I felt like Tom Hanks in Cast Away as I raised my bundle of tinder and exclaimed, “I made fire!” Several months ago, I mentioned on air that I had never seen anyone who could rub two sticks together and make fire. By the time I stepped off the set, I already had nine emails from people who claimed to be able to start a fire using what is called friction fire. Ford Church, the Founder and CEO of the Cottonwood Institute in Boulder, Colorado wrote the most compelling email (okay, he sent a picture of high school students making fire in one of his survival workshops) and I invited him to be my guest this afternoon on the 9NEWS Four O’Clock Show. Watch the video and you’ll see why this guy trains people all over the country in survival skills - he’s good. Within five minutes of setting out his supplies, he had fire. But he’s an expert… what about me? Ford gave me a quick lesson, showed me the finer point of “bowing”, taught me how to transfer the ember to the tinder and… voila!… I made fire.

Watch the video and learn how to make fire.

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… but I’m not buying it.

The Orlando Sentinel recently ran a article in their Weekend Leisure Playing with Food section by Jane Snow about the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment. They turned to Robert Wolke, chem professor at the University of Pittsburgh for an explanation. Here’s what he writes…

“The scientific explanation is that craggy-surfaced Mentos candies help release the carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the pop. The carbon dioxide normally remains dissolved in the liquid because there are no irregularities around which bubbles can form. Diet Coke works better than regular Coke because it contains no sugar. The corn syrup used in most sodas, says Robert Wolke, chemistry professor at the University of Pittsburgh and author of What Einstein Told His Cook, suppresses the formation of bubbles.”

Hmmm? I’d suggest that Robert Wolke try dropping a roll of Mentos into a bottle of regular Root Beer or Coke or Pepsi. Judging from the stains on the ceiling in the chemistry department at Regis University, I’d have to say that nothing was really suppressed.

What’s your experience with regular soda?

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What do you call 102 teachers gathered together who are crazy about space science? Teacher Space Camp. I often write about my search for “amazing teachers” - teachers who truly inspire students to want to learn. Last week I paid a return visit to the U.S. Rocket & Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama where I met another group of amazing teachers who really make learning fun. My training was sponsored in part by the Boeing Corporation who also sponsored the entire group of teachers. Katrine Balch is the Director of Education Programs and her staff does an amazing job of hosting some of the best teachers on the planet. The goal of the week-long program is to provide teachers with hands-on training in the space sciences… plus so much more. When I arrived on Wednesday afternoon, a group of teachers was busy building model rockets while another group conducted experiments with plants in space. My workshop on Thursday focused on best practices and strategies for integrating more science with reading, writing and math… and ways to make science even more fun in the classroom.

Sure, I always enjoy conducting teacher trainings, but this workshop was especially fun for me because my 7 year old son, Jack, came along as my helper. As you can see from the picture, he wasn’t content with just handing out supplies. Jack shared a science demo that he’d been practicing called the Three Cup Monté… or the old water-in-the-cup-switcheroo. Okay, I’m a pretty proud Dad, but now I know that Jack can support me in my old age.

If you’re a teacher… what are you waiting for? Contact Katrine Balch at katrineb@spacecamp.com to learn more about corporate sponsored teacher training institutes at the U.S. Rocket & Space Center.

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… or is it an optical illusion? Richard Zare is a world-renowned chemist at Stanford University, and he has a particular fascination with bubbles. He recently showed why the bubbles actually go down the side of the glass when you first pull a pint of Guinness.

This gentleman might have something to say about the Mentos reaction. Hmmm?

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I got a call from Steve Jacobs (right hand man to Don Herbert - “Mr. Wizard”) who works as a consultant to the Discovery Channel. He told me that Adam and Jamie from MythBusters were going to do an episode on the whole Mentos phenomenon and wanted to know some of the history of the demo. Steve (or “Jake” as they call him) is the fourth in a series of science “Wizards” selected by Don Herbert to continue his mission and passion for teaching science to the public. Besides… he’s a great demonstrator and friend (and the perfect consultant to the Discovery Channel).

The MythBusters Mentos episode is schedule to air on Wednesday, August 9th at 9:00 PM ET

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Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, the Eepybird guys who turned the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment into art are jumping from the Internet to the mainstream media.

They appeared on David Letterman last Thursday night and on the “Today Show” Friday morning. They demonstrated their version of the Bellagio Fountains done with Mentos and Diet Coke on both shows.

Their video went viral after they posted a 3-minute video on their website using more than 500 Mentos and more than 100 two-liter plastic bottles of Diet Coke in June.

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