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Magnetic Darts Are Scary Powerful

Magnetic Darts Are Scary Powerful

Need a weapon? Grab some magnets and some nails and you got yourself a hell of an arrow launcher. The magnets push out the nail darts so fast that it’s basically a mini crossbow mixed with a nailgun, no batteries necessary. Magnetic Games said that in order to get this powerful shot, the arrow and the launcher have to have the same polarity.

Digg recently found the video and it’s actually pretty crazy to see how powerful the little weapon is.

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Contact the author at cchan@gizmodo.com.

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Magnetic Darts Are Scary Powerful

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Furniture Design Reference: Diagrams of 18th Century Furniture Broken Down Into Its Components

Before the internet, we had encyclopedias. One of the oldest is France’s Encyclopédie from the 18th Century, where editors Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert gamely tried to cram the world’s knowledge into a comprehensive series of volumes. But the funny thing about French people is that they tend to write in French, so for years the University of Michigan has been translating this massive work into English and posting entries on their website as they become available.

The 18th Century was a bit before the time of industrial designers, but we sifted through the Encyclopédie to find the closest related field and came up with furniture design. Within the Menuisier en meubles ("Art of the cabinetmaker") entry are some twenty plates cataloguing the various parts of fine furniture of the era. Detailed descriptions are nonexistent, but we get to see the components, the joinery, the templates, the weaving patterns of the wicker and even how some of the parts are meant to be cut from the timber:

Plate I: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Seats
Plate II: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Seats and Benches. [Conversion of timber sections from a beechwood plank, together with assembly details.]
Plate III: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Seats. [Constructional and decorative details of different types of ornamental legs.]
Plate IV: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Chairs. [Chair construction.]
Plate V: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Armchairs
Plate VI: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Armchairs and easy chairs
Plate VII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Easy chair and smal couch.
Plate VIII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Couch
Plate IX: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Sofa
Plate X: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Duchesse [day-bed or reclining sofa].
Plate XI: Furniture Carpenter Veilleuse [day-bed or reclining sofa].
Plate XII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Day-bed or reclining sofa [with a circular frame].
Plate XIII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Sideboard [with cabinet].
Plate XIV: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Wardrobe.
Plate XV: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Polish Bed
Plate XVI: Art of the Cabinet Maker, French Bed
Plate XVII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Italian Bed
Plate XVIII: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Templates
Plate XIX: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Templates
Plate XX: Art of the Cabinet Maker, Templates

Thanks to the University of Michigan for undertaking this project, and keeping it Creative Commons!


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Furniture Design Reference: Diagrams of 18th Century Furniture Broken Down Into Its Components

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Instantly Vaporize Rust With Lasers! (Video)

I’m a tinkerer. I have built and rebuilt guns, done the same for tractors, worked on every vehicle I’ve ever owned, and have even been known to weld up some steel sculptures. In all of those pursuits, I have encountered rust, and it’s usually a problem. Removing rust is usually messy, tedious, inefficient, and slow.[…..]

The post Instantly Vaporize Rust With Lasers! (Video) appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.

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Instantly Vaporize Rust With Lasers! (Video)

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Make Silky, Takeout Quality Egg Drop Soup at Home With Cornstarch

Make Silky, Takeout Quality Egg Drop Soup at Home With Cornstarch

Egg drop soup may seem like one of those magical things that can only be acquired from your favorite takeout joint, but it’s actually startlingly easy to make at home. Getting that silky texture is the real trick, but all you need is a little cornstarch.

Once you make your stock (this recipe has all the flavor bases covered), you’ll want to make a slurry of 1 tablespoon soy sauce + 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk that into about six cups of stock, and let boil until thickened, about two minutes. Beat some eggs with a little sesame oil, and slowly pour them into the hot soup, whisking constantly to form those delightful, wispy strands.

Skip Delivery, Make Your Own Egg Drop Soup | Food & Wine

Photo by Jules.


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Make Silky, Takeout Quality Egg Drop Soup at Home With Cornstarch