8/2/03

Random bit of Curiosity -


I wonder why that never caught on in the states?

The Newest Cereal... Monopoly, Based on the board game. Basically Cinnamon toast crunch with marshmallows. That's too sickly-sweet even for me.

Random Scotto Recipe-

Fun Putty:

Ingredients needed:

2 Cups of Elmer's Glue

3 tsp Borax detergent (all grocery stores still sell it - *must* be Borax)

Cold water

2 containers for mixing, 1 container that seals airtight for storing

Food coloring (optional)

The process:

in Container A mix 2 cups Elmer's glue, 1 1/2 cups cold water, and whatever food coloring you want to use (it won't work to try to add the food coloring later).

STIR VERY WELL

In Container B mix 1 1/2 cups cold water and 3 tsp Borax. Stir continuously to disperse the Borax granules -- they will *not* dissolve. While the Borax is dispersed in the water (before it settles to the bottom), pour this solution into Container A. DO NOT MIX!! DON'T TOUCH IT!! (But watch how it congeals, very cool interaction.)

Let it set for 12 - 24 hours uncovered (again, DO NOT MIX while it is setting). At the end of the setting up, there may be a watery residue on top. That’s okay.

Now comes the fun part! Stick your hand into Container A and WORK THE GOO. It will be slippery at first. When it gets shiny and sort of plastic-y looking, it's ready. You’ll know it when it gets there -- it looks and feels just like silly putty should.

Keep it sealed in an airtight container, and take it out and play with it often. Put it on the table and watch it ooze. Hold it in your hand, and watch it ooze. Give it to your friends, and watch it... ooze.

DON'T eat it. While it picks up easily, don't rub it in the carpet... it may *do* things inside the vacuum cleaner

Chemistry involved - Elmer’s Glue is made up of polyvinyl acetate, which reacts with water to some extent to replace some of the acetate groups with OH (alcohol) groups. The B-OH groups on the borax molecules react with the acetate groups on the glue molecules (relatively long polymer chains) to eliminate acetic acid and form new bonds between the borax and two glue molecules. The linking of two glue molecules via one borax molecule is called polymer cross-linking and it makes a bigger polymer molecule, which is now less liquid-like and more solid.

Thought - Perhaps buying those colored glues might make for a nifty setup... do they make glow in the dark Elmer’s?



Added a silly little tagboard to the toybox section. We'll see how long it lasts. The Toybox is going to be something of a lab for a while.

Carnivore client is a pretty fascinating way to gather data. The interpretation of cnn.com is rather pretty, to boot.

For any Vampires - Discount magic shop between Gibbon & 28th, and Gum & 29th. Great prices!
Scroll of Turning (350), Vial of Holy Water (1400), Scroll of Teleportation (3500)

a year ago - talked to rob (we never got together), baron von bludd, strange black blobs

2 years ago - rainy, Owen Ng, broken drug war link, Thunderstorm, code red, lord humongous

3 years ago - Finished HP2, started hp3, foodies, moved to the 12-8 shift at IMT