Awesome Thursday

AWESOMENESS: At one point this afternoon, Annabelle was having a heart to heart with a Havanese.

As she scratched behind Laika's ears, Annabelle shared, "We got an A on our physics final. Awesome! We got Paul McCartney tickets. Awesome! We're going to the Mariners game. Awesome! We got selected for the Pacific Science Center panel. Awesome!"

Busy, good day 'round MPA. :)

To expand upon Annabelle's points, yes, indeedy, we did finish our physics class today. We're thrilled to have completed it - all of us with a 90 percent or better average on the tests. That was no easy feat, let me tell you. Those quizzes were so hard they hurt at times. Today's test was no exception. I think I was on question 8 of 10 when I said aloud, "Well, finally. One I'm almost certain I got right." Sigh. Thankfully, my barely educated guesses were good enough.

One of the questions involved spinning a lazy Susan. The kids didn't know what one was, so I went and retrieved one from the cupboard. And so, in the middle of our test, we were all standing around spinning our spices. (No one ever said it wasn't an open cupboard test!)

Annabelle finished her quiz in about 3 minutes. I think I took closer to 10, and CJ clocked in around 15. It's not a timed test, so that didn't matter, really, but I'm still mystified how Bee could finish so quickly. Must be nice.

We're all happy to have "How Things Work" under our belts, and we're going to miss Professor Lou and his fun way of thinking about physics. 

Regarding Bee's Paul McCartney proclamation, we'd already bought our limit of pre-sale Paul tix through his Web site a couple of days ago, but needed more so the whole family could go. Since the show's at Safeco Field, the Mariners also had a special presale, starting today at 10. That meant one today's lessons was teaching the kids how to get seats when they're a hot ticket. By 9:45, we had four computers here cued up, plus my phone, which also has Internet access. I walked the kids through which price point level we wanted, how many tickets to request, and told them they'd have to type in a captcha code once they selected the # of tickets and price point. 

I instructed them that at 5 minutes before the 'box office' opens, you start trying to get in and you hit refresh refresh refresh forever until you get what you want, and speed is everything At 10 a.m. when the 'gates' opened, Annabelle was first to get in and she got us great seats. :)  100 level, on the aisle. She was very proud of herself. We all can't wait until July 19!

And to the last point, regarding the Pacific Science Center panel, weeks ago, I responded to a call for people/groups to apply to be involved in an on-going (3-year long) feedback cycle for their new and evolving Wellbody Academy exhibit.

In my app, I mentioned that we're veteran mystery shoppers (shh! don't tell anyone), that we're science geeks, homeschoolers, and included our MPA Web site. I was happy to learn we made the cut. Apparently there were hundreds of applicants and only 50 were selected, so we're feeling special. ;)  We were asked to pick a team name, and science-y monikers are encouraged. Annabelle set about making a list of science-related names, while CJ campaigned hard for "Team Flippy Hands."  Funny, but too silly. 

Out of the blue I suggested "The Neutrinos." Really not sure where that came from, Turns out it means "small neutral one" in Italian. 

Neutrionos are sub atomic particles which do not carry an electrical charge. That means they're not affected by electromagnetic forces the way electrons and protons are. A typical neutrino passes through normal matter unimpeded. Pretty cool. 

So that's the name we're going to submit. 

Melting

COLOR MY WORLD: As we were driving home from science and math classes this afternoon, Annabelle was reading a "Highlights" magazine, wherein she found a 'recipe' for making your own crayons. "Can we try it?" she asked, excitedly.

I said "sure," and then she asked if we had any extra crayons. I reminded her that I always pick up every single give-away crayon she and CJ have ever received at a restaurant, and so we had bags full of them.

As soon as we got home, she set about peeling some of them. She then cut them in half and placed them in a silicone muffin tin. I was instructed to fire the oven up to 275, and we stuck 'em in. There, they melted over the next 20 minutes or so.

After they cooled (another 20 minutes or so) and solidified, Annabelle took them out of the oven.

And then she set about taking them out of the molds. It took a little work.

She was very pleased when they popped out. ...

"It worked! It worked!" she excitedly announced.

Fun, easy way to recycle old crayons. I only wish I'd pulled out my little dino-shaped silicone molds.

DIFFERENT STROKES: We're in the last week of our physics class, and listened to an interesting lecture by Professor Lou Bloomfield of UV all about bumper cars. There was much talk of impulses and momentum.

Next up, was our first lecture in our newest class, eight weeks of Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity. It's taught by Larry Randles Lagerstrom of Stanford University. Per its intro, in the course we'll be seeking to "understand Einstein, especially focusing on the special theory of relativity that Albert Einstein, as a 26-year-old patent clerk, introduced in his so-called 'miracle year' of 1905."

We only got halfway through the first lecture, and it's already very interesting. The lecture is covering select events and trends of significance in physics and related fields between 1800 and 1900, to give us a better understanding of the technological world into which Albert Einstein was born.

We learned a bit about the invention of the battery and how that made it possible to provide sustained electric current (a game changer!). Electromagnetic induction, eletromagnetic waves, the symbiotic relationship of the railroad and telegraph, ether wind and more were covered.

It's so interesting looking at the differences between the notes CJ, Annabelle and I take. Mine are a mess - big and sloppy, with the shorthand I invented during my years of note taking for news reporting. CJ's notes are orderly - all single spaced, with careful lettering.

Annabelle's notes are a hoot.

So much going on here. If you look, you'll find a frog that's part of an investigation into animal electricity by Volta. You'll also see a compass needle responding to a magnet, indicating a connection between electricity and magnetism. She also teaches herself how to remember what 'symbyotic' means, and I love that she knows there's an N in the middle of environment. Now, if she can just remember it starts with an E. :)

Their note taking styles couldn't be more different, but each way works for each of them, based on their test scores.

Getting Better

ON THE MEND: Oh, how I love this photo. It's from yesterday. When Annabelle awoke on Monday we shared with her the news that CJ had come down with an icky flu during the middle of the night.

Immediately, she set about helping him the only way she knew how - crafting cures everything! All on her own, she rounded up a lunch sack, some letter stickers, her pens, and created a CJ puppet with a big ol' GET WELL SOON! message on it. Too sweet.

Despite the horrified look on CJ's face in the photo (another reason I love the pic), he really did appreciate it. The puppet stood guard next to his computer as he wiled away the hours and the rest of his virus. We're all feeling much better tonight, mercifully.

HOMEWORK: We didn't get too ambitious with our schooly stuff today, but we did do some math, some physics (bumper cars, fun!) and some science homework.

While working on his science sheet, CJ said, "This is where my physics class really comes in handy!"

That was music to my ears! The unit the class is working on now is  about levers and pulleys, and thanks to our Coursera "How Things Work" class, the kids know a fair bit about work, torque, ramps, levers, and such.

RECREATIONAL READING: CJ's latest guilty pleasure in the reading department has become the "Weekly World News" Web site. Tragically, they stopped with their paper issues several years ago. I reminded CJ tonight, that he's probably imprinted on the WW News, as the house he spent the first 3+ years of his life in had a bathroom wallpapered in the tabloid. (I'd saved the best/worst front pages of that paper for years with that home 'improvement' project in mind.) Here are a couple of the gems that used to grace our walls. ...

Source: Weekly World News 

Ah, memories!

CJ said he'd like to start a newspaper like the Weekly World News. I told him that sounds like great fun, I'd love to write for a publication like that.

We talked a bit about tabloid "journalism" and what makes people publish and buy "news"papers like WW News. I told the kids that one of the things that they usually feature are stories with at least some shreds of truth, so that readers will see that, think, "Well that's true, so maybe this is, too. ..."

For instance, the WW News Web site has a story about the "World's Largest Nutella Heist." And sure 'nuff, a big theft of the stuff did take place in Germany this week, and it was reported widely in the mainstream media. However, it's worth noting in the mainstream reports, 5 tons worth $20,000 were stolen, while the WW News Heist says 15 tons worth $200,000. Everything's bigger in the Weekly World News, eh? Their account also names Lindsay Lohan as a possible suspect, and notes that some Nutella addicts are injecting the sweet substance straight into their veins. Oh, how I've missed the Weekly World News.

We'll definitely be doing an MPA take on WWN style "news" stories in the future. What a fun way to get some creative writing done, not to mention have some fun with Photoshop.

BIG DIG: One of the biggest construction projects in Seattle history is underway - replacing the double decker Alaskan Way Viaduct running along part of the Seattle waterfront with a tunnel.  It's a $2 billion project just underway, scheduled to open in early 2016.

Part of the viaduct is down already and there's been all sorts of equipment and workers in the vicinity for months now. A few days ago, Big Bertha arrived. "She" is the boring machine. The Seattle Times has some nice photos of the big drill's arrival here: http://seattletimes.com/html/photogalleries/localnews2020694507/1.html

Tonight, I rather unfortunately made the kids watch this boring video about the drilling portion of the project (http://youtu.be/Dk-8Q42NCSQ). Honestly, could the Washington State Department of Transportation have made the project sounds any less interesting or exciting? I think not. ...

It Started off So Well ...

PAWS ON SCIENCE:  Saturday we spent some quality time at Pacific Science Center for one of our absolute favorite annual events, "Paws on Science." It's a chance to meet scientists from a wide spectrum of fields of study - everything from Earth sciences to engineers working with composites.

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for now, and have the kids write reports when they're up to it (more on that later).

The kids had more than a couple of chances to get their "paws" on powerful microscopes. Here, CJ's looking at 'germs' that look suspiciously like candy, or Crunchberries.

You can also see CJ's passport on the table. These little books were given for future scientists to take between booths, and after they participated in the educational activity there, they got a stamp in their passport. CJ and Annabelle accumulated a lot of stamps in the 2 hours we had (per our parking meter).

Above, they experimented with thermometers that read temperatures with infrared technology.  Below, they build beneficial viruses, like the ones some UW scientists are working on in hopes of an eventual cure for muscular dystrophy.

Below is Bee's finished virus.

At a medicine-themed table, they learned that some medicines are more effective if you chew them up. Look at how much more quickly the Tums they pulverized with a mortar and pestle (lower left cup) neutralized the acid as compared to the whole tablet (lower right cup).

We learned that the UW has four bee hives on campus. One of the things they're studying is colony collapse, an issue that could have grave consequences for all of us. The queen may be in the photo below. We spotted her when we were at PSC, and my camera was pointed in her general direction, but this evening, Annabelle and I can't pick her out from the crowd.

Of course, they had to climb in the race car, built by the UW Formula Motorsports team. UW engineering students build new cars each year, and race against other engineering student teams in the U.S. and abroad.

One table featured an array of tools which help make science accessible to people with disabilities. There, we found everything from talking scales to a hand-held device that can read colors. The kids each got to operate a braille printing machine, spelling out their names. Below, Annabelle explains to a UW student it might take her awhile, as her name is relatively long.

It wouldn't have been Husky day without an appearance by some of the Husky marching band and cheer squad ...

and we even got to meet the real live Husky, Dubs!!

It was a great day!

THE LIFE OF PI:  Sunday, we'd planned on going to see "Life of Pi," since it was showing at our favorite theater, The Crest in Shoreline, where tickets are just $3 apiece and they use real butter on their popcorn. :)
Three of four of us made it. I stayed home and sat on the couch, having hallucinations thanks to my sky high fever, which hit shortly after midnight on Saturday.

I vaguely remember Annabelle saying the movie was great. I went to bed before dinner and was down for the night until ... the flu hit CJ around 2 a.m. It wasn't pretty. I'll leave it at that.

THREE OUTS: Our various illnesses kept half the family home from tonight's Mariners' home opener. :( The kids and I watched it (and the NCAA national championship basketball game) on TV, which Christian, Rick and Kennedy all enjoyed the fireworks and fun in person. Oh well, there will be other games. Many other games!

Jurassic Friday

TERRIBLE LIZARDS: Today's recap is going to be brief, because it's getting late and I'm sick and tired.

We went to West Seattle this morning, where both of the kids are now in the computer programming class using MIT's Scratch as the platform/language.

We did some math and some reading, of course. But most of today's excitement surrounded going to see the re-release of Jurassic Park. I can't believe it's been 20 years since that movie premiered. Time flies. 

We went to see it on the biggest IMAX screen in town, at Pacific Science Center. We were a little

early, so we had a few minutes to cruise through PSC. We pretty much stuck to the dino exhibit, given the theme of the day.

Above, Annabelle reads up an apatosaurus. 

We checked out the animatronic triceratops. It looked like he was checking us out, too, with his glassy eyes.

The kids feigned fear in front of an allosaurus, a strange lizard indeed.

This guy looked like he was smiling at us (and every other PSC visitor).

The kids have seen all these displays dozens of times by now, but they still find them interesting.

The main attraction was the movie. It has held up well. Super suspenseful, and CJ declared it the scariest movie he's ever seen. Annabelle spent a good part of the show with her face buried in my shoulder. 

Tomorrow we're heading back to PSC for Paws on Science weekend. Can't wait!

And now, I'm hitting the hay and dreaming that the stolen car is returned to us.

Going, Going ...

GETTING OUR BEARINGS:  This week, we dutifully, thoughtfully and carefully listened to the lectures of University of Virginia professor Lou Bloomfield for our "How Things Work" physics class through Coursera. The topic has been wheels, and it has been interesting and challenging.

We've learned about sliding friction, static friction and more about thermal energy. We learned that wheels are simple machines, and about differences between  how free wheels and powered get going (a front wheel and rear wheel of a bike was used to describe that). Kinetic energy was covered. We learned that frictional forces acting along surfaces are parallel to the surface, while support forces are perpendicular. We learned why sliding a box across a floor is usually hardest at the start (the surface of the bottom of the box and top of floor actually settle into each other a bit - they're interdigitated, perhaps my favorite new word). And we learned that tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. (I think being a tribologist would be fascinating.)  Prof. Bloomfield also let us know that we can find coefficient of friction tables, which show the frictional relationship/relatively between different types of materials/surfaces.

We now know that Newton didn't write all the law of physics. For instance, there's Amonton's First Law of Friction, which states that frictional forces between two surfaces are proportional to the support forces between them (and we knew that an example involving this law would be on the test).

One of the things we learned was that though there's static friction between the rubber and the road, so to speak, and that's good, because that static friction allows you to start and stop moreso than sliding friction. There is, however, some sliding friction where the axle spins in the wheel's hub. Bearings (ball or roller, for instance), can be used to eliminate this sliding friction. But that's for more sophisticated wheel set ups than this rolling hamster or Happy Meal toy.

We also did a few computations involving W(ork) = F(orce)xD(istance), and Kinetic Energy= 1/2Mass x Speed².

I was soooooo happy when I hit the submit button on the quiz and saw that I scored 100 percent (especially considering I felt confident about three out of 10 of the answers). We all did a happy dance.

Speaking of bearings, in a happy coincidence, yesterday NASA was kind enough to email me a story about the major tune up their crawler-transporter (CT-2) has been undergoing for the last year-plus. The work was prompted by the greater loads NASA anticipates having with its new rocket (the SLS) designed to take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit.

We read the story on their site, but all it had was still photos, like the one above, showing the whole crawler, and the one below, one showing where upgraded roller bearing assemblies were installed (in the blue circle below, both photos credit: NASA)

The photos are fine, but wanted to see the mammoth crawler in action! Fortunately, I found this neat-o time lapse video of it rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad.


We also watched this short, informative video about the crawler and the people whose job it is (or was) to make sure the spacecraft get to the pad in one piece, so to speak.


IN OTHER NEWS: Christian got his car stolen today, along with his wallet and our identities. Happy Thursday.

Ponies and Particles

MALL RUN: We did something today I'm loathe to do on any day. We went to the mall (shudder, shudder). Either I'm in the minority or a whole bunch of other people forced themselves to go to the mall today, because the place (Alderwood) was absolutely packed. We got the last parking spot between Sears and Macy's.  You would have thought it was Christmas Eve.

Inside, as I watched the crowds mill around, I wondered why the place was so darn busy on a Wednesday in April around noonish. I'll never know the answer. Maybe everyone was there to check out the limited edition My Little Pony offerings at Build-a-Bear Workshop. That's why we were there, and there was a sizable line snaking through the store of kids waiting to get their lifeless ponies stuffed.

CJ and Annabelle snatched up their ponies (Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, the only two ponies offered, but fortuitously the kids' favorites, and got right into that line. 

Fortunately, the Build a Bear staff are friendly and efficient. We didn't have to wait much longer than five minutes before it was time to bring the floppy ponies to life.

First, a friendly salesperson suggested we add chips to the ponies that play the MLP theme song (that's called upselling, right?) . Of course the answer was 'yes.' The inserts to give the ponies a heartbeat were free,' however.

Annabelle and CJ each got a turn stepping on the pedal that pumped fiberfill into their ponies. 

They (the ponies) plumped up right before our eyes.

After the ponies had theme songs, hearts, stuffing and were sewn shut, it was over to the grooming station. 

After they were cleaned and primped, it was time for them to get dressed. (Yes, ponies need clothes apparently. Gala gowns, specifically.)

Dressed to the nines, the ponies were now ready for their paperwork. The kids input the data to get them (the ponies) proper birth certificates. 

And after paying a fortune for them (the ponies), I was free to leave the store, two happy kids and two pretty ponies in two. 

Actually, CJ and Annabelle still had about $50 apiece from Christmas, so we're counting this splurge as burning those bucks up.

All things considered, the ponies are super cute, and the Build a Bear Workshop staff and set up do a nice job of making it an 'experience' rather than 'just' buying a super expensive stuffed animal. But we won't be going back there any time soon. Well, at least until August - a staffer tipped the kids off today that two more  limited edition pony would be introduced then. 

KEEPS ON GIVING: As we walked to the park tonight, I noticed a bunch of tall, bushy carrot tops sticking up from our garden. 

Those carrots just keep growing and growing. 

Which reminds me, we probably need to get some seeds started pretty darn soon!

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE THE ISS: At 10:30 this morning we tuned into a press conference on NASA TV. The presser was news of the first Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) results. AMS is a cosmic ray particle physics detector on the exterior of the International Space Station. AMS was taken to station on the very last shuttle (Endeavour) mission, STS-134, on May 16, 2011.

CJ was super interested in the news, especially when they started talking dark matter, as he's had an interest in dark matter for years now. While the experts at today's press conference stopped short of saying they have conclusive evidence of dark matter, the AMS has spotted millions of particles of antimatter, with anomalous spikes in positrons, which certainly have their attention. AMS principal investigator Samuel Ting said, "These observations show the existence of new physical phenomena," and told viewers there would be other announcements after scientists have time to study the data further. 

If you visit the AMS Web site (http://ams.nasa.gov/), you can see a meter showing how many cosmic rays AMS has measured to date, as well as learn lots more about the spectrometer. 

There's a neat video (16 years in 3 minutes) of the AMS being built: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jcBTfTScl_M

And this video will give you a brief overview of AMS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KrAk0KmDwwE