I am often befuddled by the logic of what's allowed and what's not, and the seemingly arbitrary choice of same by different TSA employees... The cane that Ms. Robotcow is holding in the opening sequence looks like it might be able to inflict some serious damage by anyone skilled in the art of baseball. On a flight to Canada three weeks ago, we were not allowed to carry on a short (fits in the measuring device) 4 piece fishing rod with spinning reel attached, in a soft sided, zippered travel bag. Seemed they thought it could be weaponized. Thankfully, our driver was close enough to retrieve the offending package and take it back home. Oddly, on the return to USA, my fingernail clippers were confiscated as they had a fold out file - these were just good old Walgreen's, have carried them for 7 years and approx. 100 flights. I could do more damage with a key, a pen, a plastic knife or a wooden pencil. I also carry a beautiful blue machined aluminum pen/kubaton from Smith & Wesson, which is pointy, but hey, it's just a pen. I do give the TSA high marks for consistency in the application of inconsistent policies. Well done everybody.

This is all part of the conspiracy - aluminum won't foil the aluminati - you need proper tin foil.

Wow. Weird Al must be some trans-dimensional shape-shifting super-being to be able to keep producing such winners. He at least must be a member of the Alumina-hat-i. You know, like the Illuminati? But with an aluminum hat? It's a pun.

All it needs is an aluminum pool brush connected to a motor and he's cruising.

...or anyone with an aluminum engine block! Talk about blowing your motor!

Let's hope 'terrorists' don't watch the sift or youtube, or can't find any gallium or mercury. I don't think the TSA is looking for mercury or gallium, and it seems it could be disastrous if 'combined' with a plane's aluminum skin. Scary stuff....and neat!

wow, nasty prank against anyone with a solid aluminum macbook

Isn't this somewhat similar to mercury? low melting point and eats aluminum..

I work in a CNC machine shop programming lathes. That isn't aluminum they are machining. It's definitely steel, probably 4340.

Carbide inserts are more than capable of cutting metal without coolant. Well formed chips absorb and carry most of the heat away. You start to run into problems with gummy materials (like aluminum) that form a built up edge on the cutter. In this case high pressure coolant can be used to help break the long stringy chips and keep them from sticking to the insert.

One case where using coolant can be detrimental to tool life is when machining a part with an interrupted cut. Think of sliding your finger over a surface with a bunch of holes in it. Your finger switches back and forth between making contact with the surface and gliding over empty space. In the machining world, this motion would cause abrupt transient temperature changes, and coolant can sometimes exacerbate the problem and cause the carbide insert to crack or chip.

(pedantry) I would hesitate to call that machine a mill. You can see the machine switching freely between rotating the part to provide the cutting force (turning) to rotating the tool (milling). It's more akin to a horizontal turning center with a milling spindle built in as well. Pretty awesome stuff! (/pedantry)

I'm surprised there is no cutting fluid being sprayed on it. Most all the multi-axis CNC machines I've seen (not many, admittedly--not my department), required a pretty constant flow of oil. Is this some advancement in cutting tool technology, or is it just that aluminum is soft enough not to need it?

I understand NASA has used 3D printing to create fuel injectors (or something like that) for rocket engines with considerable success. Since it's a solid metal shape with lots of vacant internal channels, there would otherwise have to be a lot of design and construction concessions if it's going to be cut or forged. I suspect that sort of 3D printing will be quite revolutionary for manufacturing once it doesn't cost stupid amounts of money.

No it doesn't at all, if you spray the liquid where the bar meets the tube, there's plenty of space to get it in there right onto the part that does the locking...then one good hammer blow and that's my bike! It's only the lock bar, not the entire mechanism that needs to break, and you have direct access to it where the bar penetrates the tube.
It also looks like you could easily spray into the slot below the 'keyway' onto the lock itself...and there would be way more room inside to fill with liquid. Worse, it looks like the end caps are anodized aluminum, which won't even need a liquid, just a good hammer! (maybe that's wrong, but it looks that way)
Neat lock, but totally breakable....like just about any lock. A better plan might be a lock with a temp sensor and wireless to alert you theft is immanent.

For anyone wondering like I was, it costs $325.00 USD [discounted pre-order]

(From thepixelstick.com)
Pre-order pixelstick

$325 - Click Add to cart below to pre-order pixelstick at a reduced price, for June 2014 delivery. Contact Bitbanger Labs at any time if you wish to cancel your pre-order.

Full kit includes:

- LED PCBs (200 LEDs total)
- Two 3’ aluminum extrusion
- Connecting bracket
- Diffusion lens
- Handle with foam grip and rotating sleeve
- Controller box with connecting cables and clips
- Battery holder (AA Batteries not included)
- Carry bag

Awesome! I consider marzipan cookies a particularly interesting challenge on accounta you can't take marzipan on a commercial airliner anymore wrapped in aluminum as a carry-on snack...

I'm sure there's plenty of aircraft grade aluminum just laying around Kenya he could use. I knew it wouldn't fly at first sight, but fuck me I was still rooting for him. Gotta give him credit for following through on his dream.

A glass milk container would detonate in your fridge when you tried to freeze it. The plastic can give enough to take the expanding ice.

An aluminum container (properly shaped) would be even better than glass. Around 20x the thermal conductivity and be less likely to explode.

I also think he was trying for "cheap... but adequate."