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There are millions of us? I wish I'd known. We could have formed a club.
But now the wait is over.
Sigh.
Posted by: Christobol | April 21, 2006 at 07:43 AM
Seriously, I think this is way cool and I want to build it - does that mean I'm weird? (Dorothy!!! Dorothy Gale! You get in the storm shelter right now!).
Posted by: Wally Ballou | April 21, 2006 at 07:49 AM
Cool!
Posted by: Mewkitty | April 21, 2006 at 07:51 AM
My cat is gonna love it!
Posted by: fivver | April 21, 2006 at 07:55 AM
Now when my Mom says that it looks like a tornado has gone through my room, I can finally defend myself.
Posted by: at work | April 21, 2006 at 07:59 AM
Favorite quote:
ONLY BUILD THIS MACHINE FOR YOURSELF
I did not realize the tornado machine market was so lucrative that such a warning needed to be made.
Posted by: ShadowKatmandu | April 21, 2006 at 08:09 AM
Here in the midwest we already have a tornado machine. We call it "April".
Posted by: slyeyes | April 21, 2006 at 08:24 AM
"Flying debris and cows not included"
Maybe we could put one of those moo-cam cows into the system to see how a tornado looks from that point of view?
Posted by: mathmom | April 21, 2006 at 08:28 AM
I love the slightly peevish tone of the instructions: here it is; build it if you want; don't come crawling to me for help; don't annoy me with your stupid questions; I'm much too busy on other projects; go away now; I'm building...a BIGGER tornado machine.
Posted by: Betsy | April 21, 2006 at 08:39 AM
Big deal - Mr Wizard showed me how to make one of those with two 2 liter soda bottles a LONG time ago!
Posted by: CoastRaven | April 21, 2006 at 08:54 AM
Cool. It will look great next to the bubonic plague disaster replica and the model locust infestation display.
Posted by: Sean | April 21, 2006 at 08:55 AM
This vortex generator puts things totally in perspective for me.
Posted by: Trin Tragula | April 21, 2006 at 09:05 AM
Slyeyes--Ditto here in Alabama. If I want a tornado, I just open the front door.
Q: How do you know it's spring in Alabama/the Midwest?
A: The local TV stations all have a weather map covering the lower right quarter of the screen--continuously.
Posted by: Allen at Division | April 21, 2006 at 09:09 AM
Actually, that photo looks a lot like the X-ray my chiropractor took of my back...
Posted by: Allen at Division | April 21, 2006 at 09:12 AM
What do a tornado and an Alabama cheerleader have in common? Sooner or later they'll both get a trailer.
Posted by: fivver | April 21, 2006 at 09:13 AM
" it is meant to be put in your living room or somewhere else that requires it to look nice. "
yes, my living room is required to look nice and if this will help, i'll gladly build it. i can't wait to see all the kids toys and socks sucked up out of sight by the tornado.
Posted by: crossgirl | April 21, 2006 at 09:16 AM
This reminds me of that lightning machine we tried to make out of a roll of tin foil and a fuse box.
Under their competent and professional veneer, those firemen can be really cranky.
Posted by: Federal Duck | April 21, 2006 at 09:20 AM
Al, the other night, I SWEAR I found a magnolia branch in my yard that had been in Alabama earlier in the day.
Fed -- *snork* seems so inadequate.
Posted by: slyeyes | April 21, 2006 at 09:26 AM
Didn't someone already invent this? I think it's called a "Mobile Home Park."
Posted by: bbescuela | April 21, 2006 at 09:29 AM
for godssake, don't tell anyone at the american society for the conservation of gravity about this. (on second thought, maybe that's not such a bad idea...)
Posted by: puppytoes | April 21, 2006 at 09:42 AM
let's NOT tell PETA.
Posted by: queensbee | April 21, 2006 at 09:45 AM
In October I did some relief work in MS. In one of the flooded houses we stripped I found a metal hurricane tracking map with magnetic markers that you place on it to follow the storm. This poor guy literally tracked Katrina right into his living room. One heck of a souvenier I guess.
Posted by: fivver | April 21, 2006 at 09:59 AM
Oh Boy! Dad's gonna have a Field Trip when he sees what i've done to the room! WWEEE! WWOOOSSHHHH!
Posted by: ACE | April 21, 2006 at 10:04 AM
slogan - "For an ear-popping good time!!"
Posted by: insomniac | April 21, 2006 at 10:11 AM
SO this gives credence to the claim that the mafia caused Hurricane Katrina.
Posted by: Somewhere North | April 21, 2006 at 10:15 AM
You Midwest(I assume you mean the Midwest as defined by the US aka Ohio and surrounding area, not the geographic Midwest) and Alabama people make me laugh, does "Tornado Alley" ring a bell? Oklahoma - The home of The Oklahoma City New Orlean's Hornets. Way to go, send them to the one other place in the universe where they are most likely to lose their home.
Posted by: At A Keyboard | April 21, 2006 at 10:21 AM
TORNADO IN A JAR
Recipe provided by my son's 3rd grade teacher
1) Fill a jar with water almost to the top, and 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
2) Add small objects such as pebbles, shells, small cows, fence parts, Mini Coopers
3) Screw cap on jar. Tightly.
4) Spin jar in frenetic fashion.
5) Enjoy mini mayhem.
Posted by: KDF | April 21, 2006 at 10:25 AM
Oops, I meant 1/4 cup. 1/2 cup = overly sudsy vortex.
Posted by: KDF | April 21, 2006 at 10:26 AM
C'mon, Wile E. Coyote has been building tornado machines for decades. Or ordering them directly from Acme. Goodness sakes, he even had Instant Tornado pills (just add water).
Posted by: Mr. Completely | April 21, 2006 at 10:29 AM
*is sooooooooo going to build one of these*
Posted by: djtonyb | April 21, 2006 at 10:37 AM
Sympathy Bid: Not only do I live in Indiana where our Friday family night consists of everyone piling into the bathtub in a spirit of togetherness to wait for the tornado to hit; but I work in Indianapols, where NRA supporter Dick Cheney is putting in an appearance in about an hour. I am personally planning on cringing under my desk since the office doesn't have a bathtub.
Posted by: nannie | April 21, 2006 at 10:51 AM
Somewhere North,
The Mafia! Balderdash! Everyone knows it was Karl Rove.Posted by: Spiny Norman | April 21, 2006 at 10:55 AM
We gotta keep Carl away from those Fajitas.
Posted by: mudstuffin | April 21, 2006 at 11:23 AM
Forget tornados. Real extreme weather geeks are building their own lightning machines.
While indoor lightnint is NOT suitable for a 3rd grade science project, it can be great at cocktail parties, particuarly the sort that start off by teleporting all of the hostess's undergarments three feet to the left.
Posted by: Wurm42 | April 21, 2006 at 11:50 AM
Wurm42 - I love a good obscure Hitchhiker's Guide reference...!
Posted by: Mr. Completely | April 21, 2006 at 02:09 PM
I think this is a joke and you all are taking it seriously.
I'm embarassed for y'all. :)
Posted by: Eleanor | April 21, 2006 at 06:51 PM
Not quite, Eleanor! The picture on the gizmodo blog is of the tornado machine I built last week, which they picked up from the MAKE blog. Here's a video clip: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/homemade-tornado-machine-168536.php
Posted by: Rockwell | April 25, 2006 at 06:20 PM
Sorry, I pasted the wrong link. Here is the link to the video.
Posted by: Rockwell | April 25, 2006 at 06:35 PM