Loose Parts by Dave Blazek for May 31, 2021

I like the explosive ending.

Try as he might, he just didn’t have any chemistry whit the audience.

Flask-acting relief.

the critics said it was much ado about nothing…

You’ll notice that the audience has no reaction.

And that’s why they thought he was gay. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Larry Fine at his other gig.

Back in the eighteenth century the scientists of the time gave public demonstrations of their experiments, particularly with electricity. They were very popular and frequently “played” to sell out crowds.

After that less than stellar performance, the audience reached for their own flasks.

He found out quickly that the reaction of iron pyrites and hydrochloric acid didn’t get any applause.

There’s more than one way to get a reaction!

A Mentos in a Diet Coke filled beaker?

The freshman physics and chemistry classes at my alma mater, a great northeastern technological university, had a weekly “demo” session, with a professor performing various demonstrations of physics and chemistry principles on the stage of an auditorium. (This was in addition to the regular small classroom sessions and one-on-one lab work.) They were usually pretty flamboyant and impressive and were very popular with the students, who referred to them as the “magic shows.”

As a rule, you are not allowed to create bigger explosions than this in a public exhibition – unless rock and roll is involved.

wow