For example, what should you do when some chemical accidentally gets into your eyes? Or how do you dispense acids when you need to handle them? And a pretty common concern: what do you do when something nearby catches fire from your Bunsen burner?

Well, for the third question, it actually depends on the class of fire you’re dealing with. These types of fires are classified based on what material is burning, and as a result, also require different firefighting agents in order to put them out. But when you’re in a huge hurry, then often you might just rush off to grab a bucket of water or hose it down with the chemical extinguisher without taking some time to identify what type of fire it is and what it needs to be put out completely.

Something that can definitely be of use is the FireFormula, which is a handy and portable firefighting device that contains both CO2 and H2O firefighting agents in different compartments. All you have to do is identify the fire, identify what it needs to be put out, and push the button.

The FireFormula extinguisher is a pretty neat concept design by Sheng-Hung Lee and Chen-Hua Wang, but not without some complications. First and foremost, the amount of each agent will be available in limited quantities because of the size. Second of all, the agents are usually pressurized so they’re able to extinguish the fire in a shorter amount of time.

That said, the FireFormula is a good idea, but it just needs to sort out some of the kinks in order to become a really, really good idea.

[via Yanko Design]

They are marketing the device to anyone and everyone who may face danger from toxins, like rescue workers, EMTs and those who work with hazardous chemicals. It’s available now to those of us who might need one. It currently detects 11 deadly gases, and they’re working on additional sensors for future release.

[MedGadget via Gizmag via Geeky Gadgets]

So what several Japanese scientists from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute did instead was develop a chemical reagent that could turn biological tissues transparent. The photo above is not of a human embryo (because not only is it unethical, it’s also illegal, but the thought still crossed my mind all the same), but of a mouse embryo.

The reagent is called Scale (with an italicized “l”, as you can see) and was developed by Atsushi Miyawaki and his team at RIKEN. Scale can turn any tissue transparent, without causing any major alternations or changes in the overall shape or proportion of the sample. While Scale is definitely the most advanced of its kind, it still has a long way to go. The reagent can be used on living tissue; however, it quickly turns the tissue from living to non-living because of its nature.

Miyawaki explains that Scale was primarily intended for conducting research on the brain of mice, but that he and his team hope to improve the reagent more to extend its application to heart, muscle, and kidney tissues–not only of rodents, but also to human and primate tissues in the future.

[via PopSci via Dvice]

There, I said it. My day is literally incomplete if I don’t have at least one cup of joe in my system. A steaming mug is all I need to go from blah to TADA! in a jiffy. That said, one of my greatest pet peeves is pouring coffee out of the pot only to find that someone turned it off and let the coffee go cold.

Jung Eun Park’s solution? The Boog Coffee Warmer!

It looks just like a typical spoon or stirrer right off the bat, but pull on that little ringed end over there and you’ve got yourself a handy and portable coffee warmer on-the-go.

The wide end of the Boog actually contains a packet of calcium chloride while the farther end of its hollow interior contains a few milliliters of water. Pulling on the red tab will combine the two substances and set off an exothermic (or heat releasing) chemical reaction that will provide the needed heat to up the temperature of your brew up a few degrees in a couple of minutes.

It’s still a concept for now, but I can definitely see the Boog’s potential of changing up the way people enjoy their mid-afternoon coffee.

[via Yanko Design]

And then you think, “Yes, yes… and this Mystical Fire should be in powder form, so I could just sprinkle 1 to 3 packages on any outdoor/indoor wood burning fire, and so I can use it not only for camping and for luring my brother into the fireplace but also as props for Friday night D&D’s. Also, I think they should come in 25 gram sachets. Not 26 grams. 25. Because 25 grams is the right amount to create fires like the one below.”

Finally you think, “If such a Mystical Fire powder should exist, it would be really nice if it sells for like… £1.49 (appx. $2.29 USD). Over at Boy’s Stuff. Man. it sure would be nice if there really was some Mystical Fire powder.”

Here’s where I come in, and say “You there, red flame hater! You crazy psychic! Call me if you begin thinking of the numbers that a winning lottery ticket would have.”

[via boy'sstuff via random good stuff]

The Portable Dry Ice Maker can crank out a one-pound block of dry ice in less than a minute. For those of you who don’t know about dry ice, it’s a super-cold ice that chills out at a teeth-chattering negative 109.3° F (-78.5° C). Although its practical use is to keep food and drinks cool for long journeys, it’s best known among the geek set for the awesome low-hanging fog that it produces when immersed in warm water.

So if you need to freeze a lot of stuff, or are just looking for that cool fog effect, you can pick one up form Hammacher Schlemmer for $499.95.

[via GadgetGrid]