Got a cat? What’s she been up to lately? There’s this saying... When the cat lies in the sun in February, she will creep behind the stove in March. Sounds like spy code for something – but you’ll work it out...

  1. Sooo Random – Spring Fever and Satellite Gravity
  2. Sci-text – Darwininan Text Message
  3. No Such Thing As A Free Lunch – Darth Tater Givaway
  4. Over 2U! – Potato Surprise
  5. Winners – Inside DNA
  6. Rib Busters – Spud ‘Humour’

1. Sooo Random - Science news straight to your Inbox...

Satellite Shoot Down 

There’s a spy satellite up there that went wrong as soon as it launched and is dragging gradually back to Earth. Rather than have it land randomly on someone’s city, house or even head (it weighs the same as two elephants apparently, and is full of toxic fuel – nice!), President Bush has made the decision to shoot it down. Despite all their array of weaponry, the US, it seems, does not have an ‘off the shelf’ (some shelf!) product to do the job, so will have to tinker around with software they have already.

It’s due to happen in late Feb or early March, and there are concerns that the debris from the shoot down will hang about in orbit, possibly endangering the International Space Station. This could be interesting as it develops…

The New Scientist Space Website has more on this story.

(Early) Springwatch?

The Woodland Trust started the whole Springwatch thing when it joined forces with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in 2000 to promote phenology to a far wider and larger audience. Almost 50,000 people across the UK are now involved with the UK Phenology Network.

If you’re thinking why do they all care about bumps on the head so much then?...then close, but no cigar friend. ‘Phrenology’ is the spurious science of reading a person’s personality by the bumps on their head, whereas Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena especially in relation to climate. It is recording when you heard the first cuckoo or saw the blackthorn blossom. This can then be compared with other records which, particularly in the age of climate change worry, is very useful. If you are quite serious about wildlife plants and animals or serious about learning more about them this is the site for you. Register (it’s free) see what sort of thing they need to know by rummaging round first.

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2. Sci-text – what would they say?

Imagine if our most famous discoveries and inventions had been communicated by text.  Take Charles Darwin for example, having a picnic on his famous trip:

Galapagos. phat!
Xcept 4
pesky finches.
OO – idea!

Got any better txts?  Or got another text from a scientist/inventor/discoverer?

Send it to us at randomised.news@nesta.org.uk  with ‘SCI-TEXT’ as the subject. We’ll print it – u neva no!

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3. Over 2U! – POTATO SURPRISE!

Believe it or not it’s National Chip Week this week. Like we don’t eat enough of them already! For this activity you’ll need some chip raw material and thick gloves – seriously be properly careful with your hands, observe what the straw does to the potato…after you’ve practiced for a while… maybe quite a long while….

You will need:

  • A potato (or several if you like)
  • Plastic straws (non-flimsy ones are best)
  • A gardening glove

What to do:

  1. It's easy: put a gardening glove on one hand, for protection, and hold the potato firmly between the upturned fingertips of this hand (ie. position your hand to ensure you won't stab the palm of your hand if the straw goes through).
  2. Take the straw in your other hand, and hold it firmly, but without crushing it.
  3. Right. Take a deep breath, take aim, and stab the potato as hard as you can. (The trick is not to hold back because it's "only" a straw. Imagine it's a pencil. You might also pretend you're aiming for the BACK of the potato rather than the front - a psychological trick that'll give your stab more ooooomph.)
  4. When you've perfected the action, the straw will pierce right through the potato ...

What's going on:

Straws may be insubstantial if you bend them across the middle, but as cylinders they have strength from end to end - and you don't need to keep your thumb over the end or anything, the walls of the straw alone are all you need to mimic the effect of a sharp circular knife. That's a lot of pressure hitting the potato across the very fine circumference of the straw, and like stiletto heels digging holes into your brand new lino, it can certainly make its mark.

If you prefer your science activities to be a little more visual then look at the Planet Scicast site.

Keep checking back for new films and, whilst you’re about it - how about submitting one of your own?

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4. No Such Thing As A Free Lunch – Prize Draw Q – Daft Darth Tater

Normally we put something relatively sensible on offer and ask for nothing in return. This week it’s all different.

We have something extremely silly on offer in return for a bit of info from you. Yes, YOU, young people, know stuff about young people and the Planet Science and NESTA’s Future Innovators team would like to know that stuff to help us plan and plot and otherwise do stuff that young people will want to get involved with.

So here’s the first NSTAAFL question: Which social/community/friend based/networking type website do you use and what do you especially like about it?

That’s all – only quick answers needed and you are at liberty to say you don’t use social website – that’s good info too. Two random emails will be chosen and the winners will get a Darth Tater (snort – giggle – silly!).

Owners of fruit clocks (or potato clocks – see terrible joke later) will be able to hook Darth up as a Darth Tater clock with a little ingenuity…

If you’d like to go into the draw for a Darth Tater kit email your short answers with your age, name and postal address to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk with  PATA 2 D 2 in the subject line.

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5. Winners – Has your name been picked out of the bag?

A worthy winner of a family pass to Inside DNA, Explore@Bristol is Alex James from Portishead – well done!

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6. Rib-Busters – Some jokes we’ve dug up..

Why wouldn't the reporter leave the mashed potatoes alone?
He desperately wanted a scoop.

Oooo dear. And something you’ll have to read out loud a couple of times before you get it…

A girl went into a department store and asked an assistant, "Do you sell potato clocks?"
"Potato clocks, miss? I'm not sure what you mean," replied the assistant.
"Well," came the explanation, "I'm always being late for school, and my teacher said I would get there before nine if I got a potato clock ...." 

Geddit?

Here’s more potato related nonsense here if you find it appeeling.

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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!