Fulgurites and Lichtenberg Figures Are Fun!
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
Here’s an interesting article about fulgurites (glass structures created by lightning strikes). And if you like those, you may also like the Lichtenberg figures in the second article.
Link #1: http://webecoist.com/…
(via digg)
Link #2: http://www.capturedlightning.com/…
(via The Presurfer)
Here’s an interesting concept: a GPS-aware box that will only unlock when it’s at a specific location. It includes a button that, when pressed, tells you the distance to that location. Even though it would only take three readings to get a rough estimate of the location, I still think it’s a neat idea.
I remember when having 8MB of RAM on a graphics card was a big deal. But 
The linked videos are parts 1 and 2 of a pseudo-documentary where rail workers perform a “complete thermite weld” to connect train tracks. I was a bit surprised by the lack of safety equipment—the workers were manipulating molten metal in short-sleeve shirts. And the guy was pretty nonplussed when the handle of his sledgehammer caught on fire.
Over at
The linked article has some really neat jack-o-lanterns. The Spider-man one is good, but I think the Predator is the best by far.
This photographer’s work is being shown at the most exclusive gallery of all: the Moon. Astronaut
This year’s
Here’s a neat chess set you can make from nuts and bolts. The instructions are in a flickr photo stream.
The linked article lists 10 different ways to demolish a hard drive. Unfortunately, several of the methods don’t actually destroy the data, but they do incapacitate the drive and necessitate the use of special equipment to read what is left. For those that do wipe the data, item #3 (using a grinder) is probably the simplest, and item #10 (Thermite) is definitely the most satisfying. Also, I’m not sure that any magnet, no matter how powerful, is able to completely wipe a disk. Back in my military days, the only approved method for disposing of classified hard drives was to physically break the platters into pieces.
Long-time Chad’s News readers will recall 
