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Fun video after annoying commercial.

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-giant-soap-bubbles-10316

Let your kids help you mix the ingredients together. Might cost $20-$30 but I'm sure you and the kids will have lots of fun.

Wow, cool thought!! You heard it here first:
The Baghdad Battery, another ancient mystery device which dates to almost exactly the same time as the Antikythera Mechanism, performs well enough to drive a Homopolar Motor

Firstly its not clear at all whether the Baghdad Battery was meant to produce electricity, or whether it was a simple storage jar that happened to be from two metals. Secondly, the article you quote on building one says things like "charge at 1.1 to 1.5 V and a few milliamps of current", so good luck bootstrapping your Baghdad Battery charger bank when your only source of electricity is the occasional thunderstorm. Thirdly, good luck building your hompolar motor from naturally-occuring magnetic lodestones when you don't have fancy neodymium magnets around. So yeah, I heard it here first, and now I will go forget it again, wake me up when you have these little issues sorted out.

The prior devices and knowledge also come to mind. The crafts, arts, maths and sciences leading up to this must have included similar devices, possibly going back much farther. As well, other fine geared devices are likely.. I wonder what other similar mechanisms would be useful in the ancient world?

Wow, cool thought!! You heard it here first:
The Baghdad Battery, another ancient mystery device which dates to almost exactly the same time as the Antikythera Mechanism, performs well enough to drive a Homopolar Motor (very cool video link). I believe that there is no actual evidence of a handle with the Antikythera Mechanism, but simply an input shaft with a coupling. If I remember correctly, one turn of the shaft advanced it one day. I'll bet that a homopolar motor could accumulate enough power over a day to drive the Antikthera device.

Now the homopolar motor in its simplicity could easily be missed as a ancient device, or its 2 useful components (wire and magnet) scavenged for another use, leaving no artifact to find. Finally, here is a variable speed homopolar motor video I know I'm synthesizing the electric motor invention.. its just so simple that its invention at that time is possible, let alone any other type of motor. And an voltage/amperage controlled speed regulator seems likewise possible.

Or maybe you can't remember the other times! ;)

Your post reminds me of this video where a guy dresses as a DJ:
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Get-Into-Any-Club-14234755

Challenge your friends to build this self supporting structure. Hofstadter would call it a strange loop. Think of how this loop in concept is similar to other concepts involving loops, such as logic or consciousness.

Work out the Birthday problem for your group. Calculate the probability that some pair of the guests will have the same birthday, then determine if it's true.

Here is working one http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-negotiate---Tips-for-Yahoo-5794173
Stupid beta..

It looks like Yahoo is really following those tips... http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-negotiate---Tips-for-Yahoo-5794173/ Good.

A great video of Jay Leno demonstrating sulfur hexafluoride: http://www.5min.com/Video/Jay-Leno-How-to-Float-a-Boat-on-Air-3542852