[ExI] a very silly story

[Anders Sandberg]

Eugen Leitl wrote:
> One of my more stupid ideas was to substitude lead oxide for
> iron oxide once. Never again.
>   

I used copper oxide. Great fun (from a distance).

Another fun trick is to mix chlorates with manganese peroxide and 
magnesium. Surprisingly powerful, since it releases extra oxygen when 
reacting - if placed in a vessel such as a coconut it will hence use 
part of the vessel as fuel too.

>   
>>  What do you
>> guys think about nitrogen triiodide? Not as flashy but provides a lot fun
>> when smeared on door latches, chairs and toilets ... Rafal
>>     
>
> Like organic peroxides, it would do great to spread your thermite
> (and subtract a few digits) but fail to ignite it.
>   

While the compound is cool in its fragility, I never really got into it. 
Especially after a crazy friend filled a whole test tube with iodine and 
concentrated ammonia, corked it and left it behind in a rack. It stood 
there for weeks, nobody daring to touch it. One evening I turned around 
and he stood there with a maniac grin and the Test Tube of Doom in his 
hand. He walked out of the building and threw it... it broke, nothing 
happened. We waited. Nothing. He threw rocks at the little pile of 
purple goo... nothing. A few spots around it banged properly when 
stepped on. We went back in, and then there was a loud bang...

Another lovely reaction is making chlorine septoxide by dripping 
concentrated sulphuric acid on potassium chlorate. Orange-colored heavy 
gas that explodes when it reaches critical volume, splattering 
chlorate/sulphuric acid droplets everywhere. Yay!

(The fact that I am still alive, not lacking any fingers and not 
poisoned is evidence for the many worlds theory of quantum mechanics a 
la quantum suicide computing :-) )


-- 
Anders Sandberg,
Future of Humanity Institute 
James Martin 21st Century School 
Philosophy Faculty 
Oxford University