Nov 11 2009 That....Sounds Dangerous -- I Must Try It!
This is a 9-second video of an evil mad scientist pouring liquid nitrogen in his mouth and blowing out vapor. Why? Because he's mad, yo! Even worse than that tea-loving mother with the big hat.
Though it may look like this scientist is actually drinking the liquid nitrogen, he says that with a bit of practice, "it is easy not to swallow liquid nitrogen and make cool condensed vapor come out of the nostrils."
I would have drank it. I would have drank it and asked for another one. Bartender, another cold one. No, another REAAALLY cold one. You catch my drift? I'm talking about liquid nitrogen. And I want two of those little umbrellas and a plastic cutlass with cherries AND YOU BETTER NOT CHARGE ME FOR THEM. Now, get ready to call the paramedics.
How Scientists Chill Out [techeblog]
Thanks to naas, who once drank liquid gasoline trying to siphon my gas tank. That's what you get!
Nov 2 2009 I Like: The Periodic Table Of Picnic-ery
This is the periodic table of picnic-ery. I like how the makers went the extra mile and even shaped the table correctly. Because if I'd have made it it would have just been a rectangle. On fire. I dine fiery al fresco!
Table of Elements: Get Some Chemistry In Your Next BBQ [uberreview]
Jul 18 2009 Yay!: Element 112 Finally Gets Official Name
That's right folks, the recently recreated element 112, which was temporarily known as Ununbium, has finally got it's official name. And it is, drumroll please....Copernicium! Named after Nicolaus Copernicus (who may or may not be the lovechild of Michael Phelps and Andy Samberg), the decision was a throwback to honor one of the world's greatest wizards (suck it, Harry!).
By choosing to honor the father of the heliocentric solar system, element 112 discovery team leader Sigurd Hofmann wanted to avoid the divisive names selected for past elements, salute an influential scientist who didn't receive any accolades in his own lifetime, and highlight the link between astronomy and Hofmann's own field of nuclear chemistry.
The idea was to go backwards, to honor someone who was not greatly honored in his lifetime," said Hofmann. "[Copernicus] had to be very careful when he was publishing his works. His book was published the day of his death. He was afraid to make his announcements during his lifetime, so he wasn't honored when he was alive."
Ironically, Popular Science, the website where I got the story, erroneously called the new element Copernicum, which is something entirely different. Oh yeah baby, talk retrograde to me.
Newly Discovered Element 112 Named "Copernicum" [popsci]
Thanks to Ari, who, despite a valiant effort, didn't get enough signatures on the petition to name the element Geekologyn.
Jun 27 2009 First Image Of A New Memory Being Formed
Allegedly, this is the first image captured of a new memory being formed on the cellular level. If your brain were dinner, new memories would be the glowing noodle appetizer.
The image shows that proteins are created at connections between brain cells when a long-term memory is formed. Neuroscientists had suspected as much, but hadn't been able to see it happening until now.
Scientists still want to understand more about how our brains translate memories made on the go into long-term storage. Since synapses are connections between cells, experts think that fortifying these connections, or perhaps even making new ones, helps our minds associate different ideas and form memories of connected events.
Speaking of memories, you remember the time we snuck off and made out in that house that was being built? Yeah, that was really, um -- that wasn't you, was it? Oh synapse!
First Image of a Memory Being Made [livescience]
Jun 18 2009 It's A Boy!: Periodic Table Gets New Element
That's right young'n, the periodic table finally gave birth to element 112, temporarily named 'Ununbium', until it's official name 'Geekologium' can be verified by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), who I may or may not be holding at gunpoint. I SAID SIGN THE PAPERS!
More than a decade after experiments first produced a single atom of the element, a team of German scientists has been credited with its discovery.
The team, led by Sigurd Hofmann at the Centre for Heavy Ion Research, must propose a name for their find, before it can be formally added to the table.To create element 112, Professor Hofmann's team used a 120m-long particle accelerator to fire a beam of charged zinc atoms (or zinc ions) at lead atoms. Nuclei of the two elements merged, or fused, to form the nucleus of the new element.
Oh yeah? Well I was born when a beam of charged awesome atoms were fired at badass ones. Nuclei of the two elements merged, or fused, to form my nuts. Then, a stork wrapped me in a blanket and flew off. But mid-flight I cut myself out of the sack and parachuted behind enemy lines, where I shot the everliving shit out of them. And that, my friends, is how I became the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Awesome.
Periodic table gets a new element [bbcnews]
Thanks to Ari and Julian, who were born after a sperm fused with an egg.
May 6 2009 Reader Makes Periodic Table Of Superheroics
Geekologie Reader Mike took the time to make an awesome periodic table of superheroics. This is it. The picture is small though so click HERE to see the full, high-res version. Also, there's an alphabetical key provided after the jump, in case you can't figure out who some of them are. I dig it, Mike, but would it have killed you to include The Geekologie Writer for Ge? Just saying, one time I blogged from my roommate's closet while he had sex with his girlfriend and I screeched like a Pterodactyl the whole time. Does that make me the most super hero ever? Yes.
Hit the jump for the key.
Continue Reading " Reader Makes Periodic Table Of Superheroics "
Apr 30 2009 Scientists Create Chemical Gel That Moves On It's Own, Will Power Our Future Overlords
Some foolish Japanese scientists have developed a chemical compound capable of moving on it's own. They're convinced it's the stuff future robots will be made of. I'm convinced I just let one loose in my pants.
A group of Japanese roboticists, led by Shingo Maeda at the Shuji Hashimoto applied physics laboratory at Waseda University, have created a chemical gel capable of independent motion, similar to that of a caterpillar.
Using a process that combines polymers, the material not only moves on its own, but also can change colors and can be used to perform calculations. According to the scientists involved in the project the morphable material could even one day be used as components of a future robot, thus making the notion of the incredibly scary Terminator T-1000 a real possibility.
That's....terrible news. WTF, ROBOTICISTS? Roboticists shouldn't even be a real thing. If I close my eyes and say, "roboticists don't exist" three times they should all disappear, right? Okay, *covering eyes* "roboticists don't exist, roboticists don't exist, roboticists don't exist". There *uncovering eyes* HOLY SHIT -- BLOODY MARY, AAAAAAAAHHH!
Hit the jump for a video of a miniature T-1000 in action.
Apr 16 2009 Bacon Torch Burns Hot, Hot Water Burn Baby
Some guy went and built a thermal lance (cutting torch) that runs on pure oxygen and the fat from bacon (well, prosciutto). As you can see from the picture, the 5,000°F grease-flame is hot enough to burn through a pan, and straight to our hearts. *swoon*
A thermal lance, typically made of iron instead of bacon, is used to cut up scrap metal and rescue people from collapsed buildings. It works by blowing pure oxygen gas through a pipe packed with iron and magnesium rods. These metals are surprisingly flammable in pure oxygen, releasing a huge amount of heat as they are consumed. The result is a jet of superheated iron plasma coming out of the end of the pipe. For sheer destructive force, few tools match a thermal lance. But iron isn't the only thing that's flammable in a stream of pure oxygen.
There's a video after the jump that explains how he made it, but I'm not into following directions so I just glue-sticked a bunch of bacon to grandma's oxygen mask. Here goes nothin'! *FWOOOSH!* Uh-oh, looks like I'm gonna need another grandma. Quick -- to the old folks home before my parents get back!
Hit the jump for an instructional video.
Continue Reading " Bacon Torch Burns Hot, Hot Water Burn Baby "
Mar 24 2009 Tired Yet?: The Periodic Table Of Controllers
Haha, just when you thought the periodic tables were beat to death with a lead pipe like the way I did that hooker zombie last night -- think again! WICKA-POW, the periodic table of controllers! Hit THIS BUTTON to see a bigger version. You know, one you can actually read. And speaking of actually reading -- I never learned. Thank God for speech recognition software, am I right? End post. Google "dinosaur porn". Delete. Google "dinosaur porn triceratops". What the? I said END POST. Strike out previous six sentences. I SAID STRIKE OUT PREVIOUS SIX SENTENCES. Shit. Oh well, nobody actually reads Geekologie anyways, right? Google "dinosaur porn stegosaurus".
And Now, The Periodic Table of Game Controllers [gizmodo]
Thanks to ardas, who MOM CAN YOU PUT A KID CUISINE IN THE MICROWAVE FOR ME?
Mar 23 2009 Scientific: A Periodic Table Of XBox Games
The latest in a line of geeky periodic tables comes the Periodic Table of XBox Games from Blackwalt (possibly of LOST fame). Full size version HERE and description of all "elements" HERE. Good looking. I hope you can appreciate it as much as I do. And also, this cake. P.S. I baked a stripper inside just for you. Be careful -- she's smokin' hot! But only temperature wise, she's actually just an ugly hooker. Or she was, before I hit her with my car. Now she's a liability. And also -- your problem. Gotta go!
A Masterpiece from HoC Productions [herdofcats]
Thanks Blackwalt, now tell me: what's the secret of the island?
Mar 22 2009 I Need Some!: Mercury(II) Thiocyanate
Mercury Thiocyanate used to be made into "Pharoah's Serpent" fireworks similar to the "black snake" tablets you light and watch grow into a crusty snake. Unfortunately, it produces mercury vapors during the process so now the tablets are made out of a much safer sodium bicarbonate compound. Boo, I know. Still, wicked awesome if you can get your hands on some. Which, thanks to my ultra-sweet Geekologie connections, I just have. So -- are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you guessed, "glue-stick a bunch to my penis and try to impress women at the bar", you are. High-five! Haha, that was just glue-stick, I swear. Now watch this!
UPDATE: IT BUUUUUUUURNS! *helicoptering* Ladies?
Thanks to John, who once beat Mr. Wizard in a match-holding contest.
Mar 20 2009 A Periodic Table Of Final Fantasy Characters
Loyal Geekologie Reader Rafi, inspired by all of the recent periodic tables featured, decided to make his own -- of Final Fantasy characters (full-size version HERE)! WHOOWEEWHOOOOO!
In this table you'll find the atomic numbers and symbols, as well as:* Characters from Final Fantasy I through the upcoming XIII
* Heroes, villains, monsters, and summons from throughout the series
* Minor characters as well (because it was a stretch to match some symbols)
Impressive work, Rafi. Lots of familiar looking faces in the bunch. Now somebody make a periodic table of Geekologie and we'll be all set....for HYPERDYPER-DRIVE! VAVAVA ARRRARAAROOOOOOMM!! SPPPSSSHOOOWW!! *SPACESHIP SOUNDS* BEEPITY BOP BEEEPITY POW POW *sputter* SSSHOOOOOOOM!*
*GW not responsibly for what he types in spaceship mode or when he's been drinking. PEWITY PEW HORF PEW!
Feb 3 2009 It's Elemental: A Periodic Table Duvet
This is a duvet cover that a loving woman made for her chemistry major boyfriend. I think this is the first time I've ever typed duvet. Secretly, I liked it.
You may or may not have seen a post I did back in the fall when I was in the planning stages of making a quilt for my boyfriend for Christmas, featuring the "periodic table of the elements", because he is a Chemistry major, and I thought he'd find it totally epic.
Unfortunately, It became a duvet cover instead of a quilt because of a) time constraints and the fact that I still had gifts for 7 or 8 other people that I was making and b) buying the batting for the inside would have put me $50 over budget instead of just $10 over. (shh, don't tell him.)
Haha, he totally just got told. And also, I want one. I'm gonna don an eyepatch and get my argon under that sucker. Know what I'm saying? You bring the parrot.
Hit the jump for several more of the construction.
Dec 18 2008 Science!: The Periodic Table Of Awesoments
Unfortunately, it probably doesn't look that awesome since you can't read any of it. So click HERE to see the whole thing and all the awesoments that make the world cool.
In 300 B.C., years before the birth of black Jesus, Aristole postulated that all good things were made of "win." That was a pretty good guess, but he was drunk and probably also having an orgy. Modern day awesominers know there are actually 118 fundamental "awesoments" that compose all good things. The Periodic table of Awesoments can be a very useful tool. It's designed to show the relationships between awesoments, and often one can even predict how awesoments interact simply by their positions on the table.
Awesome. Although I question the awesoments in the traditional 'noble gas' section (ninja, sniper, vampire, wizard, etc.). I would argue that those particular awesoments are, in fact, highly reactive and not as tame as their position in the table suggests. Am I right? Example: "Hey ninja -- I banged your vampire mom last night. Yeah, she made me slap her ass with garlic nunchucks the whole time. Then your assassin dad walked in on us so i put my wizard robe and hat on and did him too. Then I had a sniper buddy take him out. Haha, your Jedi mind-tricks don't work on me. Now let's throw some clay on the potter's wheel and get all ghost-y." Seriously folks, you see how reactive that shit was?
The Periodic Table of Awesoments [dapperstache]
Thanks to Bryan, who I was surprised to see absent from the table.
Sep 18 2008 Large Hadron Collider Gets New Name
The Royal Society of Chemistry in London recently held a contest to rename the Large Hadron Collider. The votes are in, and the doomsday machine's new name is *drumroll please*....Halo!
After sifting more than 2,500 responses, ranging from The Big Banger to Infinite Devil Machine and The Matter Splatterer, it has now selected a winner to rechristen the vast enterprise.
"Halo conjures visions of radiant beauty, power and wisdom. The circle of light reflects the collider's form; it is a crowning achievement of science and engineering. It also gives more than a nod to the experiment's importance to religious debate."
Visions of radiant beauty, power and wisdom? I get it -- like Master Chief, right?
Large Hadron Collider: Public chooses 'Halo' as its new name [telegraph]
Thanks to Kevo and Mikeeeeeeeeeeeee, both of whom swear they voted for the much catchier 'Oh Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck'
Aug 18 2008 Cool!: The Periodic Table Of Videos
The Periodic Table of Videos is a project created by University of Nottingham professor Martyn Poiakoff and video journalist Brady Haran to teach the masses all neat facts about the various chemical elements. This is a teaser trailer here, but you can go to their official website for 118 different videos, with more to come soon. Damn, this reminds me of my high school chemistry class. Oh, the joy I'd experience when I made something explode. Oh my god -- and don't even get me started on my lab partner's monster rack. The poor bastard had man-tits!
Periodic Table of Videos Makes Chemistry Extremely Watchable [gizmodo]
Mar 10 2008 Geek Bling: Periodic Rings Are Elemental
These Periodic Rings from ITSNONAME (wtf?) are available in silver, gold, and platinum. Each features the corresponding metal's atomic number and weight and come in sizes 7, 8 and 9. Silver will set you back a paltry $205, gold (14K yellow) a staggering $2,200, and the platinum a holy shitting $6,500. Now I can think of a lot better ways to blow $6,500, and none of them include periodic table themed jewelry. Although one does include a drive across country with a one-legged hooker and a trunk full of drugs. Wait, that was a movie idea. No, no it wasn't. That is how I'd spend $6,500.
Two more pictures after the jump, including one of what it'd look like to get punched.
Continue Reading " Geek Bling: Periodic Rings Are Elemental "
Feb 22 2008 Self-Healing Rubber Sticks Back Together
Ludwik Leibler is a chemistry professor in Paris that has created an artificial rubber substance that can stick back together with the same strength it had prior to being cut. The unnamed material is made in an earth-friendly manner from vegetable oil and urea (the stuff in urine that makes it delicious).
Break a rubber and the chemical welds - known as covalent bonds - are also broken. The trick was to replace the covalent bonds in rubber with weaker connections known as hydrogen bonds. These are like hands on neighboring molecules that can clasp together, but let go when broken. Dr Leibler quickly realized that this meant not only that the new rubber could be recycled and remolded many times over, but that if separated by a cut or break, the chemical hands at the fresh surfaces would still be waving about ready to bind again.
Now let me tell you, covalent bonds aren't the only things severed when rubbers break. No sir. Your whole life can get split apart. You know what I'm talking about don't you? I'm talking about accidentally having kids. And don't believe that baloney "the stork brings them to your house" nonsense either, it isn't true. That's just a lie your parents told you so they wouldn't have to say the word vagina.
Self-healing rubber bounces back [bbcnews]
Thanks to Frankie, who is both wild and crazy, for the tip
Oct 24 2007 Periodic Table Shower Curtain Is Awesome
I love chemistry as much as anyone else. I think my fascination started as a kid in science class, when I learned that all life on earth comes stems from chromium or whatever. Well now you can appreciate all those other awesome elements every time you shower with the Periodic Table Shower Curtain. They're available from firebox.com, but currently sold out. It's sweet, and it's semi-transparent. You know what that means don't you? That means when my girlfriend showers I can sit in the bathroom and admire my two favorite elements -- boobidium and vaginium.
Product Site [thanks to Hugo for the tip, a man overcoming adversity with a monster dong]
Oct 5 2007 D3O Protects Head/Knees From Snow Shovel
D3O Lab has developed D3O, a "specially engineered material with intelligent molecules that flow with you as you move but on shock lock together to absorb impact energy." It's being used for it's shock absorption properties, and is currently available in motorcycle gear, shin pads, hats, etc. The video above shows a moderate to severely retarded man getting hit in the head and knees with a snow shovel. I want to try. I'd pretend I was going for the knee and then *crack*, right in the face. He could use some of that orange shit to glue his nose back on afterwards.
Product Site via Beat me in the head with a shovel [neatorama]
