Does Every Mad Scientist Need a USB Plasma Ball?
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This plasma ball may not look like much at first, but that’s because it needs to be plugged in to a USB port! Once you turn it on, you’ll be amazed by how fricken cool this thing is! The USB Plasma Ball is something that every mad scientist – or Geek! – needs to have in their arsenal.
Powered by an included USB cable, this desktop Plasma Ball is about stands about 6 inches high and includes an on/off switch. While it emits a very low current, it does so at a relatively high-voltage and so it does produce some EMF. Respect your plasma ball and it will respect you!
I’ve always wanted one of these, ever since I was a kid. Growing up, they were a lot larger. I used to wonder what I would do with it. The truth is, you don’t “do” anything with it. You simply touch it! I found the perfect place for it. It’s going to be on a small shelf right in the entryway to my office. People will see it, and immediately want to touch it! It will have them excited to enter the office. At least – I hope so!
Alan Davison submitted a plasma ball tip:
If you want something to do with your little plasma globe, you could.. burn things? I accidentally discovered years ago with mine, that if you put a metal on it (such as covering all or part of it with tin foil, or aluminum foil, the more, the larger the arc), and bring something conductive up to that metal, it’ll arc. Even to your finger, so, urm, watch out for burns, which it does actually do.
And if you decide to try that, keep it away from anything sensitive, be it magnetic, or anything. Sometimes when I was touching the metal covering it, the TV would change channels. That’s bad. Just a side-note, covering the globe with metal does draw the little arcs inside to the glass, so of course, it heats up.
Since I’m definitely no scientist, does this mean I’m a Mad Geek?
- USB Plasma Ball, 4″ diameter
- EXCALIBUR 610 USB Plasma Ball
- USB PLASMA BALL ACCSON/OFF CONTROL & TOUCH SENSITIVE
- USB Plasma Ball: Desktop Light Show
- USB Plasma Ball
- 3-inch USB Plasma Ball Light W/Base
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3 Comments
D Lowrey
January 10th, 2009
at 1:23am
Got one of these from ThinkGeek last summer…along with one of those drinking birds. Both are very entertaining. As long as you have a USB wall brick…you can plug the ball any place the cord can reach.
John
January 10th, 2009
at 9:51am
I don’t mean to sound rude, but it seems that Chris has lost the focus of live streaming. Most of his videos now seem to be advertising products, especially ThinkGeek products. They’re not about helping people with technology anymore (though one could argue that getting good deals on items is helping).
I hope Chris eventually gets back to what he was doing at the start. It seems now his main focus is making money by any means necessary.
beast
January 10th, 2009
at 11:43pm
They had a huge one of these at the museum where I live. I love it!