STARDATE 329 | Friday 23rd October 2009 Apparently there’s a new electric car on the cards. BYD (Build Your Dreams) say that the new E6 electric car due out before the end of the year will do 250 miles (400km) on a single charge. It needs 7-8 hours with a domestic plug to charge the car. Imagine the scene - “Ooooh, sorry we’re late - somebody unplugged the car...” The line-up this week: Planet SciCast Confused Copy Stump the Scientist – Trees and breathing Mouses at the Ready – Love stuff Planet Pick of the Week – Planet Goth Activity of the Week – Behead Your Teacher Noticeboard – FYI Recommended websites of the week The Winners’ Enclosure Joke of the Week Planet Science Newsletters, Advanced Warning... Planet Science Website and Newsletter will be moving from NESTA to another organisation in the near future. Please be aware that we will be asking you to register for the newsletters again if you wish to continue receiving them. (We can’t legally hand over your data to another organisation, even if you might want us to!) Don’t try to sign up again yet or anything, look out for further instructions by special email and in the newsletters. 1. Planet SciCast Exciting New Camera Manchester Science Week, and an exciting new camera In Manchester next week? It's Science Festival time. Get the low-down on everything that's happened at their website, but most importantly for SciCasters - don't forget to look up. Now, unless you're not merely in Manchester, but specifically in Exchange Square, you'll have no idea why we've asked you to do that. But if you *are* in Exchange Square, you might just catch a whole caboodle of SciCast films being played out on the BBC Big Screen, right there in the city centre. How. Cool. Is. That? They did this last year too, and we're talking to the Big Screens folks at the BBC to see if we can make SciCast films a regular feature of city centres all over the country. Meanwhile, our local delivery company have managed to work out how to launch packages high enough to reach SciCast Orbiting World Headquarters. This week's delivery included a rather spiffing little Kodak Zi8 video camera. We'll have a full review for you soon, but our initial impressions are that the picture quality is excellent, the close-up setting a real life-saver for SciCast films, the presence of a microphone input socket is simply *huge*, and the price is right too. The camera we've all been waiting for? Our Magic 8-ball says 'ANSWER HAZY, ASK AGAIN LATER,' but it always was a touch pessimistic. Look out for a video review on SciCast very soon. Back to Top 2. Confused Copy... what they really mean Following on from our series of features by Ian Francis we opened it up to you for contributions. Matthew Tosh (STEM Clubs Network Manager) took up the challenge. “Here's one for you, although it's not from a journalist, it is a classic example of poor scientific and mathematical language. I recently purchased a new kettle, complete with an electronic temperature control, so that you can avoid over-heating water when it doesn't need to be boiling (e.g. for a nice herbal tea whilst read the PS newsletter - nice plug. Ed). On the big labels attached to it, the manufacturers have really pushed the temperature control as an energy saving device - I quite agree with this sentiment, but here's how they've written it: “Saves up to 30% less energy.” What it should say is “Saves up to 30% more energy” or “Uses up to 30% less energy.” Should I take my kettle back as it isn't saving as much energy as I would like it to?” We’d like to be behind you in the Customer Services counter when you do, Matthew! Thanks Ian. Alas this is the last in the series. Unless anyone has any other ideas? Send them to us in an email with CONFUSED COPY in the subject line to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk Back to Top 3. Stump the Scientist This week Sue Falch-Lovesey has an absolute corker “I hope you can rescue me! We are running a project in Norfolk called 'Artists for Climate Change' - it is about working with the most wonderful and creative artists, exploring climate change and then supporting work in schools. The artists have the most knotty questions. Sorrell asks (see below): How many trees/plants does it take to keep me breathing? I know the answering of this question will lead to something very interesting for a lot of children.” Over to you, scientists. If you can help or have a burning question of your own then send us an email with STUMP THE SCIENTIST in the subject line to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk Back to Top 4. Mouses at the Ready This week we have an opportunity for all you enterprising FE colleges out there who may have an idea for a science-related project. Admittedly this prize is a little Valentine-ey, but then maybe you won’t be in a position to award the prizes till next term anyhow. The pack includes 5 rose bath lights, 2 rose bathbuds, 5 heart handwarmers, 1 ‘I Love You’ toast stencil and 5 heart-shaped icecube trays. If you want to win it, send your name and address and the words ‘LOVE SCIENCE’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk The draw will take place at 4pm on Wednesday 28 October. Back to Top 5. Planet Pick of the Week It’s that spooky time of year coming up so maybe you’ll be on the lookout for some games and resources to get in the mood. We’ve got just the thing - Planet Goth Apart from all the recipes for Peppermint Screams, Sticky Worm Balls and Jelly Brains there is also the awesome Haunted House Enter if you dare! Broooouuuu hahahahaha. Ulp! Back to Top 6. Activity of the Week Hey we always like to hear from our readers and this week Andrew Harmsworth has sent us a great little activity. Behead Your Teacher! Here's a trick you can do in any classroom. What you need • White or blackboard • Teacher • Chalk or board marker What you do 1. Clean the black/white board 2. Draw a cross at the height of your teacher's head 3. Stand your teacher 3 m or so to the left of the cross 4. Stand yourself about 2 m in front 5. Close (or cover) your right eye 6. Stare at the cross with your left eye 7. Use your peripheral vision to check the teacher's head! 8. Ask your teacher to move very slowly towards the cross 9. Keep checking their head with your peripheral vision 10. You will 'see' you teacher (peripherally) with no head! What’s going on? The eyes relay the image that forms on the retina to the brain via the Optic Nerves. These nerves connect to the retina from the inside, a quirk of evolution. Thus there is a blind spot at the back of each of our eyes where no rods or cones can interpret the image formed there. We do not normally notice this effect as the brain merges together the two images from each eye, obliterating the missing information. Thanks for that Andrew! This activity came from www.harmsy.freeuk.com Back to Top FREE careers and exams workshop SEPnet, the South East Physics network, is running a FREE afternoon careers and exams event for Year 11 students at venues around the South East. The session consists of a workshop with an AQA examiner, careers fair and a chance to quiz working scientists and engineers. The dates and venues are: 25th November - University of Surrey 2nd December - Queen Mary, University of London 8th December - University of Sussex 9th December - University of Kent The event will run from 13.00 - 16.00 For more information check out the website www.sepnet.ac.uk or contact Clare Harvey at clare.harvey@sepnet.ac.uk Blue Peter Appeal - Send a Smile to India This year the Blue Peter Appeal supports Operation Smile whose network of volunteers works worldwide to repair childhood facial deformities including cleft lips and cleft palates. Make medical gowns out of old clothes for children to wear when they are having their operations. Full details on how to make and decorate gowns plus science and D7T lesson plans are available on the website   National Science and Engineering Week 2010 National Science and Engineering Week 2010 will be from 12 - 21 March and the theme will be ‘Earth’. Have you got a good idea for an event? The deadline for applications for all NSEW grants is 9 November 2009 See the website for details of grants UCL Free Events Treasured? Hunt Chadwick Building Lecture Theatre, Main Quad, Wednesday 28th October, 6pm Join the chase and follow clues which lead you around the incredible hidden museums & collections at University College London. Prizes are to be won by the team that solve all the mysteries and locate every artefact required from art, Egyptian archaeology, zoology and geology. The event is followed by a free drinks reception in a private view of the exhibition. Festival of Geology Wilkins Building, Saturday 31st October, 10.30 - 4.30 Free activities for everyone to celebrate in a partnership event between UCL and the Geologists Association and Rockwatch. Take part in brilliant activities allowing you to handle fantastic fossils, marvellous minerals and remarkable rocks. Try your hand at gem panning, identifying minerals and casting fossils; or come and listen to Professor Iain Stewart and friends with talks ranging from the woolly rhino to Romano-Egyptian decorated mummy cases with UCL's Dr Ruth Siddall; enter the photographic competition with a chance to win £100, or browse the stalls selling books, equipment and specimens. Field trips will be taking place on Sunday 1st November within London and around Surrey. Visit www.geologists.org.uk for more information. You could even stick around for the Grant Museum of Zoology's Halloween event - Witches and Lizards? In addition, on Tuesday 27th October the Grant Museum hosts some of the country's leading conservationists to debate “The Future of Species”. All of these events are open to all and there is no need to book. More details of UCL Museums events can be found at www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/whatson 8. Recommended websites of the week Have you ever wondered... How small is a nanometre? In the time it takes to pick a razor up off the basin and raise it to his face, a man's beard will have grown one nanometre. If you want to know more about nanotechnology and its impact then checkout this website, it’s for anyone interested in nanotechnologies. It might be useful for consumer groups wanting to know more about nano products; small businesses learning about regulation or school children needing information for a project. Nano will touch all of our lives; perhaps through ordinary products like cosmetics or construction materials or in the future through innovations, such as those in energy, medicines or robotics. So, this site aims to bring a balanced and thoughtful perspective to discussion about nano. We like the link to The Nano Song from the University of California at Berkeley which won the American Chemical Society 'What is Nano' Video Contest. It can be found in the What Makes Nano Special section. To tell us about your favourite science websites - drop us an email with the words ‘RWW’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk. Back to Top Last week we were offering three packs of Horrible Science books. The winners are A Sayles from Lincoln, Dayna Mason from Manchester and Robert Woodhouse from Cleethorpes. Well done everyone!   Back to Top 10. Joke of the week A old snake goes to see his doctor. “Doc, I need something for my eyes. Can't see well these days.” The doc fixes him up with a pair of glasses and tells him to return in two weeks. The snake comes back two weeks later and tells the doctor he's very depressed. Doc says, “What's the problem -- didn't the glasses help you?” “The glasses are fine, Doc. I just discovered I've been living with a hosepipe the past two years!” And if you think that’s bad, you should see the jokes in the Planet Science joke collection Have a great half term week, back in a fortnight. Back to Top Remember... If you would like to view the Planet Science Newsletter Archive click here. You can also read back issues of Randomised for younger teens here. Or you can read back issues of Hay-Wire for Under 10s. PS if you would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, just reply to this email with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the title. Back to Top