If you’ve ever seen a rope-braiding machine in action, you know they’re amazing machines where bobbins of thread whirl and spin in a complex dance to weave the threads under and over each other.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - One minute. That's all I've got to get to safety, should I ever find myself dangling off a cliff by a rope. I know this because that's how long I lasted on Mt. Everclimb, a ...