Back in October I ventured to the great Lubbock, TX. Home of Texas Tech University. And basically nothing else. With a few exceptions.

The company I work for has an office there. We also have a blast site about 30 miles outside of town. As in, a place where we set off bombs in order to find out how a specific product responds to a blast. I’m sure all the searching bots are finding my blog now.

Well, here’s how we do it. Legally. With a permit. The police are aware, as is the surrounding public. Oh wait, we are the only public there within miles and miles and miles.

The explosive is set. (A third party company provides the explosives).

The charge wires are spliced.

And are then carried around the perimeter of the site.

THE button is prepared for configuration.

All people at the site move into a bunker behind the chamber specimens below. I move out to the “viewing site”–1/4 of a mile away.

Ear plugs are in. Final computer, data acquisition system, and camera checks are made. Safety checks are made. Personnel checks are made. Countdown begins. Blast goes off.  Everyone yells “whoa!.” Cotton falls off the bales.

A high-rated product will be fine, even after being exposed to a bomb blast (see below). This is how “blast-resistant” products are deemed as such. These products are engineered and designed to protect building occupants. It’s still boggles my mind that glass can stand unharmed, but, as unfortunate as it is that such a product is necessary, it will save lives. We don’t usually know what the product will be used for (governmental projects are super secret), but we (not that I am directly involved in the testing)  do what we do in an effort to help manufacturers create products that can make building occupants a bit safer.

I’ll always love cotton farms. It’s not often you stand in the middle of one to watch a bomb go off. All for good reason.

And that, my friends, is what I did in Texas. And a portion of what I market for a living. Not that anyone was wondering.