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Author: Ted Hope
Well, the same goes for the grown-ups. This guy is pretty amazing; he gave us several jaw-dropping moments. We had been reading that effort is more important than ability when it comes to accomplishment and victory. I wonder how many hours of practice went into these stunts? Still they produced an excellent five minutes of bicycle brilliance.
If Bowl Of Noses had a summer camp, one of the electives would be Mad Science 101. Definitely, we’d have lots of stuff that explodes and makes stinky smells, but hey, it’d be educational too (we’ve got another 20 fun things to do on the list too, so best sign up for the whole fantasy summer!).
Dave at The Paris Bar tipped us to the Cool Hunter tip on these neato kits. If our dreams were real, we’d more than enough for everyone to play with each twice. Here’s what Cool Hunter had to say:
Although the Rhode Island-based Thames & Kosmos has only been around since 2001, the science kit manufacturer has a roster of more than 57 award-winning kits. This prolific output has been possible, no doubt, through partnership with the respected German publisher Kosmos, which has been producing experimental sets since 1922. (Its chemistry set won a gold medal at the 1937 World’s Fair.)Thames & Kosmos has been publishing eco-driven science kits since its inception. In fact, the first product to be introduced to the States under the label was the Fuel Cell kit. At last week’s NYC Toy Fair, the company introduced four new kits in its Alternative Energy and Environmental Science line-up, one of which was a revised and sportier (see above) version of the Fuel Cell Car and Experiment kit. Available this fall for $169, we’re guessing this kit might be a popular holiday gift for automotive executives.
Another revised edition is the new Power House Green Essentials Edition. A follow-up to the best selling Power House Kit, the new edition is geared towards kids ten and up, and features 30 experiments over ten energy-related models: the power house itself, a greenhouse, a solar cell array, a passive solar collector, a solar oven, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a hydrometer, a lemon battery and a wind power generator.Entirely new for 2009, the Hydropower kit is geared towards kids ages eight and up. It focuses on teaching the power of water through twelve experiments and building projects. Kids learn age-old hydropower schemes through building a water wheel, sawmill and hammer mill, while gaining insight into water pressure through a water tower, communicating vessels and a fountain. And for those budding ecopreneurs out there, the kit elaborates on how electricity can be generated by harnessing the power of ocean waves, tidal flows and rivers. Hydropower will be available this summer and sell for $50.
Lastly, and just in time to prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s raging climate crisis, is the Global Warming kit. This one features experiments that teach about the Earth’s delicate climate system and the role we humans play in shaping it through experiments that model the atmosphere, wind and ocean currents. Global warming scenarios are developed with experiments involving carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect. Although this kit is geared primarily for children ages 10 and up, we can’t help but think it might be a helpful learning device for the lingering group of global warming naysayers out there. Available this summer, the kit will sell for $35.
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Peanuts Without Telepathy
“The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” was a Saturday morning show that ran in ’83 & ’84. It was a direct lift from the Peanuts comic strips with nothing added except when absolutely necessary. You can kind of figure out what the three panels were if you try hard. It created some problems though: without Snoopy’s thought balloons how were you supposed to know what he was saying since DOGS CAN’T TALK? So you lose a few punch lines. You also recognize quick that Peanuts rarely gave a happy ending. Who needs a happy ending? Things going wrong is always more fun to watch, isn’t it?
Thanks Macleans!
In “Magnetic Movie” the filmmakers use actual scientists’ discussions about the nature of magnetic fields but then illustrate it with sound and animation to give you a better idea as to what they look like. It’s freaky in the most beautiful of ways: it makes us think of all the things we can’t see but that do shape the world around us.
Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.
The Telegraph in the UK ran the twenty of a much longer list evidently published in BBC magazine. We’d like to see it, but why are they holding out on the answers to the UNanswerable questions. Typical grown up behavior, telling you only the stuff they already know.
Where is the safest place to stand outside in a thunderstorm?
Tall, pointy objects standing alone in an open space are more likely to get struck by lightning but it’s by no means a certainty. Sometimes the flat ground next to a tall tree can be hit. A car or other enclosed metal structure is the safest place to be in a thunderstorm. Failing that, a ditch, trench or group of shrubs of uniform height is better than nothing. Keep away from boundary areas between dissimilar terrain (water and land; rock and earth; trees and fields). Also keep at least five metres away from metal objects or other people as lightning will often jump from one object to another.
Why do identical twins have different fingerprints?
Although identical twins share the same DNA, they don’t look identical cell-for-cell, because not every aspect of your physical appearance is rigidly determined by your genes. Fingerprints are formed semi-randomly as the foetus develops in the womb andare affected by such things as chance fluctuations of hormone levels. Similarly, the pattern of freckles and moles on the skin is caused by random mutations and will vary between identical twins.
Is the human race still getting taller?
The average height, at least in Western society, is increasing because of better childhood nutrition and sexual selection. But the tendency of women to find men taller than six feet (183cm) more attractive can’t be extrapolated upward, and people above 6ft 2in (188cm) are much more likely to suffer back problems. Above 6ft 8in (203cm), and the heart strains to pump blood round the body.
Why do I feel cold and shiver when I have a fever?
A fever is when your body increases its internal thermostat, found in the hypothalamus. If you exercise hard or it’s a hot day, your body temperature might increase, but the thermostat remains at around 36.8°C. When you feel hot the hypothalamus tries to correct this with sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. But with a fever, it is the thermostat that has risen. This means your body temperature is now below 36.8°C, so you feel cold and shiver, to try and raise your temperature. The higher body temperature may help fight infection by speeding white blood cell production and slowing bacteria reproduction.
What is OK short for?
The most popular theory is that OK comes from ‘oll korrect’, a deliberately misspelled writing of ‘all correct’. It was popularised in Boston newspapers around the 1840s when it was fashionable to go around spelling things incorrectly for humorous effect. Legend also has it that New York Democrats later adopted the abbreviation to promote their candidate Martin Van Buren – the initials ‘OK’ were derived from his nickname, Old Kinderhook.
Why can’t we just fill in the ozone hole with man-made ozone?
The sheer scale of the notorious hole – or, more accurately, depleted region – in the Earth’s ozone layer over the Antarctic beggars belief. At its peak each September, it spans an area bigger than the continental United States, and tens of millions of tonnes of ozone would be needed to fill it up again. Simply creating that amount of ozone, let alone getting it where it’s needed, would be astronomically expensive.
Why do fingers and toes wrinkle when left in water?
The waterproof coating on our skin gets rubbed away from areas of our bodies like our hands and feet that are frequently in contact with objects. If you immerse yourself in water with a lower concentration of dissolved salts than that of your cell contents, water will be absorbed by osmosis and cause your skin cells to swell. Since they are anchored to the tissues below, they are forced to corrugate to accommodate this.
What is a hiccup?
A hiccup comes from an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, producing asudden intake of air. The glottis (the vocal apparatus of the larynx) slams shut at the same time, so that the column of air strikes the closed glottis to produce the characteristic, onomatopoeic noise.
Is there an easy way to prove the Earth is round?
Yes, travel. Because the Earth’s surface is curved, you’ll notice that different constellations of stars are revealed.
Can you have a fish out of water?
Yes. Several species of fish can breathe air and crawl on land. There are about 50 species of flying fish, too.
Why is sea air good for you?
It isn’t, particularly. In Victorian England, seaside resorts got a reputation for having healthy air – maybe in comparison to the era’s city smogs. The seaside’s “bracing” smell is caused by a chemical produced by coastal bacteria, present in very low concentrations. But a study last year found that sea salt can react with chemicals in marine exhaust fumes to worsen the atmospheric pollution in a busy port.
Do plants die of old age?
Given good conditions, some plants can live for ever. It takes a change in external conditions to finish them off. But annuals die soon after seeding.
Does chewing gum really stay inside you for years?
No. Chewing gum is indigestible but it doesn’t have any magic property that allows it to escape the normal digestive transit. Three days is the usual limit.
Where do phobias come from?
Around 10 per cent of the population suffer from phobias. Some may be triggered by a traumatic event while others are linked to physical problems. Studies suggest that simple phobias are partly genetic while others may be due to cultural history. For example, a fear of spiders may be passed down from the Middle Ages when spiders were associated with the plague, as victims’ deserted homes became shrouded in cobwebs.
Do men have cellulite?
Yes. It’s not just women who are cursed with orange peel skin, although in men cellulite tends to be in different places, usually around the neck and abdomen.
Can germs catch germs?
Yes. The germ would be an even smaller organism that attacks its host germ from within.
Why do I get more car sick in the back?
It’s probably because you don’t have such a good view of the horizon. Motion sickness occurs when the balance mechanism in your ear registers movement while your eyes are telling you that you are stationary.
Could we live on water and supplements?
No. As well as vitamins and minerals we need carbohydrates, fats and proteins for energy and cell repair.
Do hot drinks cool you down?
Yes. They make your body think you are hotter than you really are so you sweat more and that leads to heat loss.
What would happen if there were no Moon?
The most immediate effect (other than the lack of moonlight, of course) would be on the Earth’s tides. With only the Sun’s gravitational influence, the difference between high and low tides would be reduced dramatically – as would tidal drag, which slows the Earth down at a rate adding about 0.002 seconds to the length of a day each century. Long term, the effects would be far more serious. The climate of the Earth is sensitively dependent on the 23.5° tilt of the Earth’s axis, and without the stabilising presence of our relatively huge Moon, the gravity of the other planets would produce big changes in this angle – as it does with Mars, whose tilt changes by 60° over a few million years.
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Determining Foreign Sales Fees
The question came up over one of last weeks posts, why foreign buyers base license fees on budget percentages. I have accepted this for so long, I had stopped questioning it — but it is one of those things worth questioning, so I am glad it was raised. Thanks.
It made me feel we should have an ongoing “ASK THE EXPERTS” section over here at Truly Free. For this one I went to the legend of Glen Basner, a graduate of the Good Machine School of Everything, and the man behind the founding of the new sales powerhouse FILM NATION. The Baz explains:
There are many factors in determining what a territorial license fee should be – a percentage of the budget is only one. These are standard amounts that are “typical” for an individual territory based on what distributors have paid historically (Yes, the world has changed quite a bit recently!). I don’t believe that they apply in singular fashion unless you are contemplating some form of output deal.On a single picture license, a distributor will want to know what the budget level is so that: a) they understand what the production value will be; and b) they can feel comfortable that they are not paying an excessive amount in relation to the cost of the film. These are valid points but what people forget is that ultimately the budget of the film does not necessarily have a correlation with its success at the box office (Blair Witch etc).Our approach is to think like a distributor and run estimates – both revenue and expense – for a film in all media to determine a low, base and high value a film is likely to have in any given territory. With these estimates we can back into a license fee figure that would allow for a distributor to make money should the film turn out well. The budget comes into play if the sum total of our international estimates do not raise enough money to finance a film.
Curiously enough, the WSJ has chimed in today on the issue of value of foreign licenses, albeit the lack thereof. Check it out here.
