They Conceal Information Like That in Books
“A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”
-Carl Sagan
No too long ago I had a chance to review my bucket list of things I would like to build some day. It’s fairly extensive, as you can imagine, and includes the items below, which I’ve wanted to build since before I could drive:
Linear accelerator (experiment with isotope creation, atom smashing, etc.)
Fusion device (probably a fusor, or z-pinch)
My own CRT style vector graphics display
Old fashioned x-ray tubes
Each of these devices incorporates high vacuum, high voltage, and appeals to the part of me that loves nuclear physics.
Enthusiasm > Self Preservation
When I was young, 10 or 11, I stumbled upon a book that was clearly shelved in the children’s section of the Atherstone library in error. I believe its title was “Atomic Physics” and that it ended up in the kids’ section by mistake because the subject matter was both complex and not entirely child safe.
At any rate, after reading the book, I began building my own x-ray machines from bulbs and valves, powered by modified car ignition coils (thanks, dad!). Then I queried the local dentist’s office to see if they have any expired, unexposed dental films I could use to see if my contraptions were actually outputting x-rays.
Not satisfied to simply attempt to build x-ray machines, I also disassembled old clocks and watches to scrape the glow-in-the-dark paint off the dial and hands to check for radium I could use to cast a shadow on the dental films.
Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, I never found any luminous, radioactive paint - at least none that was radioactive enough to mark my dental films - but I did get weak shadows from one valve, with kitchen-foil wrapped around the bulb connected to my homebrew EHT power supply as an anode. I used a variable speed train controller to drive the cathode.
One such potential copy I found online
I’m not honestly sure if a cold cathode would have worked just as well…
These experiments with radioactive materials and high voltage were towards the extreme end of what I got up to as an 11-year old. Inspired by this remarkable book, and empowered by Gen-X’s general lack of helicopter parents, I conducted all sorts of fun experiments that occasionally resulted in mayhem for both my self and the house (sorry mum and dad).
I know I was generating rays of some sort, since no one in my house could watch television while my experiments were going on. I never asked the neighbors if they had snow on their TVs as well to see if I was generating large enough waves to affect the rest of the block, since I didn’t want to be blamed each time their signal went out…
To this day, I’ve been trying to find a copy of whatever book it was that I found in that children’s section. I *think* I’ve found several online, but without purchasing them to find out I’m really not sure. Each copy I’ve found is expensive enough to prohibit me making the purchase to find out I was wrong.
Whether or not I’m ever able to find a copy, I am forever grateful to whichever mischievous soul decided a book on nuclear physics, complete with experiments, should be left in the children’s area of the library for me to discover.
A few years later, at 14 and in high school, I happened upon a copy of “The Amateur Scientist,” which contained even more outlandish experiments. I conducted many of them and made several interesting devices, which I was lucky to survive when powered up.
There was a linear accelerator design I never got around to making which I’ve always wanted to build.
I do have a copy of “The Amateur Scientist,” having found one to buy online, and to this day I believe it to be the greatest compilation of fun, do-it-yourself science projects ever created. I feel like every kid should have a copy - though some of the experiments may be on the same level as giving your kid a set of lawn darts…
As I work with an incredible team creating autonomous machinery to make precision parts for rockets and fusion reactors, among other things, I find myself thinking of that kid enthusiastically experimenting with car parts, dental film, and unshielded power sources. That kid never could have dreamed he would one day have the opportunity to help get people to space, the moon, and maybe even other planets. And, you know, I get to help make that radioactive stuff that fascinated 11-year old me.
I also recently survived packing up, moving, and unpacking our large volume of books and numerous book cases, and, well, it’s a lot. Yet, I value every book because they are a piece of someone else’s knowledge I was able to acquire to add to my own understanding of the world. Books are really remarkable things that allow us to continually grow our collective human intelligence and creativity, and though my large collection of books is undoubtedly adding quite a bit to the price of our move, the books are priceless.
Where I’ve ended up all started with one, exciting, out of place book that sparked the imagination of a curious kid.
So, the moral of the story is this: If you know a kid who is science curious, go ahead and order them the adult-level book with the outlandish experiments so you get to see what magic they may be able to create if given the right source material.
