Notebooks of Scott

Adventures in Salt Dough

Scott McKittrick — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:59:43 +0000

Thematic Attic has been having all sorts of summer activities this year, including the Artist Workshop Series where kids learn about great artists in history and do fun activities. One of the artists they learned about was Walt Disney. For an activity, they followed in Disney’s footsteps and designed a theme park. I got to do [...]

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics

Scott McKittrick — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:55:32 +0000

Just a quick note: The opening ceremonies begin tomorrow! Here in LA they will be broadcast on channel 4-1 at 9pm PT. Be sure to check it out. The Olympics are always exciting.

Daily Curiosities: New Jersey was Invaded by Aliens

Scott McKittrick — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:00:36 +0000

Orson Welles via Wikimedia On October 30th 1938, a martian “cylinder” landed in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, heralding the beginning of a Martian invasion that created mass panic and caused immense damage throughout the world. Luckily for us, it was only a radio broadcast. In 1938, CBS was running a radio series named “Mercury Theatre,” narrated by Orson [...]

Daily Curiosities: Jack-o-Lanterns Used to be Turnips

Scott McKittrick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:04 +0000

Every Halloween,, front porches across the United States are invaded by carved, candle lit pumpkins. Yet, as common as Jack-o-Lanterns are, it seems an odd tradition to carve faces on pumpkins. Of course, there is a reason for the tradition, and it starts in Ireland. According to Irish legend, a man named Stingy Jack twice [...]

Daily Curiosities: Candy Corn was Invented in the 1880’s

Scott McKittrick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:57 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2/ / CC BY-SA 2.0 Every year Americans eat so much candy corn that if the pieces were laid end to end, they would circle the earth more than 4 times. Candy corn is made much the same way it was when it was invented, though machines have taken over much of the process. Candy corn [...]

Daily Curiosities: Glow Sticks!

Scott McKittrick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:53 +0000

Two Glow Sticks, one was broken normally and the other was cut open and the liquids mixed in a small bottle. Glow sticks have become an extremely common trick or treating accessory. They are perfect for increasing the visibility of kids because they are safe, easy to use, and have an awesome spooky glow to [...]

Daily Curiosities: Tonic Water was Used to Prevent Malaria

Scott McKittrick — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:53 +0000

Tonic water is a liquid that it often used as a mix in for alcoholic drinks, but did you know that it was originally used to prevent malaria? As the European powers colonized South Asia and and Africa, they began encountering new diseases such as malaria that caused much pain and suffering. One of the [...]

Daily Curiosities: Gombocs

Scott McKittrick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:00:25 +0000

Gomboc via Wikimedia I was browsing Dark Roasted Blend and came across an article about an interesting toy called a Gomboc. The Gomboc has only one point of stable equilibrium and one point of unstable equilibrium, resulting in the Gomboc rolling around when placed on a flat surface. More Info Buy a Gomboc The Story of the [...]

Sticky Notes are Awesome!

Scott McKittrick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:04:57 +0000

This was just too cool to pass up. Its from EepyBird the same guys who brought us the Bellagio in Diet Coke.

Daily Curiosities: The Vasa Refloated

Scott McKittrick — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:50 +0000

In 1628 the Swedish navy sent their newest warship out on her maiden voyage. Upon leaving the harbor, the ship promptly heeled over and and sank to the ocean floor taking 30 to 50 of her sailors with her. The reason for the sinking of the Vasa was her extremely unstable design. She was built [...]