hatman | (no subject)

Years back, Mom got me a Van De Graaff generator with a glass ball (instead of the usual metal one) so that you can see the sparks inside. (Apparently, for commercial purposes, it's called "Plasma Ball".) Mine has a switch with three settings - on, off, and "auto." Auto mode turns the generator on for a brief flicker when it's vibrated (by a moderately loud noise, for example). It's designed to work with party music, so that the generator pulses on and off to the beat. (It's very similar to this model available through Amazon.)

There are a couple of pictures of it switched on at Amazon. Here's another of a similar generator.

The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. My oldest niece looked at all the spark tendrils going out in every direction and said it was like looking at a jellyfish through a kaleidoscope. That was imaginative and poetic enough that I felt I had to share. :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've never heard of such a thing. Looks cool!

It is pretty cool. And fun to play with. If you touch it, the sparks are attracted to your fingers, and gather near your fingertips. If you touch a big one, you can build up a static charge that makes your hair frizz out. Other stuff you can do, too. But it's just fun to watch the sparks dance around inside the globe. A few people said it was mesmerizing.