DIY science in the morning
FOX TV’s great Saturday a.m. show is “DIY Sci.” As in Do It Yourself. The science guy is Steve Spangler.
His chemist dad, a David Copperfield consultant, owned a magic school. Age 5, in kindergarten, Steve’s first trick: eyedrops into a soda bottle. Cap it. Squeeze. Eyedrops go up and down. (And if I got what he explained wrong, so what. He knows, I don’t. Ask him, not me.)
Steve: “Things don’t always work. Mentos have a rough surface. Dropping Mentos into soda blew up. I was covered in colored foam, exploding soda slime.
Diet Coke’s not sticky, but it still has carbon dioxide. Carbonation comes up.
“I’m a catalyst. I put things together. Thinking differently brings up a new creation. Like AlkaSeltzer in water fizzes and bubbles into the liquid. Like, mix Elmer’s glue and Borax detergent. Or shaving cream foam and clear glue.
“I’m not urging try all this at home. We live in Colorado. Early on, we shot in Home Depot, Radio
Shack, art stores. I have a warehouse and garage filled with weird things, but my wife nearly kicked me out. Our kitchen, repainted three times, has permanent marks on the ceiling.”
He ever knock himself out?
“I’m insured. Same outfit that insures Penn & Teller. Practicing for Ellen DeGeneres’ show, I did paint cans with vinegar and baking soda. Then I hammered on the lid, and it blew off, and my forehead got badly bruised. Still, I did the show but with a load of makeup.
“Look, I surround myself with people I trust. And my motto is: ‘Don’t let the bastards put you into a lab coat. Be a person. Not a scientist.’ ”
Spangler’s terrific. He can do anything. Maybe he can turn Mrs. Pelousy into a human being.