Notes from the Technology Underground

The Technology Underground Blog: Extreme Tinkering and Radical Self Expression Through Technology This blog covers events where things that go whoosh, boom, or splat are featured. On-Topic examples include events that have rockets, pulse jets, tesla coils, magnaformers, homemade subs, pyrotechnics, railguns, catapults, etc . . .

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Fire Piston

Doesn't look like much, but it's actually way cool -> (click on picture to see it work) The fire piston is a clever little device...

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The Maker President

As a maker and rational risk taker, I was thrilled to hear President Obam a say this in his inaugural address: In reaffirming the greatness ...

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Moaster

What happens when you mix a toaster, an arduino, some pressurized CO2, and the same English ingenuity that brought the world the steam engin...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Airborne Laser - World's Largest Hunk of Titanium

Titanium alloy is extraordinarily strong, stiff, and light, all qualities coveted by people interested in cramming in as much horsepower int...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

How to be Interviewed on Live TV

So, maybe you've been trying to figure out how to be interviewed on live television without crashing and burning. Well, don't worry,...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Potato Cannon Instructions - NOW RENDERED IN 3D!!!

This is way, way cool . In 2006 I wrote an article for Make Magazine which describes in detail how to make a potato cannon. I called it the ...

Friday, January 09, 2009

Make: Television is on the air!

Make: Television comes to the airwaves! This is a shot of me, John Edgar Park (who I think I'll start called Eggy for short), and the te...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Water Casts

Those who have read my blog recently are aware of my enjoyment of Victorian age English magazines. One magazine in particular, Pearson's...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Homemade Windmills Across America, ca.1900

Much time on my part has been spent in the sub-basement annex of the University of Minnesota library. That's where they keep the old, ol...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Cold Days, Warm Flamethrower

Cold days, warm flamethrower. Instructions on how to make your own are part of Absinthe and Flamethrowers, coming to all bookstores in June...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Absinthe and Flamethrowers Cover

Hot off the press: Here's the cover of my new book, Absinthe and Flamethrowers which will come out in June, 2009. The bold red cover and...

How to Make a Pole Aerial Photography set up

Make Magazine issue 16, with the cool Spy vs Spy cover, features my how-to article on how to make a pole mounted camera (aka Mast Aerial Ph...

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Developments in High Explosives

The first atomic bombs, of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki variety, worked by basically crashing one piece of highly enriched uranium into anothe...

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

The Blowing Things Up Holiday Gift Guide

If you're looking for gift ideas with high energy appeal, the list below may be just the ticket. I think almost every garage tinkerer d...

Friday, December 05, 2008

Yellow Fever Vaccinations and Travel Medicine Clinics

Sad but true, the health care system in the US does not work well. One must be a vigilant consumer of health care services. Later this month...

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Worlds Fastest Indian?

I've got an upcoming article in Make Magazine about Speed Week , a gathering of fast cars and faster drivers that happens once a year on...

Monday, December 01, 2008

The Barrage Garage DVD!

Two Years in the Making: The Barrage Garage DVD THE GARAGE WARRIOR’S ULTIMATE VIDEO GUIDE TO ALL THINGS THAT GO BOOM is available for purc...

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Ghost Pigeons

Ghost Pigeons - the last enduring testament of a bird's life and premature death. Recently, I've become aware of what I call "...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Chinese Siege Warfare - Mechanical Artillery & Siege Weapons of Antiquity

Too often, when we talk about siege engines - catapults, trebuchets, ballistae, and so forth - we focus on European technology. But it's...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Too Much Clutter in America's Nuclear Attic?

Several newspapers had this or a similar story in it yesterday: WASHINGTON — The U.S. military mistakenly shipped four nuclear-missile det...

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About Me

William Gurstelle: Named to Wired Magazine’s Smart List, William Gurstelle is a bestselling author, registered engineer, and professional speaker. The author of Backyard Ballistics, Absinthe and Flamethrowers, and seven other books, he is recognized for his particular talent for making science and technology accessible, intriguing, and – most of all – fun to all readers and audiences. Having sold more nearly half a million books, he is one of the world’s most widely read authors on science and technology. In addition, he is a contributing editor for Popular Mechanics and Make Magazine. He is a frequent contributor to Wired, Popular Science, and a book reviewer for the Wall Street Journal. He has been heard on NPR’s Science Friday and Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, and has made numerous appearances on PBS, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. William and his books have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the London Daily Telegraph, Popular Mechanics, USA Today, and scores of other newspapers and magazines

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