Karen Anne C. Liquete
Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the bill in your wallet is a fake?
How about generating battery power with simple household items? How would you like to create your own home security system?
Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does this and more in his book "Sneaky Uses For Everyday Things."
More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, Cy gives readers a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation.
Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun. You’ll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by: Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations; creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards; making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry; thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.
By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you’ll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes.
Cy has been creating useful high-and low-tech inventions all his life. By reading comic books as a kid and studying scientific techniques, he bridged science and fiction to amaze his friends.
He’s authored four books and more than a dozen articles on science and computer science. Cy has been interviewed on over 140 radio shows and his technical wizardry has landed him on CNN, CBS’s Morning News Chicago, KTLA Morning News Los Angeles, FOX 5 Las Vegas and featured in U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers. He lives in Los Angeles.
In this interview, Students and Campuses Bulletin picks the mind of this modern make-it yourself genius.
STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): How did you get into the "sneaky uses" lifestyle?
CY TYMONY (CT): I played with science toys as a kid and got more ideas from comic books and spy/sci-fi TV shows and movies.
SCB: Were you a creative kid growing up?
CT: Yes, as a teenager, I created a ring that can activate devices, including starting my car, and I sold gadgets and tricks through mail order ads in comic books and sci-fi magazines.
SCB: What was your very first "sneaky uses" creation?
CT: My "Magne-Power Ring" that activates devices. It has a magnet on its face and it can activate a magnetically-sensitive switch made with wire and a paper clip.
SCB: What is your most memorable "sneaky uses" masterpiece? Why?
CT: My "Gadget Jacket" that has over twenty sneaky devices inside. (See the video clips on my website’s Free Projects page at www.sneakyuses.com
SCB: How do you come up with your ideas?
CT: I do lots of reading and experimenting with everyday things.
SCB: Do you need to know science principles to create your own gadgets and gizmos from ordinary things?
CT: It’s not necessary but it helps.
SCB: What’s the best way to test your ideas before presenting them to your family and friends without getting laughed at?
CT: First, make multiple prototypes that are different sizes and made of various materials like cardboard and plastic. Then, do a lot of testing!
SCB: How can you tell if you’re idea is worth getting a patent for?
CT: I have no patents on my devices. Just copyrights on my written work. Many popular products have no patents like the formula for Coca-Cola and KFC chicken. The reason: You must reveal all of the ingredients to apply for and obtain a patent. You can protect you creation with a Trademark though.
SCB: Do you have to be a science geek or nerd to come up with really brilliant mechanical creations?
CT: You should investigate science and technology so you’ll save time and have a method to your experimentation.
SCB: What would you advice a teen who's passionate about taking things apart but is not as successful in creating his/her own "sneaky uses" creation?
CT: Check out science books, see other inventor sites like www.Makezine.com and join inventor groups (locally or online).
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