2012. Entertainment vs Physics November 15, 2009

So, this morning I learn about this new film, 2012, from my Physics tutee. “What a daft idea”, I think. Then I read reviews from critics and a few people who’ve actually seen it. “An audience of Physicists would have been laughing out loud in the first five minutes” was one of the quotes.
But it wouldn’t be the first film to take a snippet of science and turn it into a good piece of entertainment.
In fact this evening I find myself watching “The Core” on Film4 which seems to involve using ultra-powerful ultrasonics to bore a hole to the Earth’s core to restart the magnetic core’s spin which, for no apparent reason, had stopped spinning.
Almost every scientific aspect is laughable but I am being entertained.

Do you remember when the The Sun (or was it The People?) printed a front page picture of a WW2 bomber in a crater on the Moon? Well, if people were stupid enough to believe that – and some were, then I just know I’m going to get plagued by bizarre questions as soon as some of my less well educated colleagues see this film or read about it.

I shall prepare some suitable answers in advance.

Strange book titles November 8, 2009

Have you ever seen a book whose title makes you think “What on earth is that about?”

I did this week, in a charity shop.

“Salmon fishing in Yemen”  All I know about (the) Yemen is it’s in the middle-east, mostly desert and extremely lawless and dangerous.  So, I wonder what the book is really about.

Any more examples, dear readers?

Oscar is sick July 28, 2009

Our two and a half year old cat started coughing and occasionally vomiting a week or so ago. We saw the vet, who gave him an injection. We put him on soft food for a day and he seemed fine again. Some temporary problem in his throat, we assumed.

Yesterday he started sneezing and has been very slow as he wanders around. This evening I heard a violent cough/sneeze from downstairs, where he had been eating his usual crunchy GoCat. There were spots of blood on the floor.

Googling the symptoms was hardly reassuring but I don’t know if he coughed or sneezed the blood so we’ll try him on soft food for a day or two. If it doesn’t clear up or if he definitely sneezes the blood then it’ll be a trip to the vet.

Fingers crossed for him.

Man saves ducklings from ledge May 19, 2009

You just have to watch this for the Ahhh factor. Sweet.

ducklings

I’m sure there’s a way of embedding videos in this blog but perhaps not in this format.

Anyway, read the full story and watch the video : here

Aibohphobia May 5, 2009

I just invented a new English word – aibohphobia. Do you like it?

It means a morbid fear of palindromes – or had you already worked that one out.

Embarrassed edit, two weeks on: it appears that, although I thought I’d invented the word, so had several other people – some long before I did. Great minds think alike?

We are grandparents ! April 20, 2009

As of about 7:11, Mollie has entered the family.

8lb 4oz and gorgeous.

They’re watching you! April 5, 2009

Actually they’re not but this is a neat little bit of identifier code by Danasoft which displays info. about your computer to you – i.e. not to anyone else.

Sign by Danasoft – Get Your Free Sign

Apparently they’re working on code which could geographically align your IP address to a physical address which could be linked to details (even a map/photo) of where you live. Now that would seem to smack of big brother but they assure us that, again, that info would be for the eyes of the user only.

Wild life, close-up April 1, 2009

This Hawk (please correct me if you know exactly what it is) was calmly perched outside our patio doors a while ago.

I just love seeing wild life free, doing whatever it does, naturally. Don’t you?

Don’t throw your old TV away! March 27, 2009

All over the UK, thousands of households are using TVs with no scart socket and, if they’re anything like me, expecting to have to throw them out when analogue transmissions are switched off over the next few years.
Fear not. For about the same as the average price of a ‘normal’ freeview adaptor/tuner you can buy this one, which only uses the standard aerial lead and socket.

I bought mine from Digital Daffodil this week. It took all of 10 minutes to unpack it, plug it in, tune the signal to an unused channel on the TV and let the unit find nearly 100 Freeview channels. Job done. Amazing piece of kit.

Check out their advert: here

Let me know how you get on.

Happy birthday to me – yesterday March 23, 2009

As it coincided with Mothers’ day, we started (after my traditional birthday and anniversary breakfast of scrambled egg and smoked salmon) by exchanging presents but mine were much better: a couple of books, CD, DVD, smart jacket for work, 3 months sponsorship of a sick dog in a home and a Ferrari driving session at Silverstone. Spoiled rotten or what?

The sun was out so we walked to a pub a couple of miles away and drank wine at a table outside then strolled back. In the evening we had a lovely (if expensive) meal at a restaurant in the same area. No gardening, no housework, no College work or car cleaning – all the usual weekend occupations. Bliss. Thank you, Sue.