(by 9 people)
...welcome to the laboratory...
I won the book MAD PROFESSOR by Mark Frauenfelder in the Squidoo BoingBoing Lensmaster Challenge. This lens has some of my explorations of the Mad Professor experiments in the book, so if you're curious about science and learning, come check it out!
I'm So Qualified To Be A Mad Professor
some background on the mad lensmaster
As the daughter of an artist and a chemist, I got a lot of art with my science, and a lot of science with my art growing up. It's like having a Reese's peanut butter cup problem, but more aesthetic. Or more flammable, depending on what's really going on.
Here's my earliest proof of my mad professor tendencies. I'm sure it's not the earliest instance, it's just the earliest moment that has survived on film. I am the taller one, in the lab coat, with the heavily-darkened brows, antique glasses and hair that I just couldn't stick up enough. The shorter person is my younger sister, my "monster" that night, sort of part-vampire, part-I-don't-know-what.
My parents had gone out to a party or something, and we were old enough to be left home alone without a baby sitter, trusted to survive the night without killing each other, as it was phrased. I'm thinking I was about 13 in this pic, so that would make my sister 9. Yeah, that's about right for the level of spazziness going on.
So, Mom and Dad come home at like 1 AM, expecting the two kids to be asleep, as those were the directions left, and usually, we didn't do anything overtly out of line. (The secret shenanigans are an entirely different matter.)
However, upon walking through the front door, my parents were instead greeted by their eldest, in her mad professor ensemble, bursting out with "Gut Ef-fen-ning... Velcome to za La-bor-A-tory!" I recall how their mouths dropped open as my sister lurched "monster-like" from down the hallway, fangs half-falling out of her mouth. Man, we'd stunned 'em. I mean, sure, they'd come home to a crazy scene or two before, but this one was a truly original moment that came out of left field.
Bless 'em, my folks laughed their heads off, took the picture you see here with a Polaroid, threw us in the bath to scrub off way too much makeup, and put us to bed.
Anyway, that's my "Mad Professor" cred story, in case you were wondering.
The Book I Won Is...
So, this is that book I won. The subtitle on the cover reads "Concoct Extremely Weird Science Projects" then says "Robot Food, Saucer Slime, Martian Volcanoes and more."
Very cool.
According to the introduction, this book contains select experiments that were left behind in a notebook sealed inside an alloy egg, that was found on the island of Kia Ora, in the South Pacific. The experiments are the work of the scientists at Zoober Science Laboratories. It would seem the scientists and their lab have been shot forward in time due to one experiment which, in the interests of safety, has not been included.
Alien Professor Zoober, chemist Philo T. Funsworth, roboticist Helena Capek and a gorilla geologist named Tambuzi have left notes to guide budding mad professors through a series of experiments that demonstrate polymers, robotics, earth sciences, fringe science and the scientific method.
Mad Professor
Amazon Price: (as of 07/20/2008)
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Used Price: $0.86
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EXPERIMENT #1 --> GOON GOO
or, how I began at the beginning
I figured I'd start right at the beginning and do the very first experiment in the book: Making Goon Goo. This uses Elmer's Glue-All, water and borax solution to make a material that I remember from when I was a kid that was just called "slime." My goo #2, which used a bit less borax solution than goo #1, had the EXACT texture I remembered.
I didn't have regular food coloring in my house, I had natural food coloring. It's made from vegetable coloring, corn syrup, and glycerin. I only used a touch the first time as I wasn't sure if it would change the goo. It didn't, so I used a lot more the second time. It's much less staining than synthetic food colors and you'll need to use a lot to get colored goo. Mine just has gentle tints.
mixing glue, water and food coloring
Adding the borax solution
Kneading the goo
Goo #1 was fairly stiff
Goo #2 used less borax
You can see the difference
Mad Professor Inspiration
Thomas Edison once said invention was 98% inspiration and 2% perspiration.
Mad Professors know that the inspiration part of that equation often contains chocolate, goofing off, playing videos games, internet surfing and watching lots of movies.
Movie watching with popcorn is even more inspiring.
How To Walk Around Underwater
This is a movie I made during a parade in San Francisco. It shows a guy who is so smart, he's figured out how to walk around underwater without being in a swimming pool!
click to view video
Mad Links for Mad Professors
Everything listed here is guaranteed to make you both smile and think. Bless those folks with too much time on their hands who think these things up and then actually go try them out!
- Mad Professor
- Mad Professor Mark Frauenfelder reviews books, comic books, movies, music, software, tools, and toys.
- The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments
- This is the web home of that wonderful video of two guys making huge fountains out of Diet Coke and Mentos. I actually met the taller/balder of the mad scientists in this video, as he's the older brother of a good friend of mine. Expect more fun weirdness from these guys in the near future.
- Scientist's formula to rid Hollywood of mad professors and sci-fi errors
- Fed up with the dodgy portrayal of science in films, an Oxford University biochemist has set herself up as a consultant to Hollywood in her quest to do away with errors, misconceptions and nutty professors.
- Mad scientist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, either villainous, or benign and scatterbrained. Whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, the mad scientist is often working with some utterly fictional technology in order to forward his or her evil schemes. Alternatively, he or she doesn't see the evil that will ensue from the hubris of "playing God". Because of recent profusion of geek culture, modern mad scientist depictions are often satirical and humorous rather than critical. It should be noted that not all mad scientists are evil or villains.
- Professors by Richard A. Bartle
- There are two main sorts of professors. Absent-minded professors can think but can't remember. Mad professors can remember but can't think. The very best professors are both, and can do neither.
- Ever wonder what happens when you dump a bucket of liquid nitrogen into a swimming pool?
- Lovely. Just lovely. More geeks need to play with swimming pools.
- MadSciNet: The 24-hour exploding laboratory.
- Welcome to the laboratory that never sleeps! MadSci Network represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure we provide a variety of oddities and other ends as well.
- The International Society of Mad Scientists
- Founded 1995 The International Society of Mad Scientists is dedicated to disseminating information about unusual projects in any field. Membership is open to anyone that in practice or spirit considers themselves to be a Mad Scientist.
- The Scientist : Female scientists on the big screen
- Physics professor Sidney Perkowitz reflects on how women scientists are portrayed in film
- MAKING HOLOGRAMS -- SHOEBOX HOLOGRAPHY
- The Complete Guide to Making your own Holograms -- Shoebox Holography Book.
Experiment #6 --> Nibble Dough
This is the yummiest experiment in MAD PROFESSOR. I made my Nibble Dough into some alien eyes and even made a very alien-looking Squidoo logo. Even though these cookies look very strange, they taste delicious!
mixing up the dough
By wrapping the different colors, you can make a design that will be seen on all...
Here you can see what the rolled dough looks like. Each cookie you silce off th...
The baked Alien Eye cookies
When you bite into the finished cookies, the colors are brighter on the inside. ...
A very mutated but edible version of the Squidoo logo
Mystery Science Theater 3000
What happens when a mad professor blasts a humble lab technician into space and forces him to watch really bad movies with the robots he's built to keep himself company?
The result is Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). One of the greatest cult tv shows of all times, each episode had robot comedy, invention exchanges and the best talking back to a movie screen you'll ever hear!
Science News for Kids!
Here are links to some cool stories about science for kids!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byA Few From The Vaults
the mad scientist photo gallery!
Mad Professor Marius
Mad Professor Rum Punch
The Mad Professor!
Mad Scientist
Mad Professor
Mad Scientist
Gary the Mad Scientist Redux
Mad Scientist
mad professor by jabafe
the mad professor
Professor Mega-Noggin instructing how to make Slime
More Fun for Mad Professors
great kids science books for fun and learning
Here are some more great books that offer up equal doses of fun and learning for kids who are interested in science and doing experiments.
Spiff Up The Ol' Laboratory
Work... play.... what's the difference?
- Perpetual Kid - Unique Gifts to Entertain Your Inner Child
- Home to the largest selection of unique gifts for the adult with a very active inner child. Fun kitchenware to funky furniture and unique home decor.
- Mad Professors Gifts
- Welcome to the "mad professors" gifts page from CartoonStock. Any of these cartoons can be bought as prints/originals or printed on the merchandise at the bottom of this page. Follow the links at the bottom of this page to search for gifts on other topics or to purchase reproduction rights for any of these images.
- Science Projects Experiments and Educational Toys
- If you're looking for cool educational toys, science kits, teacher workshop materials, science toys, easy science fair projects or just an awesome gift, you've come to the right place.
- Stirling Engines, Waste heat recovery, Sterling Engines- American Stirling Company Home Page
- Model Stirling engines and kits, heat of your hand Stirling engines, and waste heat recovery consulting.
- ThinkGeek :: Geek Toys
- Fun & funky toys for Mad Professors of all ages!
Lab Notes
Tell me about your experiments and creations!
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beeobrien
How fun! I'm adding this to featured lenses at Edible Science Experiments. Posted May 01, 2008 |
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relache
Susan, since the book is geared towards elementary school kids, I felt I'd keep other recommendations along that same age range. I mean, my idea of a mad scientist is Dr. Frankenfurter, you know? Posted April 14, 2008 |
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SusanVillasLewis
Aw man! Where's Weird Science? Way better than Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. :-) I really need to try this book out and maybe a few others. Now that I'm allowed to play with fire, I'm sure I could have quite a bit of fun with them. Posted April 14, 2008 |
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Barkely
I love the Squid cookies! Thanks for adding this to Fun For Kids! Posted March 28, 2008 |
