The Big Think

June 18, 2010

The Coke and Mentos Powered Car

Filed under: Mad Science — jasony @ 4:26 pm

Hey Sean, getting any ideas?

Uh oh, what about Trebuchets?

Filed under: Mad Science — jasony @ 9:32 am

Bad news: Sean’s homeowner policy won’t cover hovercraft any more.

May 20, 2010

From the Department of Nothing-Can-Possibly-Go-Wrong

Filed under: Mad Science,Science — jasony @ 8:46 pm

Scientists create first self-replicating synthetic life.

April 18, 2010

The Wheel of Death

Filed under: Mad Science,Movies — jasony @ 8:03 pm

Great SCOTT! You ain’t kidding.

March 6, 2010

My Hero

Filed under: Mad Science,Maker — jasony @ 9:01 pm

This guy is my hero. When faced with a workplace lunchtime argument (you know, the kind we all have every day) of whether or not a lava lamp would work on Jupiter, he went home and built himself a 100 pound centrifuge, attached his accelerometer-equipped Android phone, and answered the question.

Now where is my giant treadmill and jet plane?

from his website:

The centrifuge is a genuinely terrifying device. The lights dim when it is switched on. A strong wind is produced as the centrifuge induces a cyclone in the room. The smell of boiling insulation emanates from the overloaded 25 amp cables. If not perfectly adjusted and lubricated, it will shred the teeth off solid brass gears in under a second. Runs were conducted from the relative safety of the next room while peeking through a crack in the door.

Give this guy an award.

January 14, 2010

Rocket Man

Filed under: Mad Science,Maker — jasony @ 12:22 pm

Steve Jurvetson on his awesome rocket hobby. Don’t miss the 3 minute TED talk short at the bottom. Fantastic pictures.

January 12, 2010

Click

Filed under: Games,Humor and Fun,Mad Science,Maker,Movies — jasony @ 9:38 pm

December 18, 2009

Supersonic Rocket Car Crash

Filed under: Mad Science — jasony @ 5:03 pm

Did four more beautiful words ever exist in the English language?

December 7, 2009

Ex Libris

I may have posted this a while back, but it’s worth a re-post. The ultimate Geek Library.

September 14, 2009

Edge of Space

Filed under: Mad Science,Maker,Science,Space — jasony @ 11:06 am

Two MIT students shoot pics from the edge of space using off-the-shelf stuff. And a budget of only $150. Cool!

September 3, 2009

Blue Flame

Filed under: Mad Science,Technology — jasony @ 11:04 pm

The 1000mph rocket car.

August 21, 2009

Move Along

Filed under: Mad Science,Maker — jasony @ 2:42 pm

Just posting this here for my future reference. How to etch aluminum.

August 19, 2009

Defying Gravity

Filed under: Mad Science,Maker — jasony @ 3:22 pm

Inventor James Dyson makes an uphill waterfall fountain. Cool!

August 13, 2009

On the Role of Mistakes in Creativity

Filed under: Hobbies,Mad Science — jasony @ 8:05 pm

Good words.

Zombie!

Filed under: Games,Mad Science — jasony @ 8:15 am

Half-life with real guns! (h/t Scott)

July 18, 2009

Mythbusting

Filed under: Mad Science,Movies — jasony @ 1:00 am

Adam Savage on the origins of Mythbusters.

June 18, 2009

Bio-Rap

Filed under: Mad Science,Technology — jasony @ 10:26 am

A Rep-Rap printer for…. organs? The future looks wild.

June 17, 2009

Electric Money

Filed under: Mad Science — jasony @ 3:27 pm

Shrinking a coin using high voltage. Shown in slow motion. Woah.

June 4, 2009

Mad Scientist Extraordinaire

Filed under: Education,Mad Science,Politics,Science — jasony @ 8:32 pm

Theo Grey, on why dangerous science at home may be the savior of science education.

Sports, especially at the high school level, are extremely dangerous. So many children are injured on a regular basis that you don’t even hear about it. Many of these injuries are relatively minor, just a broken bone or perhaps a torn ligament that puts the child in a cast for a few months. But a substantial number cause permanent disability and death.

This carnage could easily be avoided by switching to video football. Graphics are very realistic these days; students could study tackles from all angles in complete safety. Gymnastics students could do their routines on a Wii Fit board, and video screens are readily available for exercise bicycles, eliminating open-road bicycle riding, a major killer of children.

You know I’m kidding. No one can seriously deny the value of actual physical education and exercise, and unfortunately, no matter how safe you try to make it, accidents, including bad accidents, happen. That’s part of life.

But this is precisely what has happened to science education. Precisely. Virtually all experiments involving chemicals more dangerous that cabbage juice have been eliminated from the curriculum. And, yes, they have been replaced by elaborate video simulations that let you choose which of two beakers to mix together, then show you what happens.

This is all very safe, but there is a price to pay: death and misery for millions. And this time I’m not kidding. We have turned science, which should be the most exciting, the most engaging, the most relevant hour of the school day, into a deathly boring series of lectures and video games. Is it any wonder kids would rather become accountants, when chartered accountancy is made to seem like a more exciting profession than science?

Read the whole thing.

When students enter a science classroom, they should see things they cannot imagine in their wildest dreams.

Frostbite

Filed under: Mad Science — jasony @ 8:13 pm

Solid mercury castings. Cool! Literally.

Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress