Year: 2008

Math Evolver is a game by DimensionM used to teach pre-algebra to middle school students.  While perhaps not quite as exciting as Halo, its very good.  Good enough that my older son is willing to actually think in order to play the game (at least when I won’t let him play Halo which, of course, …

Math Evolver, needs to evolve a bit more….Read More

Heh, heh. Now my kids are going to love this Internet Radio Station: http://www.live365.com/stations/trappedinlab/. Okay, so it’s really me that’s loving it, but they’ll have to listen anyway…. All science-related songs, all day, non-stop. The mix is, as you might expect, a rather eclectic mix. All sciences are mixed up and the style may be …

Science Geek Radio!Read More

Well, I’m a bit late putting this up, but I took some pictures last Monday night of the conjunction between the crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus.  [img_assist|nid=819|title=Moon, Jupiter, Venus Conjunction, 2008-12-01|desc=|link=none|align=undefined|width=640|height=479]   The image was taken with a Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT) and a 70-300mm zoom at around 200mm focal length. The insert shown …

Moon, Jupiter, Venus ConjunctionRead More

The most recent issue of the National Science Teacher’s Association newspaper included information on some groups with fun science songs. Having just wasted, er, spent some time looking at music videos on YouTube and the artists’ web sites, I thought I’d share. Billy Brennen, aka BillyBSongAndDance, has four YouTube videos, three are from live performances, …

Bill B Science Song and DanceRead More

There is a great video piece at the New York Times, also linked by SELENE. It’s well done and to the point (did you expect anything else?) and particularly timely.  Oh, and don’t forget to turn off your lights, too.

I’m afraid that weather is not permitting, again The forecast is for 60% overcast starting around 5pm anc continuing through the night. According to accuweather.com, Saturday morning turns clear, with clouds increasing around 5pm again. So no stargazing. December is a tough time to schedule stargazing. The odds of good weather are lower than in …

CANCELLED – Stargazing at Shore Road ParkRead More

POSTPONED to Friday December 5th The weather forecast for tonight is completely overcast with snow showers likely. It may clear sometime between 8 and 10 pm, but between the cold and the late hour, we will not meet tonight. Tomorrow promises to be clear but bitterly cold with winds in the 15-20 mph range making …

POSTPONED: Stargazing at Shore Road ParkRead More

And this one is geeky instead of gamey. Er, I didn’t quite mean that it was stinky, but anyway… I first read about it in technical journal (I forget which one, they all sort of blur together in my aging brain), but apparently I’m behind the curve on this one (another sign of advancing age) …

Another Reason to Buy a WiiRead More

If you’re into geeky videos, you’ll find some at the AIP Journal Chaos YouTube site. Some of the videos are fascinating, like the one currently highlighted on their page, which shows thermal convection. Watching it is kind of like staring into the campfire, it’s mindless, but somehow soothing. If’ you’ve got a Lava lamp, the …

Geeky Physics VideosRead More

This lesson is s general introduction to astronomy including safe daytime observing. Our main class activity for the next month (yes, 4 weeks!) will be recording the appearance of the moon on every clear day possible. If your child misses a few days of observing, we will combine our observations in class. The star chart …

Session 1: IntroductionRead More