Meet Graphene, Destroyer of Pencils

Every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention.

We realize there's only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention.

Matt Damon dressed up in a Santa suit for a new public service announcement about why you shouldn't be disappointed when someone donates water in your name and calls it a Christmas gift. At least his heart seems to be in it, unlike that Tony Gilroy who would have written copy about how kids all over the world need access to fresh  Mountain Dew or something. [Water.org]

Materials science fans --  MatPsychos, if you will -- are over the moon about a substance called Graphene that is transparent and strong and a super conductor with the potential to allow circuits to operate 100 times faster. It was discovered in 2008 by putting adhesive tape on a block of graphite, and Yale professor of mechanical engineering and materials science Ainissa Ramirez references this original story by using a giant prop pencil in a brief video on why graphene is our spiritual and physical superior. It's exciting to hear about, but we really are curious what it means for the future of pencils, which have never really a future, just an eraser. [Scientific American]

At the end of the day, the phrase 'at the end of the day' is very popular with people who appear on reality shows. This makes sense, because it's a sturdy crutch to use when a camera crew needs you to articulate a decision or plan arrived at silently, in your head, which nobody watching at home would know had happened if you didn't say 'at the end of the day.' It's also nice because it's typically followed by the end of an episode. [VH1]