Hi Ali,
The circuit has changed a lot since last year. It had a 9V battery.
1) The author says it won't work with 74HC series because they are too slow. Other people say 74HC is fine.
2) I don't think it will work. Its photodetector diode is backwards.
3) I have never heard of crystals that operate at such a high frequency, even using overtones. Maybe it doesn't need a crystal oscillator and the unsyncronized gate.