DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
From Oxford โorigami engineersโ Weina Wu and Zhong You, published as A solution for folding rigid tall shopping bags in Proceedings of the Royal Society A. ScienceNOW has an item that at least tries to explain why this achievement is scientifically significant, rather than just really cool. Which, frankly, I donโt quite understand. But then, for our purposes, โreally coolโ is all the justification we need.
We’ve covered the work of the amazing Vi Hart before (Vi is also the daughter of our Math Monday columnist George Hart). Vi describes herself as a “recreational mathemusician” and she can certainly jam on math doodles with all of the chops of a bebop jazz musician. Vi also makes music-music, and has some cool […]
In the 19th century, three ancient Egyptian granite obelisksโeach weighing north of 200 tonsโwere shipped from Egypt to London, Paris, and New York. Postcolonial-era questions about whether ancient Egyptian obelisks shouldnโt perhaps be left in Egypt aside, how it was done is quite an interesting story. This, BTW, is just the first of what I expect will be many gems from my newly-discovered treasure trove, No Tech Magazine, a sister publication to Kris de Keckerโs Low Tech Magazine, which we rave about here all the time.
When we have blogged before about folks laser-cutting old records to make stuff, readers have been quick to point out that laser-cutting vinyl is dangerous because it releases chlorine gas which, in turn, presents two hazards: A) you donโt want to breathe it (and probably shouldnโt just vent it into the atmosphere), and B) it will corrode the metal parts of your equipment.
My husband is on an epic 3 week snowboarding roadtrip. He’s been dropping 20 foot cliffs at 12,000 feet with his brother and friend, and living the life of a ski bum. So, what do three dudes do when they are out on the road, free from life’s responsibilities? Make hand dipped beeswax candles, of course!
By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics Speaking of office supplies, a box of mailing tubes showed up in our Museum of Mathematics office and I couldn’t resist making a geometric construction. All you need to make your own copy are thirty tubes and sixty rubber bands. All the tubes are surrounded similarly. Each […]
This prototype clock from UK designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau is powered by a microbial fuel cell. It features a conveyor belt of flypaper that attracts flies and drops their bodies into the fuel cell. Depending on the available fly supply, the process can generate enough power to sustain itself and power a digital clock, as well. [via Boing Boing]
