Amateur Scientist Builds Thermite Grenade Cannon (gizmodo.com)

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Amateur Scientist Builds Thermite Grenade Cannon (gizmodo.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday April 2, 2016 @10:47AM from the flash-powder dept.

YouTube personality Colin Furze has built a homemade cannon which he's filmed launching grenades filled with thermite, "an especially nasty chemical composition made of metal power and oxide that burns as hot as 2,500 degrees Celsius." Furze once co-hosted Sky1's program Gadget Geeks, and he's since made a new career demonstrating strange science projects on YouTube. Furze's other homemade devices have included a rocket-powered go-kart and a knife that can also toast bread while it's cutting.

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hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 10:53 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Hello sir, we're with the ATF and would like to have a little chat.
"destructive device"
(1) any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, (A) bomb, (B) grenade, (C) rocket having a propellant charge of more than 4 ounces,
$200 tax + fingerprints + BG check + 6-9 month wait + local sheriff approval on each shell
1. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 10:56 · Score: 0
  
  Pretty much this. This guy very well may see some time in a federal pound me in the ass prison.
2. Re:hi by Sechr+Nibw · 2016-04-02 10:57 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Thanks for playing, but he's British, not American. Try changing your TLA.
3. Re:hi by ArylAkamov · 2016-04-02 11:05 · Score: 1
  
  1. Thermite is perfectly legal to own. It is not regulated by the ATF whatsoever.
  2. You don't know if the propellant charge is over 4 ounces
  3. He isn't American.
4. Re:hi by rholtzjr · 2016-04-02 11:07 · Score: 2
  
  That was pretty much obvious when he pronounced Aluminum as "Aluminium".
5. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:10 · Score: 0
  
  He's British, dummy.
6. Re:hi by Barny · 2016-04-02 11:12 · Score: 1
  
  Also in the first video of the series, he does note that making device that launch the stuff are regulated and he had to have supervision on this one.
  Also also, article linked talks about 'rocket powered', that word... I do not think it means, what they think it means. He did make (and continues to make) a kart with a JET engine (specifically a pulse-jet), but that is very different from a rocket.
  
  --
  ...
  /me sighs
7. Re:hi by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · 2016-04-02 11:27 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  You mean, the way he pronounced it correctly?
  Signed,
  the rest of the World.
8. Re:hi by rholtzjr · 2016-04-02 11:38 · Score: 1
  
  Just curious, where does that second 'i' come from in enunciating Aluminum. Instead of a silent character as in knight, we now have the opposite as a ghost character? Pronouncing what does not exist?
9. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:58 · Score: 0
  
  2. You don't know if the propellant charge is over 4 ounces
  
  Actually he doesn't use a "propellant charge" at all, it's propelled by a pneumatic ram.
10. Re:hi by ShanghaiBill · 2016-04-02 11:58 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  1. Thermite is perfectly legal to own. It is not regulated by the ATF whatsoever.
  We made it in high school chemistry class. Here is the recipe:
  1. Powdered aluminum
  2. Powdered rust
  3. Mix
  4. Ignite
  The stuff does not explode. It just burns, and produces molten iron. We did it on a 1/2" steel plate out behind the school, and it burned through the steel.
  Notes:
  1. Our chemistry teacher was really cool
  2. Always wear eye protection when doing stuff like this.
11. Re:hi by PPH · 2016-04-02 12:03 · Score: 1
  
  3. He isn't American.
  This.
  Thanks to regulations, American scientific inquiry by young people is limited to how to mod a vaper to volatilize hash oil.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
12. Re:hi by Deadstick · 2016-04-02 12:05 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Just curious, where does that second 'i' come from in enunciating Aluminum
  From its discoverer. He called it alumium, aluminum and aluminium in that historical order, and the different versions basically spread by diffusion.
  OTOH, "solder" has only one spelling, but two pronunciations: in Britain they pronounce the L.
13. Re:hi by PopeRatzo · 2016-04-02 12:09 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  American scientific inquiry by young people is limited to how to mod a vaper to volatilize hash oil.
  At least that's something that makes the world a little bit better. A "thermite grenade cannon"? Not so much.
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
14. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 12:22 · Score: 0
  
  You mean, the way he pronounced it incorrectly?
  Signed,
  Humphry Davy's Ghost
15. Re:hi by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · 2016-04-02 13:44 · Score: 1
  
  Also consider the atomic elements. They're not called Helum, Lithum, Beryllum...
16. Re:hi by chuckugly · 2016-04-02 14:27 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  He's British, dummy.
  Well then maybe he won't mind.
17. Re:hi by jeffb+(2.718) · 2016-04-02 14:40 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Red herring. Helium should properly be called "helion".
  As for aluminum/aluminium, I'll grant that aluminium is "correct" when we all also adopt "platinium", "lanthanium" and "molybdenium". For bonus points, we can go back and retcon iron to "ferrium", gold to "aurium", lead to "plumbium"...
18. Re: hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 16:23 · Score: 0
  
  Thermite can explode if it comes in contact with ice, apparently
19. Re:hi by no1nose · 2016-04-02 17:22 · Score: 1
  
  I had a very cool Chemistry teacher in High School too. He tossed sodium in the pool as a demo once or twice :)
20. Re: hi by Kickasso · 2016-04-02 17:24 · Score: 1
  
  Pretty much obvious from the moment he opens his mouth...
21. Re: hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 17:51 · Score: 0
  
  I used to do it too, during the swimming lessons. Teacher was NOT PLEASED.
22. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 19:04 · Score: 0
  
  Put a fresh box of heavy duty wooden matches into the bottom of a bucket. Remove a few matches for later. Drill a hole through the side of the bucket into the box of matches. Stuff those removed matches through the hole into the box of matches with the heads on the outside of the bucket for lighting. Cover the box of matches with the iron oxide/aluminum mix. Light the match heads and run, unless you are wearing protective gear.
23. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 20:40 · Score: 0
  
  "Always wear eye protection when doing stuff like this."
  "eye protection" means either "a welder's helmet" or "don't fucking look at it when you set it off, you moron". Thermite gives off an INCREDIBLE amount of light when it burns. Enough to permanently damage your eyes.
24. Re:hi by twosat · 2016-04-02 21:54 · Score: 1
  
  OK, but what about words like plutonium and uranium then?
25. Re:hi by thegarbz · 2016-04-02 21:57 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Pronouncing what does not exist?
  We had a Texan come over as a maintenance manager at our plant when the previous one left suddenly (or was told to leave suddenly depending on who's story you believe). Lovely guy, very Texan complaining loudly about not being allowed a gun rack on his massive pick-up in Australia.
  One day he bursts in to the reliability office and proclaims with incredible pride: "I finally figured out why you pronounce it aluminium!!!! You actually spell it with the second 'i' !!!!".
  We're of English decent. Not only do we not pronounce what does not exist, quite often we actively avoid pronouncing things that do.
  Greetings to you from your colourful neighbours across the pond. :-)
26. Re: hi by loufoque · 2016-04-02 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  that's pretty much what those elements are called in French...
  or, fer, plomb
27. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 01:12 · Score: 0
  
  I prefer systematic element names. So Helium would be Bium - or Bum if you're american.
28. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 01:43 · Score: 0
  
  Igniting thermite is very difficult indeed unless you have some other factor. IIRC our chemistry teacher added something purple (potassium permanganate?) to it which meant he could start it with a match. Without that me + mate in the workshop tried but couldn't start it with a welding torch.
29. Re:hi by retchdog · 2016-04-03 01:51 · Score: 1
  
  So, do you pronounce the "s" in "descent"? :P
  But seriously, this post made me smile. Cheerio and well-met!
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
30. Re:hi by GeekyThomas · 2016-04-03 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  We did it inside the classroom, in a bucket full of sand though.
31. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 05:15 · Score: 0
  
  When I was thirteen years old I experimented with thermite in my home lab. It was fantastique! Of course it was inside a melting pot and small quantity.
32. Re:hi by Aighearach · 2016-04-03 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  Everybody pronounces the L in solder, but in American English it is not aspirated. Very similar to the glottal T in Estuary English. Colloquially, we "swallow" the L, but it is still pronounced.
33. Re:hi by Aighearach · 2016-04-03 06:13 · Score: 1
  
  Thermite is legal, but there are other aspects of the device that require licensing. Exploding projectiles are regulated by the ATF. Their full name actually includes the word "explosives," but it isn't in the acronym. (ATF or BATF)
34. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 07:02 · Score: 0
  
  I disagree. Most of the people I've heard say "solder" in the States have pronounced it 'sodder'.
  Of course in Britain, they say 'leftenant' for "lieutenant". And everyone seems to think "colonel" is spelled "kernel". Throwing stones in glass houses...
35. Re:hi by thegarbz · 2016-04-03 07:50 · Score: 1
  
  I'm putting that s in the things we avoid pronouncing that do exist, it can sit in the nife draw next to my balle shoos :-D
36. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 08:19 · Score: 0
  
  How does this connect to the American inability to differentiate between the words ass (donkey) and arse (part of the human anatomy)? Everywhere but the US they sound quite distinct, but Americans seem oddly fond of calling people donkey-holes.
37. Re:hi by metaforest · 2016-04-03 10:58 · Score: 2
  
  Seen his vids. Clever and crazy dude. At one point he used thermite to boil water for his tea... in about 5 seconds. The special kettle he built to do this was an amusing hack, and quite effective. The pulse jet kart started life as a pulse jet bicycle. AIUI he used to be a professional plumber, and now does these zany vids for income. Lots of fun to watch, but his Brit-version of fratboy attitude grates on me after a while.
38. Re:hi by metaforest · 2016-04-03 11:07 · Score: 1
  
  Just like black powder (which can also be said not to explode), Thermite will explode if contained in something like a pipe-bomb configuration.
  Throwing a mass of lit thermite in water, or onto ice causes a gas explosion. Partly due to generation of high temperature steam, and also due to Thermite being hot enough to split water into atomic hydrogen and oxygen. At that point, the aluminum gets a boost of more oxygen that the rust alone can provide, and goes explodey.
39. Re:hi by Deadstick · 2016-04-03 13:34 · Score: 1
  
  Internet connections between us were down for two hundred years. Shit happens.
40. Re:hi by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-04 01:39 · Score: 0
  
  The MPAA doesn't care about explosives (I almost said 'bombs' but we all know that's not true), so we don't enforce this particular US law in GREAT BRITAIN.
41. Re:hi by rholtzjr · 2016-04-04 08:08 · Score: 1
  
  This is why we (the US) wised up and changed it back to the agreed upon name without the second 'i' in 1925.
42. Re:hi by RockDoctor · 2016-04-05 13:18 · Score: 1
  
  Hello sir, we're with the ATF and would like to have a little chat.
  Irr-as the saying goes-fucking elephant. He's not a Septic. Even if he's building this in the US, he's got a GTF card in his pocket. (Which it might be a good idea to use, PDQ. If in the UK, chill.)
  I haven't looked at any mechanical specs. But ... it looks like a gas-powered launcher (SCUBA shop - not significantly regulated) ; mechanisms (not regulated) ; blowtorch to light a time-delay fuse (not regulated) ; mechanism launched, lands, fuse meets charge, kaboom!
  Thermite - if it was for sale on the streets, it would probably be regulated, but WTF. Anyone with a modicum of chemistry schooling (O-level, 16-y.o. schooling level) knows the chemistry, and after that it's imagination, and not difficult.
  Now don't get me wrong - this is a really cool piece of work. The inventor's insane eye-glint in the videos marks him as a person I understand and respect. This is what he does to keep himself out of the pub at night, and it's GOOD! But I don't see that he has violated any UK laws. None of the videos show an explosion (in the chemist's sense), so none are regulated. (All show rapid deflagration, but that is NOT explosion! If you think so, go back to school!) Dangerous as fuck - no disputing that, including to the operator - but that's no real obstacle.
  This guy is a lunatic I could get to like.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
43. Re:hi by RockDoctor · 2016-04-05 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  but his Brit-version of fratboy attitude grates on me after a while.
  [self] SOBS in distress at American distress.
  < /sarcasm >
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
War is not science. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 10:58 · Score: 0

Se te ver novamente, virarei as costas e irei embora. Isto é quão interessado estou por mais dessa sua humilhação.
He's not an amateur scientist by bigsexyjoe · 2016-04-02 10:59 · Score: 3, Informative

If he did amateur scientific experiments or research, he'd be an amateur scientist. He is more of an amateur engineer, if you'd call him that. Not to knock him, but I'd probably just call him a guy who builds cool stuff.

--
Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
1. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:14 · Score: 1
  
  Well, if you read TFA, you would know he is "A Wannabe Supervillain". So yeah, you are wrong. And that makes you, an amateur poster on slashdot.
2. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:20 · Score: 0
  
  Youtube is filled with literally tens of thousands of videos of people doing similar stuff (and has been for probably a decade). Making your own thermite videos are very common. A few weeks ago the nurdrage (a chemistry/science channel) showed how to make rust I believe for use in making thermite.
3. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 13:19 · Score: 0
  
  but I'd probably just call him a guy who builds cool stuff.
  But, he's not. I mean, thermite is pretty much the opposite of cool.
4. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 02:26 · Score: 0
  
  Indeed just a wannabe.
  Most Super villains are professors or at least doctors.
5. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 03:24 · Score: 0
  
  Obligatory (non xkcd!) comic: Death Ray
6. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 04:30 · Score: 0
  
  Strictly speaking. as he actually does this for a living, he's not an amateur
7. Re:He's not an amateur scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 11:16 · Score: 0
  
  My kneejerk was to tell you off, but then I realized what you wrote.
Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Eloking · 2016-04-02 11:09 · Score: 4, Interesting

Actually, he's more an engineer but anyway, not my favorite video of him.
I'm was more impressed when he hydroformed a pulse jet

--
Elok
1. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Brett+Buck · 2016-04-02 12:59 · Score: 1
  
  Wo. After watching the pulse jet video, I have to say that's one of the most annoying people I have ever seen.
2. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by ShaunC · 2016-04-02 13:16 · Score: 1
  
  I watched several of his pulse jet videos yesterday when I caught this story. It doesn't look like they really do much of anything propulsion wise, they just generate a lot of heat and are noisy as fuck... And that's precisely the kind of project that gets people interested in building stuff. Playing around with metal and fire, being loud, this is awesome! It doesn't need to do anything else! It got me to look up pulse jets on Wikipedia and I learned some things.
  While I was watching the videos I kept thinking, if I built something like that, even if I took it way out into the country I'd probably wind up getting a visit from the Homeland Nanny Department. And heaven forbid anyone tries to mess around with a chemistry set like we used to do. Kids these days are missing out on a lot of stuff. This "thermite gun" is a bit of a misnomer but if it gets some kids interested in science, more power to this guy.
  
  --
  Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
3. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 13:45 · Score: 0
  
  The WWII V-1 "Buzz bomb" drone was powered by a pulsejet, had a mass of 2,000kg, carried an 800kg warhead and flew at speeds up to 640kph at 3,000m.
4. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Eloking · 2016-04-02 13:56 · Score: 1
  
  Wo. After watching the pulse jet video, I have to say that's one of the most annoying people I have ever seen.
  You misspelled "awesome"......and funny.
  
  --
  Elok
5. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Blaskowicz · 2016-04-02 14:20 · Score: 1
  
  Pulse jets were a dead end technology anyway.
  I had seen the one with the bicycle. I thought it was powerful ENOUGH for such a vehicle, or even downright evil!
  I agree that most of the energy is hilariously wasted.
  The technology was only ever used to terrorize civilians, but it was not long till detecting and shooting down flying pulse jets was a routine task. Perhaps there would be value in using one to scare birds away!
6. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by ArylAkamov · 2016-04-02 19:25 · Score: 1
  
  Pretty surprising it works as well as it does. I never thought hydro-forming could be done on a budget.
7. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by thegarbz · 2016-04-02 22:00 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, he's more an engineer but anyway, not my favorite video of him.
  Actually he's a plumber and frequently goes out of this way to point out he's not an engineer. :-)
  Either way he's an awesome backyard tinkerer powered by caffeine and hearing loss.
8. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 22:29 · Score: 0
  
  Wo. After watching the pulse jet video, I have to say that's one of the most annoying people I have ever seen.
  You misspelled "awesome"......and funny.
  Agreed, though I'd add 'occasionally a bit intense '
9. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by jafiwam · 2016-04-03 00:22 · Score: 1
  
  After watching his videos, I figured it would be a good drive device behind a siren.
  He does pick up quite a bit of speed given a good run to accelerate.
10. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 04:25 · Score: 0
  
  People on Youtube eat that annoying retardation up. It pays to act like that.
11. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by findoutmoretoday · 2016-04-03 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  Pulse jets were a dead end technology anyway.
  With the V1 in mind that's funny.
12. Re:Colin Furze! My favorite crazy scientist by delt0r · 2016-04-03 10:45 · Score: 1
  
  Let me guess, you like the videos with some classical score in the background and a 3 hour side excursion into the chemical reaction rates of Al and Fe2O3. All in a perfectly monotone voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  
  --
  If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
Neat by ArylAkamov · 2016-04-02 11:11 · Score: 3, Interesting

Reminds me of the flamethrower I made a few years back, neat stuff. I wish I had the equipment (And the free time) this guy does.
He might want to be a little safer (Flame retardant clothing, glasses, etc.) it looks like he didn't learn from his last incident:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
1. Re:Neat by Tx · 2016-04-02 11:35 · Score: 1
  
  Props to him for being a little unsafe, to be honest. I get really fed up of all these shows where they try to give the impression of risk for dramatic effect, while in actual fact they have eliminated pretty much all risk; on mainstream TV, this is pretty much always the case, because lawyers. When Mr Furze does something risky however, it's probably risky for real, and he has the burn scars to prove it. He could tone down the presentation style just a notch IMHO, it gets a bit much for me, but he does cool stuff.
  
  --
  Oh no... it's the future.
2. Re:Neat by dissy · 2016-04-02 11:42 · Score: 2
  
  He might want to be a little safer
  What, he was clearly wearing his safety tie!
3. Re:Neat by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 16:10 · Score: 0
  
  Also you know - multiple episodes. Having the host in the hospital kind of kills ratings.
Eye protection? by legRoom · 2016-04-02 11:20 · Score: 1

He's lucky he didn't go blind while making this. That fireworks clip, in particular, was just asking to get hit in the face with something burning and white-hot.
1. Re:Eye protection? by thenetbear · 2016-04-02 14:59 · Score: 1
  
  You'd think the horrible second degree burns he got lighting a jet engine while not wearing protective gear would have taught him something. Searching "Colin Furze hand" will yield the post detailing the injury. Do not view the page if squeamish about images of burned skin.
2. Re:Eye protection? by kyrsjo · 2016-04-03 00:27 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, that was my thought too. Eye protection should be the bare minimum when doing something like that - personally after seeing the effect and the not-so-long range, I would not have fired it without a face shield+helmet+heavy protective garments/boots/gloves with little chance of any pieces getting caught long enough to burn through...
  Just imagine what would have happened if the shell didn't go as far as it was intended, but landed at his feet...
What about cock protection? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:22 · Score: 0

What about cock protection? I mean, you've got two eyes, but only one cock.
But what I'm most confused about is what all of this has to do with Reddit robin. Why does the article talk about that, when it seems so irrelevant?
"Amateur" Scientist? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:22 · Score: 0

I believe the correct term is mad scientist.
1. Re: "Amateur" Scientist? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 11:28 · Score: 0
  
  The politically incorrect term is "redneck".
Orkin Man by PopeRatzo · 2016-04-02 12:09 · Score: 4, Funny

I don't see why you'd need a grenade cannon just to get rid of termites. Seems like overkill.

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
1. Re:Orkin Man by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 13:13 · Score: 1
  
  I see you've never encountered Aussie termites.
2. Re:Orkin Man by Type44Q · 2016-04-03 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  ...or Oklahoma fleas... or Oklahoma roaches... or Oklahoma mites... or even Oklahoma brown recluses (they take over crawl spaces, attics, etc); I've seen them so thoroughly saturate a building that you could firebomb that shit like Tokyo and still be in doubt...
It's not thermite by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 12:38 · Score: 0

It's paint chips
Re:Irrelevant toad farts by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 12:42 · Score: 0

Doooooooooooooooooooood! Doooooooooooooooood! Dood!
You gotta check this out. Dooooooooood!
Darwin Awards by mlwmohawk · 2016-04-02 14:21 · Score: 1

This guy should be cloned and duplicated so more of his type get into the gene pool. Normally when you hear about people doing this stuff, it is through the darwin awards.
1. Re:Darwin Awards by retchdog · 2016-04-03 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe the Crown could grant him a license to rape?
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
2. Re:Darwin Awards by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 11:32 · Score: 0
  
  There's a few things (though some won't admit it) which cause pants to drop. Not necessarily physical traits, it can be things like telling people your official job is Planetary Defense Officer or Grand Wizard.
  
  What I'm saying is you might have a paradox. Or the opposite of a paradox, I dunno.
shitty summary for a shitty piece by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 14:43 · Score: 0

"...metal power and oxide"
Just because typos and chemistry non-terms are in the original piece, doesn't mean they need to make it into the summary.
There is about as much real estate dedicated to GIFs as there is to text. Why is this posted here at all?
Not scientific inquiry by Roger+W+Moore · 2016-04-02 16:20 · Score: 1

Thanks to regulations, American scientific inquiry by young people is limited to how to mod a vaper to volatilize hash oil.
Actually a far better sign of how bad things have become is that you think that both the video and your example are scientific inquiry.
Cool but lame by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 16:20 · Score: 0

It's neat he did it, but launching thermite is kind of dumb and the thing could have done something vastly cooler looking visually or even more useful for the amount of time spent.
So what? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 19:55 · Score: 0

He does this sort of thing all the time. How is this news?
Trivia on his last name by Qbertino · 2016-04-02 20:44 · Score: 1

"Furze" is actually the German plural for "fart", i.e. his name is "Farts" in German.
"Furz" being singular.
Just sayin'. :-)

--
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
1. Re:Trivia on his last name by Harold+Halloway · 2016-04-02 21:37 · Score: 2
  
  And the name 'Colin' comes from the same root as the word 'colon.' So his name means 'Arse Farts!'
2. Re:Trivia on his last name by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 22:21 · Score: 0
  
  And the name 'Colin' comes from the same root as the word 'colon.' So his name means 'Arse Farts!'
  That's kind of appropriate for a guy who built a giant pulsejet powered arse to Fart@France
3. Re:Trivia on his last name by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-02 22:32 · Score: 0
  
  Do you know what Qbertino means in all the world's languages?
4. Re:Trivia on his last name by Anonymous Coward · 2016-04-03 00:20 · Score: 0
  
  Singular is right, plural isn't. In german we use a thing called an umlaut on some words, and it makes the word sound different. The correct word here being "Fürze".
  Therefore, actually no one here would pronounce that name like that (except possibly to childishly denigrate the guy).
5. Re:Trivia on his last name by Falos · 2016-04-03 11:36 · Score: 1
  
  I chose my handle 20 years ago when picking out a name for a video game (Secret of Evermore). I had no idea it had linguistic ties in most of Europe's languages. To this day I have mixed feelings about the glory-or-not of running around on the internet as "penis".