As a kid , me and my friends made slings from the tongues of old shoes, and cords from anywhere. I got to be a fair hand with a sling , and I think I may try my old hands on one again.

@DarkVeghetta

2 жыл бұрын

That's actually a great idea. I just so happen to have some very old shoes I was going to throw away soon enough anyway. Might as well use them for parts!

@ajvolz01

2 жыл бұрын

I was aware of them in 5 or6grade.. Nobody around to figure s*** out like that. I figured my dad didn't know about them because he used to work on jet engines So he decided to build one and put 11 on 1 side of the bicycle , I'm 55 now and making my 1st one

@martinschwegler2882

Жыл бұрын

Das

@rattlerboi4034

Жыл бұрын

I should try this

@Bikewer

Жыл бұрын

That’s always been my go-to method. I started making slings when I was in the army back in the sixties, and more recently I made a large-sized one to sling tennis balls for the dogs… They loved it. If you punch two holes in each end of your leather pouch, and put the cord through both, when you tighten them up it makes a natural pouch that works quite well.

Tod is like the Bob Ross of weapon crsfting... " just experiment around, you know, just to see what happens" XD

@Nihilius84

4 жыл бұрын

"We don't call them Concussions, we call them happy little accidents" :P

@Trollvolk

4 жыл бұрын

@@Nihilius84 XD

@d-drizzle

3 жыл бұрын

How is he like bob ross there nothing alike

@Trollvolk

3 жыл бұрын

@@d-drizzle not by looking or by painting... but in his way of presenting something. a soft enthusiastic joy in every detail. Thats why.

@ScottGrow117

3 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂😂 Bob Ross of weapon crafting 😂😂😂😂

"So I'm gonna show you how to make this weapon, then you can mess about have a go do what you like". Congratulations you're an honorary American 🇺🇸🦅🏈

@bizybliztaverage9414

3 жыл бұрын

A sling that could break the bone of a Roman Legionary is a weapon

@housetent9176

2 жыл бұрын

@@bizybliztaverage9414 nobody said otherwise

@mydog3627

Жыл бұрын

@@bizybliztaverage9414 I found the guy who can't read

It's a pleasure to listen to someone jump back and forth easily between metric and imperial units, and not fall into a childish pissing contest.

@HH60gPaveHawk

5 жыл бұрын

@phuc ewe pshhh, that's child's play. it would be measured in furlongs xD

@CrimeVid

4 жыл бұрын

I’m afraid that all it means is that Tod is old enough to have been taught Imperial in school.

@Hankbob_Hillpants

4 жыл бұрын

As a Canadian I too am trapped in the purgatory between imperial and metric

@thundercactus

3 жыл бұрын

@Sub Optimal but how many FOOTBALL FIELDS is that for the Americans watching? lol

@mostlychimp5715

3 жыл бұрын

Tons of cooling.

Cheap, compact, and deadly. It's basically the ancient handgun. It's underrated as a weapon, as it has cheap, reusable ammunition, requires little training, and can be quickly made from common materials. The bow might be more deadly, but the sling is a very accessible weapon that doesn't require a lot of time or resources.

@jasonjohnson6938

Жыл бұрын

Little training but MUCH practice. The reps are what get most people

@danielingrey8185

Жыл бұрын

This is probably why in places like the near east they are used against the authorities, in times of trouble.

@daivonclark5151

7 ай бұрын

Its probably more deadly than a bow, the projectile from a sling moves much faster and can go further. But it actually requires more training than a bow to achieve battle proficiency, so i hear.

@supatater5830

5 ай бұрын

@@jasonjohnson6938yeah but the levies don’t need training because there is so many of them. Similarily to the inaccurate muskets they’ll hit somebody if they all fire at the same time

@ShortLandPattern

5 ай бұрын

More like a mortar with how it was used.

*Breaking News: Amount of deaths in suburban areas increases drastically. Toilet paper wrapped in duct tape found in victims' backyards next to the bodies...*

@matthewhernandez924

4 жыл бұрын

Toilet paper you say I wish people would sling it to my house can’t but the shit

I live in an area of mostly sand and clay but recently they have been doing street renovation and have hauled in beautiful stone which I pick up for my slingshot. I always wanted tolearn the sling so now I shall drive my wife crazy with pockets full of 70 gm stones. Spring is in the air. Now to find an old sign. Thanks Tod. I'm a 70 yr old kid again.

Most under rated ancient weapon of all. Imagine 500 peasant levies armed with these, having used them since childhood, concentrating their fire on a 10 yard stretch of the enemy line at about 10 shots a minute. I have the loop on the opposite side of the middle finger, it feels more natural.

@floatingchimney

4 жыл бұрын

@Ken Chalk, It's not underrated by the slightest bit. There's a perfectly good reason why bow was the primary ranged weapon since the dawn of age for all nation's militaries and civilian (hunting) use. Second most used ranged weapon would be the javelin, but still far behind the bow, and still far ahead of the sling. Slings take huge amount of training and are still significantly less precise and deadly then bows, crossbows or javelins. The advantage of a sling is that it's extremely cheap to make, both weapon and ammunition. Slingers were on the battlefield usually because the armies couldn't afford other kind of weapons, otherwise each of the slingers would be equipped with a bow - which were much more costly to produce.

@greenjack1959l

4 жыл бұрын

@@floatingchimney it would be as effective a volley weapon against troop formations as the bow and the level of skill required would take very little time to acquire compared to a longbow. It would outrange a Javelin by 100 yards. I'm not claiming it was better or more effective, just that it is underrated and not given the credit that was undoubtedly due to it, probably because it has been dismissed as a primitive weapon suitable only for peasant conscripts.

@floatingchimney

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenjack1959l Your last part sums it up completely and explains it all - "because it has been dismissed as a primitive weapon suitable only for peasant conscripts." Except it wasn't dismissed - it was a in fact a poor man's weapon. Trust me, it's not underrated. It's rated perfectly fine as it should be. Slingers were usually poor people who couldn't afford shields and swords and body armor. To say a sling would be equally as effective as the bow even as a "volley" weapon is ridiculous. I'm not talking about the longbow, I'm talking about a standard bow and arrow used throughout history. Sling outrange a javelin by 100 yards? Yes - except that you can't even hit the side of barn with a sling at 100 yards, let alone a soldier on the battlefield. Not to mention the energy loss of a projectile at that distance. At long ranges the sling is useless. The shape of sling projectile tumbles through air instead of being stable and diverges completely from original path as it flies through air - arrows and javelins are stable all the way through flight. A slingshot at 100 yards is the same as if someone is throwing a rock at you directly at 25 yards - It wouldn't do shit. A javelin was a heavy weapon - it would pierce human flesh and armor at any range due to it conserving kinetic energy better. Arrows the same, an arrow could pierce human flesh and armor at 5 yards as well as 150 yards. My conclusion: It is NOT underrated.

@greenjack1959l

4 жыл бұрын

@@floatingchimney"can't hit shit." Based on your own experience perhaps? I don't know what that experience is, but from mine I have found that I can easily drop an egg sized pebble into a ten yard circle at around 80 yards, and I am a mediocre shot at best, and as a volley weapon against lines or files of troops advancing in formation that skill level would be adequate to punch holes in the enemy line. As for it having no power, I would challenge you to stand down range and try to catch those projectiles. The Roman military doctors were trained in how to remove lead sling shots that had entered the body in the manner of modern small arms ammunition. The slings giant killing reputation is well deserved.

@floatingchimney

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenjack1959l Lead sling projectiles you talk about were few and few among the VAST majority of slingers who used plain stones. Lead projectiles were somewhat more effective than stones as they were heavier and had noticeably less air resistance due to it being smaller. They were however more likely to tumble in the air due to their shape e.g. even less precise that rounded stones.

Loved the 'nasty' para-cord one. First time I've seen that. Easy to make, got all the tools and materials, and easy to replace if you need another. Yes... you'd be embarrassed if someone saw you. but the fun factor will still be there. Anyway - I have black para-cord... not as bad as day-glo orange

I practice with acorns. they're easy to find and sort of consistent in size and shape. they pack a wallop.

When I was 8 years old, a cousin introduced me to the shepherd's sling. I got good enough that I could hit an 8 inch diameter target at 20 paces fairly consistent, but my cousin was absolutely amazing with it. He could put his shots into a 3 inch diameter bullseye consistently. I remember watching him put 15 shots consecutively on target before we quit for ice cream. Anyone know if there is a Guinness World Record for shepherd slinging?

Thank you, very interesting and I will certainly make a leather sling When we were kids back in the 60s we made what we called ‘throwing arrows’. These were longish home made arrows propelled by a piece of string with a knot tied in the end. The string was wrapped around the arrow beneath the flights and passed over the knot. The string was then pulled out straight and tight and gripped along with the arrow behind arrow point. The arrow was then launched by releasing the arrow and keeping hold of the string. We used to accurately throw the arrows a distance of over 100 yards.

@hello7533

2 жыл бұрын

We called these dutch arrows, and its basically a rudimentary atlatl

@nefanyo5788

Жыл бұрын

I think the term for these is polynesian arrow

@Literally_Deez_Nuts

11 ай бұрын

There are a lot of terms. I refer to them as pathfinding arrows.

If anyone's trying this for the first time, remember the shot travels at right angles to the radius of the circle you're swinging it in, so swinging anti-clockwise, release at 3 o'clock to hit at 12 o'clock - a quarter of a circle before your strings line up with your target.

@josephdavis8074

5 жыл бұрын

SmevMev i just throw it over hand like a baseball or underhand. I dont Spin to release. I spin to generate G force and suck the projectile into the pouch and feel the weight. When the pouch is behind my head i swing forward and across my chest and step forward like im pitching a fast ball in the major leagues with a 6 foot arm...

@marcn4452

5 жыл бұрын

You can find more information about the sling in this site www.slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl

@alexanderludvigsen1893

2 жыл бұрын

that were super helpful, thanks a lot i can now experiment with shooting sideways XD

No material is needed in the pouch of your paracord sling-the loop grips the stone perfectly fine. I didn't believe it until I tried it( I expected it was stupid & once I'd debunked it I was going to add leather for the pouch), having seen KZread tutorials on braiding open loop slings, but I've never had a stone fall through or slip! You can sling anything that the loop can cradle up to quite big rocks. Braiding a loop sling is a very ancient design & you can make one in the field with just a knife to strip the outer layer from bramble stems (having trimmed the thorns off first) & using 6 lengths to then braid a sling. No other tools or materials necessary. You can make them from many strings & twines, like paracord, though more traditional hemp/cotton/linen/wool etc looks really ancient & authentic. I'd always tell anyone starting to learn slinging to wear a helmet of some kind-even just a hard hat- as when I 1st started, a little too often I'd sling a stone I think, "where the hell did that go?". Then, "Thud!", the stone would land just beside me having gone straight up! How I never brained myself I don't know.

@MrEmiosk

5 жыл бұрын

not needed but leather has the tendency to wear better than linen, cotton, wool, wood, etc. Not necissary but it could potentially save you many hours of work if you sling alot.

@greenjack1959l

2 жыл бұрын

I can't get along with open loop slings. They're too choosy with the ammo.

You may already know about this, but since you mentioned quick and dirty it's possible to make a perfectly functional sling with nothing but a single piece of string. You just tie a dogshank knot in the middle which creates your pouch and then do your knot and loop in the ends like normal. The nice part is you can just untie it and you still have a useful length of uncut string.

@baronprocrastination1722

5 жыл бұрын

It's a little hard to do the dimensions right though-especially when you do it the first time around. Eventually, I just realized that a nice flat ribbon with a hole in the middle sufficed quite well as a sling.

Goliath: **Why do I hear boss music**

"Casual throw, 100-120 meters" O_O

@marcn4452

5 жыл бұрын

You can find more information about the sling in this site www.slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl

@gordonlawrence4749

5 жыл бұрын

There was talk in WWII for using slings to extend grenade range. Unfortunately it was found that too much skill was needed fir ab accurate shot at long range and fuzing was a safety issue.

@laughingdaffodils5450

5 жыл бұрын

@@gordonlawrence4749 A bit earlier in history, when grenades were a bit more primitive, the staff sling was the best way to deliver them.

@gordonlawrence4749

5 жыл бұрын

@@laughingdaffodils5450 hat may be where they got the idea from.

@laughingdaffodils5450

5 жыл бұрын

@@gordonlawrence4749 I think you may have been right, there may have been talk or even attempts to use slings for this purpose in WWI - I'm just pointing out where that idea came from. Staff slings were definitely used to fling what amounted to overweight molotov cocktails over city walls.

Been a few years since I was slingin it. I definitely found it better for me to throw as you did in an under hand direction instead of over head. Smooth rocks throw more accurate and with less noise than jagged edge rocks. Round large marbles throw accurate but have a tendency to roll out of the pouch more easily. Saw one guy use Quickrete and formed somewhat uniform balls. Pouch definitely needs to be flat and not concave as it tends to hold onto the stone and make for less accuracy. Duct tape is everyone's friend.

Dad used make my slings and sling shots back in the day i had one with a cloth pouch and used to launch pretty big stones out in the bush when we camped out back in the 80,s

@69ruby17

3 жыл бұрын

That sounds lovely

I was around 4-ish years old when I first saw a sling, in an old school DOS RPG. I've since then been a bit fascinated by it. I think I will try to make one in the future. Thanks for the video.

Thanks you Tod for the cool crafting video. Your knowledge is always appreciated. As a leathercrafter, I just wanted to mention that the approximately 11.6 mm leather used for the pouch for the second sling, is known/listed here in the States as 3 - 4 oz. leather. 3 - 4 oz. leather has a thickness of 1.2 - 1.6 mm.

Hi Tod, thanks for this video! Today I tried to make myself a medieval style sling following your instructions. I used a piece of leather (about 2mm thick) and cotton string. I had to braid the string, because it was too thin. After I finished my work, I went for a walk in the forest with my dog and tried my first shots. And it works surprisingly fine! I started with pinecones (for safety reasons) but they don't fly very well. So I collected some rocks on the forest road and they did a much better job. I thought the sling was much more difficult to handle but it's quite easy - I mean aiming is a big challenge but the basic usage is really simple. There's only one minor drawback: the cotton loop partly rubbed the skin off my finger after several shots. Next time I'll use a glove ;-) Best regards

Interesting. I usually have the loop on little finger and hold the retention cord across the palm. I bought one of Tod’s slings years ago and had to adjust the release knot’s position by retying it further down to suit my style. All his knots were beautifully tied, particularly the retention loop.

So right I was just out for a walk, then suddenly this rock comes flying towards me and cracks me dead on the head. After seeing this video I now know why

I made one as a kid with a piece of rubber inner tube and had lots of fun with it. May have to try again.

I learned many years ago, about the sling by an author Jean Auel in her first book of the series Earth's Children. This is the one (leather) the main character, Ayla, made! Thank you for bringing this into real life for me! :D

@iloveflamethrowers9596

Жыл бұрын

I love that book, thats what made me want make a sling in the first place

Just for the info on leather thickness: 1/64" 1 oz so 1/16" = 4/64" 4 oz

@carstenwjensen

5 жыл бұрын

.... What’s that in metric?

@BGH1961

5 жыл бұрын

@@carstenwjensen 0.04 cm

@carstenwjensen

5 жыл бұрын

BGHearns Thanks mate

@ancientsurvival

5 жыл бұрын

@@carstenwjensen 1/64 in is 0,4mm 1/16 in is 1,59mm :-)

I made a sling years ago. I used a piece of deer hide that I hunted and some paracord. One morning there was a small pile of stones on the back porch. My dog found most of the stones I slung and brought them back. Lol.

Great video, clear and concise. I'll have to whip up a leather one! Lots of empty pasture next to my house this time of year so I have alot of space to practice on! Would like seeing more videos on slings as well!

Very nice. Your design on the second is very nice. I’ve made a few slings, different types. Woven pouch in the Egyptian style is prettiest . My favourite type lately is the two strips of leather for the pouch with a plaited cord to avoid knotting.

The gaffer tape version is what I am more likely to make. Good video.

@ianmacfarlane1241

5 жыл бұрын

If you've got a charity shop nearby take a look at the shoes. If you can find anything with a moccasin/boat shoe design you'll be able to get a suitable piece of leather from the tongue - and it might be a bit softened. Just a thought.

Its surprising how fast your accuracy develops... as accurate as a 22lr at 30 meters, after an hour. Great sportmsnship hunting grouse with a sling😊

My cousin and I used to make these when we were teenagers. I remember taking a rock, spinning it up & throwing it completely over the interstate Highway, from behind the fence then over entire interstate & the fence on other side of the Interstate! I'm not sure how far it was? Its longer than the distance of the bridge crossing over from one side to the other!

@greenjack1959l

2 жыл бұрын

We would use our school ties as slings, without ever having been taught about them. I suppose some childish intuition made us think of it. It wasn't until many years later I became interested again and realised their potential.

Whenever I go to a creek or beach I look to see if I can see a mouldy tube sock in the water. I just rip it down both ends and put a loop in one side then lob stones into the water so the gaffa tape one doesn't seem that bad. (A mouldy tube sock works surprisingly well as a sling, they are that simple)

1:12 Paracord and gaffer tape sling 6:16 Jute twine and leather sling 12:10 How to use

@scum5

5 жыл бұрын

Wtf is paramord?

@caladair2087

4 жыл бұрын

Jake Kennedy autocorrect seems to think such thing exists

I made one of these slings just because I had some paracord and duct tape lying around. I looped both ends and use it as 1. a sling, 2. a bow stringer, and 3. attaching my shipping tube quiver to my belt. Thanks for the idea!

12:43 i feel we're missing the noise of a greenhouse smashing and a cat yowl.

Lol brilliant! Thanks for the video Todd..I'm gonna try mine with painters canvas (floor covering for dripping paint off of walls )and see what kind of results I get

Tod i know this one your older videos now now and enjoy meticulous attention to detail and i he thing thing that you make ani enjoy watching you craftsmanship you put into all your stuff...

Just noticed that you have a studded archer's maul listed on your website. I'd be interested in seeing a video on how you made it.

Nice. If you're doing more throwing weapons how about having a go at the Roman Plumbata, I'd love to see what a decent replica can do.

@jezzahawkes5218

2 жыл бұрын

Todd has made a plumbata video.

Bro! That was so cool! He made it super easy to understand, and yes gaffer tape will survive longer then anyone us lol

Thank you for Sharing . Awesome video !

I made a sling on a lark while walking my dog with paracord and a random slip of leather from a thrift store. I use it for throwing balls for my dog to fetch.

I like to just do two rounds releasing on the second round. It is more relative to a normal throw without the sling which makes timing the release easier. No matter how fast I throw the rock there is no release timing problem. With 24 inch long cords there is no problem getting the rock to make a richochete noise especially when it hits something to make it spin faster. It sounds like a bullet on an old cowboy movie.

As a young lad in the 70's we used to hunt for old work boots and use the tongue. I got a good telling off from my farther when he got a new pair as he hadn't broke in his new ones properly. Good fun with simple things back then. Thanks for reminding me.

I was under the impression that squash balls make good practice ammo. If they go straight up they don't hurt coming back down. Horizontal it depends on how close you are etc. because they can be traveling at more than terminal velocity leaving the sling.

Works Great, Thanks!

So satisfying.

I'm inspired - I gotta try this . Thx for posting

Erasers are excellent for practice!

need that sling staff covered.those are so hard to find historical info on.and considering they are hand held trebuchets,I'd guess they had a significant use up til the invention of gunpowder or crossbows.be nice to get history on em,and see what they are capable of.

Was going to subscribe after this came up on my search for amazing things my 12 yr old Son and I can do, but apparently I've already subscribed... Great video!!!!!

I see you do the flick at the end, most new slingers tend to start doing that without knowing how to aim or actually use it effectively, for newer slingers, i recommend a smooth release till you learn to aim, then gradually increase the flick of your wrist when relea3

I've always gotten the best accuracy and distance from a single rotation. Lots of spinning around makes for a weaker shot and it's more difficult to get your release timing right.

@greenjack1959l

2 жыл бұрын

Me too.

@seanfaherty

2 жыл бұрын

I go two, sometimes three ,mostly two. I do agree with you point about excessive spinning around

congratulations on getting back your channel btw!

Im gonna try this with snowballs! Great video by the way

I have made these with leather and bicycle handles never this way! Thank you

The tape sling made my rock fall off and nice leather sling

Impressive how fast you can shoot with these ancient technology.

Yep, liked it. Thanks mate!

Thanks for the video. (Regarding throwing technique) "Is there any difference? - that's what I would use for accuracy." I think there are some differences, and that one's not particularly accurate (though maybe for you if you're more comfortable with it.) So far as accuracy, I think the only difference is that if you release late with overhand sling you hit the ground short of your target, if you release late with underhand sling you lob up over target, if you release late with horizontal sling you might hit your buddy off to the right or left. But there are more differences. If you release overhand, you're effectively a bit taller, and if the range is fairly short you'll actually be raining direct fire down from above against an enemy of the same height on level ground. Kind of a neat trick you can't do with a bow of any kind. Also the less winding up you can do the better. Ideally it's one smooth motion with a smooth release and no tension. Spinning it up faster isn't likely to add much power but it sure makes accuracy a problem. Anyhow, I haven't used one in years but you brought back some great memories and inspired me to go buy some cord. Cheers!

Good stuff!

Gonna need another pocket now!🤩

Surprisingly good weapon for the apocalypse.

@Drottninggatan2017

5 жыл бұрын

And for the EU election.

@GurtTarctor

5 жыл бұрын

It's brilliant in Neo Scavenger.

Realy interesting to see. Thanks for the nice video. How about a sling staff? I saw some contamporary pictures of that.

Amazing. Me and the kids are going to make some now 😊

i used 3 leather strips, 2 knoted together to make an aye shape in the middle. withe the third string i made a basket out of the aye shaped section.

I think the sling is a pretty advanced weapon for the time they were used. Or at least a very clever one.

I like this guy, and I like what he’s about.

Yet another amazingly clever use of duct tape! Love me some duct tape. Thanks ever so much for the tutorial!

This guy has a max Weaponsmithing trade skill in New World

Very cool.

Guna make me one now and keep it in me pocket! I realy am gunna ! Cool vid .

Tod, please make a tutorial on efficient making of wooden fletchings. I would really love to go from feathers to wood on my bolts 🙏🙏🙏

If it's simple and works well, it is clever

There is SO much room to science this... Anyone else fancy sciencing this?

outstanding!

I thought it was Hard but it's easy because of you thanks and keep making videos please

I can't wait to make this so I can throw tennis balls for my dog - she will love it.

fantastic.. pouch idea.... damn

Definitely reconsidering David's sling. In David and Goliath

"The handyman's secret weapon- duct tape!" Red Green

@dhayes907

Жыл бұрын

I know I've met a good person when they quote red green

A guy in my platoon in Vietnam thought a sling might be a good way to get grenades further downrange. We convinced him to make his first try with an illumination grenade, which was the same size and shape as a frag, but a bit lighter. Round and round - WHIP-ZIP - and that grenade went about 40-50 feet almost straight up and landed about 6 feet from us. Had it been a frag... well, we took the sling away from him and told him if we ever saw him with another one, we'd shoot him. If he'd started practicing with rocks it might have been a different story; rocks are more forgiving than frags!

Wonderful.

these slings can really move a rather large rock down a centre line very easily, first time practically

Cheers Mate!

Very cool 👍👍

Pls Show a Video on shields. Manly how to Mount the straps and the piece of gambeson that makes it more comfortable to hold

@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive

5 жыл бұрын

100 points for the gorhic 2 picture!

1st rule of slings: Mess about and find out

Enfin ! Voilà enfin réhabilitée cette méconnue, la fronde !

A good improvised weapon.

Putting a diamond shaped hole in the center of the pouch helps hold the stone more securely .

@jacobnugent8159

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I’ll try it on mine

Great use of materials/ 😎 😎

Golf balls make excellent ammo. Consistent size and weight, and easy to see where they went!

@colincampbell4261

5 жыл бұрын

Too light

I really respect ppl that use teeth to rip tape.

Awesome! I was thinking about using duct tape instead of leather. And I had totally forgotten about the slits - that's a great way to do it. What would be the easiest/cheapest way to make uniform projectiles? I'm thinking casting concrete in some reusable form(Ping-Pong balls?) or cutting uniform lengths of rebar for denser projectiles.

@JudoP_slinging

5 жыл бұрын

Clay is a traditional and easy method to make good ammo, concrete can work too though.

Used to make a variation of a sling out of canvas strip about two metres by 5 to 7 cm tapered at ends to fit hands could trow a half brick 100 metres pretty deadly accurate.

very informative video❤

I have made a couple of these. I haven't gotten to practice much because of not wanting to break Windows or heads lol.