Forge yourself a real, working Tesla cannon

Real-world mad science at the Hazard Factory (img by Rob/Hacker Friendly)

The Tesla Gun is a hand-held, battery powered lightning machine. It is a spark gap Tesla coil powered by an 18V drill battery. You pull the trigger, and lightning comes out the front.

I’ve given a few talks about how this project came to be, and it’s a bit of a long story. I could not possibly have built it without the help and expertise of Seattle’s many hackerspaces. Take a look at the basic components, and you’ll see what I mean.

Yeah, I see what he means. He means you need a damn fine, extraordinarily professional garmenter with laser-focused attention to detail when it comes to Faraday underpants.

Actually, I really do wonder how they managed to operate this thing safely. They don’t say. And that doesn’t stop them from shooting their lightning launcher. (more…)

Department of Justice: recording police is constitutionally-protected

Citizen journalism meets agency procedure (img by Teacher Dude's BBQ)

In a win for technology, citizen journalism, and our Constitutional rights, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a letter to the Baltimore City Police Department reconfirming that photographing, video- and audio-recording on-duty police officers is a Constitutional right protected by the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

“Because recording police officers in the public discharge of their duties is protected by the First Amendment, policies should prohibit interference with recording of police activities except in narrowly circumscribed situations,” reads the DoJ’s letter (.pdf). “More particularly, policies should instruct officers that, except under limited circumstances, officers must not search or seize a camera or recording device without a warrant. In addition, policies should prohibit more subtle actions that may nonetheless infringe upon individuals’ First Amendment rights. Officers should be advised not to threaten, intimidate, or otherwise discourage an individual from recording police officer enforcement activities or intentionally block or obstruct cameras or recording devices.”

This is a direct result of the police, particularly in Baltimore, arresting, hassling, or otherwise harassing people who have been documenting their actions. So in a way, this over-the-top police behavior was a good thing, right? By affirming a constitutionally-protected right? Yeah no, I’m kidding.

Things got even crazier in Connecticut, where a police officer drew a gun on a guy taking pictures, only to be arrested himself later because the guy taking his picture was a police officer, and also, they were at the police station.

The best part was that he was taking the photo of the other cop because he was literally sleeping on the job: (more…)

Stare at the sun

A woman turns blue as shit after staring at a solar eclipse (img by Inhabitat)

But don’t stare at it directly.

When NASA says that 99% of the sun’s photosphere is obscured during a total solar eclipse, they’re still saying that 1% of the visible sun is out there, and that percent will cut you.

Think about it; since the sun is spherical, that percent is actually a huge swath of intense radiation-spewing nuclear fusion, that if peeled off the sun with a giant solar vegetable peeler and dropped on North America like nuclear dirty sock, would destroy the planet, the moon, and make Mars a nice warm retreat in the solar system. (I’ve been reading Space Chronicles (Kindle version) by Neil deGrasse Tyson).

People get away with glancing at an eclipse. But staring at one can and does blind people. It’s because your retina doesn’t have any pain receptors; it doesn’t know it’s all burnt and getting all exposed to eyeball cancer-levels of radiation. Looking at the sun through binocs or a telescope or camera is like trading places with bugs under a magnifying glass, as far as your eyes are concerned. Staring at the sun through CDs isn’t really much better, and sunglasses are asking for it.

Either buy real eclipse glasses or other eclipse-purposed viewing aids, (shade 14 or higher–sunglasses are around shade 2 or 3) arc-welding goggles or similar high-intensity eye protection, or make a pinhole camera. All you need for that is two pieces of cardboard, one with a pinhole, and the other for your screen. If you want to get all fancy build a camera obscura with a thin paper screen and a mirror.

Otherwise, yeah, enjoy today’s solar watchamajigger. And if you’re gonna look straight at it, even though you’ve been told… make it quick.

How to open a bottle of beer with a chainsaw

Kodak’s Nuclear Secret

"You press the button. We do the rest." (img by CNN)

Starting decades ago, Kodak had an interest in neutrons, subatomic particles that can be used to determine the makeup of a given material or to create an image of it without damaging it.  In 1974 it acquired a californium neutron flux multiplier, known as a CFX. Small plates of highly enriched uranium multiplied the neutron flow from a tiny californium core.

The device was not much larger than a refrigerator and, in the one available photo, looked vaguely like Robby the Robot from a 1950s science fiction movie. To house it, Kodak dug a cavity below the basement level of Building 82, part of the company’s research complex along Lake Avenue.

The 14- by 24-foot cavity was reached via a corridor with several right-angle turns and a spiral staircase leading to Building 82’s basement, according to a description of the area included in a decommissioning plan Kodak prepared for regulators. The plan and other documents were made public on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission website after the uranium was removed.

Nuclear imaging is interesting stuff for sure, and certainly Kodak isn’t the only company invested in subatomic imagery. What I came away from this was not wondering how secure Kodak’s nuclear facilities were, or how they were quietly dismantled.

Nor was I wondering how hard would it be to come across the relevant materials to make a generator or a bomb; the IAEA keeps tabs on this stuff closely, as does the entire global intelligence community (at least, the heavy metal fuels; heavy water, tritium, and deuterium are theoretically something that can be manufactured, if you know how). Although frankly, some people who wanted to make private nuclear reactors have succeeded.   (more…)

Intermission: Chalk Warfare

I fuck you the fuck up! The reality of fighting

These guys don't even have fists. (img by Rene Bastiaanssen)

I’ve been in two fist fights in my life (if you don’t count filial spats). Both were when I was very young. Both were incredibly one-sided. Yep. I got my ass kicked. In hindsight, every time I’ve been in a physical altercation, I’ve opted not to fight.

Because I’m a dude, I have a built-in voice that says “it’s never really been proven if I have ‘what it takes’”. But I really think fights are more dominance display or sport than about actually hurting people, and I figure it’s pretty easy to get hurt trying to fight with little or no training.

Thanks to TV, we think everyone, including drug-addicted computer programmers, can fight:

Everybody says they know that action movies are fake, but they’re lying. For proof, just get a couple of drunk males in a confrontation and you’ll quickly realize they did in fact think Hollywood fight scenes were grim depictions of reality. They’ll throw haymakers and roundhouse kicks with images of Jean-Claude Van Damme spin-punching a guy through a plate glass window dancing in their heads.

Thirty seconds later, they’re laying on the floor, gasping and hissing in pain while rubbing some body part, perhaps while crying. This is when they realize the difference between choreographed movie fighting and real fighting. Because in the real world, it turns out…

Your Fists Are Fragile Flowers.

But the reality is a lot different. Effective fighting takes training and a certain mindset, and people usually go to great lengths to avoid it. I’m no longer secretly wishing for a fight, even though I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. That doesn’t mean I won’t tie on some gloves and learn the fundamentals… it’d probably be good for me to learn how to not blank out when someone hits me in the face.

Also, don’t get in a fight against a guy who runs a Chinese restaurant in the middle of the ‘hood. Bad things happen:

Tactical bolt-action pens!

Quad rail sold separately.

If you can’t imagine how much fun it is to click a bolt-action pen then I’m not sure we can be friends. Both a writing implement and a tactical shank, the Boker bolt-action tactical pen improves on other aeronautical-grade emergency stabbing kits by including an actual pen with a working bolt-action clicky dealy.

Available in tactical black and tacticaler titanium, these bolt pens are crafted from aluminum and CNC-milled to a .45 caliber diameter. The pocket clip is integral to the body, too ($35-40).