Microwave Fun

Smitty825 writes "Have some spare time to kill? Want to be a scientist? Then try some Microwave Experiments! (Disclaimer...could be dangerous.)"

Metal Objects

[scumbucket]

And I thought puting metal objects in the microwave was the only way to have fun. That and my sister's new kitten.......

Re:Metal Objects

[PD]

Ahh yes, that reminds me of the time that I discovered that a kitten makes a poor antenna for an 802.11b connection, unless you need a vaguely kitty-shaped coverage footprint.

Re:Metal Objects

[WolfWithoutAClause]

It went to sleep on the aerial huh?

Re:Metal Objects

[NaDrew]

Ahh yes, that reminds me of the time that I discovered that a kitten makes a poor antenna for an 802.11b connection, unless you need a vaguely kitty-shaped coverage footprint.

My cats prove this every day. Usually by insisting on curling up in my lap and thus covering the WiFi card's antenna with fur.

Re:Metal Objects

[objekt]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a joke about hurting small animals.

Fun in the workplace with microwaves!

[Ophidian P. Jones]

My sister-in-law works with the US Dept. of Agriculture. Her job consists primarily of zapping fruitfly maggots/larva with everything from lasers to 5000w microwaves. She also boils them, crushes them, melts them with acids, dessicates them with silica flakes then blows them away with huge fans.. you name it. Anything that can be done to kill the little doofers, she does. In bulk. They're grown by the thousands just for the purpose of dying in nasty ways.

I think the whole point is to figure out ways to rem

Re:Fun in the workplace with microwaves!

[PD]

that burning fruitfly maggots smell not entirely unlike barbecue or popcorn

How odd for something named Drosophilia Watermelanogaster.

Re:Fun in the workplace with microwaves!

[Anonymous Coward]

Where have I read this post before?

So ... who's sister-in-law is it REALLY?

[orangepeel]

The above Anonymous Coward is correct. We have read the parent post before. The story was the Worst Jobs In Science [slashdot.org] article, and the specific post was here [slashdot.org].

So who's the imposter?

Re:So ... who's sister-in-law is it REALLY?

[orthogonal]

We have read the parent post before.

Damn you, orangepeel, you beat me to posting the link to the previous post by seconds. :)

I suspect the current poster, Ophidian P. Jones (466787) [slashdot.org] must be the imposter, as the copied post really isn't on topic for this article; they both just happen to share the word "laser".

The original post, however, was on topic, and pretty interesting reading. Interesting enough that apparently several of us recalled it.

Hmm, where's -1 Plagiarism? (Or is it ok if you downloaded th

Re:So ... who's sister-in-law is it REALLY?

[orangepeel]

Damn you, orangepeel, you beat me to posting the link to the previous post by seconds. :)

Hah ... sorry! :-)

I was typing away like a madman because I was sure someone else was going to beat me to it. :-)

Re:So ... who's sister-in-law is it REALLY?

[orthogonal]

I was typing away like a madman because I was sure someone else was going to beat me to it. :-)

Apparently, all my base are belong to you.

Take off every 'sister-in-law'

Re:Fun in the workplace with microwaves!

[The_Pey]

Mmmm.... Burning fruitfly maggots...

Re:Fun in the workplace with microwaves!

[Zork the Almighty]

Her job consists primarily of zapping fruitfly maggots/larva with everything from lasers to 5000w microwaves. She also boils them, crushes them, melts them with acids, dessicates them with silica flakes then blows them away with huge fans.. you name it. Anything that can be done to kill the little doofers, she does. In bulk. They're grown by the thousands just for the purpose of dying in nasty ways.

Remember this story for the next debate on the meaning of life. Could we be the fruitflies ?

MOD DOWN PLAGARISM

[pr0ntab]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

Another Stolen Post [slashdot.org]

Rack 'em up, Ophidian Jones.

Re:MOD DOWN PLAGARISM

[originalnih]

Dude, all he did was post a link to a site. Fuckin chill or something, angstnerd.

heheh

[KMAPSRULE]

Are you a kid? Does your microwave oven belong to your parents? If so, then don't even THINK about trying any of these experiments. I'm serious. If I wreck my microwave oven, I can buy another. Also, I'm a professional electrical engineer. I know enough physics and RF effects to take correct safety precautions when I'm experimenting. But you don't know the precautions, so you should be smart: read and enjoy my writing, but don't duplicate my tests unless you grow up to become an electronics tech, engineer,

Right

[Henry V .009]

I'm a professional electrical engineer. I know enough physics and RF effects to take correct safety precautions when I'm experimenting.

How many times have we heard these words just before the loud ZAP! and inevitable flesh burning smell?

What was the name of those games again...

[neglige]

...where you can have fun with a microwave?

Something like "Maniac Mansion" and "Zack McKraken"... :) So, toying around with a microwave can not only be fun, it can also help saving the world (or a girl).

No grapes???

[harrkev]

They did not mention my favorite (and easy to do at work).

Take a grape and cut it ALMOST is half (both halves still connected by skin). Put the two halves down on a plate (wet side down). Microwave until you see sparks and fire between the two halves.

This is almost as fun as the electric pickle, but with only one-tenth the smell.

Re:No grapes???

[4of12]

I've heard, but not tried, putting a CD in microwave. Sparky platters ensue.

Re:No grapes???

[harrkev]

True. But do NOT microwave for more than a few seconds. After 10-15 seconds, this thick yellow smoke comes out of the CD. It smells terrible and will stain the inside of your microwave.

Please, do not ask me how I know this. If I told you, then I would have to kill you.

Re:No grapes???

[Beryllium Sphere(tm)]

This is what really happens when you put a CD in a microwave:

http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/96q1/parody.ht ml

Re:No grapes???

[Anonymous Coward]

Take a grape and cut it ALMOST is half (both halves still connected by skin). Put the two halves down on a plate (wet side down). Microwave until you see sparks and fire between the two halves.

As featured on Fun with Grapes - A Case Study [pmichaud.com]. That page has my enormous respect simply for being last updated on 14 June 1994 (though the page has moved since then). The almost-as-old Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow-Torches [pmichaud.com] is also highly recommended.

Re:No grapes???

[Mrs. Neutron]

I've been doing this one for years. Very effective demonstration in the communal dorm microwave!!!

Incidently, you can orient the grapes with the wet side down or up. It works either way.

This Reminds Me of a Story...

[Gothic_Walrus]

In a hotel trip for FIRST Robotics, some of my friends got the brilliant idea to microwave a CD.

The aftermath? A charred CD in the garbage can, stinking up our hotel floor. Their microwave, soaking in their bathtub (supposedly to douse the flames).

Moral of the story? Microwaves are fun, but be careful what you put in them.

Suggestion for a new Slashdot Topic...

[JasonMaggini]

For articles like these.
Here [plugnpay.com] is one possible icon...

speed of light...

[fireduck]

they don't even include (at least not on casual glance) how one can calculate the speed of light using a microwave and a plate of marshmellows. [umd.edu] that's one i'd really like to attempt some time when i'm bored enough.

my worst microwave moment: I have a couple lizards (leopard geckos to be precise). in their cage, i had a piece of a bark they were using as a hiding spot. i was washing the bark one day and wanted to dry it in the microwave (not the brightest idea, but whatever). Apparently a cricket had hidden itself somewhere inside one of the porous spaces. Long story short, when I nuked it, about 10 s into the run, i hear a brief high pitched whine, increasing frequency and then a splat noise. apparently i boiled the cricket from the inside out, and like a pressure cooker with a not so well attached lid, it exploded.

This reminds me of the classic children's book

[proxima]

Pop Goes the Hamster and Other Fun Microwave Games.

Try OLD Scientific American's Amateur Scientist

[G4from128k]

Back before litigation reared its ugly head, Scietific American had some swell projects. These included:
- 20 Watt CO2 laser
- 6ft metal-walled solid fuel (aluminum & sulfur) rocket
- atom splitter (400 keV electrons could make Lithium atoms radioactive)
- homemade X-ray source

Ah! Those were the good old days.

Moo

[Chacham]

Slashdot [slashdot.org] loves [slashdot.org] microwaves [slashdot.org].

Perhaps its time for as "microwave" section?