Henry Phish

Well seeing as there seems to be a trend in the type of searches we’ve been getting on the site, I find it ironic that a friend of mine sent me this link.  It seems, that beyond the normal reasons to promote ethenol use, you can also drink it…imagine that.  Wine, beer, spirits…and you can power your car with it….you’ve got to love it.

Check out this site to build your own alcohol reflux still.  They show you how to do it as well as providing most of the basic supplies.

My friend, he just likes drinking the stuff…what you do with this contraption is up to you:)

Build Your Own Alcohol Still

Back in highschool I had a friend that built a potato gun out of a black PVC pipe, an igniter, and a can of hairspray.  You’d put the potato in the front end and it would create a seal, then you’d fill the back end with hairspray, screw the cap on, and whoola, a home-made bomb…I mean spud cannon.  Keep in mind that these things are dangerous, and I in no way condone their use, except under the guidance of resposible adult supervision…we had more than our fair share of incidents, everything from burnt hair, to our back cap blowing off and narrowly missing one of our group…they can be dangerous, so if you’re so inclined to build one, please take precautions.  That said, they are really cool to see in use, and it’s a great way to learn about the science of things…well combustion anyway. 

For a simple example, check out this site.  It’s similar to the gun we made in school…though hopefully these guys were a little bit smarter about it than we were…though by the looks of it, I wouldn’t count on it…

For those of you that think you’re beyond this stuff…well…just check out this page and dare to reconsider. 

Apparently, a barcode of my sex, age, height and weight, and nationality looks like this:

Check out this feature as well as some other cool bar code related stuff at:

Barcodeart.com

Also, check out Bar Code Jesus…very cool.

Bar Code Jesus

I never knew there were so many ways to make a coil gun…or a KITT Car Scanner for that matter…  This guy is either a genius, or has way too much time on his hands; either way, he’s got a cool web page.

Barry’s Coilgun Design Site

It appears that I have found a job opportunity for computer animators. A new study has shown that using computer animation to show how something happened in court provides a bias in favor of that legal team.

Computer Animations Used In Court Colored By Bias, Researchers Say

In a study of 117 undergraduate students, psychologists discovered that movements in a sequence of events, as well as the duration portrayed, in animations such as re-creations of a crime can double an already troubling hindsight bias.

Via Tech Dirt

Matt’s recent post about frogs with teeth reminded me about this article about flies with glasses. The glasses even have a brand name logo.
Via Boing Boing

More from the vault of Livescience.com:

The most popular myths in modern science…now with pictures!

Most Popular Myths of Modern Science

Check it out!

Check out this article on DNA Origami. Apparently, a scientist has discovered how to fold long strands of DNA using short DNA staples as a binding medium. The staples can be designed by a computer program and ordered from a laboratory. Then, the strands are heated in a salt solution and come together in whatever shape you designed.

In the future, this could be used to build molecular electronics. Kind of cool to think about, something so small, about 100 nanometers across, being folded like a piece of paper.

Check out the article at Live Science.