of course, Giertz jests and making robots isn’t useless. What she’s really getting at here is the inherent need for the creation to create. Some Muslims see hobbies and creativity as a waste of time, but that is erroneous thinking. Exploring our interests and talents is a good thing, which can bring about more good. As well, hobbies help to reduce stress and improve sleep, meaning they are good for the bodies we have been loaned.
Maybe useless things aren’t your thing, here are 4 Ways to Find a Hobby You Love.