misc.ience

Best cover ever – Space Oddity from the ISS

aimee whitcroft — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:27:56 +0000

Legend-of-a-human-being* Commander Chris Hadfield, who (in my view) has been responsible for some of the coolest, most inspiring science communication ever**, has just won everything. Ever. As his goodbye to his time aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Chris recorded… Read more ›

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On the subject of patents

aimee whitcroft — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:59:07 +0000

Something encouraging actually happened today in politics for a change. Commerce Minister Craig Foss, who gets the ‘aimee whitcroft award for most awesome aptronym of the day’, has been listening to NZ’s IT sector on its huge resistance to software… Read more ›

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How did feathers evolve?

aimee whitcroft — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:37:59 +0000

No doubt you all know by now that fellow Sciblogger and all-around awesomesauce person Siouxsie Wiles has started making some wonderful science videos. If you’ve not already seen and loved them, you can catch them on her YouTube channel –… Read more ›

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Who are we without the internet?

aimee whitcroft — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:02:17 +0000

‘I’m Paul Miller and I just spent a year without the internet. Can you tell?’ Paul Miller – tech writer for The Verge, amongst other things – has just completed a full year ‘without the internet’. On April 30th 2012,… Read more ›

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A boy and his atom feature in world’s smallest movie

aimee whitcroft — Wed, 01 May 2013 23:36:08 +0000

And now for something a little different! IBM, who make Very Clever Machines, have just released “A Boy and His Atom”, the world’s smallest movie. How small? Well, atomic scale. IBM using a tunneling electron microscope (which won IBM a… Read more ›

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Citizen science class: Using the “bigfoot genome” for 21st century biology

aimee whitcroft — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:41:50 +0000

Those of you who read this blog regularly (or not) will likely have picked up that I have something of a passion for things involving citizen science and education-type stuff. So, with that in mind, I present to you ‘science:… Read more ›

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Why aren’t more Kiwis involved in the International Space Apps Challenge?

aimee whitcroft — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:59:00 +0000

This post is a clarion call, if you will. If you are involved, go out and rope in everyone you know. If you aren’t read on… On April 20-21 of this year, people all over the world will be taking… Read more ›

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What’s it like to be a solid rocket booster?

aimee whitcroft — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:25:02 +0000

A question, no doubt, which has kept many of awake over those long, long nights. And now, we have people to the rescue! From the upcoming Special Edition Ascent: Commemorating Space Shuttle DVD/BluRay by NASA/Glenn a movie from the point… Read more ›

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Open course: Science from Superheroes to Global Warming

aimee whitcroft — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:46:36 +0000

It’s been a while, dear readers. And how I’ve missed you*. I’ve bought a house, been terrifying myself learning to ride offroad motorcycles on ‘the monster’ (my new bike), got involved in some veeery interesting new projects, and there’s still… Read more ›

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Journals and personalities

aimee whitcroft — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:42:17 +0000

Today, one of my favourite science (t)witterers, @enniscath, posed an intriguing question: Is it normal to assign personalities to scientific journals? e.g. Curr Biol is an enthusiastic extrovert; Nucl Acid Res is dull but worthy — Cath Ennis (@enniscath)… Read more ›

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Marvellous MRI music vid

aimee whitcroft — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:28:40 +0000

Hooray for CNET! not only do I use them whenever I’m looking at new tech to buy, but they’ve also pointed me at an extraordinary music video. British musician Sivu (James Page) spent 2-3 hours holed up in an MRI… Read more ›

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Competition for Wellington infographics makers

aimee whitcroft — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:37:04 +0000

This post is aimed at those of you who make infographics, or are interested in them, or know someone who does/is. Think of it as a spreading of the word… On Feb 16th, Contribeauty (‘turning data into design’) and Pledgeme.co.nz… Read more ›

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What a thought looks like

aimee whitcroft — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:55:32 +0000

Ever wondered what a thought might look like, in real life, as it flashes across the various neurons and synapses we call ‘the brain’? Yes, sure, there are numerous digitally-animated artist’s renditions out there, but what about reality? Now, for… Read more ›

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Beer’s bitterness and your health

aimee whitcroft — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:11:46 +0000

Yay, more beer-related science! This time, it’s around the chemistry involved in that lovely bitterness in beer. As it turns out, this bitterness is provided by a class of chemicals* called alpha acids, which are to be found in the… Read more ›

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Overly honest scientists

aimee whitcroft — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:54:35 +0000

Ahhhh, scientists. As I’ve mentioned before, they can, indeed, actually be amusing. Shock, horror, etc… /waits for people to get back onto their chairs Right, so, just quickly, two amusing topics from the last few days, both on the subject… Read more ›

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