There must be something you can use to direct all of that light in one direction. Robert De Nero Monday 30th of July 2007 1:46 am

More than 500 degrees? That's hot. Evil Paris Hilton Monday 30th of July 2007 2:15 am

One Q I didn't see here: you seem to melt a lot of things, and molten or broken stuff falls on the light sharpener. Do you have to spend a lot of time to clean the mirrors after an experiment? Martha Stewart Monday 30th of July 2007 3:00 am

You could use a negative lens a bit before the focus to create a parallel bundle of light rays. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Concave_lens.jpg] Then via a cunning system of mirrors you could use this focused ray of death in those 'tricky-to-get-at' spots. Hans Blix Monday 30th of July 2007 5:48 am

I think it would require a complex work of prisms to unify the beams into a single one. Also, adding any lens to the apparatus would "eat" away some the the light intensity. Adding purer, clearer (and more expensive) lenses would only lessen the effect of diminishing intensity. Orville Redenbacher Monday 30th of July 2007 6:21 am

In the case of the secondary mirror, you could use a biconcave lens. Of course it's easier said than done... Adam Savage Monday 30th of July 2007 7:14 am

Could you use it to tattoo Steve-O's butt? Johnny Knoxville Monday 30th of July 2007 7:46 am

You must harness this power for the hot waters! It is a moral imperative for you to follow this path. I found this site while combing the web for home built thermal weapons... my bad! http://www.solardev.com/solar-dhw-adding.php Viya con Dios Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Monday 30th of July 2007 7:53 am

Free Hat David Duchovny Monday 30th of July 2007 8:04 am

A light sharpener? What does it sharpen? Light? Whatever. That's hot. Evil Paris Hilton Monday 30th of July 2007 8:20 am

If the water is already hot why run it throught the focal point? Monday 30th of July 2007 8:54 am

Do you have a hot tub? If so, this would be a great "green" technology to heat the water. Set it up and I will do some naked hot tubbing. Britney Spears Monday 30th of July 2007 9:17 am

That thing's hotter than I used to be! Patrick Swayze Monday 30th of July 2007 9:18 am

surely if you're gonna heat the water with the light sharpener you won't need to pump hot water through? you'll get better results heating cold water Tara Reid Monday 30th of July 2007 9:39 am

Why don't you try cooking with this thing in a more realistic manner? Sure, burning frozen chicken might be fun once or twice, but it's wasteful. A grand-scale rotisserie might be a bit of a challenge, but why don't you pick up a dutch oven or heavy cast-iron pot? You'll need a support far more rugged than electrical conduit, but wouldn't it be nice to get some practical use out of it? Kurt Russell Monday 30th of July 2007 10:22 am

Heating your home/water is a good start too, but instead of running a single copper pipe through the focal point it'd be more efficient to couple the pipe to a larger flat black heating recepticle. Or you could spiral the copper pipe in some sort of black heating pan. As long as the copper and black surface are touching, heat would be transferred. Kurt Russell Monday 30th of July 2007 10:31 am

Is there any risk of the light sharpener causing an aircraft pilot to become blinded and crash? Monday 30th of July 2007 11:10 am

very interesting Stephen Cujocaro Monday 30th of July 2007 11:10 am

Wow! This solar dish sounds HOT! Just like me :) Keep up the good work! Amanda Bynes Monday 30th of July 2007 11:12 am

Hey! Cast Iron Cooking is the way to go! If you could get some sort of dutch oven pan mounted on an A-Frame near the focal point (or slightly off) you could heat up a stew rather fun for for your next party! That's how we used to do it.... Caveman Monday 30th of July 2007 11:15 am

With a collector like that, I could make dozens of meals in 30 minutes or less. Rachel Ray Monday 30th of July 2007 11:22 am

You know what? I think the things you come up with are amazing. Half of us could never have pulled this off, and it just kills me to see people putting it down, or saying someone else did it first or better. You are remarkable, Rob Cockerham! Thank you for the hours of entertainment you bring to my boring work days! Monday 30th of July 2007 11:26 am

why would you pump HOT water through the copper pipe? wouldn't cold water be a better idea? Bill Murray Monday 30th of July 2007 11:30 am

This is neat. Christopher Walken Monday 30th of July 2007 11:44 am

This is Steve Jobs here, just wait until you see Apple's new iDish satellite receiver *and* solar furnace, all in one sleek design that will put all your crap to shame! Iphone Monday 30th of July 2007 11:48 am

Don't worry if you find me some night all dirty and disoriented inside your light sharpener. I'll just be waiting there for the mother ship. No biggie. Anne Heche Monday 30th of July 2007 12:06 pm

Durka durka backa-la, muhammed jihad! Durka durka! Mohammad Al-Baradei Monday 30th of July 2007 12:14 pm

It seems like you could attach both the mirror AND the magnifying glass with devastating results! Michael J. Fox Monday 30th of July 2007 12:33 pm

I think you should put a disco ball at the focal point! Monday 30th of July 2007 12:34 pm

I invite all of you celebrities to the Grand Opening of da TRUMP DISH, in beautiful MIAMI, Florida. My HUGE new solar dish is supported by columns of Roman marble, and is covered in 24 Karat Pure Gold. It does not use the power of the sun. Instead, it works day and night, reflecting a huge "TRUMP SIGNAL" into the sky above my TRUMP STRIP mall of HUGE, LUXURIOUS CASINOS. Donald Trump Monday 30th of July 2007 12:39 pm

The atmosphere has never looked more classy! Behold TRUMP SKY! Now you can look up to TRUMP wherever you go. TRUMP is the name when you think HIGH CLASS. Donald Trump Monday 30th of July 2007 12:39 pm

Perhaps the mirrors produce tachyon condensation and will brew me a nice hot cup of earl grey tea. Make it so! Patrick Stewart Monday 30th of July 2007 12:43 pm

thats as hot as my movie...check me out at www.PETERGRIFFIN.com Michael Moore Monday 30th of July 2007 12:47 pm

I'm way too drunk and involved in various pirate duties to help, but I would love to see a rotating food arm, like a small rotisserie at the end of a stick. The hot dogs and chicken, if kept rotating in and out of the hot spot, might let the food cook evenly, rather than charring it on one side. Captain Morgan Monday 30th of July 2007 12:48 pm

Q. Wait, wait, How about mounting a copper pipe through the focal point, and pumping hot water through, to heat it? You could save a lot on hot water heating. A. That definitely sounds more my speed. I'll try it! ------------- Personally, I'd recommend sending *cold* water through it - that would be a lot more useful. :) Monday 30th of July 2007 1:22 pm

This makes me want to raise my goblet of rock. Jack Black Monday 30th of July 2007 1:29 pm

I still think you need to try roasting marshmallows on that thing. I mean, it'll take what, a couple of seconds per mallow to get them to glorious golden perfection. Then you could invite all of your friends over and have a S'mores picnic. Carrot Top Monday 30th of July 2007 1:30 pm

Do you have like any engineer friends who could like build a sterling engine thing and like help you mount in on the dishy looking thing? Britney Spears Monday 30th of July 2007 1:46 pm

Fresnel lenses are great, I nearly burned down my backyard with one once. Alan Alda Monday 30th of July 2007 2:02 pm

Because your focal point is so large (like a dinner plate, yes?), consider running multiple copper pipes parallel to each other along the width of the focal point. Or have the water run through a flatter, wider device that would then hit most of the focused light. Ed Norton Monday 30th of July 2007 2:14 pm

pump cold water thru it. Charleton Heston Monday 30th of July 2007 2:23 pm

haha, you and your light shenanigans, rob. you're just too cool. Johnny Knoxville Monday 30th of July 2007 2:30 pm

I think you could get a more precise point by using surface coated mirrors- since the reflection is on the back side of the glass. Not that you'd want to repaste a bunch of mirrors, but if anyone is following in your footsteps.. Bill Murray Monday 30th of July 2007 2:33 pm

weeee OJ Simpson Monday 30th of July 2007 3:29 pm

Of course a magnifying lens wouldn't work. You need a concave reducing lens. http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-supply/catalogs/0013846000000 Charleton Heston Monday 30th of July 2007 3:36 pm

This could end world thirst. Bono Monday 30th of July 2007 3:37 pm

The light sharpener is a myth, just like the Holocaust and the female orgasm Hassain Al-Shahristani Monday 30th of July 2007 3:38 pm

Surface-coated mirrors? Where does one find those, and what would that achieve? Bill Moyers Monday 30th of July 2007 4:00 pm

RAHH RHAHH, I HATE EVERYBODY BUT REPUBLICANS EVERYBADI ELSE IS GOING TO HELL!!!! Bill O'Reilly Monday 30th of July 2007 5:12 pm

why dont you try soylent green? Charleton Heston Monday 30th of July 2007 5:25 pm

It's stirling. Not sterling. But if it melts aluminum you'd probably have a hard time making an engine suitable for that kinda heat. Bill Murray Monday 30th of July 2007 5:28 pm

I think the light sharpener is awesome. I had a great time participating vicariously. I can't wait for your next project. I'll try to think of a suggestion. Willem Dafoe Monday 30th of July 2007 6:00 pm

Have you lit up a hunka-hunka burnin' love? Elvis Monday 30th of July 2007 6:25 pm

This celestial body is the closest star to earth. (Jeopardy tune playing...) Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Monday 30th of July 2007 6:29 pm

blah blah blah Bill Murray Monday 30th of July 2007 6:39 pm

Another FAQ lost to Rob! Dytek Guy Monday 30th of July 2007 7:11 pm

Considering the fact that you know you can boil water have you considered trying to boil/cook pasta? Seems it would work, and rather quickly at that. Just thought it would be an interesting experiment to see how quickly you could cook, say, a box of Kraft Macaroni. I know my electric range at home cooks the Mac in about 10 minutes. Can you beat that?! Haley Joel Osment Monday 30th of July 2007 7:45 pm

Please explain why you cannot use a secondary mirror, but a Newtonian Telescope does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_telescope I suspect the reason you are trying to give, is that the focal point of your mirror is lower than the edge of the mirror. This you can resolve this by making a hole in whatever edge you desire to direct the light through. It would not need to be very big Adam Savage Monday 30th of July 2007 8:02 pm

You did not melt that aluminum can. You set it on fire. That's different. Aluminum will burn quite nicely. Wil Wheaton Monday 30th of July 2007 8:06 pm

Dude...can we get a holla back? We want to see some of your cockerham acknowledgement....represent! Adnan Pachachi Monday 30th of July 2007 8:44 pm

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Hugh Jackman Monday 30th of July 2007 8:49 pm

I'm going to go microwave a bagel and have sex with it Fred Armisen Monday 30th of July 2007 8:50 pm

how are things on the west coast? Barack Obama Monday 30th of July 2007 8:50 pm

...amongst our weaponry are such items as 1. fear, 2. surprise, 3. ruthless efficiency, 4. an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and 5. nice red uniforms Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela Monday 30th of July 2007 8:56 pm

harold and joe? Sting Monday 30th of July 2007 9:02 pm

What about a really, really thick fresnel lens? ooooh! I know! I know! A box of wooden match heads! Oooooh! a can of black powder!!! A CAT!!!!!! Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 9:37 pm

A parabolic mirror at the focal point would be able to reflect the light rays in parallel towards whatever you wanted - it could redirect the death ray! You can get parabolic mirrors by taking apart a car headlight, too. :) Bill Murray Monday 30th of July 2007 9:45 pm

I always liked Gavin MacLeod. He had a nice shape to his head. But really; "Captain Stubing"...how very lame sounding. Nothing as distictive as "Captain Jean-Luc Picard". Have you read the wikipedia? "Famously bald", it says. So there you have it. Anyhow, I thought that if you projected the light at my head the result would be a thousand points of light! Ha ha, that is funny. Patrick Stewart Monday 30th of July 2007 9:50 pm

I'm not afraid to fight either! So you've boiled water with this contraption is that so then? Well I fancy that very much so. So then the water is hot that is correct then? It seems so very complicated you know. The water being so hot and the boiling of it then so also you know. Prince Harry Monday 30th of July 2007 9:54 pm

Hey, why don't you put Eddie Murphy with his damn "opie cunningham" gag on a spike here? Ron Howard Monday 30th of July 2007 9:55 pm

Shine it towards my eyes. Please, I beg you, burn my eyes out of their sockets...put me out of my misery.. Jennifer Wilbanks Monday 30th of July 2007 10:03 pm

Well, I gotta tell you something now. That is one cool son of a bitch you got there. Morgan Freeman Monday 30th of July 2007 10:05 pm

you don't shcare me, BOY! Lishten shonny, thish little apparatush is going to cosht you....you....uh...shit I need another drink... Sean Connery Monday 30th of July 2007 10:09 pm

...hey did you hear me? I said a CAT. C - A - T. CAT. Tie it up there and melt it like. Good idea. cat. Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 10:12 pm

..cat. good idea. cat. Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 10:13 pm

cat. Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 10:13 pm

Here, kitty kitty! Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 10:14 pm

cat. Adam Sandler Monday 30th of July 2007 10:14 pm

You are all wrong... let me tell you why without letting you speak your mind... Bill O'Reilly Monday 30th of July 2007 10:19 pm

Nobody puts light sharpener in the corner... Patrick Swayze Monday 30th of July 2007 10:29 pm

"You could save a lot on hot water heating." Do you really need to heat hot water Avril Lavigne Monday 30th of July 2007 10:34 pm

I bet we could cook a family meal in under 60 minutes with that thing! Rachel Ray Monday 30th of July 2007 11:12 pm

I kept telling them the WMDs were not in Iraq, but rather in the hands of a true madman. Hans Blix Monday 30th of July 2007 11:29 pm

Sigh... what's the use of inventing fire now? Caveman Monday 30th of July 2007 11:35 pm

A tube of mirrors can be used to harness the light for a more direct application. Also, you might be able to turn it into a laser with this method if you're smarter than I. Tuesday 31st of July 2007 3:25 am

I approve of this message. I believe we can use this to end global warming, and world hunger. Barack Obama Tuesday 31st of July 2007 4:40 am

Rob,I feel so obsolete. Please stop making things. It's not like I can go back to my old life as a paint roller. Paint would get in my eyes and BLIND ME! Rob, don't do this to me. I loved you way back when, when you were just a nerd. RAAAAAAHHHHHHHHBBBB!!!!!!!! My only solace is the fact that the light sharpener will be much harder to e-bay. Hear that light sharpener? E-BAY! Rex Roller Tuesday 31st of July 2007 6:37 am

Lord Xenu is not going to be happy about this. Look at you Rob. You are so glib. You have no idea about the burning wrath of L. Ron Hubbard. I know about these things. Tuesday 31st of July 2007 6:40 am

Rahb, when yoor done wit this ting I wanna bouy it fa my boyz. I think it'll be a great noo way ta tan. We'll call it da 30 sekins ta melanoma. Or sumthin'. Victoria Gotti Tuesday 31st of July 2007 6:43 am

Can it be mounted on your car or truck for drive-by light sharpening? Wil Wheaton Tuesday 31st of July 2007 9:29 am

Pop More Corn! Orville Redenbacher Tuesday 31st of July 2007 9:45 am

Why don't you use it to murder your ex-wife and her boyfriend? OJ Simpson Tuesday 31st of July 2007 10:58 am

Is it big enough to lure aliens into? Sigourney Weaver Tuesday 31st of July 2007 11:35 am

Try using the headpiece to the staff of Ra Harrison Ford Tuesday 31st of July 2007 11:35 am

I was gonna try making a Light Sharpener if the rubbing-two-sticks-together thing didn't work out. Caveman Tuesday 31st of July 2007 12:24 pm

You mentioned a curved secondary mirror being used to focus the light from the focal point onto one point of the dish itself. In future experiments, could you use a small highly polished metal dish or something to use as a cap to harness all of the 800 energy beams of the focal point? By suspending the bowl from above, you could reach a much higher temperature at the focal point. Tuesday 31st of July 2007 1:26 pm

Just throw some thick slabs of crap in a pan with some evoo and cook it to fill my giant yap, and make one for Rosie Odonnel too. Rachel Ray Tuesday 31st of July 2007 1:51 pm

Do you always make up all your own questions? Sincerely Yours, Sexy Alien Killer Sigourney Weaver Tuesday 31st of July 2007 1:54 pm

This makes me hotter than myself when my car is on fire. Danica Patrick Tuesday 31st of July 2007 1:58 pm

the "Mythbusters" are losers. They only partly cover aspects of whatever they seek to bust or prove, not like Rob, who delves into the most underlying of the sciences involved in such things as "light-sharpening" and amounts in amounts. MEEEHHH!! Robert De Nero Tuesday 31st of July 2007 2:12 pm

Could you make me a cheeseburger? David Hasselhoff Tuesday 31st of July 2007 2:16 pm

My God! This picture makes me look like fat Elvis. With that in mind, have you tried making a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich? Wil Wheaton Tuesday 31st of July 2007 2:29 pm

Word has it, I'll be a Brave by the trading deadline. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray Tuesday 31st of July 2007 2:44 pm

If you put this on the roof of a DeLorean you would have one hell of a crappy car! Michael J. Fox Tuesday 31st of July 2007 5:14 pm

Aaaaargh fire goo Caveman Tuesday 31st of July 2007 6:45 pm

Don't let it get you down... all FAQs devolve into confrontational conversations. If anybody ever properly translated the hieroglyphics on the walls of my tomb they'd find a really snarky bit about the best way to remove the liver from a cat written on the East wall. King Tut Tuesday 31st of July 2007 7:30 pm

The melting temperature of aluminum is closer to 1200F. if you can really get it that hot, you might try loading up a soup can with some bits of aluminum can in it. It should get hot enough to melt the aluminum, but not enough to melt through the can. solar powered metal casting! :D Michael J. Fox Tuesday 31st of July 2007 8:07 pm

Have you considered re-doing your science club tanning experiment by combining it the light sharpener? I'd expect you'd have excellent tanning results. Ringo Starr Tuesday 31st of July 2007 8:17 pm

You blinded me with science! Burt Reynolds Tuesday 31st of July 2007 9:24 pm

SWEET Ed Norton Tuesday 31st of July 2007 9:35 pm

great faq, hey, remember when I was on star trek? Wil Wheaton Tuesday 31st of July 2007 10:32 pm

Are you serious? You're wasting our time. Simon Cowell Tuesday 31st of July 2007 10:34 pm

Rob, you need to put up a sign in your kitchen with rules for the little one. Rule #1: Don't play with daddy's light sharpener. Jo Frost Tuesday 31st of July 2007 11:36 pm

they leaked my abc show on the torrents... and people know my show is lame before it's even on.... Caveman Tuesday 31st of July 2007 11:44 pm

Which would burn faster: a ninja or a pirate? Barack Obama Wednesday 01st of August 2007 1:39 am

Yeah, that happened to me too. Torrents. They are the worst. Well, this phony celebrity comments thing is pretty bad too, but not as bad as those torrents. Michael Moore Wednesday 01st of August 2007 1:41 am

What about a hot air balloon (a black bin bag) centered above the sharpener, with three lines holding it? I wonder how high hot air rises above the focal point once it's been heated. Alan Alda Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:23 am

But does it play music and access the internet like I can? Iphone Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:55 am

I and im sure many others admire what you do... George Lucas Wednesday 01st of August 2007 6:23 am

Will the Sharpener be visible in Google Maps' satellite view or will it destroy the CCD of the camera? Dick Cheney Wednesday 01st of August 2007 6:40 am

How do you clean the sharpener after you melt/burn/incinerate things over the middle of it? Also, why don't you put Mr Clean in the list of celebrities? Or at least Mr T (who looks kind of like him)? Wednesday 01st of August 2007 7:23 am

Why don't you put something on there that will blow up like a spray can or something? Criss Angel Wednesday 01st of August 2007 7:43 am

Rob, To avoid any legal difficulties you may encounter if a well-intentioned neighbor decides to call the fire department, you may wish to obtain a burn permit at your local fire department office. They are usually free and easy to obtain. However, you may have to tap dance around what you are burning and HOW you are burning it. :) Hulk Hogan Wednesday 01st of August 2007 9:28 am

What about tying a nekkid chick up and burning her clothes? Martha Stewart Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:14 am

Q: Is the middle of the light sharperner getting totally disgusting with all of the drippings from food that you've been setting on fire??? Wednesday 01st of August 2007 12:21 pm

I did it! Caveman Wednesday 01st of August 2007 12:53 pm

If I'm the first and only person to ask a question, will it show up in the FAQs? Wednesday 01st of August 2007 1:23 pm

OOOH, melt a golfball. I've always wondered how much heat they must be able to endure during their flight. Christopher Walken Wednesday 01st of August 2007 2:05 pm

Is there a chance you could accidentally start one of the nearby trees on fire? Regis Philbin Wednesday 01st of August 2007 4:34 pm

As a relatively well-educated and accomplished caveman, I have two intellectual nuggets of wisdom to share with you: 1) It's spelled "Stirling". 2) You could mount a mirror at the focal point and direct the energy elsewhere, you just can't do it with a flat mirror. You need to "collimate" the beams into one beam. Caveman Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:03 pm

People used to talk about me ... a LOT! What happened? Do I smell? I took a shower today. I used Irish Spring! Iphone Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:04 pm

Rob: Excellent work! You should teach science. Have the kids sign a 42-page waiver and have'em in the backyard cutting mirrors and lighting smokes from broken light bulbs. They'd learn a lot! Bill Richardson Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:11 pm

You, and the Light Sharpener, are effing awesome. I can't effing tell you how effing smart and creative I think you are. Long Live Cockerham! Melinda Gates Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:17 pm

Why do I get the impression that this is all part of some evil, evil plot? Adam Savage Wednesday 01st of August 2007 5:45 pm

You're the man, and I really want to make my own. Toby McGuire Wednesday 01st of August 2007 6:05 pm

You can try toasting bagels. Woody Allen Wednesday 01st of August 2007 7:51 pm

Tatooine, huh? See ya in court, kid. George Lucas Wednesday 01st of August 2007 8:27 pm

What about trying ye old water balloon? Wednesday 01st of August 2007 9:07 pm

I think you need to cook things on it like cheeseburgers or eggs and cover it like you do. David Hasselhoff Wednesday 01st of August 2007 9:08 pm

Cat! Adam Sandler Wednesday 01st of August 2007 9:10 pm

Damn shaking....I would just like to hold still for awhile. Michael J. Fox Wednesday 01st of August 2007 9:14 pm

Aw, come on. It's always possible to focus it into a single beam. Look into getting a biconcave lens, which should focus it into parallel rays, and a mirror to bounce those to a spot on the ground or something equally easier to work with. You should also try the copper piping idea (wind the piping into a spiral form right over the focus) along with the lens. Justin Long Wednesday 01st of August 2007 10:03 pm

do you think you can make something as hot as my sweet sweet hot little ass Hillary Duff Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:01 pm

Wish we had these in the 70s.. Topher Grace Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:05 pm

if you decide to mount the copper pipe paint it flat black to absorb the maximum ammount of heat even though the difference would be small with amounts of heat this extreme it might help. Also make sure you pump the water through quickly so it does not boil inside the pipe and blow the system with excess pressure. Kudos on the reflector by the way its awesome. Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:21 pm

with one properly cooled photovoltaic cell, or perhaps a small array of cells a foot or so out of the focal point, the cell array capturing all of the reflected sunlight, you could get the same electricity produced as if you placed enough of those same cells to cover the area of the dish mesh. it might be possible to generate some really usable electricity in this way. Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:31 pm

Could we use this to heat Africa? Bono Wednesday 01st of August 2007 11:57 pm

Could it light a match, or set fabric aflame? Bill Murray Thursday 02nd of August 2007 12:32 am

So, are you accidentally blinding pilots and astronauts as they fly past, or is the lights strength just limited to burning tiny holes in air/spacecraft? Evil Paris Hilton Thursday 02nd of August 2007 1:15 am

I'd love to see you melt a solar cell on that thing. That would be awesome. Sylvester Stallone Thursday 02nd of August 2007 1:16 am

Check to see if it can reach 1.21 Jig-a-watts Michael J. Fox Thursday 02nd of August 2007 5:46 am

Use a small pond pump and a valve to regulate the flow of water through copper pipe. The rest is math: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/phase.html Father Guido Sarducci Thursday 02nd of August 2007 9:40 am

It needs more cowbell. Christopher Walken Thursday 02nd of August 2007 12:28 pm

How about a filter on your camera so that everything isn't a white blur? Perhaps you could adjust the phase polarization, as well. Patrick Stewart Thursday 02nd of August 2007 2:20 pm

Rob, I'm your father. And I'm proud of you. Patrick Swayze Thursday 02nd of August 2007 2:22 pm

If you want to use your concentrator for domestic hot water heating you'll need some type of tracking mechanism. I have one. It's awesome. OJ Simpson Thursday 02nd of August 2007 3:15 pm

iSuk Iphone Thursday 02nd of August 2007 3:57 pm

Why don't you point it at malaria or Linux or something like that? Melinda Gates Thursday 02nd of August 2007 6:23 pm

Mark Cuban?? Who is that? You have a lot of weird people on here. Mark Cuban Thursday 02nd of August 2007 6:47 pm

I like the sound of a rotisserie. You could cook chickens and hot dogs without burning them. I think the grill on the Solar Death Ray was a good idea, too. Some way of putting something in the locus without wrapping it in wire. Christopher Walken Thursday 02nd of August 2007 8:40 pm

Why not stick a hero's engine in the spotlight? Thursday 02nd of August 2007 8:43 pm

Would my awesome Multi-touch sensors be any match for your Light Sharpener? Iphone Thursday 02nd of August 2007 8:54 pm

Aren't you afraid you'll get raided? Surely airplanes can see this. Are you worried that it may cause havac in the airline system (or are you hoping?) Dr Phils Wife Thursday 02nd of August 2007 9:22 pm

You are wrong about the lense. It is possible to constuct a lense that would have a somewhat coherent light beam from the focal point of your parabolic dish. Your dish is an imperfect parabola and the light would be not be perfectly coherent but the better the shape of the lense the more focessed the light that would result.Your physics is flawed. over a finite distance it is practical Matt Damon Thursday 02nd of August 2007 10:30 pm

Superb. Id like to try this myself. Thursday 02nd of August 2007 11:45 pm

Ooopss.. Forgot the type my name. Im kenney and this is my blog. www.kenneyjacob.com Thursday 02nd of August 2007 11:46 pm

Why don't you mount it on your roof and reflect sunlight enough to cheaply cool your house. I know how those Sacramento summers can be. Hans Blix Thursday 02nd of August 2007 11:58 pm

your father, he died of dysentery... he gave me the light sharpener and I wore that uncomfortable solar converter up my ass for another 2 years. And now little man, I give the light sharpener to you. Christopher Walken Friday 03rd of August 2007 12:02 am

i guess i forgot to sign this. kewl project, rob. i'm just thankful that i don't live in sacramento--i would want to help you on all of these cool projects, and my wife wouldn't like me to not be at home. Danica Patrick Friday 03rd of August 2007 12:04 am

please try the sterling engine thing Sanjaya Friday 03rd of August 2007 3:34 am

Your 1984 penny was also zinc. The only copper part of it is a thin coating on the surface. Pre-1982 pennys are 90+% copper though. Strangely, post-1964 dimes, quarters, and half dollars contain a copper core. You can see it when you look at the edge. Nickles are nickel though. Regis Philbin Friday 03rd of August 2007 8:37 am

Rather than just a simple copper pipe, you might be able to use something like the heater core from a car (which looks like a small radiator). Friday 03rd of August 2007 8:42 am

How are things on the West Coast? Barack Obama Friday 03rd of August 2007 9:24 am

Heat a giant marshmallow. Julia Stiles Friday 03rd of August 2007 10:23 am

Or have a massive weenie roast for charity. Hillary Duff Friday 03rd of August 2007 10:25 am

It would be great if you could chrome the entire surface. Sure, that would be expensive but there's something called Fantachrome now that is basically chrome spraypaint. You'd need a flat surface rather than the wire mesh on the dish, though, but I'm sure you could devise something. In fact, I'll help. After all, I'm an expert on shiny, curved objects. Telly Savales Friday 03rd of August 2007 1:25 pm

How about tying helpless maidens to the focal point on a cloudy day so that a hero can come along and rescue her before the sun comes out? Bill Murray Friday 03rd of August 2007 2:00 pm

What you need to do is stop messing around, go to www.omega.com, and get yourself a platinum RTD (resistance temperature detector (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_temperature_detector) )for about $15 that will measure temperature up to 660C (1220F) using an ohmmeter. Bill Moyers Friday 03rd of August 2007 5:44 pm

Hi Rob, this isn't really Ron Howard, it's his brother. I picked Ron because I didn't see my name, but thought it was close enough. Are you sure about the fresnel? I thought the purpose of that lens was to align scattered light into more parallel beams. The real trick would be finding one that didn't melt/burst into flames at your focal point of death. Clint Howard Ron Howard Friday 03rd of August 2007 9:27 pm

lenses and mirrors wouldnt help focus the light or use it anywhere else much, but do you have some fiber optic cable lying around? Perhaps a fiber optic cable could be used to move your light and maybe make a nifty wood burner set. Also, where do we send a buck to buy you a steam engine or big sterling. I saw on the news that Dean Camen is all about Sterlings now. Jack Black Saturday 04th of August 2007 1:17 am

Video projections! Sunday 05th of August 2007 11:51 pm

Thursday 06th of August 2009 2:07 pm

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