I'm pleased to announce the LAUNCH of my new space podcast, Cosmic Vertigo, made with co-host Alan Duffy and our amazing producer Joel Werner.
"Do you ever feel dizzy when you think about the incomprehensible scale of space? We call that feeling Cosmic Vertigo. Welcome to a head-spinning conversation between two friends who study the sky for a living."
Rest state: Alan and I cracking up (Photo: ABC/Radio National)
The three of us had a lot of fun creating this series, and I'm in awe of Joel's editing and production genius.
Dream Team: Alan Duffy, Joel Werner, and yours truly (Photo: ABC/Radio National)
During one of our recent walks around the neighborhood, a nice old man stopped Ida and I for a chat. When I mentioned her name, he instantly started singing a lovely melody "Ida, sweet as apple cider..." which I had never heard before. I asked him about it and he claimed it was just one of those old-timey songs he liked, "you know, one that a barbershop quartet would sing!"
So of course I looked it up when we returned home and learned it immediately. She even dances when I play it for her :) Music time is my favourite part of our days!
xkcd hits it exactly right in the year in review comic. i still have not managed to see an aurora!
with hidden comment "all in all, i give this year a C-. there were no aurora visible from my house and that comet evaporated. they'd better not cancel the 2017 eclipse." amen to that.
but for myself, i'd say it has been a fairly good year. lost the super, but gained an official "science communicator" role. moved to a new flat that has a garden to play in. visiting family for a second time. siding spring observatory survived the bush fires. explored the great barrier reed with my mom. talked to my nephew's class about astronomy and being a scientist. probably more that i cant recall right now.
the alternative text: "sometimes i think i'm surrounded by idiots everywhere. then i remind myself that that's exactly what an idiot would think."
in case youre interested in some accessible science reading, i highly recommend going through the short novel, Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions. by edwin abbott abbott (yes, that's abbott-squared). it was written in 1884, includes adorable illustrations and describes "the journeys of A. Square, a resident of Flatland, and his adventures in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension) and Pointland (no dimensions). A. Square also entertains thoughts of visiting a land of four dimensions; a revolutionary idea for which he is banished from Spaceland."
in case you want to search for a calvin & hobbes that addresses a particular topic, there is a C&H searchable database! fair warning: i have lost entire afternoons playing with that search engine.
tropfest is a large short film festival. the finals of australia's version are held in sydney each year at a big park where everyone gathers to watch all the finalists. there is a signature item that must be included in the video entries each year. this year's item: balloon.
one video that i particularly liked this year is called better than sinatra and introduces raymond borzelli. he struggles in his everyday life to pay bills and afford proper food, but he comes alive when he walks around the streets of sydney listening to the music of local buskers.
this video was directed and produced by jefferson grainger. unfortunately, i cannot embed the video and i hope internationals can watch it at THIS LINK. enjoy!
planetary astronomer and clever data visualisation enthusiast, alex parker, posted this cute little cartoon of mars on twitter this week with the caption "mars isnt much of a 'sharer'."
it's true, there arent any responsive rovers roaming around other planets or moons, but that doesnt mean mars cant have fun with its robots ;)
He is everywhere, in the heavens and earth, He makes the stars shine yet He cannot be seen. He is noble, abundant, and fills the universe. He can lift you into the sky and bring you gently down. He can take many forms. He can help heal, He can help kill. He can help create, and He can help destroy.
Praise be unto He, Helium
he he :)
UPDATE: unfortunately, i didnt write this clever piece, it was sent to me by a friend. not sure of the source.
last week i spoke at nerd nite sydney - an evening event at a pub where scientists and comedians entertain a wonderfully excitable audience! i really enjoyed the evening and received some great questions after my talk on the eventual fate of the milky way galaxy (spoiler alert: it collides with andromeda).
... scientists can lack creativity when it comes to naming things.
i know that there are billions and billions of galaxies out there and therefore it makes sense to give them names based on their coordinates and not their appearance, but still. i'm sure you can come up with better examples of horribly named sciencey things than i can.
if youre in sydney next wednesday, come check out nerd night sydney and say hello! it should be a fun event where i drink a couple beers and tell the story of the "crash of the titans" - what will happen when the milky way and andromeda galaxies collide!
those big garbage piles in the middle of some oceans are scary, so i'm looking forward to hearing about them. and an actual comedian talking about movies. woohoo!
when approaching the sun, a comet changes shape as the hotness of the sun's radiation causes the frozen ice and gases to puff up and form a head coma. interestingly, comet tails always face away from the sun no matter what direction the comet is traveling, because of the scent of perfume carried on the solar winds.
