7 ms·

Meet the Man Behind America’s Most Dangerous Mail-Order Kits

128 points by jalanco 14y ago

gadders 14y ago
You have to admire someone who has built a business like that single-handed.
- gwern 14y ago
  Let's all give this man a hand! I can imagine that some of his wares could be very... handy. I'd give my left hand for that Tesla coil. Let's hope he never hands off the business to an inferior designer. You know, someone who can't quite put their finger on a brilliant design. (Oh god I can't stop, there's just too many puns to make... at hand.)
  - reinhardt 14y ago
    That was a pretty underhanded comment.
    - gwern 14y ago
      I regret nothing!
      - contingencies 14y ago
        You handled it well.
- mistercow 14y ago
  Let us please not turn HN into reddit.
meaty 14y ago
Is there some link with geeks and explosives? In my youth, if a large bang was heard across the town or smoke was spotted, I was always asked if it was my fault :) (a lot of the time it was :)
- amalag 14y ago
  I hate to think of doing the stuff I used to do in high school 15 years ago now because of all the extra security and terrorism links.
  - protomyth 14y ago
    True, but if you're a HS chemistry teacher with a vial of Na on display and no student has tried to steal it, then you haven't done your job.
    - meaty 14y ago
      That is very true. I must have stolen half the lab store at school :)
    - amalag 14y ago
      We used to play with Thermite. I think I stole quite a bit of aluminum powder from the lab and my mom was wondering what I was doing baking rust in the oven. ahh the good old days
- kragen 14y ago
  Yes, everyone I've ever known who made explosives was a geek. Why is that?
  - jwoah12 14y ago
    They knew where to find a copy of the Anarchist's Cookbook.
    - davidtanner 14y ago
      A real geek would know the Anarchist's Cookbook is chock full of dangerous misinformation and avoid it.
      - meaty 14y ago
kmfrk 14y ago
I remember a woman - Austrian? - who sold suicide kits that contained something people were to inhale. I don't know whatever happened to her or that story, but I am sure she's not the only one in the "market". Enabling people who want to harm themselves is probably more dangerous than this. The superlative makes this article a little bombastic to read.
- narag 14y ago
  I am sure she's not the only one in the "market" Obviously she couldn't count on customers' loyalty.
- darklajid 14y ago
  I'm not sure if I'd consider that 'more dangerous'. Sure, euthanasia is a topic best not brought up at parties, but if I ignore the legal and moral aspect for a second: The stuff you order from the guy in the article is supposed to be interesting/entertaining, but might kill you when you build it/if you are not careful. The 'suicide kit' you describe says what it does (if it works, if it's not a scam) on the box. You won't buy it and .. die by accident.
- petitmiam 14y ago
  I first thought of Dr Philip Nitschke's 'Euthanasia Kit' when I read the headline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Nitschke#Exit_bag_and_CoGen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Nitschke#Exit_bag_and_Co...
chiph 14y ago
Ahh. Tesla coils. The one I built in 8th grade took out radio & TV reception for a block around.
- kinleyd 14y ago
  Heh. It must have been a blast to have you around. Upvoted.
- Florin_Andrei 14y ago
  Temporarily or forever? :)
- stephengillie 14y ago
  Did you manage to generate some kind of EMP that affected the electronics, or did you manage to generate radio wave interference?
  - jordanb 14y ago
    Interference, surely.
  - chiph 14y ago
    It was a combination of the spark gap used to create the high frequency needed to drive the inductor coils, plus the 8+ inch sparks I was creating off the top of it. Also - I was able to light a 3' fluorescent bulb held at a distance of 7 feet away. No wires. I have remarkably tolerant parents. :)
  - Stratoscope 14y ago
    It was a homemade spark gap transmitter! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter "Another problem with the spark transmitter was a result of the shape of the waveform produced by each burst of electromagnetic radiation. These transmitters radiated an extremely 'dirty' wide band signal which could greatly interfere with the reception of other transmissions on nearby frequencies. Receiving sets located relatively close to such a transmitter would have entire sections of a band masked by this wide band noise."
blhack 14y ago
Bob Lazar? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar To the uninitiated, Bob Lazar runs United Nuclear, which is an online store that sells some...dangerous things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar#United_Nuclear_and_legal_issues http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar#United_Nuclear_and_le...
woodchuck64 14y ago
I want to meet the Lawyers Behind the Man Behind America's Most Dangerous Mail-Order Kits.
DanBC 14y ago
You might also enjoy the YouTube channel of 'Photonicinduction'. (https://www.youtube.com/user/Photonvids https://www.youtube.com/user/Photonvids)
ChuckMcM 14y ago
Ah that brings back memories. I got my first Information Unlimited catalog back in the early 80's. There was a shop in Los Angeles called "Alltronics" which got a lot of surplus from the various companies that did military work and it was great fun to find things you could re-purpose. We took one project which had some 1uF @ 1000V capacitors which we ganged together to make a spot welder. You would spend about 15 minutes charging up the capacitors, move the 'welder' into position (basically two pieces of 3/8" copper rod that came together in a a rounded point. And then push the button and "poof!" spot weld. We had to order a push button switch from the IU guys that wouldn't fuse itself on every time you used it. It was some oil/gel filled thing, worked great though!
jstalin 14y ago
I still have his first book, a masterpiece: Build your own laser, phaser, ion ray gun, and other working space-age projects.
ucee054 14y ago
Meet the Man Behind America’s Most Dangerous Mail-Order Kits I thought this was going to be about Acme Corporation's Roadrunner-catching kits
splicer 14y ago
I still have over a dozen Radio-Electronics and Popular Electronics issues from the 80s and 90s that show how to make all kinds of neat high voltage toys :)
iguana 14y ago
Information Unlimited was the first thing that came to mind. Growing up in the 90's, I would eagerly await the catalog, then read and reread it, saving up all the money I could for the wonderfully dangerous gadgets within. The Ion ray gun was amazing - it would light up a fluorescent tube from 3 feet away, or send a purple corona into space. I would cut school to stay home and solder their kits. Their R&D line fielded many of my calls, and were incredibly patient with me. Pretty awesome to hear about the guy who started it!

128 points by jalanco 14y ago

gadders 14y ago

You have to admire someone who has built a business like that single-handed.

gwern 14y ago
Let's all give this man a hand! I can imagine that some of his wares could be very... handy. I'd give my left hand for that Tesla coil. Let's hope he never hands off the business to an inferior designer. You know, someone who can't quite put their finger on a brilliant design. (Oh god I can't stop, there's just too many puns to make... at hand.)
- reinhardt 14y ago
  That was a pretty underhanded comment.
  - gwern 14y ago
    I regret nothing!
    - contingencies 14y ago
      You handled it well.
mistercow 14y ago
Let us please not turn HN into reddit.

meaty 14y ago

Is there some link with geeks and explosives? In my youth, if a large bang was heard across the town or smoke was spotted, I was always asked if it was my fault :) (a lot of the time it was :)

amalag 14y ago
I hate to think of doing the stuff I used to do in high school 15 years ago now because of all the extra security and terrorism links.
- protomyth 14y ago
  True, but if you're a HS chemistry teacher with a vial of Na on display and no student has tried to steal it, then you haven't done your job.
  - meaty 14y ago
    That is very true. I must have stolen half the lab store at school :)
  - amalag 14y ago
    We used to play with Thermite. I think I stole quite a bit of aluminum powder from the lab and my mom was wondering what I was doing baking rust in the oven. ahh the good old days
kragen 14y ago
Yes, everyone I've ever known who made explosives was a geek. Why is that?
- jwoah12 14y ago
  They knew where to find a copy of the Anarchist's Cookbook.
  - davidtanner 14y ago
    A real geek would know the Anarchist's Cookbook is chock full of dangerous misinformation and avoid it.
    - meaty 14y ago

kmfrk 14y ago

I remember a woman - Austrian? - who sold suicide kits that contained something people were to inhale. I don't know whatever happened to her or that story, but I am sure she's not the only one in the "market". Enabling people who want to harm themselves is probably more dangerous than this. The superlative makes this article a little bombastic to read.

narag 14y ago
I am sure she's not the only one in the "market" Obviously she couldn't count on customers' loyalty.
darklajid 14y ago
I'm not sure if I'd consider that 'more dangerous'. Sure, euthanasia is a topic best not brought up at parties, but if I ignore the legal and moral aspect for a second: The stuff you order from the guy in the article is supposed to be interesting/entertaining, but might kill you when you build it/if you are not careful. The 'suicide kit' you describe says what it does (if it works, if it's not a scam) on the box. You won't buy it and .. die by accident.
petitmiam 14y ago
I first thought of Dr Philip Nitschke's 'Euthanasia Kit' when I read the headline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Nitschke#Exit_bag_and_CoGen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Nitschke#Exit_bag_and_Co...

chiph 14y ago

Ahh. Tesla coils. The one I built in 8th grade took out radio & TV reception for a block around.

kinleyd 14y ago
Heh. It must have been a blast to have you around. Upvoted.
Florin_Andrei 14y ago
Temporarily or forever? :)
stephengillie 14y ago
Did you manage to generate some kind of EMP that affected the electronics, or did you manage to generate radio wave interference?
- jordanb 14y ago
  Interference, surely.
- chiph 14y ago
  It was a combination of the spark gap used to create the high frequency needed to drive the inductor coils, plus the 8+ inch sparks I was creating off the top of it. Also - I was able to light a 3' fluorescent bulb held at a distance of 7 feet away. No wires. I have remarkably tolerant parents. :)
- Stratoscope 14y ago
  It was a homemade spark gap transmitter! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter "Another problem with the spark transmitter was a result of the shape of the waveform produced by each burst of electromagnetic radiation. These transmitters radiated an extremely 'dirty' wide band signal which could greatly interfere with the reception of other transmissions on nearby frequencies. Receiving sets located relatively close to such a transmitter would have entire sections of a band masked by this wide band noise."

blhack 14y ago

Bob Lazar? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar To the uninitiated, Bob Lazar runs United Nuclear, which is an online store that sells some...dangerous things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar#United_Nuclear_and_legal_issues http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar#United_Nuclear_and_le...

woodchuck64 14y ago

I want to meet the Lawyers Behind the Man Behind America's Most Dangerous Mail-Order Kits.

DanBC 14y ago

You might also enjoy the YouTube channel of 'Photonicinduction'. (https://www.youtube.com/user/Photonvids https://www.youtube.com/user/Photonvids)

ChuckMcM 14y ago

Ah that brings back memories. I got my first Information Unlimited catalog back in the early 80's. There was a shop in Los Angeles called "Alltronics" which got a lot of surplus from the various companies that did military work and it was great fun to find things you could re-purpose. We took one project which had some 1uF @ 1000V capacitors which we ganged together to make a spot welder. You would spend about 15 minutes charging up the capacitors, move the 'welder' into position (basically two pieces of 3/8" copper rod that came together in a a rounded point. And then push the button and "poof!" spot weld. We had to order a push button switch from the IU guys that wouldn't fuse itself on every time you used it. It was some oil/gel filled thing, worked great though!

jstalin 14y ago

I still have his first book, a masterpiece: Build your own laser, phaser, ion ray gun, and other working space-age projects.

ucee054 14y ago

Meet the Man Behind America’s Most Dangerous Mail-Order Kits I thought this was going to be about Acme Corporation's Roadrunner-catching kits

splicer 14y ago

I still have over a dozen Radio-Electronics and Popular Electronics issues from the 80s and 90s that show how to make all kinds of neat high voltage toys :)

iguana 14y ago

Information Unlimited was the first thing that came to mind. Growing up in the 90's, I would eagerly await the catalog, then read and reread it, saving up all the money I could for the wonderfully dangerous gadgets within. The Ion ray gun was amazing - it would light up a fluorescent tube from 3 feet away, or send a purple corona into space. I would cut school to stay home and solder their kits. Their R&D line fielded many of my calls, and were incredibly patient with me. Pretty awesome to hear about the guy who started it!