Sunday, February 07, 2010
The Home Scientist
When I was a kid, I was seriously interested in science, and I had a chemistry kit. I don't remember doing anything really remarkable or dangerous with it, but it was neat to mix up various chemicals and observe the results. My lab was the laundry room, because we didn't have a basement bathroom at the time, and the laundry tubs were pretty much impervious to anything I could concoct.
Chemistry kits have been pretty much emasculated by regulators, liablity laws, and the nanny state. But with a bit of work and not a lot of expense, you can put together a home lab that will let you do real science. The folks at O'Reilly and Make Magazine have started a Home Scientist channel on YouTube, featuring author Robert Bruce Thompson doing a series of videos explaining how do some fairly advanced experiments.
For example, he shows you how to test paint for lead, test for fingerprints, and how to synthesize your own basic chemicals and test their purity. This is real science here, at least at the level of an academic high-school course, but very clearly explained and demonstrated. I wish I had access to videos like this when I was taking chemistry courses - it would have helped a lot.
Chemistry kits have been pretty much emasculated by regulators, liablity laws, and the nanny state. But with a bit of work and not a lot of expense, you can put together a home lab that will let you do real science. The folks at O'Reilly and Make Magazine have started a Home Scientist channel on YouTube, featuring author Robert Bruce Thompson doing a series of videos explaining how do some fairly advanced experiments.
For example, he shows you how to test paint for lead, test for fingerprints, and how to synthesize your own basic chemicals and test their purity. This is real science here, at least at the level of an academic high-school course, but very clearly explained and demonstrated. I wish I had access to videos like this when I was taking chemistry courses - it would have helped a lot.
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