Randomised Friday 22nd May 2009 Issue 28

WYay! It’s half term! Are you off to see the new Star Trek Movie? Or perhaps to tape a coke can to a lamp post? What? Have a look at Over 2 U and be amazed, and whatever you do with your week have fun.
  1. Planet Super Powers - The battle begins...
  2. Over 2U! - Six months of Sun
  3. Gear Giveaway - The Beginners Guide to Pinhole Photography
  4. Winners - Flipside tri-pack winners

1.Planet Super Powers

battle for planet science logoBattle for Planet Science Now the clones are captured and the mystery solved, join Miz Ingenuity on the Equator Space Station and explore the superheroes' base in episode one of the new Planet Super Powers! game 'Battle for Planet Science'. In episode two, will you help Miz Ingenuity save Planet Science? You'll need to use your science knowledge to unlock the console and access the data on the villains. Next week it's time to search the Biology Sector for accessories to help defeat the villains.

Don't forget each week to visit the game, which will be released in another six episodes over the coming weeks.

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2. Over 2U! - Science experiments for you to try at home...

This week we have made Over 2 U a guest spot, and the activity is brought to you by Justin Quinnell, who is a leading expert in the UK on Pinhole cameras. That’s not very high tech you might think - but check out the results as the photo paper tracks the sun across the sky over six months! The best time to start this off and get the full six month variation of the Sun’s position is the summer solstice, 21st June.

6 Month Duration Photography

Here is an easy way to photographing the Sun as it (apparently) moves across the sky and gets lower in the winter months.

You will need:

o An empty tall beer or Coke can (aluminium) (Ask an adult who likes beer to empty it for you of course!)
o Gaffer tape, and random other bits etc. to fix the can in place for 6 months
o A sheet of ‘traditional black’ and white photographic paper
o A computer scanner
o 6 months!

What you do:

Make a beer can camera from your aluminium drink can (instructions on www.pinholephotography.org)

1. Load the camera with photographic paper.

2. Position the camera firmly onto a post - window ledge, pointing south (towards the sun).

3. Peel off the shutter (ideally actually on the summer solstice - 21st of June) and wait for 6 months. Try not to forget it’s there....

4. On winter solstice (21st of December) take the camera down and, in reduced light, or red light, open up the camera, remove the photographic paper and scan the image onto a computer using a scanner. Save the image somewhere sensible in your files.

5, Use photo editing software to invert the negative image into a positive and add contrast and colour.

What's going on?

Traditional photographic paper has a coating of silver suspended in gelatine. This silver goes dark when exposed to light. Normally photographers would use a developer to accelerate this process but over time, even without developer, the paper will darken. The can acts as a camera obscura with the pinhole forming the image inside the can. The Sun ‘etches’ an image on the photographic paper as it tracks across the sky. Over a period of six months, the lines of the sun arcing across the sky will appear on the photographic paper along with the foreground. When this image is scanned into a computer it can be made into a positive and printed out.

Thanks Justin!

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3. Gear Giveaway - You’ve got to be in it to win it...

Inspired by the pinhole six month project? You too can be an artist, with light as your medium! Not all photos take that long of course - ‘The Beginners Guide to Pinhole Photography’ will take you through the first steps and the arty stuff will be up to you.

If you’d like to win this book send an email with your name, age and postal address, with Pinhole Perfect in the subject line to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk

The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 10th June.

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4. Winners - Has your name been picked out of the bag?

flipsideThe five tri-packs of Flipsides go to...Christopher Davis of Cowbridge, Christine Whitmarsh and Tom Parry both from London, Ryan Bradley-Evans from Newtown, and finally Simon Bellows from Shropshire. Well done, they’re flipping their way to you now.

Happy half term!

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THAT'S ALL FOR NOW

You've been Randomised!

Send any questions, comments, jokes or experiment ideas to: randomised.news@nesta.org.uk

Bye for now!
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