INSiGHT: Curiosity Box by VSauce

The Curiosity box made a long journey - all the way from the US to the UK! Generally speaking, the price of $55 to $60 a box is not uncommon for subscription boxes, but the questions is whether the contents reflect the price. The journey left the box a little battered...  but every item inside was more or less intact - only the book suffered a little.

Upon opening, a box packed tight with wonders awaited. A little booklet not only provided an overview of the items, but also information and interesting science facts about everything in the box. 

One of the most interesting items in this box was definitely the diamond hourglass. This simple hourglass is filled with none other than 100 carats of diamonds (with a certificate of authenticity) and measures the time of 1 minute. The diamonds are lab grown and the little booklet provides some fascinating facts, not only about natural and lab grown diamonds, but also on hourglasses as well. This is not only a cool gadget, but also a great decorative item and conversation starter. 

The next big item that made an impression was the mysterious transparent lock that was locking a box with the keys to said lock inside. Confusing at first, the booklet quickly explained that the wooden mallet also included in the box was the key (hehe) to this puzzle. As it turns out, it is possible to pick this simple pin-and-tumbler lock with the help of the wooden mallet, allowing the user to open the box and retrieve the keys, which now that it is known how to open the lock with the mallet, seem a bit unnecessary… Nevertheless, it was fascinating to see how picking the lock worked and then using the key (as intended) to get an insight into how a lock like this works on the inside. 

The next item came in a long tube - what could it be? It was a knit, one-size-fits-most, Curiosity Box branded beanie. This item seemed a little bit random but is used to explain the concept of infinite heat. In fact, the beanie's colour is what would be seen (in infrared) on a black body object that was infinitely hot. The beanie is not infinitely hot, but it is nice and warm, and soft, too, so it is nice to wear, and the colour is actually a pretty nice pale purple-y blue, too. The booklet again provided more information on the concept, and also a fun fact of beanies in general, so while this item was somewhat unexpected in a science box, it was not unappreciated and really quite useful. 

What would science be without books? As such, this box included a book from Minute Earth, exploring science-y questions. To go with the book are a set of plastic tentacle book marks, which are a all really funny shapes and will definitely come in handy. There are quite a few of them which are very handy to use for cookbooks, as well! 

Finally, the last item included in the box is a small charming keychain that can be used to be attached to the brand new lock keys or any other keys people may have lying around. There are no science facts about this one, but it is a cute little accessory, and who doesn't like those?