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Mad Scientist Invents Colored Bubbles

Anonymous Custard writes "Popular Science has a fascinating article up about toy inventor Tim Kehoe's quest to create colored bubbles. 'Chemical burns, ruined clothes, 11 years, half a million dollars--it's not easy to improve the world's most popular toy. ... It turns out that coloring a bubble is an exceptionally difficult bit of chemistry.'"

6 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by ApuD2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...Chemical burns, ruined clothes, 11 years, half a million dollars..."
    Sounds like Michael Jackson's life story.

  2. As a socially concerned geek... by Elrac · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm deeply concerned about the rapid decline of species, about global warming, the limping economy, political corruption, the war in Iraq and the ever-shortening attention spans of

    OOH! COOL! COLORFUL BUBBLES!!

    --
    When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Rel
  3. Re:He's not a Mad Scientist! by Scrameustache · · Score: 5, Funny

    That being said, this is EXCELLENT. Imagine possibilities like clothing that changes color depending on the soap you wash it with.

    Imagine?

    Ask your mom to put some bleach in your next color's wash, it's FUN! ;- )

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  4. I actually.. by Chickenofbristol55 · · Score: 5, Funny
    am a subscriber to popular science, so I read this article about a week ago. In the article it was kind of silly, because it was in the section of the "best of 2005", along with a super-advanced bionic arm, and the like. While it's a cool idea, it isn't even practical or useful (even as a form of entertainment). Here's how I think it went:

    Scientist 1 "Haha! I have done it!"

    Scientist 2 "What? Cured cancer...AIDS!?"

    Scientist 1 "No, much better!"

    Scientist 2 "Really? OMG What is it?!"

    Scientist 1 "I have created..... the first coloured bubble!!!"

    Scientist 2 "Your're a real jerk, Mark"

    Scientist 1 "True, but look at the pretty colours!"

    --
    public class null extends java applet { System.out.print ("Tabula Rasa"); }
  5. Re:He's not a Mad Scientist! by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to the article, he initially tried using nitric acid to color the bubbles because of its red color.

    The fact that he thought he could sell nitric acid as a child's toy I believe qualifies him as being legitimately crazy.

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  6. Blue eyes by JazMuadDib · · Score: 5, Funny

    Come ON you guys. The man turned the whites of his eyes blue. BLUE. And you think of bubbles! For shame! Have you not considered that he may be the Kwisatz Haderach?