by Captain Skellett | Apr 6, 2012 | How Things Work
A brisk wind flowed through the trees as I retreat for the car. Ignition on, -17°C outside, warm air flows through the vents. Another cold clear night – perfect for viewing the elusive aurora borealis. We’d been sitting out for almost two hours, but it was 1:20...
by Captain Skellett | May 18, 2011 | How Things Work
Since seeing the RiAus event on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) with Professor Peter Quinn speaking, I’ve been posting bits and pieces from the night. I wanted to touch on the huge computing requirements needed to support just the insane amount of data...
by Captain Skellett | May 12, 2011 | How Things Work, Recent Research
The Australian Government just announced it will spend 40 million dollars over the next four years to support Australia’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA.) If, like me last week, you’re not really sure what the SKA is and Google seems to think...
by Captain Skellett | Apr 29, 2011 | How Things Work, Just for Fun, Science Art
Behold ferrofluid, nanoparticles of iron coated in a surfactant and suspended in a solution of oil or water. The surfactant can be citric acid or soy lecithin, among other things, and is used to stop them sticking together It’s like magnetic dust. Put a magnet...
by Captain Skellett | Mar 8, 2011 | How Things Work, Just for Fun
One of my guilty pleasures is my RSS subscription to Zooborns, a blog all about baby animals. When I check Google Reader, I read sensible, serious blog posts about science until I finally cave and look at the cuteness. Amongst the treasure trove of nursing giraffes...
by Captain Skellett | Jan 2, 2011 | How Things Work, Science in the Movies
Happy New Year! On the first of January, I went to see The Tourist. It promised to be an excessively attractive movie starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, the two best heartthrobs on screen. I won’t spoil the plot, but I will say that one cool gadget graces...
