OK, NYC has it’s reasons to be a little careful but Richard Falkenrath, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism may be just a little bit too careful. As the Village Voice reports that the city is just a little worried that the good citizens might just report too many false alarms. If you read through the comments, a couple of people had the same thought I had. Smoke alarms give false alarms very, very often, and if you have an alarm system the firetrucks are coming just in case. Don’t some smoke detectors measure radiation increases?  Plus in the greater New York area you can’t sell a house without a Radon Test and in some houses there is a powered radon detector so you get a warning if the abatment system fails. So if I can’t have one of these.

Can I use this?

(I had one of these as a kid. Of course back then we thought nuclear energy would save the world. )

It’s not a ""Geiger" counter but detecting alpha particles is better then nothing,

I wonder what Mr. Falkenrath’s reaction be if he knew I could get this -   

Nuclear Isotope Generator  

for $250.00 (plus shipping) from United Nuclear who clearly state.

You might also want to include some decontamination spray in your order for $22.00

So get yours now!

All the products mentioned above are available from United Nuclear

When I had a pilot’s license and more disposable income I wanted a Hawker Hurricane. Sure The Spitfire was more famous and sexier but both planes had the Rolls Royce V12 Merlin engine.

Now that I no longer have a licenese and a lot less cash I have to settle for paper airplanes. At least I can now have the paper motor to go with them. Yee’s Job has quite a bit of amazing paper objects. Now if your interests are more towards the land warfare side, Die Gestalten Verlag has an AK-47. If you want to fold your own, check out Willem’s instructions.

Good, fast and cheap. This is a real headslap idea once you see it. Just take some Lego, milk and a web cam to make a 3D scanner. Then use the software from Moviesandbox to input the image to your computer. I guess you might have to switch to chocolate milk for a light colored object. Of course the idea was borrowed from Michelangelo. Stanford University has a program to allow you to visualize Michelangelo’s work plus some other objects

What do you do if your latest hack needs a little piece of fiberglass fairing? Well you do what any experienced RC Helicopter pilot does, you use your vacuum press.

Whether it’s fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar or even laminating wood. You can use a shop vac and electric grill to build a set up like this for forming plastic.

Or build your own vacuum pump if you need a longer clamp time for say veneering wood.

You might try Space Bags but check that your resin won’t stick to the bag first

Now I have bought cars based on gas mileage and kept the tires inflated correctly, the engine tuned, etc. but this guy has really taken it to the limit.

Bajoos says it took 250 hours and $400.00. At $3.10+ per gallon in New Jersey really wouldn’t take long to see a payback. Read down towards the bottom and see what happens to the bugs and rain.

It appears that ths kind of hacking has been going on for a long time.

I have a neighbor who keeps his yard immaculate. I have even caught him trimming his lawn with a pair of scissors.

I want to add this, and get the whole block talking.

But why not get the real thing.

There was a time when NASA Tech Briefs was required reading in every cube farm. Subjects from agriculture to zoology where covered and some times in a light hearted way.

Well now NASA sponsors the “Create the Future Design Contest”. Not only does every entrant get a tee shirt, they can also earn $250 if their entry is one of the most viewed. One of my favorite entries is the WIG (Wireless Impact Guardian).

True it’s a little short on details about the technology but the marketing is solid.