>Ahem. Not sure anyone will be using that example for advocacy ;-)

Why not? >Isn't "Very interesting though!" what it's all about.

This is an extreme part of a maker / hacker culture which surely is nothing new. If you consider the amateur boat builders, engineers, cooks, cabinet makers, dress makers, scientists, etc. it is what humans have done for a long time. Aren't we all the same? It's just that we now more than ever do it for fun http://youtu.be/f2V7B7-gdRA :). A relevant read might be Richard Sennet's The Craftsman.


If you feel that smashing heavy water is a hazard you may be right but it is likely to be less risky than DIY death ray guns, much more likely to be misused, as they are more readily available. Try not to think about kids messing around with a laser pen & spotting scope the next time you go outside! Ah the future :\


But maybe this is more like what you were thinking of:

http://www.cafescientifique.org/
http://www.cafe-sci.org.uk/
JISCmail - CAFE-SCI List at JISCMAIL.AC.UK (https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CAFE-SCI)


Has there been much research already carried out on this topic?
http://www.iiz-dvv.de/index.php?article_id=5&clang=1

http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=findJournals&uiLanguage=en&hybrid=&query=education
http://openaccess.eprints.org/