Unnecessary Invention: Junk Mail Shredder (And a Surprise Make: Cameo)

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Mike Senese is a content producer with a focus on technology, science, and engineering. He served as Executive Editor of Make: magazine for nearly a decade, and previously was a senior editor at Wired. Mike has also starred in engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It.

An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with electronics, fixing cars, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza. You might spot him at his local skatepark in the SF Bay Area.

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August 5th, 2021August 5th, 2021

Matt Benedetto has one of our favorite channels, conceiving and building nonsensical creations and then photographing them in professionally glossy shoots. Called Unnecessary Inventions (YT; IG), most of his ideas are just that. But the latest one has been getting a lot of attention for just how useful it is — a junk mail shredder that mounts adjacent to your mailbox.

Watch his short clip for it and get excited about the various ways you’d put this to use (even r/composting is pleading for one!). And then keep an eagle eye open for a Make: cameo at the end. (Subscribers might notice the profile about Matt on page 128 — we swear this wasn’t something we coordinated.)