Category Archives: public science

Cheltenham Science Festival 2013 – Programme now out

Posted on April 16, 2013 by

The programme for Cheltenham SciFest is out at last and it looks absolutely fantastic with, as usual, a mix of provocative, wacky, thought-provoking, and downright silly events to tickle the minds of old and young. Check out the “What’s On … Continue reading →

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Wellcome Elements – Gold Silver Copper and Tin

Posted on June 18, 2012 by

It’s 2012 and Hugh Aldersey-Williams and I have been co-curating another unique one night only event at the Wellcome Collection, Euston Road London on Friday 22 June 2012 from 7 – 11 pm. If the last two metals don’t immediately … Continue reading →

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Energy Poverty – An opportunity, surely?

Posted on November 25, 2011 by

I’ve hesitated for some time to post this but a couple of comments on the site have prompted me to let it into the open. The British press has been full of self-righteous anger about energy prices.  And last weekend … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon footprint, energy, public science, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Farewell to shadow projection?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by

One of the many books I haven’t read to the end is Plato’s Republic. But I did get to the part where he speaks of Socrates’ image of everyday reality being nothing more than the shadows on the wall of … Continue reading →

Posted in demonstrations, public science, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Spooklights – Things That Go Flash in the Dark

Posted on June 23, 2011 by

I’ve been sorely reprimanded by Alom Shaha and Declan Fleming for not posting anything about this. So for the record here it is. They’re right. I should have written about this earliers. Tomorrow evening – Friday 24 July – as … Continue reading →

Posted in demonstrations, public science, stories | 2 Comments

Mercury amalgams – behind the scenes for Elements

Posted on April 6, 2011 by

It was as a graduate student that I first dissolved things in mercury. We’d drop small chips of sodium into a flask containing mercury. After a few seconds sitting on the surface the sodium would vanish into the liquid, accompanied … Continue reading →

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Iodine – a short introduction

Posted on April 4, 2011 by

For those of you coming to Elements on Friday 8 April, here’s a little taster of some of the weirdness you’ll be able to see at the iodine station down in the bowels of the Williams Lounge. In addition to … Continue reading →

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Everything and Nothing

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

This is a bit late ‘cos I had a series of screw-ups and various posts here either didn’t go out or went out prematurely. I’ll try to catch up. A couple of years ago I pitched a project called “A … Continue reading →

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A hideous reminder of our mortality…..

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Demonstrations have been my thing for a long time. I’ve done scores of different ones – quiet ones, loud ones, small ones, big ones, smelly ones, coloured ones.  You name it. But all most people remember are the fiery ones. … Continue reading →

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Lord Monckton and the painful truth

Posted on February 4, 2011 by

You probably think I live in front of the television as, once again, I find myself commenting on a science documentary, this time from the wonderful BBC4. The programme, in the Storyville series,  “Meet the Climate Sceptics” by Rupert Murray, … Continue reading →

Posted in bad science, carbon, climate change, public science | 8 Comments