Sorry to play the devil's advocate, but...

If my roommate starting biohacking in our apartment, I would probably have a fit. I am very strict about my lab conditions in an actual lab, and I cannot imagine having a wetlab in my apartment. It would be no where near clean enough. Not that my apartment is especially dirty, but my lab space is very clean. I would also wonder what my criminology studying roommate wanted to do with biohacking, considering his considerable lack of interest in what I'm studying.

I would first ask, "How did you afford and obtain the things necessary to set up this wetlab?" Then, I would likely ask, "What in the world made you think our apartment was a good space for a lab?"

I really cannot see my roommate having interest in such a hobby, but if he did, for some weird reason, I would probably be completely confused. My roommate isn't a "sciencey" person, so I can't imagine him getting into biohacking. But let's theorize that he did for some reason, want to do this....

I would probably be the complete control freak that I am and micromanage every aspect of his new hobby. If I let him keep doing it, that is. I would likely come up with a contract or list of commandments that had to be abided by in order to let him keep the lab.

BIOHACKING COMMANDMENTS:

1. Thou shall not under any circumstances create super germs.
2. Thou shall not pour biological waste down the drain.
3. Thou shall keep the lab space clean and tidy. 
4. Thou shall have freezers at the appropriate temperatures: (4*C, -25*C, & -80*C)
5. Thou shall not allow any lab equipment to come into contact with food in any way.
6. Thou shall be completely educated about the ramifications and procedures involved in the project you are undertaking.
7. Thou shall have and follow appropriate ventilation and safety procedures.
8. Thou shall sanitize all surfaces and glassware appropriately and regularly.
9. Thou shall store chemicals and organisms in appropriate environments.
10. Thou shall be willing to accept constructive criticism and advice from the resident scientist (that's me).

Citizen Scientist

Maybe it's my inner astrogeek, but I love space. I have since I was young and my Dad bought me my first telescope. And I think Galaxy Zoo is awesome. I thought it was a lot of fun. I saw some seriously cool galaxies that I had never seen before. And I think it is so awesome that a normal person like me can have the opportunity to contribute to one of my favorite fields.

I think this and the other Zooniverse projects are great ways to get normal people involved in the classification of things like this. It allows for the mundane and tedious work that scientists would have to do to be done by the average Joe who might find it a lot more interesting and cool. I imagine after seeing your 10,000th smooth, round galaxy, it wouldn't be as cool anymore. Where as when I was on Galaxy Zoo, I was excited to get through those galaxies to the really really awesome ones. And those boring ones were still pretty cool too, since that's not something I get to see every day.

The Lure of the Supernatural

If there is an alien or Bigfoot-centered show on the History Channel, you can bet my dad has probably seen it. Nevertheless, any time one is on, you can guarantee that he's probably watching it. While most of you are likely thinking that my dad is some redneck, hillbilly type, I promise you, he is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. He got in to MIT for goodness sake.

I think the lure of the "what if" surrounding subjects like cryptozoology, zombies, vampires (even awful sparkly ones), and fantasy is what draws people in. There is incredible overlap in the "scifi nerds" and the "dungeons and dragons nerds," and I think that stems from an insatiable curiosity surrounding the "what ifs"--be they scientifically plausible or not. I think that technology has advanced so rapidly that maybe science fiction isn't enough for many. It's not hard for many scientists to imagine one day owning many of the technologies seen in science fiction, and many are working on creating them as we speak.

I think the appeal of fantasy lies in its implausibility--it simply cannot happen. Being human, we always want what we can't have. And since most of us can imagine the future as science fiction becoming science fact, we look to fantasy to fulfill the longing. I mean, sure I could fly a private plane, but wouldn't it be so much cooler to have a personal dragon or magic pixie dust? The limitless possibilities of the fantasy world are what make it so appealing to the masses.

Science fiction is limited greatly by what we know of the physical world, and can only bend those rules within a certain amount of reason. Fantasy can completely disregard these rules and create creatures that have never been seen before. The imagination can run totally wild without the constraints of physics.

Sure we live in an "Age of Science," but that doesn't mean our imaginations have to be limited to what is "scientific." I think this "age of science" has actually promoted the exploration of the fantasy world, as the scientific community continue to take great leaps and bounds every day.