An incorrigible minion uses 12,000 volts of electricity, to roast marshmallows – with science!

Be-do Be-do Be-do. Hahaha! Full video: http://bit.ly/MadScienceMinion

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“Quick Clips” are clips of random experiments in a minute or less.

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Music by Jason Shaw (RP-Clattertrap)
http://www.audionautix.com

Project Inspired By: This was an original idea. (Original to me anyway)

WARNING: High Voltage electricity can be fatal. Electric shocks can burn the skin, and/or lead to heart failure. Though the video is portrayed to be playful, electricity should always be handled with extreme caution and safety measures. Caution, care and expert planning are required to mitigate risks. Use of this video content is at your own risk.

Project History & More Info:

I shouldn’t have to mention it, but if you tried doing this on yourself, the electricity would go through your body, and could stop your heart. Although NST’s are current limited, there is always risk, so choose your experiments wisely.

Way before I even started making videos, I got hold of some Neon Sign Transformers (NSTs) and experimented with current limited high voltage electricity.

In my earlier project videos, the intro shows a video clip of 2 screws, with a beam of purple electricity sparking between them. I’ve had hundreds of people asking what that was, and I’ve always intended to make a video about it, but never had the opportunity until now.

For this video, rather than just putting 2 screws together, I thought it would be so much cooler to have some kind of action figure shooting electricity around between their hands.

I made a trip to the local super-centers, like Walmart, looking for Iron Man or Star Wars action figures, but couldn’t find anything I liked in the size I wanted.

I decided to try Toys”R”Us to see if they had a better selection, and although they have hundreds upon hundreds of different toys, nothing matched my expectations.

As I was about to walk out, I noticed an isle labeled “Despicable Me”, and stopped to think. That was a movie about evil genius and mad science, and the more I thought about the minions, the more convinced I was that they would be the perfect choice for a mad science experiment!

I was amazed by how detailed and interactive the little minion toys were. They were about 12” tall, and if you moved their heads around, the mouths and eyes seemed to come to live, and they talked and laughed just like in the movies.

These little guys sealed the deal. A few minutes later I was walking out of the store with my new minion “Stuart”, and took him home for some electrical experiments.

This project was so much fun to film because of Stuart’s facial expressions, and the marshmallows were a spontaneous and random idea that turned out awesome.

Something strange happened when I was sparking the electricity between the minions electrodes. The minion would start to talk spontaneously, without being touched.

This is strange because usually you have to press his belly or move his head to get a response. But with the electrical sparks flying through the air, he would begin to speak at random.

Kind of spooky!

For the Minion sound effects in the video, I recorded his noises separately, then synched them with the video to make it sound more realistic.

Visit http://www.squarespace.com/cooptional for a free trial and 10% off!

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Download the audio version of the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/totalbiscuit/the-co-optional-podcast-ep-71-ft-erik-kain-of-forbes-strong-language-mar-12-2015

TotalBiscuit, Jesse Cox and Dodger sit down with Erik Kain on this episode of the Co-Optional Podcast! Enjoy!

Original air date: March 10th, 2015

———
Jesse Cox
https://www.youtube.com/OMFGcata
https://twitter.com/jessecox

Dodger
http://youtube.com/presshearttocontinue
https://twitter.com/dexbonus

Erik Kain
https://twitter.com/erikkain
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/

———

Thanks for watching The Co-Optional Podcast!

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You can make bags of microwave popcorn at home. They’re delicious and ready to serve in just a couple of minutes. Not to mention they’re cheaper than the name brands, and free from any nasty chemicals.

Want more Quick and Simple Microwave Hacks? Check out Household Hacker: http://bit.ly/HHMicrowaveHacks

Next Video: How To Turn Styrofoam, Into Solid Aluminum http://bit.ly/StyrofoamCasting
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Experiments: http://bit.ly/PLExperiments
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Mad Science: http://bit.ly/PLMadScience

Music By:

Jens Kiilstofte – “Morning Cruise”
https://machinimasound.com/music/morning-cruise

Project Inspired By:

My dad. He’s a huge fan of popcorn and I wanted a quick and easy way to make some when he came to visit. I took more inspiration from microwave popcorn, and the internet. I ripped bags of microwave popcorn apart to figure out how they worked, researched the internet for DIY ideas, and experimented on my own with 20-30 batches to get the results you see here.

WARNING:

Immediately after popping, bags may release steam that’s hot enough to burn skin. Hot oil or other ingredients may also cause damage to exposed skin or mouth on contact. Let the contents of the bag cool before touching and eating, or use appropriate protective gear. Have fun, but use caution and common sense, and always remember that any experiment you try, is at your own risk.

Project History & More Info:

I wondered if there was a way to make a single bag of popcorn at home, that would be ready to eat right away. No buttering, no salting .. just ready to eat as soon as it was popped.

Of course I was inspired by microwave popcorn, because it can already do that. But some research suggests there may be harmful chemicals in the heat-resistant lining that are released when the kernels are cooked.

I experimented by popping kernels in butter, but most of the time the butter burned, and either melted the plastic containers I was using, or scorched them.

I experimented with coconut oil, and that worked really really well, but there wasn’t much flavor and I wanted the recipe to use very common ingredients, so olive oil ended up being my preference.

For containers, I experimented with plastic, glass, and even slurpee and coffee cups, but they all either warped, stained, or melted at the seams and fell apart once in a while. Not very reliable.

After searching around the internet, I realized this actually isn’t a very new idea, and people have been making microwave popcorn in brown paper bags for years. So I tried the brown paper bag method, and while it was a bit messy, it worked perfectly every time.

I experimented with different recipes and amounts trying to get a single bag to pop and be ready to eat straight out of the microwave. This is the recipe I use now, after weeks of testing;

1/3 Cup Popcorn
1 Tsp Olive Oil
½ Tsp Salt

I found that if the kernels were coated in the oil first, they would pop faster, and be more complete. I also found that throwing all the ingredients in at the same time will still season everything and yield a great taste. You could shake the bag to make the contents more uniform, but it still works either way! 🙂

Just for fun, my wife suggested I try adding some sugar to see if it would make instant kettle corn .. and it did!

So: (optional) – Add 1 TBSP Sugar to make Kettle Korn

Kettle Korn is a sweet and salty version of popcorn for people who like it like that. My personal preference however, is salty. So I usually leave the sugar out. I included the option in this video because many Americans are fans of the Kettle Korn taste.

Enjoy! 🙂

TotalBiscuit takes a look at the sequel to the popular game by Dennaton Games.
Review key was supplied by the developers free of charge.
Get it on GoG: http://bit.ly/1Btlsjo
Get it on Steam: http://bit.ly/1GAJE7K

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Get it on Steam – http://bit.ly/1Ew9qti

TotalBiscuit takes a look at a turn-based strategy game in which Druids murder each other over small tracts of land.

00:24 The Steam Universe http://bit.ly/1BXYmoo
01:22 SteamVR http://bit.ly/1KBGWSu
05:21 Steam Machines http://bit.ly/1EWPjDi
14:22 Steam Link http://bit.ly/1EpvhlT
17:07 Steam Controller http://bit.ly/17ZPEYW
18:53 TOTD: AerZ – Wind http://bit.ly/1KBGHaa

Content Patch Episode 192 – March 7th, 2015

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Audi’s compact A3 has long been the vehicle of choice for buyers looking for the least expensive way to get into the German luxury brand. Now in its second generation and riding on the all-new Mark VII platform, this new model looks to address the issues of the first-generation and take on the likes of new competition from Mercedes, Acura, BMW, and Lexus.

Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-jQz15dUVU
The Co-optional Lounge is a casual show where the Co-optional crew play various boardgames. I don’t usually upload the VoDs but the Battlestar Galactica playthrough was something special so I thought I’d put it up.

This show originally aired live on the 1st of March.

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How to hack flashlight batteries and a fire brick, into a desktop arc reaction chamber. …For hobby metal melting, and for science!

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Micro Welder: http://bit.ly/HomemadeStickWelder
Laser Blowgun: http://bit.ly/LaserBlowgun
Magic Mud: http://bit.ly/MagicMud
Matchbox Rockets: http://bit.ly/MatchboxRockets

Music By:
Scott & Brendo (“Photographs” – Instrumental) http://bit.ly/ScottBrendoiTunes

Project Inspired By:

This project was originally inspired by Theo Grey and his book, “Mad Science”. After seeing the concept, I couldn’t find any information anywhere on the internet or in libraries about arc furnace experiments, so I set out on my own to achieve these results.

WARNING:

Risk of electric shock, fire hazards, and toxic fumes depending on what material you’re working with. Dust from refractory brick should never be inhaled, as it can damage lungs and cause long term respiratory challenges. This project can reach temperatures in excess of 3,000ºF (1,648ºC) which is well beyond the melting point of hobbyists. Caution, care and expert planning are required to mitigate risks. Have fun, but always think ahead, and remember that every project you try is at your own risk.

Project History & More Info:

If you’re wondering where you can get fire brick locally, try a quick Google search for “refractory materials” in your city. I called a couple of companies near me and asked if they’d sell to the general public. All of them said yes.

If you can’t find anything locally, try searching major hardwares stores online. They usually have inventory online that they don’t carry in the stores.

The insulating fire bricks I got were the 3” x 4.5” x 9” Alumina-Silicate Brick variety. I got a box of 10 for $33, effectively making them around $3.30 each. I went one step further and designed the furnace so that 2 of them could be made from one brick, cutting the cost in half, making each furnace a pro-rated $1.65 each!

They’re extremely lightweight, and capable of withstanding the temperatures used in steel working, but soft enough you can cut and carve them with kitchen utensils if you need to.

In reading and studying history a bit, I learned that some of the earliest forms of light were made using carbon arc lighting. Large amounts of electricity were pumped through carbon rods, making a bright arc and providing light.

To scavenge carbon electrodes, I took a lesson from NurdRage (youtube.com/NurdRage) a couple of years ago I saw his video on what could be scavenged from a carbon-zinc lantern battery (http://bit.ly/IBNurdRageBattery). It’s useful to know what common everyday materials are made of, and these heavy duty batteries are containers packed with carbon rods, zinc metal, and manganese dioxide. I tucked the information in the back of my mind until now.

In this project I tried melting the zinc casings from the lantern batteries, and casting them into a small ingot, formed with a mini muffin tray. Be cautious of the zinc oxide fumes produced. I haven’t personally suffered any ill effects from working with it, but some people claim it can give flu like symptoms, or a fever if inhaled in large quantities.

Zinc has a relatively low melting point 787.2°F (419.5°C), so the Arc Furnace is able to melt each casing into liquid zinc in around 5-10 seconds. That’s amazing!

I don’t have an exact purpose for the zinc yet, but it’s an easy metal to work with, easy to cast, and great to have on hand for a future projects. It’s also one of the main metals used for making a simple carbon-zinc battery.

The black stuff pulled out of the battery casings is manganese dioxide. It’s a useful chemical for experiments with hydrogen peroxide, so it’s worth hanging onto.

Although I haven’t verified it, I believe any stick welder can be used to power the mini arc furnace, and for most hobbyists, that would definitely be the easier and safer way to go. I just don’t own a welder, so I used the one I made instead. You can see how to make it here: http://bit.ly/ARCWelder

The longest I’ve run the unit continuously is around 3-4 minutes, and the electrodes get so hot at that point they can seriously burn your hands, or melt your gloves. I wouldn’t recommend running it any longer than that.