Wired Magazine - October 2009

This month's Wired Magazine cover article is entitled  "The
Smart List: 12 Shocking Ideas That Could Change the World."

My essay, entitled "Take Smart Risks," is number 11, (between
Gregg Easterbrooks "Embrace Human Cloning" and Robert Gates
"Overhaul the Pentagon.")

You can read the entire article in the new October issue of
Wired, or online (for free!) at
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-10/ff_smartlist#

Today in the Washington Post

Absinthe and Flamethrowers was reviewed in today's (September 9) Washington Post in a piece entitled

"Careful! Peril Stalks the Unwary: Four books explain how to avoid life's hidden dangers"

An excerpt from that article is below:

But why live dangerously if living dangerously isn't fun? Absinthe & Flamethrowers (Chicago Review; paperback, $16.95), William Gurstelle's book about "doing interesting, exciting, edgy, and artful stuff," is a guy's Anarchist Cookbook. Inspired by Hunter S. Thompson's drug-addled, ill-advised vision of "edgework" as outlined in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," Gurstelle offers lessons in whip-cracking, Bartitsu (a lost English art of self-defense practiced by Sherlock Holmes) and even building a DIY flamethrower that would surely run afoul of the Patriot Act. . . . Gurstelle's tome . . . offers advice on recognizing good absinthe, for which van Gogh enthusiasts and visitors to Prague will be grateful.

"Thrill-seeking behavior in the real world is modeled by what statisticians call a normal curve," Gurstelle writes: Evel Knievel on one side, J. Alfred Prufrock on the other ("Do I dare to eat a peach?"). Maybe, in order to survive, it's best for us to float between these two extremes, driving 55 -- Sammy Hagar be damned -- with our seat belts fastened until, late at night on an empty country road, we can step on the gas and test our limits. Safely.

KARE -11 Minnesota Showcase - The Water Rocket

The water rocket is one of my favorite projects. It's cheap, easy, and great for scientists aged from 8 to 80. I showed Corbin Sietz how to use one last week on KARE-11's Showcase Minnesota.

The video is available at
http://www.showcaseminnesota.com/show/client_article.aspx?storyid=823206

Book Signing at Boswell Books

Last Monday I gave a reading and did a book signing at the marvelous Boswell's Books in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was so pleased to be able to speak at Boswells. Good crowd of people and great interest!

A&F on TPT Almanac TV Show

Eric Eskola and Cathy Wurzer invited me back to Twin Cities Public Television show, "Almanac" last night. They are such insightful interviewers -- I really enjoy talking to them.

Here's a clip of the show:
http://www.tpt.org/aatc/videos/2009/08/21/almanac_august_21_2009/the_art_of_living_dangerously

Throwing Knives

So, you want to learn how to throw knives? It pays to start with good equipment. The most important thing is to use knives made for the purpose. They should be neither too heavy or too light.

Choosing a knife. The type of knife you choose will have an incredible impact on how much you’re able to enjoy knife throwing. Keep in mind that quality throwing knives do not have a handle. The blade is the throwing knife.
▪ Size: Knives that are between 12”-16” are a good size. They aren’t too big and not so small that you’d have to throw harder and strain to watch them in flight.
▪ Weight: Knives of the above size will fly fairly undisturbed from wind and make a satisfying sound when they hit the target.

more at http://www.articlesbase.com/extreme-sports-articles/knife-throwing-so-you-want-to-be-a-knife-thrower-470112.html

I ordered a set of 11 ounce Pro Flight throwing knives from The Great Throwzini and they seem just right. (Earlier, I bought a set of lighter knives from a different vendor and they just didn't have much sticking power and just seemed harder to throw.)

You should spend time thinking about the target. Soft pine works much better than a plywood sheet. The plywood is pretty hard so getting a consistent stick can be difficult.

Twin Cities Business Magazine Interview

The fine people at Twin Cities Business wanted to talk a bit about Absinthe and Flamethrowers. Jack Gordon, a fine writer I've known for a while, called me and we chatted for a while.

What Hunter S. Thompson was to gonzo journalism and Miss Manners is to etiquette, Bill Gurstelle is to suburban dads who think it would be way cool to take some chemicals and PVC pipe out to the garage and construct a cannon that fires a potato with a muzzle velocity of 70 miles per hour.

The full interview is available here: http://www.tcbmag.com/livingwell/afterfive/117967p1.aspx

A Great Absinthe Drink - The Sazarac Cocktail

In 2008 the Louisiana House of Represenatives voted to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans. It’s a great mix of flavors and packs a kick. A favorite with those who understand the art of living dangerously.

• 1/2 cup ice cubes
• 1 sugar cube
• 3 dashes Bitters
• 2 ounces rye Jim Beam or Old Overholt RYE (not bourbon) whiskey
• 1/2 teaspoon of absinthe
• lemon twist

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling it with ice and water. In second old-fashioned glass, mix together sugar, bitters, and ½ teaspoon water thoroughly. Add cognac or whiskey and remaining ½ cup ice, and stir well, at least 15 seconds. Take the chilled glass, discard ice and water and pour in absinthe. Swirl it around so the absinthe coats the interior of the glass. Add rye whiskey mixture into the chilled, absinthe-coated glass. Add lemon peel and enjoy.

Popular Science August 09

Hoo-ray! The new (August 09) issue of Popular Science (which of course, the above picture is not) sports a fun article featuring me and my flamethrower. The article is basically an abridgment of Absinthe and Flamethrowers. It presents five ideas for adding danger to your life. I liked the ideas they chose: making gunpowder, using a whip, making a rocket, eating fugu and of course, building a flamethrower.

You can see the article by clicking here.

It also features a picture of me and my flamethrower standing in front of my garage in the middle of winter. Brrrrrr.