The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science(PLOTS) present this surprisingly simple yet  effective conversion of a cheap digital camera into a near-infrared camera. Now why would you want to convert your camera so it only takes pictures of something not visible to the human eye?
Taking photos with IR information can be used to generate NDVI (which stands Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and for NRG images. NDVI and NRG are methods taking the information in pictures and quantifying the amounts of infrared and other wavelengths of light reflected from vegetation. This can be used to evaluate health of vegetation by comparing ratios of blue and red light absorbed versus green and IR light reflected. It’s a snapshot of how much photosynthesis is happening. This is helpful in assessing vegetative health or stress. (Read more here:https://www.agronomy.org/publications/jeq/articles/36/3/832)
If you’re interested in learning more about Near-IR or Grassroots Mapping, PLOTS website is a wonderful resource..

Shameless Screen Grab courtesy of Citizen Science Quarterly

One is constantly harangued by other Villains about One's reliance on obsolete technologies. To them One only says variations on "You will Crouch! before me", "Wait until the Republicans are back in power and the world will run red with the blood of billions", "I'll get you, and your little dog too", etc. The point IS however, that technologies can and often ARE repurposed. The underyield petawatt laser on the roof of your Lair, could be a useful future component in your underground nuclear accelerator.

Now your Old and Busted can also be your New Hotness. 

Fun Note: Why does Lord Malignance pay a fortune in Insurance? Well, there are the after effects of working with unstable exotic energies, the fires, the phenomenon, but there are also the keywords "Nuclear Accelerator" and "Petawatt Laser". Apparently an insurance report with these words flags your account for an extreme rate hike. Which is where "Malignance Lair Insurance, LLC* steps in. "Why pay premiums, when Blackmail works more effectively?". 


-Lord Malignance


* "Malignance Lair Insurance, LLC", and "Blackmail Insurance Policy" are trademarked intellectual properties of Malignance Lair Insurance LLC who always say;  "I will throw the Moon into the Sun, if you don't fix my Lair".