[HN Gopher] A Requiem for Amateur Chemistry
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       A Requiem for Amateur Chemistry
        
       Author : walterbell
       Score  : 25 points
       Date   : 2022-11-08 09:39 UTC (13 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (lcamtuf.substack.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (lcamtuf.substack.com)
        
       | zokier wrote:
       | To me chemistry suffers from being actually quite difficult
       | field. Even by doing these sorts of experiments it is difficult
       | to build up good intuition and actually start using chemistry to
       | achieve some specific goals; contrast to e.g. electronics or
       | programming where after some very basics you can start building
       | your own things
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | AlbertCory wrote:
       | https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/culture-at-google-part-t...
       | 
       | I have the talk by Theodore Gray that I hosted, where he does
       | some experiments with fire. This was a fun one to get approval
       | from Facilities for.
        
       | melony wrote:
       | Not a fair take. If you have the pre-requisite knowledge, it is
       | easier than ever. Just order the ingredients online (even the
       | semi-regulated ones can be easily obtained from overseas) at
       | prices that are impossibly low compared to the RadioShack days
       | where everything is overpriced with value being mostly captured
       | by thermofisher middlemen and retailers.
       | 
       | I think the lack of science kits is because CS, iPads and coding
       | have replaced messy kitchen science for children growing up now.
       | Swift Playgrounds only needs a tablet and it is just as
       | educational without needing any cleanup or supervision.
        
         | ska wrote:
         | > If you have the pre-requisite knowledge
         | 
         | Isn't this a pretty big barrier though?
         | 
         | In the times the article discussed, plenty of parents bought
         | chemistry kits for science-inclined kids without any real idea
         | of what they were; assured by the packaging and availability
         | that they were appropriate. For the most part they were
         | correct.
         | 
         | That's hard to imagine these days.
        
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