Gizmodo: dangerous

Fire Tagging Makes Graffiti a Bit More Dangerous

Adam Frucci — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:20:00 EDT

Graffiti is cool, I guess. But graffiti that's been lit on fire before the paint dries? OK, now you have my attention.

Sure, fire tagging is relatively dangerous, what with a school in LA having been partially burned down from the practice, but as long as you're smart enough to not try it on the side of an old wooden barn it shouldn't be that bad. And some people are tagging with lighter fluid, making it less permanent than regular graffiti. Lighting wet paint on fire makes it permanent, but with burned accents, which is cool too. But something about making graffiti more of a performance and something to be witnessed right after it's done is especially pleasing to me.

Unless it was on the side of my convenience store, in which case I'd call the cops on those no-good punks. [Gothamist via Fast Company; Photo by Faith-Ann Young]

Cross "Hot-Wire My Car" Off the Bucket List With a Handy How-To

John Mahoney — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Hot-wiring a car isn't really on the list of things every boy should get handed down from their pappies, but when you find yourself in the Sahara and your Land Cruiser keys just got eaten by a lioness, you'll be happy you checked out this informative step-by-step guide. Yes, it's super illegal, so don't be an idiot; use only in case of safari disasters. [Wired How-To Wiki via Lifehacker]

Instant Hot Tub? Just Add Water and Quicklime

AddyDugdale — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:40:00 EDT

This is how you make a hot tub, hillbilly style. Three guys from the prairies of Illinois turned an old stock tank sitting in the open air into a jacuzzi, and heated it up using quicklime, that scary caustic stuff that burns your skin off if you're not too careful. A video of how they did it, using gas masks, tin baths and a lot of ingenuity, is after the jump.

Rather like a reverse-Bain Marie, the guys floated three metal tubs, each containing fifty pounds of quicklime, in the "jacuzzi." When water was added to each container, the quicklime fizzed away, heating the 700 or so gallons of water to the perfect temperature, 100ºF. You've got to love the palm-tree background, set off by the Hawaiian shirt sported by one of the tubbers. [PopSci]

Robot Shopping Cart Cruises Streets, Bursts into Flames

Benny Goldman — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Why the hell is a dismembered pair of legs walking around willy nilly with a shopping cart? I'll tell you why...To draw awareness to homeless people, and the cutthroat world of cart-pushing. It was designed in 1993 by a college student who thought the concept of using robots for hazardous jobs could be applied to the most dangerous job of all, being homeless. The student rigged the cart together using a bunch of bike chains and a couple car batteries. We're not sure it serves any practical purpose—might be better if there were hands to put things in the cart. One thing the artist definitely got wrong though: homeless people do not spontaneously burst into flames. At least not in New York, they don't. [GizmoGarden via Make]

69 Year Old Attempts Record Hawaii to Japan Trip in Wave Powered Boat

Sean Fallon — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:50:14 EST

Ken-ichi Horie, a 69 year old Japanese sailor, is planning a solo 4,350 mile trip from Hawaii to Japan using the most advanced wave powered boat on the planet. If successful, the trip would earn him a Guinness record while simultaneously proving the viability of wave powered propulsion. His boat, the Suntory Mermaid II, turns wave energy into thrust using two fins mounted beneath the bow. These fins move up and down with the waves and use them to generate "kicks" that propel the boat forward.

The problem is that all of that new fangled technology will only manage to scrape together a top speed of 5 knots. Therefore, it will take about three months to achieve what a diesel powered boat can achieve in only one. Plus, all of the radios and electrical equipment are solar powered. Sounds pretty dangerous, but this is the same dude that made a solo trip across the Pacific in 1999 on a catamaran made from recycled beer barrels. In other words, he's a rugged dude. [Popsci]

The Most Dangerous Projects at Maker Faire

Jason Chen — Wed, 23 May 2007 22:00:02 EDT

You may have seen our gallery from Maker Faire, but here's something new. It's a compilation of the most dangerous projects we saw there. And even if you're not a fan of mutilation, you should like the soundtrack.

– Jason Chen

Special thanks to Andrew Baron from Rocketboom and Sarah Meyers.

Ten Most Dangerous Toys of All Time

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:10:09 EST

The most dangerous toy our parents gave us when we were kids was a potato. That, perhaps, explains our current obsession with shiny objects. In the spirit of reminiscing, Radar Mag has a roundup of the ten most dangerous toys in the last half century. These honestly don't stand up in comparison with the depression-era "Razor Flying Disc"—which was just one giant razor—or "Little Johnny's Smallpox Infection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Kit" that was so popular at the turn of the century.

Some of the more notable items Radar's list are Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy lab with actual radioactive specimens, Bat Masterson's belt gun that went off when pudgy kids relaxed for just a second, and the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Motorcycle that resulted in some Steve-O-like trips around the neighborhood cul-de-sac. – Jason Chen

Pray for Coal [Radar Magazine]

Dangerous Jewelry by Tobias Wong

johnb — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 11:12:47 EST

Still got your Malibu?
Aw, man. You know what some fucker did the other day?
What?
Fucking scratched it up with a diamond ring by designer Tobias Wong.
Oh, man, that's fucked up.
Tell me about it. I had it in storage for three years, it was out for five days and some dickless piece of shit fucked with it.
They should be fucking killed. No trial, no jury, straight to execution.

Killer Diamond Ring [YankoDesign]