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Advent Day 23 : Western Swing Xmas
Dec. 23rd, 2011 01:21 pmWhen it comes to Christmas music, you can't beat a bit of classic, rooting, tooting Western Swing. Just click on the picture below and head over to 'Western Swing on 78' to download some mighty fine festive tunes.
To get you in the mood, here's a bit a Bob Wills. His 'Hooray! Christmas is here!' at the start is the 1930s equivalent of Noddy Holder ... :-)
To get you in the mood, here's a bit a Bob Wills. His 'Hooray! Christmas is here!' at the start is the 1930s equivalent of Noddy Holder ... :-)
Advent Day 22 : Woody Allen Jesus
Dec. 22nd, 2011 04:43 pmApparently this song from Tim Minchin was deemed unsuitable for broadcast on the Christmas edition of the Jonathan Ross show - can't think why ...
Advent Day 21 : Solstice
Dec. 21st, 2011 05:39 pm
The light is coming back! While you are waiting for the sun, you might care to download this rather wonderful Sunrise Mix of two hours of chilled out funk.
Edited to add that this year the actual solstice is at 5:30 AM GMT on the 22nd of December (h/t Rachel!)
Advent Day 20 : A Night with the Stars
Dec. 20th, 2011 08:27 pmElectrons are both
Quantum mystery
A diamond could jump
Out of its box, given time
And uncertainty
A world of strange quarks
Explained with the aid of
(h/t @Redclaire over on Twitter!)
Advent Day 15 : Xmas Podcasts
Dec. 15th, 2011 08:13 pmFirstly, go and download this Coverville Christmas Special which features cover versions of every track on the Phil Spector Christmas album. Secondly, head over to Mitch Benn's Podcast page (or search on iTunes) where he has his traditional reading of a Christmas Carol available for your listening pleasure (you might also like to buy his Christmas album while you are there). Next, go to Nat Johnson's Soundcloud for a very special, exclusive festive treat.
Finally, Sally is broadcasting her Christmas special edition of The Unsigned Side now! (Podcast available later)
Advent Day 13 : The Higgs Boson
Dec. 13th, 2011 07:09 pmParticles exchanged
May form an intrinsic field
That gives rise to mass
Advent Day 12 : The Sistine Chapel
Dec. 12th, 2011 06:29 pmSay what you like about the Catholic church, they certainly don't stint on the interior design. This is a virtual recreation of the Sistine Chapel in all of its opulent, gold encrusted glory. If anything, it makes the gaunt figure of Christ on the cross on the altar look rather insignificant ...
It's a traditional Christmas card scene - a winter wonderland, lit by a sliver of a silvery moon. It takes a proper astronomer to point out why the artists have got it wrong ...
We are all quite comfortable with the idea of our normal three dimensions of space and the extra (one way only unless you happen to have a blue box that's bigger on the inside) one of time, but when you start to think about the more esoteric bits of string theory that only work with a whole bunch of extra dimensions on top then things get a bit hairy.
Fear not! Imagining the Tenth Dimension will explain all with a rather nifty bit of animation which will gently guide you all the way into the tenth dimension. Enjoy!
Fear not! Imagining the Tenth Dimension will explain all with a rather nifty bit of animation which will gently guide you all the way into the tenth dimension. Enjoy!
With a tip of the Santa hat to @lisybabe over on Twitter ...
Advent Day 6 : The Swellers
Dec. 6th, 2011 09:32 pmInto it, stories
Chicago fights, flaky ex
Girlfriend, over it
Broadway calls, punk thrash
Two minute songs, all non-stop,
Scarcely time to breath
Four Michigan punks,
The Swellers command the stage,
The crowd jumps for joy
Chicago fights, flaky ex
Girlfriend, over it
Broadway calls, punk thrash
Two minute songs, all non-stop,
Scarcely time to breath
Four Michigan punks,
The Swellers command the stage,
The crowd jumps for joy
Advent Day 5 : Evolution
Dec. 5th, 2011 06:43 pmEvolution is simple and elegant explanation for the complexity and diversity of the life that we see around us. It is supported by one hundred and fifty years of evidence from Darwin's patient cataloguing of variations in the wildlife that he observed, to a rock solid fossil record, to the latest analysis of mutations in DNA down the generations which allow us to pinpoint exactly when different species diverged. It is the corner stone of modern biology and critical to understanding the dangers caused by evolving diseases such as MRSA.
So, why do some people have such a problem with it? Why are they so keen for a literal deus ex machina to explain life rather than the plain truth? I don't know, but perhaps this video will help ...
So, why do some people have such a problem with it? Why are they so keen for a literal deus ex machina to explain life rather than the plain truth? I don't know, but perhaps this video will help ...
The Cassini mission is one of the greatest scientific endeavours ever undertaken. It was launched in 1997 and after a journey of over seven years reached Saturn. It follows a complex orbit, allowing it to study each of Saturn's major moons and the famous rings, and it launched the Huygens probe which successfully landed on the methane seas of Titan.
There have been many surprising discoveries, but perhaps the most beautiful are the ice fountains of Encaladus. Continually erupting and sending ice crystals thousands of kilometres into space, they are a true wonder of the solar system, described most eloquently by Professor Brian Cox in this clip.
Here is a picture captured by Cassini that shows the astonishing scale of the fountains.
There have been many surprising discoveries, but perhaps the most beautiful are the ice fountains of Encaladus. Continually erupting and sending ice crystals thousands of kilometres into space, they are a true wonder of the solar system, described most eloquently by Professor Brian Cox in this clip.
Here is a picture captured by Cassini that shows the astonishing scale of the fountains.
