Science Playwiths 
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Science Playwiths |
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A small advertisement for me:
I also write books from time to time, and my 2002 story of sugar and its effects on the world, Bittersweet: the story of sugar (coming soon in Russian), is now available from Amazon. My 2003 book, Rockets: sulfur, Sputnik and scramjets, is also out on Amazon, and my new book for 2004, a history of poisons and poisoners, The Killer Bean of Calabar is now out in Australia. Arcade Publishing in the USA brought out a US edition of Killer Bean under the title Poisons, in May 2005. Translations into Russian, Polish and Slovak are complete, Korean may or may not be under way. My 2006 book was It's True: You Eat Poisons Every Day now translated into Chinese), and my 2007 book Kokoda Track: 101 Days. In recent years, I have been writing serious science for lay readers. These include Australia's Pioneers, Heroes and Fools, Mr Darwin's Incredible Shrinking World (also available in Jorean), The Speed of Nearly Everything, 100 Discoveries. In the third quarter of 2009: The Lawn, Australian Backyard Explorer, The Monster Maintenance Manual and coming soon, Australian Backyard Naturalist and for adult readers, Curious Minds, a history of the natural historians and natural history painters who starred in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries. You can always get the latest here. To find out more about my books, use this link and follow your nose. Teachers! You may be interested in the Science Splats as a way of packaging the principles of science. |
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The first man of science was he who looked into a thing, not to learn whether it furnished him with food, or shelter, or weapons, or tools, or playwiths, but who sought to know it for the gratification of knowing. |
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Something new: microscopy for the masses
In 2011, my 2010 children's book, Australian Backyard Explorer, won the Children's Book Council of Australia Eve Pownall Book-of-the-Year award for information books. This is a combination of the sort of science you will see here and a lot of Australian history. My reason for mentioning it here is that I have since written a sequel, Australian Backyard Naturalist, which will be out in May 2012. The relevance here, is that I wrote a lot of stuff that we later decided was too advanced for the readership. With the book now on the presses, I am now converting that extra material into blog entries. I have started with microscopy, and the material can be found at Old Writer on the Block, which is, in theory at least, my writing blog. Hey, it's my blog, I get to make the rules. |
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Barry Jones, the only intellectual ever to hold the portfolio of Minister for Science in Australia, says the problem with science and technology today stems from the fact that we no longer have clockwork clocks to pull apart. That is certainly part of it, but having a computer that will simulate all sorts of activities is part of the coming problem as well. Especially when the simulation comes as a nice neat package, with no bits left over to require old-fashioned hacking and creative computing. It is with some disgust that I noted the total lack of BASIC in Windows 95 as it installs (it is hidden on the CD, but not easy to find, dinno about later versions) -- BASIC may be kludgey and teach bad habits, but at least you can get a quick and dirty result from it. No matter, I shall continue to offer playwiths like a method of reaching the phrase "methinks 'tis like a weasel" by random mutation (with a bit of help), and other such toys.
My aim is to set down a few of the methods, a few of the questions that might help people to explore science more thoroughly, to do some creative exploring. I hope other people will follow this lead, either creating their own pages for me to point to, or sending me extra ideas to add in here, or telling me about other links that I can add. (And yes, I will clean the links up one day soon.)
The fine print 
talk to me by clicking here and adding my first name to the email address
These works should never be placed in a device designed to dry clothes or wash dogs unless the lint collector has first been cleaned with liquid oxygen, and all warranties are void if the works are shaken or stirred when there is an R in the month, a disc in the drive or a hole in the bit bucket of your computer. At all times avoid wearing, displaying, or even thinking of the colour emerald green while using these works.
The works herein described by the party of the first part may be run over on level surfaces by non-articulated vehicles of less than ten tonnes, but only during daylight hours (and preferably after being separated from the computer), rinsed in distilled water or butyl alcohol, read to, shouted at, electrified, heated by gas, cooled by appropriately qualified punkah wallahs, treated with mild levels of ionising radiation, dilute acid, or complete indifference. They may be used to swat flies, encourage horses, shade gondoliers in tropical climates, or line boxes of emergency rations for lost mountaineers. They should, however, be kept away from cattle, wombats and funicular railways, especially just after a heavy meal. Under no circumstances should they be used as reinforcing in any situation where ferro-cement or musique concrète may be encountered.
Note: no batteries are included, and any damage or mental harm you or your tractor may incur by the use of the pictures either in accordance with these instructions or otherwise shall be solely your fault. If you are struck by lightning while looking at the text, you should get your computer out of the rain. All disputes will be dealt with by me, and the judge's decision shall be ludicrous. If you do not like these conditions, why are you reading them? Still with me? Well done, 10/10 for persistence. You may use anything you find here -- though people who want to do that, I would probably like to hear from. Click on my nose, especially if you want to suggest some corrections, additions, or links.
Being serious for a moment, the copyright claims on this site are intended to prevent commercial exploitation by those too lazy to do their own work. Teachers and learners of all ages have an open go, so long as they are sharing in the spirit in which this is shared. I persecute thieves who do no more than steal the content, chop my name off and put their own name on it.
This site has had
visitors since 1999.
Please note that I have moved the links and awards sections to separate pages.
To get an idea of how it works, click on the link above, or the link at the top of the page.