How to make a pocket-sized Jacob's Ladder electrical arc generator

Jacob's Ladders are the classic arc generators seen in mad scientists' labs. As a kid, we'd make them using high voltage transformers scavenged from neon signs. (Not safe, don't do it, etc.). Over at MAKE, Matthias Balwierz explains how to make a handheld version that presumably is a bit safer but still, Balwierz cautions, "Avoid any contact with the voltage. — Read the rest