When I looked out our dining room window this morning I saw hundreds of tiny praying mantises on the window.  The picture is from outside – at the top of the window.  You can see the egg case that the nymphs are coming out of. They were all over the [...]]]>

When I looked out our dining room window this morning I saw hundreds of tiny praying mantises on the window.  The picture is from outside – at the top of the window.  You can see the egg case that the nymphs are coming out of. They were all over the window too.

We’re showing an installation called boidSong in the “Inspired” art exhibition at The Front Gallery in Lyneham from the 20th-25th August as part of [...]]]> I’ve been having a lot of fun recently collaborating with Eleanor Gates-Stuart and Barry Moon. We’ve setup a website for our project –  m o o n s t u a r t   – at moonstuart.net.

We’re showing an installation called boidSong in the “Inspired” art exhibition at The Front Gallery in Lyneham from the 20th-25th August as part of National Science Week.  

The opening is at 8pm on Wednesday 20th August. 

What is SciVee?

SciVee is about the free [...]]]> The Public Library of Science (PLoS), National Science Foundation and the San Diego Supercomputer Center have released a new website where scientists can post videos. At this stage it allows the upload of videos related to articles published in PLoS journals. From their FAQ:

What is SciVee?

SciVee is about the free and widespread dissemination and comprehension of science. To learn more about SciVee link to our About Page.

SciVee is operated in partnership with the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). Please see our Partners page to learn more about them.

PLoS is a group of online peer reviewed journals using a new approach – the journals are free to access but charge a fee if you want to publish an article in them.  This fee covers the costs of publication and peer review – but the articles still need to pass peer review in order to be published.

I found this book very easy to read despite the complicated ideas it covers. The author has succeeded in making it an entertaining and accessible book.

It gives a good overview of quantum physics both from a historical perspective and the implications quantum physics has for our understanding of the world.

It doesn’t attempt to [...]]]>

I found this book very easy to read despite the complicated ideas it covers. The author has succeeded in making it an entertaining and accessible book.

It gives a good overview of quantum physics both from a historical perspective and the implications quantum physics has for our understanding of the world.

It doesn’t attempt to cover any of the mathematics or complexity. It explains any specialist terms at they are introduced, and uses good analogies to give you a feel for the topic.

If you are interested in physics then this is a great way to start looking at Quantum Physics.

I’m not sure why, but they always seem to be the best lectures we go to during the year. I think it may be because they go for longer than the 1 hour that most public lectures run for. The are scheduled to [...]]]> If you are interested in Physics, then these Public Lectures are very
good.

I’m not sure why, but they always seem to be the best lectures we go to during the year. I think it may be because they go for longer than the 1 hour that most public lectures run for. The are scheduled to be from 8pm to 10pm but usually go for about 1.5 hours. So they can cover more detail on the selected topic.

http://kiosk.ph.unimelb.edu.au/news_events/july_lectures

The first one was last Friday night, and it was excellent. One every
Friday night at 8pm during July.

A list of all the events at Melbourne Uni is available here: http://events.unimelb.edu.au/ (tip: search for “Public Lectures”)

“Freakonomics is a book that will change the way you look at the world. It is not like an ordinary non-fiction book, it’s full of quirky facts and seemingly illogical truths. For example; which is more dangerous, a house with a pool or [...]]]> This is a very interesting book which takes a very different look at Economics.

“Freakonomics is a book that will change the way you look at the world. It is not like an ordinary non-fiction book, it’s full of quirky facts and seemingly illogical truths. For example; which is more dangerous, a house with a pool or a house with a gun? In Freakonomics you’ll for everything from what schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common to why drug dealers still live with their mums.”

The authors have a website http://www.freakonomics.com/ which has some updated information, reviews and a link to a student guide. The student guide provides an interesting way to have a second look at the book. There is also a teachers guide available if you apply for a userid/password from the Harper Academic website.

Planetary scientists have developed a theory that can explain three outstanding puzzles about our solar system: Why do the giant planets have eccentric and tilted orbits? How did Jupiter get its Trojan asteroids? And what caused the Late Heavy Bombardment some 700 million years after the Earth and Moon were formed? The [...]]]> An interesting article on physicsweb:

Planetary scientists have developed a theory that can explain three outstanding puzzles about our solar system: Why do the giant planets have eccentric and tilted orbits? How did Jupiter get its Trojan asteroids? And what caused the Late Heavy Bombardment some 700 million years after the Earth and Moon were formed? The answer seems to be that all three phenomena seem to be a direct result of Saturn and Jupiter shifting their orbits in the early solar system.

Read the full article.

Having read and enjoyed Brian Greene’s previous book – The Elegant Universe, I’ve bought The Fabric of the Cosmos and have it on my reading list.

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the [...]]]>
The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
ASIN: 0375727205

Having read and enjoyed Brian Greene’s previous book – The Elegant Universe, I’ve bought The Fabric of the Cosmos and have it on my reading list.

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory