Saturday 1 September 2007

Why I love science

Following Kindablue's post, I lapsed somewhat into science geekery. Delving around in the YouTube archives, I found this most wonderful macroscopic demonstration of the sorts of phenomena I used to get VERY excited about in my days as a graduate student. I simply cannot understand how the guy narrating this is not wetting himself with delight.





Isn't it the most beautiful thing? Oooh, I think I need a little lie down now...

5 comments:

DJ Kirkby said...

Pretty and ttoaly amazing. Why oh why is his voice so monotunous?

DJ Kirkby said...

*note to self* spell check and proof read before posting comments!

Anonymous said...

Verrrrrry mesmeric.

It was like Lou Reed narrating the visuals to a Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd light show (wasn't it?)

KindaBlue said...

Excellent - even better than group I metals in water!

But Why? said...

dj,
I don't know why, but it is almost obligatory for scientist to sound "like scientists", devoid of any ability to experience emotion, and reminiscent of the stereotypically dull, absent-minded professor who has no concept of... Sorry, I got distracted with killing a particularly persistent mosquito. Now, where was I...? Ah yes, monotony. Black and white. Ones and zeroes. Right or wrong. Or perhaps merely not yet shown to be untrue. Not that science is actually anything like that - it's more about getting an all expenses paid trip to a zero gravity environment to regress to a child-like state of playing with water and bubbles, just because it's fun.

trousers,
Was it? I'm afraid almost all cultural references are completely lost on me, but I'll take your word for it!

Kindablue,
Group one in water is all well and good. Actually, you can get a pretty good light show out of the humble lithium if you stick your lithium sample on a piece of filter paper floating on the surface of your water, limiting the kinetic path for energy dissipation. I think my all-time favourite demonstration is conc. sulfuric acid on sugar. So exciting.... I think I need to lie down again.


All,
Glad you liked it. I did worry a little after posting this that it might mark me out as some sort of socially-misfitted ubergeek. I realise that your comments do not disprove this hypothesis, but it's somewhat relieving that I'm not the only person in the world (aside from the chap on the clip, and actually if he's on the space station, I guess that would potentially leave me as the only person on the planet) who found this fun.

But xx