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Everyday Objects Placed In a Microwave

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the works-for-mythbusters dept.

Tom writes "Everyday objects can produce interesting effects when you stick them in a standard microwave. Grapes spark, matches create superheated plasma fireballs, mini lightning-bolts arc between sheets of aluminum foil, and soap both splits open and puffs up, creating a somewhat vulgar spurt of bubbly excrement that has to be seen to be fully appreciated. However, as cool as microwave experimentation can be, balls of plasma and the like are bad for both your eyes and your microwave, so it's probably best not to try these things at home. update This site apparently is behind a really nasty popup that I missed (yay Firefox) the first time through. You've been warned... here it is but given the overall rottenness of the pop-up, I guess I wouldn't bother. Some folks know no shame. My apologies to the readers.

32 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. alt.ftsoj by suso · · Score: 3, Funny

    What? No kitty cat?

  2. Spam by Salvance · · Score: 5, Informative

    While the videos are pretty entertaining, there's a ridiculous amount of spam and popups (particularly on ie). After every video, I was taken to another site where it said I had to order a plasma screen TV just to watch the vid, uuggghhh.

    --
    Crack - Free with every butt and set of boobs
    1. Re:Spam by jginspace · · Score: 4, Informative

      Try YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=microw ave

    2. Re:Spam by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny
      I was taken to another site where it said I had to order a plasma screen TV just to watch the vid

      Well, we can't have you watching such entertaining videos on some inferior non-plasma tv now can we ?
      Come on, this is Super Heated Plasma Fireballs we're talking about here, it's only fitting that they're watched on a vision re-production device capable of understanding the concept of Plasma, isn't it ?
      Being a member of Slashdot, I expect you to be rather smart, hell, I bet you're A Nuke-u-lar Scientist, am I right ?
      Well then, you more than most should understand that a screen capable of using Plasma, will be best for reproducing the effects of the video.
      Do you remember early TV sets & the snow effect ?
      Of course you do, what if I told you that if you buy this TV, you wouldn't even need to get that video ? You could just turn this puppy on & stare at the screen, BAM, instant Plasma video & you didn't even have to waste your time downloading a video off the internet.

      So, will that be Visa or Mastercard ?
      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    3. Re:Spam by TCM · · Score: 4, Informative

      *I*'m using Firefox with noscript and didn't get the spam/pop-ups/redirects. Allow Javascript only for wontonway.com and you're fine.

      --
      Of course it runs NetBSD. BTC: 1NT7QvbetmANwaMzhpVL6
  3. Food Fight by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 5, Funny

    I take a ripe 1" cherry tomato, insert a wooden toothpick into about the center, and put it on high for about 1-2min. The tomato launches the toothpick across the microwave.

    So then I take 20 1" cherry tomatoes, insert toothpicks, arrange them in ranks facing each other at the range of the tested shots, and cook my favorite "tomatoes battle royale".

    I'd love to see someone video that to YouTube, maybe with some other characters inserted into the battlefield. Like grapes injected with rubbing alcohol, which will boil and burst faster than the watery tomatoes shoot.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  4. Photocamera by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I remember one time when I was on a weekend drinking session in Belgium, one of my friends proposed that microwaves only heat up objects with water in it. So the digital photocamera should withstand 10 seconds of radiation... I was allready passed out at the moment and learned from the disaster the next day.

    A few months later I decided to check whether the flashcard still worked. It did! After viewing the photo's and movies we made before frying the camera, we could remember a lot more about that night:P

    1. Re:Photocamera by Dun+Malg · · Score: 4, Insightful
      one of my friends proposed that microwaves only heat up objects with water in it. So the digital photocamera should withstand 10 seconds of radiation
      He was right on the first point, but utterly stupid to think that the only thing microwaves do is heat water. Microwaves induce electric currents in metal. If you microwave a complex enough electronic device, guaranteed something inside it is going to get a nasty, fatal overcurrent. This is one of the dangers of adult beverages. They make people forget their ignorance and come up with all sorts of terrible "logical" conclusions.
      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    2. Re:Photocamera by MankyD · · Score: 3, Informative

      Right, but it heats up for a different reason. Microwave energy directly transfers to heat energy in water. In metals, it generates electric current first which in turn generates heat due to electrical resistance.

      --
      -dave
      http://millionnumbers.com/ - own the number of your dreams
  5. Instructions for superheated plasma fireballs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Microwave one of those Hungyman "Beef" Taco dinners with potato wedges for approx 10 minutes.
    2. Eat said Hungryman dinner.
    3. In approx 40-120 superheated plasma fireballs should start expressing themselves out your posterior.
    4. Change underwear as needed.

  6. Finally... for nerds...stuff that matters... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm tired of all the Microsoft/Novell stuff, NASA going to asteroids, the latest PS3 updates, etc.
    FINALLY... information that matters to ME in such a way that the whole Britney/Fed-Ex stuff seems to matter to everyone in the US.

    (and in case you think I'm being sarcastic and mod me -1 Troll... no, I'm serious...I am very excited about an article about putting various things in Microwaves...I like the patterns it makes on CDs, and I like the electrical storm that the "split grape" shows)
    (and yeah, after Dave Barry mentioned toasters & pop-tarts...I did that TOO...my wife was not happy)
    (now if only I could get my hands on some liquid Oxygen for the barbeque)

  7. That's Why the Internet Is So Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ``However, as cool as microwave experimentation can be, balls of plasma and the like are bad for both your eyes and your microwave, so it's probably best not to try these things at home.''

    That's why the Internet is so great. Other people run destructive experiments and publish about them, so I don't have to.

  8. Microwave by also-rr · · Score: 5, Funny

    When I first read this story I was inspired. I tried placing a microwave inside a larger microwave.

    There was a bizzare blue flash and I ended up with a tiny member of the royal family. I was surprised, I can tell you.

    --
    Think of the Children; Sleep with your Sister
    1. Re:Microwave by horati0 · · Score: 3, Funny

      When I first read this story I was inspired. I tried placing a microwave inside a larger microwave.

      There was a bizzare blue flash and I ended up with a tiny member of the royal family. I was surprised, I can tell you.

      David Lynch called. He wants the idea for his next movie back.

      --
      The neutrality of this sig is disputed.
  9. IS IT STILL 1995? by quonsar · · Score: 3, Funny

    is Mr. T done eating my balls?

    --

    Sacred cows make the best burgers.

  10. plasma by cool_arrow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I once burned a hole in the top of a microwave admiring a big plasma blob that was created with cigar smoke. Fortunately it was a MW at work which I owned. I've also exploded numerous lightbulbs (small explosions) in the MW, zapped many cd's etc. Turning a clear pyrex bowl upside down and slightly propped up on one side on the MW turntable will help contain the plasma blob until the bowl breaks or melts. Very cool, I mean hot.

    1. Re:plasma by jginspace · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Related: Plasmoid ( Ball Lightning ) generation with Microwaves

  11. Braniac has been doing this for ages.. by Channard · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not the superman villain but UK explosive science show 'Braniac: Science Abuse' - they regularly stick stuff in Microwaves, as well as do other things like demolish safes with tanks etc. It's a great show - here are the Microwave clips on Youtube - http://tinyurl.com/y6oan8

  12. Grapes by waterford0069 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I get the metal objects sparking...

    I get the skinned objects exploding...

    I even sort of get the soap puffing...

    What I don't get is the grapes sparking - what's going on here?

    1. Re:Grapes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Answer. Enjoy!

    2. Re:Grapes by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Funny

      Haven't you ever heard of ... sparkling white wine?

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  13. SpamDot!?!! by capsteve · · Score: 5, Insightful
    DO NOT CLICK THE STORY LINK!

    DO NOT CLICK!

    DO NOT CLICK!

    DO NOT CLICK!



    don't give jagbags like this guy the satisfaction actually steering traffic to his site.

    video viewing requires some inane product registration. this guy is trying to get free product thru your clicks, and figures a high traffic generating site like /. will give him the clicks for free product.


    what's up with that, tomcat7194@gmail.com?!?? run out of friends and family to sell out for your free ipod and mac mini, you gotta try the /. community? i think this kind of behavior will get your gmail account banned.



    WTF! i can't believe CT would actually allow a submission like this to make it all the way thru...

    come on CT, wake up, drink coffee, and kill this f*ckin' article! ./ get's abused enough, don't let it get abused with this kind of trash or people will think /. has jumped the shark!!!

    --
    three can keep a secret, if two are dead - benjamin franklin
  14. Fun Mr Wizard experiment by edwardpickman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Place a six inch ball of pultonium wrapped in one inch of plactic expolsives in microwave. Heat on high until plutonium atoms fuse.

    1. Re:Fun Mr Wizard experiment by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Place a six inch ball of pultonium wrapped in one inch of plactic expolsives in microwave. Heat on high until plutonium atoms fuse.

      Better yet, take the ball of plutonium and form two hemispheres of beryllium (a neutron reflector) around it to fit closely. Put the ball in one hemisphere. Then, using a screwdriver as a spacer, lower the other hemisphere over the plutonium ball. Make sure not to slip. If you see a blue flash from Cerenkov radiation inside your eyeballs, write your will after you've stopped barfing.

      (They actually did similar experiments at Los Alamos in the 40s. And, yes, the screwdriver did eventually slip. Not only once, but two people actually got "bit by the dragon."

      -b.

  15. 2001 called... by Klaidas · · Score: 4, Funny

    They want their fun science back :)
    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=microw ave+brainiac
    Ah well. Slow news days happen, don't they?

  16. Green Olives by digerata · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Kid you not. Green olives will spark in the microwave. Place three in a circle with the orange center (forgot what that's called) close to each other and nuke em. Sparks will fly!

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    1;
    1. Re:Green Olives by digerata · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's it! I kept thinking palmolive instead.

      --

      1;
  17. Actually, it does work by dereference · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's a much better description.

  18. Re:Which Halo is better? by ScrewMaster · · Score: 3, Funny

    A much better question, and more importantly, one that is actually relevant to this thread, would be "what happens when you put an operating XBox into a microwave?" We really need an answer to this question, so if you would be so kind as to perform the experiment and post a link to the video here on Slashdot we would greatly appreciate it. You'll get extra credit points if the machine is playing Halo 2 at the time. Don't worry about your girlfriend's reaction, she obviously just bought the machine to get you to stay at her place for more than five minutes and will soon get over the loss.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  19. Web 0.2 by DJRikki · · Score: 4, Funny

    obvious_joke_about_vintage_webpage++;

  20. Links directly to WMV's by HitByASquirrel · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/cd.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/chipbag.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/bulb.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/ornament.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/soap.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/matches.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/foil.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/egglow.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/lemon.wmv
    http://www.wontonway.com/microwave/GRAPEMED.wmv

  21. Google Ads + popups? by JourneyExpertApe · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's gotta be a violation of Google's terms of service.

    --
    If you can read this sig, you're too close.