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3rd December 2004 Issue: 14

Thank Planet Science for that Wired-Up FRIDAY feeling! Here’s what’s coming up:

  1. PLANET PICKS – we’ve given the Planet Science homepage a makeover!
  2. YOU WHAT? – science facts as clear as black and white...
  3. GEAR FOR GRABS – win seats to Dr Bunhead’s show!
  4. WINNERS – we’ve plucked the winners from three Wired-Up competitions
1. PLANET PICKS – News from the world of Planet Science...

Here at Planet Science we’ve been as busy as Santa’s elves getting the website ready for Christmas. Summer is long gone and so is the Hawaiian Planet Science homepage. It’s been replaced by something far cooler – a winter wonderland scene, which can mean only one thing – winter is OFFICIALLY here.   

Click here to enter the science wonderland: http://www.planet-science.com/home.html

Now there’s just ‘snow’ chance we’d let December pass by without a quiz so as we’re all dreaming of a white Christmas at the Planet Science office, we decided ‘white’ should be the theme of our quiz. Do you know your White Stripes from your white noise? Or your Snow White from your egg white? I hope so, because you could be in with a chance of winning one of six sledges.

Here’s the link: http://www.planet-science.com/wired/comp_quiz/12_04_White/index.html

If you correctly answer all the questions, your details will immediately be entered into the draw for the prizes. Good luck!

By the way, we know which Wired-Up readers have been bad or good this year, the results have been compiled and are being sent by carrier pigeon to Lapland in time for the 25th...
2. YOU WHAT? – Science facts that might make you go “Hmm?”

Before you enter the quiz, here are some facts about all things white, but you won’t find any clues here. BAH HUMBUG!

  • White light contains all the colours of the visible spectrum – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
  • The great white shark is a ferocious predator with around 3000 teeth at any one time. Despite this number of teeth, they don’t chew their food. Instead they simply rip their prey into bite-sized pieces and swallow them whole!
  • ‘Whiteout’ is a term used to describe a weather condition when visibility is reduced to zero. This means you can see very little at all in front of you during blizzard conditions.
In simple terms, snowflakes look white because they have so many light-reflecting surfaces that they scatter the light into all of its colours. Scientists recognise six basic snowflake shapes: needle, column, plate, column capped with plates, dendrite and star.
3. GEAR FOR GRABS – You’ve got to be in it to win it...

From snow scientists to mad scientists, and Dr Bunhead in particular. You might have seen him on Brainiac on Sky One, or on BBC’s Blue Peter. He’s TV’s most insane scientist and he arrives in London this month for 2 weeks of explosive entertainment.

Dr Bunhead’s show is called Recipe for Disaster and it is playing at the Comedy Theatre in the West End of London from 20th December to 2nd January. Live on stage, Dr Bunhead brings science to life with an outrageous
assortment of madcap experiments. Time to hold on to your undies as he blasts his way through a kitchen full of everyday objects. Watch out for exploding hot water bottles (as seen on Blue Peter), the fastest chips in the West End, DIY breakfast bombs, spontaneously combusting jelly babies, Franken-gherkin, carrot canons and exploding underpants!

You can visit these websites to find out more:
http://www.bunhead.com
http://www.bunheadonstage.co.uk

OR you can email your details with ‘I’M HOLDING ONTO MY UNDIES!’ as the subject to: wired-up.news@nesta.org.uk to enter the draw to win a family ticket for four people to see the show. The winner will be announced in next week’s Wired-Up.
4. WINNERS – Has your name been picked out of the bag?

In last week’s Wired-Up we missed out the winner of the Airhog from issue 12. Apologies for those of you still waiting in anticipation, here’s the winner:

Yvonne Niescier from Liverpool.

Now to the two competitions featured in issue 13. Was it lucky for you? The winner of the family ticket to see The Incredibles at an Odeon cinema was:

Jennifer Oliver from Doncaster

The second competition asked readers if they could have a special superhero power then what would it be and why. Our favourite was from Holly James who wrote:

“If I had a superhero power it would be super bully detection because then I could do something about all the horrible bullying that goes on at school!”

A Logiblocs Zapper Kit is on the way to you Holly!

Expect your prizes in the post soon...
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW

Got Wired-Up? Got clued up!

See you in seven...

REMEMBER Wired-Up wants to hear from you so write in with your science questions and comments to: wired-up.news@nesta.org.uk and they just might be featured in a future issue.

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