January 2012
Posted January 30, 2012
Yosemite time-lapse:
Since I grew up in the foothills of Northern California, the scenery of the Sierra Nevada holds a special place in my memory. These beautiful time lapse sequences taken around Yosemite Park remind me of my visit as a teenager. Watching climbers on the cliff from Yosemite Valley, and seeing the stars wheel overhead at night both inspire awe, though for very different reasons. Also, checkout the air traffic over the valley in the night-time scenes. Vimeo link
Posted January 23, 2012
Time-lapse dam removal:
This video revealed to me what a long process it is to restore a river to its natural state once a dam has been built. The Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington state, built in 1913, was intentionally breached in 2011 to let the river flow unimpeded into the Columbia River a few miles downstream because building a new fish ladder system to allow spawning salmon to get around the dam was deemed too expensive. YouTube link
Posted January 16, 2012
Ice fishing?
There's something a bit odd about this ice fishing scene from Finland. Give it a minute, and I'm sure you'll figure it out. (Watching the air bubbles will give you a big clue.) Notwithstanding the trickery, this is a beautiful video of something I'm sure I'll never see in person. Vimeo link
Posted January 9, 2012
Messy rocket car:
Fans of the diet cola + mint candy reaction will like this adaptation of the "technology." The rapidly expanding soda pushes rods out of the pipes against a backstop, and since the car pushes on the backstop, the backstop pushes on the car, and the car accelerates forward. This is not a very cost-effective way to get around, though. YouTube link
Posted January 2, 2012
Why gold?
Is there a scientific explanation for why gold is the element that humans used for high-value coins? If civilization started over again, would gold again be the element of choice? What are the chemical properties of gold that make it a good choice for money? Check out this video for the answers. Slate link
Jacob Clark Blickenstaff is Assistant Professor of Physics and Assistant Director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Southern Mississippi.