Chemical Reactionary
Home science experimentation -- model rockets, chemistry sets and playing with explosives -- are a gateway drug to serious nerddom, having inspired the likes of Internet co-inventor Vint Cerf and Intel founder Gordon Moore. But the hobby is under assault from government agencies that are terrified of terrorists, from anti-fireworks campaigns, and from the war on (some) drugs. The result is that hobbyists and those who supply them are getting investigated, raided and even jailed.
I know I had a chemistry set growing up. Nothing too impressive, especially when put next to my father's old Mr. Wizard experimental suite that came all packed in a nice steel box. Just how far are we willing to go in the name of "safety"? How much of our childhoods are we willing to remove from our own children's futures?
