First TNT

I've played Minecraft for quite a while now, and I have to say, I've never made a single block of TNT.  With a large area needed for my slime spawner, now seemed like an appropriate (and sufficiently distant place from home) to begin.

Things didn't start off well.

... Why no TNT?
I check the Wiki.  Gunpowder in an X, sand in the rest.  Check my screen.  Looks right, why isn't it working.  Maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't be messing with explosives.  After a few minutes of pondering I finally figured out what was wrong.

See if you can spot the difference.

Give up?

Sure?

Really sure?

Okay.

I was trying to make TNT with Sandstone instead of Sand.  *facepalm*  

Crafting troubles solved, it was time to descend back down to bedrock and it out.  As of 1.7, TNT no longer goes off if you hit it, so I brought along some redstone torches and dust to do the job from a (hopefully) safe distance.

How far away do you have to be to survive a TNT blast? I don't really know... let's hope this doesn't end with my inventory strewn across the floor.  Stuffing two blocks in and some redstone dust, I plant a torch.

I was going to be brave and watch it blow, but it seemed safer to hightail it up the ladder instead.  KABOOM.  I was still alive!  Most excellent.  The hole wasn't as big as I was hoping for, maybe because of the bedrock so close.  Slimes spawn at level 16 or lower, so it should be safe to move up a bit and make my spawning room there. I was getting the hang of this.  TNT is pretty fun, actually, so long as you stand well back.  Definitely faster than knocking out a room one block at a time with the pick.

Of course, "safe" is a relative term when you're working this low on the map.

Eeep.