After watching Theodore Gray create pure homemade titanium from raw ore using a fire-cracker sparkler and a mixture of aluminum and titanium oxide in a flowerpot in his (large) backyard… or seeing him turn bacon (the "Other white heat") into a metal melting blow torch (and no, no gas other than oxygen was used here) I have to say that I have found my new favourite science columnist / mad scientist.
Simply wonderful stuff, and full of great, interesting science facts that are fun to watch put into everyday use.
For more cool Theodore Gray stuff go to periodictable.com FTW!! (or check out the Wolfram|Alpha project – day job)
ps: done correctly, you can electrocute yourself with an apple… cool!
Check out Theo’s book: Theo Gray’s Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home – but Probably Shouldn’t. It’s fantastic. And in Oct., he has another awesome book coming out: The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe.