PingMag has an interview with Yoshiharu Shinohara, a Japanese “furin” (glass wind chimes) maker. Lastly, please tell me what it takes to be a craftsman in this day and age. Lately, parents of young people will come up to me, and say “My child is really quiet and withdrawn, and just likes to stay in […]
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I’m sure I owe my fascination with glass eyes to my grandfather, who lost an eye when he worked on the railroads and had a glass replacement. His visits meant nervously brushing my teeth while keeping my eye on his, staring out at me from its glass of water on the bathroom counter. I found […]
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Awesome science, beautiful imagery – If you want a scientific display of the dangers of pent-up stress, Prince Rupert’s drops are it. After the trauma of being dropped molten-hot into a bucket of cold water, these glass balls, named for a 17th-century amateur scientist, turn into bundles of high tension. They’re impervious to even the […]
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This is a functional glass seismograph for measuring earthquakes. It stands about 40″ tall, and is about 48″ wide installed. It measures vibrations along the x and y axes (side to side), as well as the z axis (up and down), on three helicorders. Ideally, it should be bolted into bedrock for accuracy… Andy Paiko […]
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The cassette tape company Memorex seared the image of Ella Fitzgerald shattering a glass with her voice into many people’s collective memory in a television commercial that ran in the 1980s. With the right tools, good pitch, and a strong voice (or an amplifier), you can do this at home. How to Break a Glass […]
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