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OK, its a kind-of minor thing that can have implications. If you go to any eepybird mentos/coke website, you can see (for yourself) that the physical surface of a substance can radically affect the diffusion rate (large surface area = large rate), and rapid absorption can be attained by going away from perfectly round/smooth surfaces to one with highly fragmented micro-surface features. They already know that micro surface features can prevent spread of disease (microban makes millions per year selling this technology to hospitals). Given all the available previous information, designing pills to have modified drug delivery rates seems like a technology who's time has come.

Maybe many of the ICP fans are familiar with the "Diet coke and Mentos" guys:

http://www.eepybird.com/about/

They care about kids having less and less of a chance to educate themselves and they care that kids curiosity isn't being fulfilled nearly as much.

With the internet, the kids curiosity is being fulfilled more often than not. The problem with the internet isn't the lack of information. It is the dilution with distractions. Kids are more likely to spend time on myspace than on one of the science pages. There is more information online now than was ever accessible when I was a kid.

The internet is the great equalizer. I remember the old chemistry sets of the 1969's. They were pretty boring with a few things that changed color and kept matches from burning and such. Online the high power learning is great. I can now find the information to build rockets from Salt Peter and powdered sugar, how to mix explosive gasses (Spud guns propane air mix), create fun reactions (Mentos and coke) (sodium and water) and lots of other fun stuff I couldn't do with the chemistry set of the 60's. Some stuff that is too dangerous or illegal to do yourself, there are online videos for your enjoyment. There is more info in the following links than is in most chemistry sets.
http://www.burntlatke.com/
http://www.jamesyawn.com/candyrocket/
http://eepybird.com/dcm1.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_kind_of_liquid_is_in_instant_cold_packs
http://www.humeseeds.com/stump.htm
http://www.ufomind.com/area51/articles/1996/popsci_9604/
http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/
http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Stories/011.2/
http://fullygeek.com/2007/01/20000-pounds-of-sodium-dumped-in-lake/

Without a chemistry set, but with internet, I can find out where to buy components to build fireworks mortar shells, buy local explosive components (Nitride and oil) and such. It was the internet that taught me where to locally buy small amounts of Ammonium Nitrate and Salt Peter with no questions asked.

A trip to the hardware store is now an adventure as I read the ingredients on the packages.

I have learned more online than I could have ever learned from a chemistry set from the 1960's Not all is illegal or dangerous. Some is a lot of fun.

If you drop Mentos into a cold bottle of Diet Coke, you get cold fusion.

Their new video is awesome. So much time must have gone into creating the videos, they deserve a bit of coin for their efforts.

Considerable detail has already been released and it's still the first day of the operation. We have been told:

* Liquid explosives were planned to be hidden in soft drinks bottles (hence the ban on liquids).
* The explosives would be detonated over the atlantic (to ensure maximum fatalities).
* The attack would come in waves. As things start to clam down after the first wave, another wave was to be launched.

[ emphasis mine ]

My god! Can it be?! Yes, it must be: they were planning on attacking us using Diet Coke and Mentos!!

(Yes, Diet Coke and Mentos.)

[Disclaimer: I am one of the founders of Revver]

Revver has been doing this for some time already - just with much less intrusive ads. That diet coke and mentos experiment linked on Slashdot was using Revver and made over $20,000 for the creators in two weeks (according to various news reports).

Revver splits the ad revenue 50-50 with creators - or if there is a syndicator involved 20%(syndicator) - 40% (creator) - 40% (Revver).

1. How much soda did they waste getting it right?

Check out this one. :)

I would claim that not one drop was wasted in that experiment. Instant classic.