V, With some spare time over the weekend, and little to do (a rarity), I decided to make a crystal-less crystal radio. Inspired by Nyle Steiner's work (google him, he is a god among amateur scientists), I conducted a couple hour's worth of experimenting with using flames as a detection method for RF. No kidding, it works!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMQEiRWoiJw Is it practical? No. Was it fun? Oh yes. Unanswered questions: why are American kids not doing this sort of thing? Why are they relying on their iPhones to do everything? "There's an app for that... guh..." --Kyle, longing for the days of Heathkit and the OLD Radio Shack...