That blowed up real good
April 18, 2012 3:48 PM Subscribe
Six minutes of glorious stupidity captured in super slo-mo HD, courtesy of the Danish TV show Dumt & Farligt. (via Kottke)
I lost it at "Lawn Mower + Carpet". Glorious stupidity indeed - thanks for posting this!
posted by xbonesgt at 3:57 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by xbonesgt at 3:57 PM on April 18, 2012
Very nice, but please, someone tell me, why did they nail pineapple chunks to the Coke bottle execution board?
posted by benito.strauss at 3:59 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by benito.strauss at 3:59 PM on April 18, 2012
What?!? Geez, n0ob- clearly you've never chainsaw'ed a liter bottle of Coke before, or you wouldn't ask such a stupid question!
posted by hincandenza at 4:04 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by hincandenza at 4:04 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
Funny and somehow hypnotizing.
By the way, I just learned that Doc Edgerton was the "E" in EG&G, and I can't think of a better place to drop that fact than this thread.
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 4:04 PM on April 18, 2012
By the way, I just learned that Doc Edgerton was the "E" in EG&G, and I can't think of a better place to drop that fact than this thread.
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 4:04 PM on April 18, 2012
At first I wasn't impressed, but when I reached the bat, I finally got the yolk.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:08 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:08 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
Huh, so this is what's happening in all those foreclosed homes, huh?
posted by maryr at 4:11 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by maryr at 4:11 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
Can someone explain to me what happened during microwave & bottle of red wine? Lordy.
posted by doublesix at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by doublesix at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
It was all great, but microwave oven and bottle of red wine was great great.
posted by Flunkie at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
doublesix, I would assume that the pressure that the bottle itself was able to withstand was sufficiently greater than the pressure that the microwave oven was able to withstand such that once the bottle blew, the microwave followed essentially immediately (despite its greater volume).
posted by Flunkie at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Flunkie at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
That blowed up real good.
posted by charlie don't surf at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by charlie don't surf at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
I think we've found a new family favorite. Fun for the kid too, as long as he doesn't get any ideas. On second thought, nevermind.
posted by mollweide at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
That blowed up real good.
I don't even know why they make us put titles on these things if nobody's going to read them.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:36 PM on April 18, 2012 [18 favorites]
I don't even know why they make us put titles on these things if nobody's going to read them.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:36 PM on April 18, 2012 [18 favorites]
That's not stupidity. That's watching a world hidden to us, captured by high-speed cameras so that we can slow down time and bask in the the process of stuff happening. If you're 5 or 105, this is absolutely hypnotic. It's not intellectual, but that doesn't make it stupid.
posted by zardoz at 4:38 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by zardoz at 4:38 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
It's interesting that at 2,500 FPS, the bullet is still hard to spot. Double the FPS, and you can see the bullet fly through things, not just the bullet impact.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:41 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 4:41 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
And if you were wondering, Phantom Flex is a high speed camera.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:42 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by filthy light thief at 4:42 PM on April 18, 2012
There's some leftover pyromaniac part of me that found all of these absolutely fascinating and spectacular.
Especially the indoor fireworks.
posted by stroke_count at 4:43 PM on April 18, 2012
Especially the indoor fireworks.
posted by stroke_count at 4:43 PM on April 18, 2012
Flour + candle was my absolute favourite. You watch the flour going down and wonder at just how much effect you'll see, and it starts to look like less and less, and then the fire eventually grabs the mix properly and it's better than you expected.
('Dumt & farligt' means 'stupid & dangerous' by the way.)
posted by Dysk at 4:46 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
('Dumt & farligt' means 'stupid & dangerous' by the way.)
posted by Dysk at 4:46 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
What blows my mind is that even at 2500 frames per second you still can't see the damn bullet.
posted by Doleful Creature at 4:46 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Doleful Creature at 4:46 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'd prefer to see these all run backwards Slaughter House 5 style.
posted by Chekhovian at 4:47 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by Chekhovian at 4:47 PM on April 18, 2012
I want this show and Mythbusters to team up for a special. I would probably never watch anything else except that one episode of "The Brady Bunch" where Marcia takes Davy Jones to the prom.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:48 PM on April 18, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:48 PM on April 18, 2012 [8 favorites]
Oh! My nose!
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012
The rocket-powered laundry rack just seemed practical to me. Off to the store!
posted by maxwelton at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
Here's another "wine bottle in microwave" video, this one real time, with sound and stunned onlookers.
posted by Flunkie at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 4:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
What blows my mind is that even at 2500 frames per second you still can't see the damn bullet.
You can see it on the way back, after it bounces off of something in the can of coke part.
posted by aubilenon at 5:01 PM on April 18, 2012
You can see it on the way back, after it bounces off of something in the can of coke part.
posted by aubilenon at 5:01 PM on April 18, 2012
I would assume that the pressure that the bottle itself was able to withstand was sufficiently greater than the pressure that the microwave oven was able to withstand such that once the bottle blew, the microwave followed essentially immediately (despite its greater volume).
Also, the microwave had to deal with the penetrating force of thousands of extremely sharp glass fragments. It doesn't take much to puncture cheap plastic parts.
posted by vidur at 5:01 PM on April 18, 2012
Also, the microwave had to deal with the penetrating force of thousands of extremely sharp glass fragments. It doesn't take much to puncture cheap plastic parts.
posted by vidur at 5:01 PM on April 18, 2012
Flour + candle was beautiful.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:07 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by ocherdraco at 5:07 PM on April 18, 2012
It's like they photoshopped out the idiots in Jackass.
posted by furtive at 5:12 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by furtive at 5:12 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Flour + candle was beautiful.
It was. And it illustrates why grain silos sometimes go boom in spectacularly destructive ways.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:14 PM on April 18, 2012 [8 favorites]
It was. And it illustrates why grain silos sometimes go boom in spectacularly destructive ways.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:14 PM on April 18, 2012 [8 favorites]
There are complete episodes of Dumt & Farligt on YouTube, which are more of this sort of thing, with set-up and laughing at the messes.
Here's a Google translation of a description of the show:
posted by filthy light thief at 5:17 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Here's a Google translation of a description of the show:
Stupid And DangerousIt's like the Danish mix of Mythbusters and Jackass: explosions and chaos, but (fairly) safely done.
We have given in Jan Elhøj [Danish comedian , television and radio host] and stunt man Lasse Spang Olsen, a house, and put them to test everything the instructions say you must not! Here you can find answers to life's big silly questions such as. If you can whip cream in a pool with an outboard motor? The house still stands when they are finished, is another major issue. We wait in suspense.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:17 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Used to flour and candle trick as a student but used a lighter and Coffee Mate... (do not try this at home)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:17 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:17 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
but used a lighter and Coffee Mate
The creamer cannon is one of my favorite Mythbusters experiments ever.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:20 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
The creamer cannon is one of my favorite Mythbusters experiments ever.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:20 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
BitterOldPunk: "Flour + candle was beautiful.
It was. And it illustrates why grain silos sometimes go boom in spectacularly destructive ways."
FAE
posted by Splunge at 5:20 PM on April 18, 2012
It was. And it illustrates why grain silos sometimes go boom in spectacularly destructive ways."
FAE
posted by Splunge at 5:20 PM on April 18, 2012
I found out on the metafilter podcast that Mythbusters and Jackass use the same insurance company.
I wonder if these guys do, too.
posted by poe at 5:21 PM on April 18, 2012
I wonder if these guys do, too.
posted by poe at 5:21 PM on April 18, 2012
Very nice, but please, someone tell me, why did they nail pineapple chunks to the Coke bottle execution board?
The nails are there to hold the bottle in place while it's chainsawed. I'd say the chunks of pineapple are the result of chainsawing a pineapple.
posted by onya at 5:32 PM on April 18, 2012 [6 favorites]
The nails are there to hold the bottle in place while it's chainsawed. I'd say the chunks of pineapple are the result of chainsawing a pineapple.
posted by onya at 5:32 PM on April 18, 2012 [6 favorites]
So the aerosol can didn't just blow up, it destroyed the grill as well? Bad ass.
posted by kenko at 5:38 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by kenko at 5:38 PM on April 18, 2012
Smashing red cabbage with a wrecking ball was sadly disappointing. The rest was awesome. I wish they had then played the whole thing in real time.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:48 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by cjorgensen at 5:48 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'd say the chunks of pineapple are the result of chainsawing a pineapple.
That's what I appreciate. They've clearly filtered out only the most spectacular of their stupid stunts.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 5:49 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
That's what I appreciate. They've clearly filtered out only the most spectacular of their stupid stunts.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 5:49 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'm very glad to have seen this primer of "Crap I Can Expect My Son To Try At Some Point And Will Inevitably Have to Clean Up Somehow."
posted by sonika at 5:50 PM on April 18, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by sonika at 5:50 PM on April 18, 2012 [10 favorites]
I couldn't help but think this would make a great opening credit montage for some kind of off-kilter family comedy on HBO.
Each episode would open with a different common household item getting blown to smithereens!
posted by elwoodwiles at 5:55 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
Each episode would open with a different common household item getting blown to smithereens!
posted by elwoodwiles at 5:55 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
I fucking love YouTube.
posted by ph00dz at 5:56 PM on April 18, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by ph00dz at 5:56 PM on April 18, 2012 [6 favorites]
I don't even know why they make us put titles on these things if nobody's going to read them.
Yeah, mea culpa, but a lot of times titles just look like random screen clutter to me.
So, may the good lord take a liking to you, and blow you up real soon.
posted by charlie don't surf at 6:03 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, mea culpa, but a lot of times titles just look like random screen clutter to me.
So, may the good lord take a liking to you, and blow you up real soon.
posted by charlie don't surf at 6:03 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
The white linens on the rocket powered drying rack look like they're having SO MUCH FUN!
posted by iamkimiam at 6:05 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by iamkimiam at 6:05 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Huh - looking at the videos a little more closely, the realtime "wine bottle in microwave" video that I linked to above sure seems (coincidentally) to be a different camera angle of the same event, rather than a different wine bottle exploding a different microwave.
posted by Flunkie at 6:07 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by Flunkie at 6:07 PM on April 18, 2012
cjorgensen: "Smashing red cabbage with a wrecking ball was sadly disappointing. The rest was awesome. "
To increase the entertainment value, observe the way the ground wobbles like a trampoline when the ball makes contact with the concrete.
posted by idiopath at 6:13 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
To increase the entertainment value, observe the way the ground wobbles like a trampoline when the ball makes contact with the concrete.
posted by idiopath at 6:13 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
Oh man, that can of Beef Stroganoff...
When I was in college, I had this very good friend who is generally pretty awkward, though in a wonderfully sincere and good natured way, and who occasionally did profoundly bizarre things. The craziest involved a can of beef stew and his misapplied education as a talented physics major.
He was under incredibly profound stress from the terrible end of a terrible long relationship, which was also his first, and desperately trying to make sense of it. It was bad enough that our group of friends made sure to arrange that he would not be left without someone at least nearby and able to make sure he remained alright. Somehow the supervision slipped that night around the point that he remembered that he hadn't eaten all day, and decided to make something for himself. As the relationship ground down to the point where it couldn't do anything other than end he hadn't been that great at buying food, and so all he had left for himself was this can of generic 'Beef Stew.'
In his haze, he didn't really want to use a pot or bowl that he would then be obliged to clean, and he remembered how liquid things heat up faster when under pressure. So he placed the can of beef stew on the electric range, just like in the video, and cooked it on low for a while. As he describes it, he realized that the contents under pressure could be maybe dangerous or something, and so he let it cool for a few minutes and proceeded with caution. He, THANK GOD, angled a hot pad between himself and the point where his can-opener met the can while angling the top away from himself. He was after all a physics major.
Then the absolutely predictable happened. The can went off like a beef cannon, it detonated with aspects of the stew projectile breaking the sound barrier and everything. Instantly the 10' ceiling of the kitchen and the 18' ceiling of the next room were covered in both both superheated and cold chunks of stew while my friend was miraculously unharmed. Everyone in the apartment then sprinted to the kitchen, fearing the worst, only to find him on his haunches with stew dripping on him from ten feet up laughing his ass off. He was still laughing hours later when I got back from class just after he had finished getting most of the stew off of the ceiling.
The experience seemed so profoundly healing to him that I'm convinced, in the event that should I ever experience anything so acutely terrible, it might be a good idea to go get myself my own can of beef stew. Couldn't hurt.
posted by Blasdelb at 6:20 PM on April 18, 2012 [201 favorites]
When I was in college, I had this very good friend who is generally pretty awkward, though in a wonderfully sincere and good natured way, and who occasionally did profoundly bizarre things. The craziest involved a can of beef stew and his misapplied education as a talented physics major.
He was under incredibly profound stress from the terrible end of a terrible long relationship, which was also his first, and desperately trying to make sense of it. It was bad enough that our group of friends made sure to arrange that he would not be left without someone at least nearby and able to make sure he remained alright. Somehow the supervision slipped that night around the point that he remembered that he hadn't eaten all day, and decided to make something for himself. As the relationship ground down to the point where it couldn't do anything other than end he hadn't been that great at buying food, and so all he had left for himself was this can of generic 'Beef Stew.'
In his haze, he didn't really want to use a pot or bowl that he would then be obliged to clean, and he remembered how liquid things heat up faster when under pressure. So he placed the can of beef stew on the electric range, just like in the video, and cooked it on low for a while. As he describes it, he realized that the contents under pressure could be maybe dangerous or something, and so he let it cool for a few minutes and proceeded with caution. He, THANK GOD, angled a hot pad between himself and the point where his can-opener met the can while angling the top away from himself. He was after all a physics major.
Then the absolutely predictable happened. The can went off like a beef cannon, it detonated with aspects of the stew projectile breaking the sound barrier and everything. Instantly the 10' ceiling of the kitchen and the 18' ceiling of the next room were covered in both both superheated and cold chunks of stew while my friend was miraculously unharmed. Everyone in the apartment then sprinted to the kitchen, fearing the worst, only to find him on his haunches with stew dripping on him from ten feet up laughing his ass off. He was still laughing hours later when I got back from class just after he had finished getting most of the stew off of the ceiling.
The experience seemed so profoundly healing to him that I'm convinced, in the event that should I ever experience anything so acutely terrible, it might be a good idea to go get myself my own can of beef stew. Couldn't hurt.
posted by Blasdelb at 6:20 PM on April 18, 2012 [201 favorites]
Yeah. This is not stupid at all. It's almost scientific, in fact. I mean, the flour+candle is amazing, and cinematic.
Yes, it actually is scientific. One of the classic science demonstrations is lycopodium powder combustion. I recall seeing this in junior high school.
posted by charlie don't surf at 6:21 PM on April 18, 2012
Yes, it actually is scientific. One of the classic science demonstrations is lycopodium powder combustion. I recall seeing this in junior high school.
posted by charlie don't surf at 6:21 PM on April 18, 2012
I don't care what they say. I'm doing all this at home now. Except for the waterbed.
posted by mattoxic at 6:25 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by mattoxic at 6:25 PM on April 18, 2012
The compilation is much better than the actual show. I prefer the total lack of explanation or setup or reaction shots, just a weird languid ballet of insane things happening for no reason at all. Also they keep doing that matrixy speed-up/slow-down thing in the actual show, and that's got a bit tiresome over the years.
posted by w0mbat at 6:25 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by w0mbat at 6:25 PM on April 18, 2012
yeoz: "... did they kill some fish for that first clip? WTF"
It's okay to kill fish
cause they
don't have any feelings
posted by Red Loop at 6:27 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
It's okay to kill fish
cause they
don't have any feelings
posted by Red Loop at 6:27 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
This seems to be a copy of the Norwegian show "Ikke gjør dette hjemme" ("Don't try this at home"), though I assume they too copied the concept from somewhere else too.
Some highlights from the Norwegian show:
Turning a third floor bathroom into an indoor pool
Putting a water heater under extreme pressure
Moving a piano down one floor (with explosives)
Water and cooking oil
posted by ymgve at 6:39 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
Some highlights from the Norwegian show:
Turning a third floor bathroom into an indoor pool
Putting a water heater under extreme pressure
Moving a piano down one floor (with explosives)
Water and cooking oil
posted by ymgve at 6:39 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
I guess the wine bottle explosion must be a case of boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, like a boiler explosion of yore. It's not that the microwave is so much weaker than the wine bottle; it's that the real explosion doesn't start until the moment the wine bottle cracks, and the formerly-pressurized contents flash into steam all at once. The microwave is subjected to much more energy than was required to break the bottle.
posted by Western Infidels at 6:52 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by Western Infidels at 6:52 PM on April 18, 2012
Once I drove a forklift truck over a rolled up bundle of bubble wrap.
Nothing happened. :(
posted by digsrus at 6:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
Nothing happened. :(
posted by digsrus at 6:59 PM on April 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
BLISS
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:10 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:10 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
digsrus:OMG, that is an amazing idea, what happened? Were the bubbles strong enough in aggregate to hold up the forklift? Did they just distort open without popping somehow? IM SO CONFUSED AND SO CURIOUS.
"Once I drove a forklift truck over a rolled up bundle of bubble wrap.
Nothing happened. :("
posted by Blasdelb at 7:20 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
strangely hypnotic
posted by seawallrunner at 7:31 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by seawallrunner at 7:31 PM on April 18, 2012
"You did what now? Sublet our apartment in the city to some Danish television producers? No, I don't think there's anything to worry about."
posted by memewit at 7:34 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by memewit at 7:34 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
"Once I drove a forklift truck over a rolled up bundle of bubble wrap.
Nothing happened. :("
Many years ago I worked at an engine remanufacturer. I was a warehouseman, which meant I got to drive the forklift around picking up engine blocks and other fun stuff.
One cold winter's morning I was hauling a completed engine out of the warehouse to a customer's waiting pickup truck. I was driving the forklift backwards as the exit from the warehouse was on a slight hill, and I didn't want the newly-remanufactured engine sliding off the forks.
I pulled up to the overhead door, hit the button to make it go up, and as it rolled up into the ceiling eased the forklift down the hill.
Our accountant, a nice old Mormon grandmother, was just arriving for work as I trundled out of the warehouse, and she let out a horrible scream as she started to walk through the overhead door into the building.
I had managed to completely flatten a mouse with the right rear forklift wheel.
I don't know if you have any idea how explosive a mouse can be when it's run over with a five-ton solid-wheel forklift. The bloodstain was very impressive.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:40 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
Nothing happened. :("
Many years ago I worked at an engine remanufacturer. I was a warehouseman, which meant I got to drive the forklift around picking up engine blocks and other fun stuff.
One cold winter's morning I was hauling a completed engine out of the warehouse to a customer's waiting pickup truck. I was driving the forklift backwards as the exit from the warehouse was on a slight hill, and I didn't want the newly-remanufactured engine sliding off the forks.
I pulled up to the overhead door, hit the button to make it go up, and as it rolled up into the ceiling eased the forklift down the hill.
Our accountant, a nice old Mormon grandmother, was just arriving for work as I trundled out of the warehouse, and she let out a horrible scream as she started to walk through the overhead door into the building.
I had managed to completely flatten a mouse with the right rear forklift wheel.
I don't know if you have any idea how explosive a mouse can be when it's run over with a five-ton solid-wheel forklift. The bloodstain was very impressive.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:40 PM on April 18, 2012 [9 favorites]
this is AWESOME.
(also, it looked to me that there were no real fish in there. I saw a plastic fish, but otherwise, nothin'. I think we're good.)
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 7:49 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
(also, it looked to me that there were no real fish in there. I saw a plastic fish, but otherwise, nothin'. I think we're good.)
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 7:49 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
This was sublime. Thanks, HR.
posted by not_on_display at 11:38 PM on April 18, 2012
posted by not_on_display at 11:38 PM on April 18, 2012
the Water and cooking oil from the "Ikke gjør dette hjemme" ("Don't try this at home") link is everybit as impressive and surprising as the wine bottle+microwave.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:43 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 11:43 PM on April 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
I thought that two chicks at once was the ultimate male fantasy. Mr. Pants' reaction to this film has changed my mind.
posted by Foam Pants at 12:43 AM on April 19, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by Foam Pants at 12:43 AM on April 19, 2012 [9 favorites]
I assume they too copied the concept from somewhere else too.
Billy Sol Hurok and Big Jim McBob, I'd hope.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:50 AM on April 19, 2012
Billy Sol Hurok and Big Jim McBob, I'd hope.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:50 AM on April 19, 2012
I may regret showing this to my 9 y.o.
posted by dangerousdan at 3:49 AM on April 19, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by dangerousdan at 3:49 AM on April 19, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yeah torn between wanting to watch this with my 17 year old and hoping he never sees it. Since it's all over the place I'm leaning towards the fun of watching him go nuts over it.
posted by leslies at 5:45 AM on April 19, 2012
posted by leslies at 5:45 AM on April 19, 2012
mattoxic: I don't care what they say. I'm doing all this at home now.
The problem is that you miss the magic of slow motion. In normal speed, these events happen in seconds. In a flash, they're done. But with slow motion videos, you can really enjoy the event, and watch it over and over.
And there's no mess to clean up.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:06 AM on April 19, 2012
The problem is that you miss the magic of slow motion. In normal speed, these events happen in seconds. In a flash, they're done. But with slow motion videos, you can really enjoy the event, and watch it over and over.
And there's no mess to clean up.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:06 AM on April 19, 2012
One of the classic science demonstrations is lycopodium powder combustion.
Lycopodium power does some other cool stuff.
posted by exogenous at 11:39 AM on April 19, 2012
Lycopodium power does some other cool stuff.
posted by exogenous at 11:39 AM on April 19, 2012
I bet if my dad (or any of his brothers) were on line, they'd be laughing themselves silly over this video.
posted by Relay at 1:13 PM on April 19, 2012
posted by Relay at 1:13 PM on April 19, 2012
Oh my. Wow. This is delightful; thank you very much.
I'm twenty-one years older than my youngest brother, so it's a lot of fun to show him how to do all the things I wish I knew how to do when I was his age. I showed him the good ol' aerosol hairspray flamethrower trick, and last Christmas I taught him how to make cigarette lighters blow up. I'm going down for another visit in a couple of weeks - I'll have to get a bag of flour and see if the two of us can make a fireball.
posted by Mars Saxman at 4:20 PM on April 19, 2012
I'm twenty-one years older than my youngest brother, so it's a lot of fun to show him how to do all the things I wish I knew how to do when I was his age. I showed him the good ol' aerosol hairspray flamethrower trick, and last Christmas I taught him how to make cigarette lighters blow up. I'm going down for another visit in a couple of weeks - I'll have to get a bag of flour and see if the two of us can make a fireball.
posted by Mars Saxman at 4:20 PM on April 19, 2012
Lycopodium power does some other cool stuff.
That's amazing but after watching that I think if I hear "lycopodium" again I'll be convinced it's a made up word.
posted by pmcp at 5:55 PM on April 19, 2012
That's amazing but after watching that I think if I hear "lycopodium" again I'll be convinced it's a made up word.
posted by pmcp at 5:55 PM on April 19, 2012
God I love that I grew up with two brothers and a big backyard.
posted by JimmyJames at 7:02 PM on April 19, 2012
posted by JimmyJames at 7:02 PM on April 19, 2012
The watermelon+fireworks bit was perfect. It was like the watermelon conspired with them to drop that one big chunk of melon dead center on the camera lens. You see it coming, like an asteroid about to impact, there is suspense, and then SPLAT.
Gallagher, eat your heart out.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:44 AM on April 20, 2012
Gallagher, eat your heart out.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:44 AM on April 20, 2012
"Beef cannon" is my new favorite euphemism.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:18 AM on April 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:18 AM on April 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm torn between how awesome this is and how reckless those guys are. I'm watching this video in my office in Doc Edgerton's old lab, and next door some students are doing high-speed shots of bullets going through candle flames for a final project. Some of these shots are gorgeous and really inspired.
BUT! Check out the Coke can + bullet shot -- bullet hits can, can explodes, then a few seconds later, from the left, the ricochet comes back off whatever they were shooting at. That's astonishingly reckless -- no sandbags? No bullet catcher? What the hell were they backing up the shot with?
For the record, the students next door are using the same sawhorse that Doc used to solve this problem, namely to cheat like a mofo, strap the rifle down, remove the bolt, and sight down the barrel so you know for damn sure where the bullet is going, so you never miss your bullet catcher.
posted by range at 11:11 AM on April 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
BUT! Check out the Coke can + bullet shot -- bullet hits can, can explodes, then a few seconds later, from the left, the ricochet comes back off whatever they were shooting at. That's astonishingly reckless -- no sandbags? No bullet catcher? What the hell were they backing up the shot with?
For the record, the students next door are using the same sawhorse that Doc used to solve this problem, namely to cheat like a mofo, strap the rifle down, remove the bolt, and sight down the barrel so you know for damn sure where the bullet is going, so you never miss your bullet catcher.
posted by range at 11:11 AM on April 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
Watching ymgve's "Water and cooking oil" could save your life and house. I knew not to put out a cooking oil fire with water, but thought it was because you could get some droplets of hot oil and steam on you. Like, if you did it from a distance, you'd be safe.
posted by springload at 12:59 PM on April 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by springload at 12:59 PM on April 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
My six-year-olds quite enjoyed that. I will probably regret showing that to them someday.
posted by davejay at 6:58 PM on April 20, 2012
posted by davejay at 6:58 PM on April 20, 2012
BUT! Check out the Coke can + bullet shot -- bullet hits can, can explodes, then a few seconds later, from the left, the ricochet comes back off whatever they were shooting at. That's astonishingly reckless -- no sandbags? No bullet catcher? What the hell were they backing up the shot with?
Yeah I saw that and was like what the hell are they doing?
And BTW what are you doing in Doc's old lab? I thought they'd preserve it as a museum. When I saw it back in 1975, it practically was a museum. It was packed to the ceiling with mementos of his past research and all sorts of lab apparatus that I would have died to get my hands on. I remember seeing a torpedo shaped side scan sonar probe hanging from the ceiling, like you'd hang a model airplane. Doc's lab has always been my idea of a science lab. Hmm.. come to think of it, looking around my office, I seem to have unconsciously emulated it.
posted by charlie don't surf at 3:15 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah I saw that and was like what the hell are they doing?
And BTW what are you doing in Doc's old lab? I thought they'd preserve it as a museum. When I saw it back in 1975, it practically was a museum. It was packed to the ceiling with mementos of his past research and all sorts of lab apparatus that I would have died to get my hands on. I remember seeing a torpedo shaped side scan sonar probe hanging from the ceiling, like you'd hang a model airplane. Doc's lab has always been my idea of a science lab. Hmm.. come to think of it, looking around my office, I seem to have unconsciously emulated it.
posted by charlie don't surf at 3:15 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Watching the "Ikke gjør dette hjemme" clips was eye-opening--the pole they used to drop water into flaming cooking oil was not nearly long enough...
And while I've seen the Mythbusters shoot water heaters through mock houses, there's a whole other level of devastation when you see the entire wall of a house blown out.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:27 PM on April 21, 2012
And while I've seen the Mythbusters shoot water heaters through mock houses, there's a whole other level of devastation when you see the entire wall of a house blown out.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:27 PM on April 21, 2012
Cambridge doesn't have the real estate to preserve old labs. Besides what could possibly be a better testament to his research than continuing to take awesome photographs of high speed destruction?
Walter's well-kept basement is one of the many, many inaccuracies of Fringe.
posted by maryr at 4:01 PM on April 21, 2012
Walter's well-kept basement is one of the many, many inaccuracies of Fringe.
posted by maryr at 4:01 PM on April 21, 2012
And BTW what are you doing in Doc's old lab?
We try to keep on with as much of Doc's good stuff as we can. The hallway is a museum full of strobe-ish artifacts and experiments, along with a picture Doc took of the Loch Ness Monster once. We teach people how to take pictures of high-speed mayhem, and how you can use those tools to actually Do Science. We try to be, in general, a friendly, helpful place. We more or less take all comers and help them out with stuff they want to build.* We don't have a side-scan sonar hanging from the ceiling anymore but we do have a rocket stuck in the ceiling (not my fault) and seriously charred wires hanging from the wall (my fault).
* The standard Doc story from Back In The Day is of the nervous undergrad coming in with some cockamamie idea for a project that needs help and workspace, usually just because they thought it was cool. Doc peppers them with questions, they stammer out some answers. Doc waits until the silence is getting uncomfortable, finally grunts and says, "Well what are you waiting for? Workbench is over there. Get to work."
posted by range at 6:22 PM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
We try to keep on with as much of Doc's good stuff as we can. The hallway is a museum full of strobe-ish artifacts and experiments, along with a picture Doc took of the Loch Ness Monster once. We teach people how to take pictures of high-speed mayhem, and how you can use those tools to actually Do Science. We try to be, in general, a friendly, helpful place. We more or less take all comers and help them out with stuff they want to build.* We don't have a side-scan sonar hanging from the ceiling anymore but we do have a rocket stuck in the ceiling (not my fault) and seriously charred wires hanging from the wall (my fault).
* The standard Doc story from Back In The Day is of the nervous undergrad coming in with some cockamamie idea for a project that needs help and workspace, usually just because they thought it was cool. Doc peppers them with questions, they stammer out some answers. Doc waits until the silence is getting uncomfortable, finally grunts and says, "Well what are you waiting for? Workbench is over there. Get to work."
posted by range at 6:22 PM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've read about how flammable flour is but had never seen it in action. So freakin' cool!
posted by deborah at 9:37 PM on April 25, 2012
posted by deborah at 9:37 PM on April 25, 2012
jcreigh, thanks so much. I needed a subject for tonight's nightmares.
posted by dchrssyr at 10:27 PM on April 26, 2012
posted by dchrssyr at 10:27 PM on April 26, 2012
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posted by neuromodulator at 3:56 PM on April 18, 2012 [4 favorites]