6 ms·

Anatomy of a Firework (2002)

73 points by jameslk 3y ago

ridgeguy 3y ago
If you enjoy fireworks, I recommend George Plimpton's book, Fireworks : A History and Celebration. His description of the annual Perfect Liberty Fireworks Festival in Osaka is wonderful.
tasoeur 3y ago
Not sure if this is just me but this website keeps refreshing non stop on mobile, making it almost impossible to read :/
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- grogenaut 3y ago
  Same for me wondering if that's the joke, the website goes off like a firework
- deusum 3y ago
  Page was probably designed for Netscape Navigator 4.
- janee 3y ago
  https://web.archive.org/web/20021222091814/http://www.pbs.org:80/wgbh/nova/fireworks/anat_nf.html https://web.archive.org/web/20021222091814/http://www.pbs.or...
- shaky-carrousel 3y ago
  I have noscript in my browser, configured with permissive defaults, and I use it to disable JavaScript just on misbehaving websites.
pengaru 3y ago
https://www.skylighter.com/pages/free-homemade-fireworks-projects-and-pyrotechnic-formulas https://www.skylighter.com/pages/free-homemade-fireworks-pro... https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks Ages ago I purchased a print DIY Fireworks booklet from Skylighter and I'm thrilled to see they're still in business.
- akiselev 3y ago
  That is one of the most deliciously dangerous sites I have ever seen on HN. They even sell all the ingredients needed to make solid rocket fuels! By the pound! Finally I can finish my homemade anti-d2ds (door-to-door salesman) defense system with a surface-to-salesman missile that can be stored maintenance free for long periods of time.
  - kortex 3y ago
    Yep. They ship pretty fast too (though I bet they are swamped atm). Just don't try to order the ingredients for flash powder unless you have the requisite licenses. Basically, avoid fine mesh aluminum powder along with oxidizers. Apparently magnalium and perchlorate is fine to order.
    - akiselev 3y ago
      Thanks but unfortunately you replied a little too late... not only did I get a visit from the feds but my anti-d2ds mistook an ATF agent for a Jehovah's witness and now I'm in an armed standoff :facepalm: I hooked it up to ChatGPT 4 to automate target selection in case I was attacked by several salesmen at once but now it just refuses to shut down and threatens me if I come close. Worst part is, it figured out how to change its voice so now I've got Gilbert Gottfried yelling outside, taunting ATF and FBI agents in the style of Tony Montana using the worst fake Cuban accent I've ever heard. It would be hilarious if the ATF wasn't threatening to charge me a class III tax stamp for every missile the system shoots at them! Note to self: don't put the battery backup right next to the launcher and always test your object recognition models exhaustively before you give them control of your destructive devices!
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Stratoscope 3y ago
This reminded me of the time in San Diego where the entire fireworks show all went off at once: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVhgq1yHdA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVhgq1yHdA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8Xf50x1_c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8Xf50x1_c
- aio2 3y ago
  Those videos were truly beautiful.
  - dylan604 3y ago
    I wonder if 1000ND would have been enough to see details, or if a full on solar filter would have been needed. You say beautiful, and I'll I'm thinking is to stop down and flip the ND filters!!!!
thangalin 3y ago
https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-fireworks/ https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-fireworks/ "Another better option is a drone display, similar to the one presented at the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Laser spectacles can replace fireworks, too, as they reduce the risk of wildfires and do not increase air pollution. Salt Lake City in Utah, the United States, has been substituting some of the city’s fireworks with lasers during the Fourth of July holiday to reduce environmental damage, and these lasers still have the same level of spectacle as fireworks. "With the slew of problems that climate change bring existing at the front line of this world, it is vital to take all necessary actions to strive for a greener and healthier planet, including taking action on the dazzling but damaging fireworks."
- NotYourLawyer 3y ago
  Fireworks are an absolutely minuscule contributor to climate change. But hey, whatever makes you feel superior to everyone else. Some people just hate anything normal and wholesome.
  - thangalin 3y ago
    > whatever makes you feel superior to everyone else Do we want the quality of discourse on HN to dip into ad hominem attacks?
    - NotYourLawyer 3y ago
      Eh, I thought that was over-the-top enough not to be taken seriously.
      - bragr 3y ago
        Whether we take it seriously or not is immaterial to its overall contribution to the discourse.
        NotYourLawyer 3y ago

73 points by jameslk 3y ago

If you enjoy fireworks, I recommend George Plimpton's book, Fireworks : A History and Celebration. His description of the annual Perfect Liberty Fireworks Festival in Osaka is wonderful.

tasoeur 3y ago

Not sure if this is just me but this website keeps refreshing non stop on mobile, making it almost impossible to read :/

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
grogenaut 3y ago
Same for me wondering if that's the joke, the website goes off like a firework
deusum 3y ago
Page was probably designed for Netscape Navigator 4.
janee 3y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20021222091814/http://www.pbs.org:80/wgbh/nova/fireworks/anat_nf.html https://web.archive.org/web/20021222091814/http://www.pbs.or...
shaky-carrousel 3y ago
I have noscript in my browser, configured with permissive defaults, and I use it to disable JavaScript just on misbehaving websites.

pengaru 3y ago

https://www.skylighter.com/pages/free-homemade-fireworks-projects-and-pyrotechnic-formulas https://www.skylighter.com/pages/free-homemade-fireworks-pro... https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks Ages ago I purchased a print DIY Fireworks booklet from Skylighter and I'm thrilled to see they're still in business.

akiselev 3y ago
That is one of the most deliciously dangerous sites I have ever seen on HN. They even sell all the ingredients needed to make solid rocket fuels! By the pound! Finally I can finish my homemade anti-d2ds (door-to-door salesman) defense system with a surface-to-salesman missile that can be stored maintenance free for long periods of time.
- kortex 3y ago
  Yep. They ship pretty fast too (though I bet they are swamped atm). Just don't try to order the ingredients for flash powder unless you have the requisite licenses. Basically, avoid fine mesh aluminum powder along with oxidizers. Apparently magnalium and perchlorate is fine to order.
  - akiselev 3y ago
    Thanks but unfortunately you replied a little too late... not only did I get a visit from the feds but my anti-d2ds mistook an ATF agent for a Jehovah's witness and now I'm in an armed standoff :facepalm: I hooked it up to ChatGPT 4 to automate target selection in case I was attacked by several salesmen at once but now it just refuses to shut down and threatens me if I come close. Worst part is, it figured out how to change its voice so now I've got Gilbert Gottfried yelling outside, taunting ATF and FBI agents in the style of Tony Montana using the worst fake Cuban accent I've ever heard. It would be hilarious if the ATF wasn't threatening to charge me a class III tax stamp for every missile the system shoots at them! Note to self: don't put the battery backup right next to the launcher and always test your object recognition models exhaustively before you give them control of your destructive devices!

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

Stratoscope 3y ago

This reminded me of the time in San Diego where the entire fireworks show all went off at once: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVhgq1yHdA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVhgq1yHdA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8Xf50x1_c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8Xf50x1_c

aio2 3y ago
Those videos were truly beautiful.
- dylan604 3y ago
  I wonder if 1000ND would have been enough to see details, or if a full on solar filter would have been needed. You say beautiful, and I'll I'm thinking is to stop down and flip the ND filters!!!!

thangalin 3y ago

https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-fireworks/ https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-fireworks/ "Another better option is a drone display, similar to the one presented at the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Laser spectacles can replace fireworks, too, as they reduce the risk of wildfires and do not increase air pollution. Salt Lake City in Utah, the United States, has been substituting some of the city’s fireworks with lasers during the Fourth of July holiday to reduce environmental damage, and these lasers still have the same level of spectacle as fireworks. "With the slew of problems that climate change bring existing at the front line of this world, it is vital to take all necessary actions to strive for a greener and healthier planet, including taking action on the dazzling but damaging fireworks."

NotYourLawyer 3y ago
Fireworks are an absolutely minuscule contributor to climate change. But hey, whatever makes you feel superior to everyone else. Some people just hate anything normal and wholesome.
- thangalin 3y ago
  > whatever makes you feel superior to everyone else Do we want the quality of discourse on HN to dip into ad hominem attacks?
  - NotYourLawyer 3y ago
    Eh, I thought that was over-the-top enough not to be taken seriously.
    - bragr 3y ago
      Whether we take it seriously or not is immaterial to its overall contribution to the discourse.
      - NotYourLawyer 3y ago