Scientific R&D At Home?

An anonymous reader writes "I'm currently on the cusp of getting myself a new hobby and making some investments. There are a few areas that interest me greatly, from playing with EEG/ECG and trying to put together a DIY sleep lab, to astronomy, etc. I'm somewhat hesitant to get into these fields because (despite the potentially short-lived enjoyment factor) I'm not convinced they are areas that would lend themselves to making new discoveries in the home and with home equipment, which is what I'd really like to do. I've also read quite a number of articles on 'bio hacking,' and the subject seems interesting, but it also seems futile without an expensive lab (not to mention years of experience). What R&D hobbies do Slashdotters have that provide them with opportunities to make interesting discoveries and potentially chart new territory in the home? Do such hobbies exist?"

Comments

sudo apt-get install girlfriend ?

[Avalon's_Avatar]

Seriously, they have some great biological modules to investigate ;)

Re:sudo apt-get install girlfriend ?

[vlm]

Seriously, they have some great biological modules to investigate ;)

Sounds like fun but I found:

Conflicts: wife (>= 1.0)
Suggests: Whole-bunch-of-money

Also the installation process took too much time.

Re:Plasma Physics

[Ceriel Nosforit]

Or get a bunch of old microwave ovens and see what you can plasmify at what distance. Electricity is cheap and your utility company will thank you!

Atomic power is a good source for X-rays and all sorts of fun can be had with radiation. Even ultraviolet is enough to increase the mutation rate of bacteria. Mutants! Need I say more? *wink-wink nudge-nudge*

You can also build your own lasers, and tesla coils are always impressive. Don't bother with rockets because the cheapest/best rocket engines are solid explosives that fit nicely in the hands of pros.

When I'm established I'll have a bunch of high-density flywheels built to deliver impulses of power befitting my megalomania. Then, superconductors!

Re:I'm doing research into longevity and celibacy

[daveime]

William, Shatner, is that, you ?

Re:I've often pondered...

[skids]

Oh, right -- talk about picking a bad example! Hah!

Get Ahead!

[rueger]

Try self-trepanning and see what's on your mind!

Psychology experiment

[Anonymous Coward]

There's always the great on-going psychological experiment called 4chan to fall back on.

Re:You totally picked the wrong optical hobby, dud

[hoggoth]

>> Pretty hard if you want to darn near prove a negative, prove no human being has ever photographed that particular species of algae before.
> Or, pick an area that is so obscure that it's all but certain that no one else is working on it. As a bonus, any paper you write will be seminal! :-)

Good tip. I don't think any human being has found algae in his seminal fluid before. Good luck with that.