CHRISTMAS 1970 (By Spike Milligan) A little girl called Sile Javotte Said ‘Look at the lovely presents I’ve got’ While a little girl in Biafra said ‘Oh what a lovely slice of bread’ (See the whole calendar)
The Science Creative Quarterly
By the grace of all that is good about science
Science: it's awesome, especially during the holidays.
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 23)
SANTA BREAKS SILENCE TO DISPUTE RIDICULOUS CLAIMS BY SCIENTISTS THAT HE DOESN’T EXIST (By Murray Brozinsky) For Immediate Release North Pole – December 12, 2011 – Against advice from Mrs. Claus and 62% of the elves, Santa Claus today excoriated what he called the irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric of overeducated physicists with nothing better to do than employ fancy mathematical equations in an effort to deny children a sense of wonder. I am beside myself, Santa said. Literally, I’m standing next to myself. How can the supposed brilliant and creative minds at Fermilab not only question my existence but proclaim…
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 22)
THE CHRISTMAS WREATH NEBULA (officially known as Barnard 3, or IRAS Ring G159.6-18.5) More information can be found here. (See previous day)
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 21)
IS THERE A SANTA? (By Paul Clarkson) Being a scientific investigation of a cultural conundrum Soon it will be Christmas Eve, and once more children will be divided into distinct factions. Here, Cyr [1] described younger children (12 years) who have ditched this ‘childish’ belief. But he fails, by excluding from his questionnaire, to describe a third group who aren’t really sure – the undecided voters if you like. And as the eldest child, I have spent a large part of my life in this group. Moreover, being scientifically minded even at the age 7, I of course approached this…
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 20)
THE CELESTIAL SNOW ANGEL (catalogue entry: Sharpless 2-106 | Sh2-106) “The Celestial Snow Angel (catalogued as Sharpless 2-106 or Sh2-106),[2] is an emission nebula and a star formation region in the constellation Cygnus. It is a H II region estimated to be around 2,000 ly (600 pc) from Earth, in an isolated area of the Milky Way. In the center of the nebula is a young and massive star that emits jets of hot gas from its poles, forming the bipolar structure. Dust surrounding the star is also ionized by the star. The nebula spans about 2 light-years across.” Text…
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 19)
O CHEMISTRY GLASSWARE CHRISTMAS TREE, O CHEMISTRY GLASSWARE CHRISTMAS TREE Via ReSyn Biosciences, Avans University of Applied Sciences. (See previous day)
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 18)
EXPLODING SNOWMAN VALIDATES (OR DRIVES) CLIMATE CHANGE MODELS (arXiv:1104.0061, By M.S. Brennwald, D.M. Livingstone, R. Kipfer – pdf) Abstract: The B\”o\”ogg is a large model of a snowman, constructed of inflammable materials and filled with explosives. During the traditional festival of Sechsel\”auten, which takes place each spring in Zurich, Switzerland, the B\”o\”ogg is placed atop a wooden pyre, which is set alight. According to popular legend, the time that elapses until the B\”o\”ogg’s head explodes (the “head-bang” time) is said to give a rough forecast of local weather conditions prevailing during the following summer. However, recent research has questioned the…
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 17)
SANTA AND THE MOON (Peter Barthel, Communicating Astronomy to the Public, May 2012, (12) p13 – 15) Link to journal | link to arxiv abstract | link to pdf Abstract: This article reflects on the use of illustrations of the Moon in images of Santa Claus, on Christmas gift-wrapping paper and in children’s books, in two countries which have been important in shaping the image of Santa Claus and his predecessor Sinterklaas: the USA and the Netherlands. The appearance of the Moon in Halloween illustrations is also considered. The lack of either knowledge concerning the physical origin of the Moon’s phases, or interest in…
SCIENCEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR EXTRAVAGANZA! (DAY 16)
A SANTA CLAUS AS INTRUDER ALERT SYSTEM (By Thomas Cane) (See previous day)