Hydrogen gas has been a front runner in the alternative fuel debate for decades now. It is plentiful, inexpensive, and the only byproduct of its combustion is water vapor. In the following video, I demonstrate how hydrogen can be produced in large quantities using very inexpensive and common chemicals. Materials:
The only thing better than successfully pulling off a new experiment is doing it with household materials. You get to laugh in conceit as professional scientists everywhere spend all their grant money on the same project you just accomplished with some under-the-sink chemicals! However, there are times when DIY gets dangerous. Some household chemicals are not pure enough to use and some are just pure dangerous. Let's take a look at two problems I have encountered in the course of mad sciencing.
Welcome to Microwave Energy—the next part of my Making Electromagnetic Weapons series. For the Electromagnetic Pulse Generator, check out the last three articles (One, Two and Three).
Need to pass along an important message on paper without having it accidentally discovered by your archenemy? Using very common household products, you can easily whip up an invisible ink recipe and write out your secret message with the solution. All the recipient needs to do is heat up the paper using a stovetop of light bulb, or brush the surface of the paper with a simple iodine mixture to read the message.
Need to start a fire and have no lighter? All you need is a clear water bottle or jar, some water, and kindling—and for the weather to be very sunny during noon time. Tilt the water bottle or jar at an angle so that the water in the container can focus the sun's light into as small of an area as possible. Keep the container at this position for as long as possible until enough heat is created to start a glowing ember.
Continuing with my "Animals in Iraq" series, we have a poor little puppy who's succumbed to heat and starvation, but not in your ordinary way. Food is hard to come by for the stray dog population, but there's tons of trash around for them to dig through. This poor pup tried to lick the bottom of a can of corn (maybe it was peas or lentils) and got its head stuck. The area was abandoned, so no one was around to help. It pained me to snap this photo, but I thought it was the perfect example of ...
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to cool down during the hot summer heat without blasting the A/C in your house and opening the refrigerator every few minutes to feel the cold, machine-made air blow against your overheated face.
This is a refreshing and light crab salad with a savory basil lemon sherbet on top. I know it sounds weird, but it's perfect for summer and helps you cool off from the heat.
This is a simple twist on the classic mojito cocktail, but instead of rum, I used Vodka. Because I like mojitos on the sour side, I added extra lime juice compared to what a classic mojito recipe calls for (about a 1/4 cup more). This drink also calls for freshly made mint infused syrup (recipe follows) instead of confectioners sugar. The infused syrup has such a cooling, minty flavor that it cannot be substituted with confectioners' sugar even though some recipes use it. You can also double ...
Ingredients1 cup of butter3/4 cup of brown sugar3/4 cup white sugar1 teaspoon of vanilla extract2 eggs2 1/4 cups of plain flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt2 cups of chocolate chips1 cup of milkMethodPre-heat oven to 350 oCIn a medium bowl add flour,salt and baking soda.Mix the flour, salt and baking soda gently and set aside.In a large bowl add brown sugar and white sugar and mix togetherThen add the vanilla and milk to large bowl with the sugar and mixWhen the vanilla and milk are c...
This was my attempt at Fettuccine Alfredo and sorry to anyone who looks at this, my photos are completely disorganized because I remembered about halfway into cooking this dish to take photos. Anyways a mistake I noticed right off the bat after cooking was that the sauce was not very thick, my brother recommended the letting sauce sit on heat a little longer. Anyone else got any other tips?
My ipod sat in the dogs water bowl for over 12 hours and still works fine. Heres what i did first i shook all the water out i could for about 20 to 30 minutes, then dabbed it with paper towels for another 10 or so accidentally turned it on which i know your not supposed to do with any wet electronics. At the moment when it turned on every thing worked fine so i put it down an left it alone. The next day went to listen to a some music it turned on but nothing worked on it. I had to leave for a...
Serious Eats' latest Meet and Eat features Todd Barricklow, creator of the Taco Bike, an eco-friendly alternative to the fast growing food truck industry. The 200+ pound bike is equipped with a propane tank, three sectioned griddle, water tank, heat exchanger, wash sink, wastewater hold, ice holder and sectioned food area, trash can, napkin holder, table, money drop, chopping boards and more.
Yep, anything (on Earth). Below, BBC One's Bang Goes the Theory demonstrates how normal sunshine can become a lethal heat-ray of 3,500 degrees celsius (with the aid of a high-performance solar furnace). That's hot enough to melt rocks. More by Bang Goes The Theory:
By Maria Stuart
This is a tool I wouldn't want to do without in my kitchen. It's full name is the Jaccard Super Tendermatic Meat Tenderizer but if you refer to the "Jaccard", most food folks will know what you are talking about. Jaccard makes lots of food prep products but this is probably their most well known. There are other tenderizers on the market, but this one is better made and uses higher quality materials than most. High quality stainless steel blades in a sturdy plastic case that is machine washab...
A group of New Zealand students have designed the ultimate green addition for eco-friendly living: a "clip-on" Plant Room.
Here in Los Angeles, weather is perfect as usual. But on the other side of America, summer is in its sweltering peak. I've spent plenty of unconditioned summers on the east coast, so I know firsthand just how miserable it can get.
Nothin's better than freshly homemade popsicles in these hot summer months. Design Sponge has posted three delicious-sounding recipes by Ashley of Small Measure.
Glastonberry Solar Concept Tent
This UEFA Training Ground video helps develop your ability to pass and move the ball to fellow soccer teammates. Although it seems quite basic, proper passing in heated game situations is a nice skill to have and to fall back on if a recently learned soccer trick suddenly escapes you're caught between a rock and a pushy defender.
In the far away land of China, cotton candy is made with bicycles. According to Make, the sugar is heated with propane, and the cotton candy is spun using the bike pedals. I've gotta get myself one of these (or next best thing, travel to China so I can sample it myself). Previously, Chinese Dropout Builds Submarine.
Not sure I quite understand the point of modding two Powerbooks into a snowboard, but I admire the energy behind the project. Very rough translation via YouTube:
Mike from the SubStream's "Film Lab" has some tips regarding lighting, gripping and gaffing. Mike's soul screams for Rosco's magic Cinefoil wrap (aka Black Wrap, aka shroud-of-death wrap). Made from black holes. Learn what it's used for and how to use it! It's really just thick black aluminum foil with heat protection. The easiest and cheapest lighting accessory.
Fan speed determines the level of heat your CPU might get exposed to. In this tutorial, Sky Van Iderstine will tell you how to control the fan speed of your MacBook or MacBook Pro using a freeware program, iCyclone. iCyclone has an easy-to-use interface, and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Growl, Sparkle and the Keychain. Control the fan speed of a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Robert Henry and VideoJug demonstrate how to make a cappuccino. Using a domestic coffee machine first heat the water. Then add the coffee. For a single shot of espresso you will need one spoonful of coffee (7 grams), and for a double shot you will need 2 spoonfuls (14 grams). Then filter the coffee, steam the milk, and add the milk. Make a cappuccino.
Making your own leaf skeleton is a fun, DIY project where you strip green leaves of their outer coating and tissue, leaving behind the "skeleton" of delicate veins underneath. Leaf skeletons can then be used as framed art pieces, or delicate decor for homemade cards or ornaments.
Need a remedy for your sore muscles after going the gym? Rather than spending money on expensive warming rubs, you can whip up your own DIY, all-natural warming rub concoction in the comfort of your own kitchen using a double boiler, olive oil, beeswax, and various spices.
While medical exam gloves are commonly associated with hospitals and not the kitchen, they actually are unexpectedly useful for a number of cooking and cleaning uses that require handling extremely messy things.
Having trouble falling asleep? Using coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, and essential oils, you can easily concoct your own DIY, nice-smelling sleep salve that will help you drift off to slumber with minimal effort.
You may be surprised to know that the wildly popular and seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks actually does not contain any pumpkin in its ingredients. That, and making your own pumpkin spice latte at home is actually not very difficult at all.
Want to sweat less during the summertime? If you're already using antiperspirant sticks, apply them on your underarms the night before rather than the morning of. Antiperspirant works best when you're not already sweating like crazy, and by the time you take a shower in the morning, the antiperspirant will have already worked its way into your sweat ducts.
While it may be tempting to rely on canned beans to save time, going through the process of preparing dried beans for cooking can actually be better for you in the long run—for both your physical and financial health.
Tell the awesome person in your life how much you love him or her by writing a secret Valentine's Day message in invisible ink, which can then only be revealed by heating the paper over a flame or a hot light bulb.
To make your own sinfully delicious chocolate peanut butter cups in the comfort of your own home, all you need are chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, and sugar.
My oven heating is not working. I need to change the element. But how do i get access to the element to change it? Do i have to take the oven out of cabinet? How do i do it? Basically how do i get access to the element to change it? Is there a fuse for the element?
However much you love cooking fried fish for dinner, there's no need for your kitchen to smell fishy for days afterward. Keep your post-cooking funky kitchen smell to a minimum by boiling cloves in water, simmering lemon peels, oven roasting coffee beans, or leaving bowls of white vinegar on the kitchen counter overnight.
They say that flowers are the way to a girl's heart, but why waste your money at the local florist when you can make your own? If you have a maple tree in the area, you can create a fanciful faux rose from maple leaves. If not, you can turn to the kitchen and make your loved one a bouquet of roses using heavy-duty plastic spoons.
Want to make your own glass drinking cups? You don't need to be a glassworker to get creative. Just recycle some of your old beer, soda, or wine bottles into stylish toothbrush holders or glass cups.
In their cooked form, rice is great for making spam musubi, sushi, and other amazing meals. In their uncooked form, dry rice grains are unexpectedly useful for preventing your salt from clumping in your salt shaker, cleaning out the insides of weirdly-shaped, hard-to-wash containers, weighing down your unbaked pie crust, cleaning out your coffee grinder, and—if you act quickly enough—saving your wet cell phone from cell phone death.
