As we wrap up 2008, I’m excited to report that we’ve added more than a hundred new videos to our ever-growing library of cool science videos and science fair project ideas. We are told that this science video library represents the most complete collection of science activities, experiment ideas and science demonstrations online to date. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and suggestions for future segments. I liked the e-mail that said, “Spangler videos are like Pringles… you can’t stop at just one.” Pour yourself another cup of coffee and dig in.
Bradley Mayhew is an amazing photographer and video editor who joined our creative team earlier this year. When he visited our video storage area on his first day on the job, he started to understand the true scope of managing this video archive. There are over 240 science segments dating back to 1990-1997 when I hosted the weekly Wonder Why? science segment on NBC’s News for Kids. Many of these segments can be seen on the Steve Spangler Science YouTube Channel under the classics category. Bradley also uncovered countless hours …
Time Warp is one of Discovery’s newest shows and it’s definitely worth watching… even if you’re not a science geek. Hosts Jeff Lieberman and Matt Kearney are on the prowl for anything and everything that might be cool to examine under high-speed photography. On the November 5, 2008 episode, Time Warp featured the Cornstarch Walk on Water stunt our team created for the Ellen Show back in February.
It’s good to see that our mixing proportions of 2,500 pounds of cornstarch to about 200 gallons of water - all mixed in a cement truck - worked well for them, too. The best part of the segment was the slow motion photography showing just how the non-Newtonian cornstarch and water mixtures behaves under stress. The images are nothing short of amazing.
If you’re a fan of the Ellen Show, you know that the show recently moved to a new set on the Warner Bros Studio lot. The new studio is huge… great for exploding clouds of liquid nitrogen! Watch the video, but keep reading to learn what happens behind all of those clouds.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves a second mention. Ellen DeGeneres and the people who make up her staff are absolutely top-notch, first-class, amazing people who love their jobs. From the moment we arrived on the lot, there was someone ready to help us with anything we needed. And unlike a normal guest, I have a bunch of weird stuff to set-up backstage. The request list that I turned into the producers for this segment included rain coats, fire extinguishers, liquid nitrogen and a huge jar of pickles. With lots of stuff comes lots of set-up time backstage and probably more interaction with the Ellen Show crew than most guests get.
Aside from having a great time, the big take away for me during this visit was the way the Ellen staff does …
Sean Moncrieff is the host of the Afternoon Show on Newtalk 106-108 fm in Ireland. This nationally syndicated show features news stories ranging from the serious to the zany… maybe that’s why they called. While waiting for my segment, I listened to the show and quickly realized how much I want to speak again in Ireland. I first lectured at the Irish Science Teachers Association in 1997 and again in 2000. I shared a few science demos and they taught me the finer points of drinking lots of Irish beer. Here’s my interview with Moncrieff.
Lynn is a mother who decided, a year or so ago, to “unschool” her daughter, and her blog, A Life Worth Living, tells her readers how this is unfolding for her family in the UK.
Last April, Lynn found our link on a friend’s blog, clicked on it, and discovered us! ” . . . I went onto a website I had found that had a link to Steve Spangler Science, and found lots and lots of new experiments to do. . . some I have heard of before, some I haven’t. I also like the fact that you can watch a video clip of quite a lot of the experiments.”
Thank you, Lynn, for your kind words about our website!
As we wrap up 2008, I’m excited to report that we’ve added more than a hundred new videos to our ever-growing library of cool science videos and science fair project ideas. We are told that this science video library represents the most complete collection of science activities, experiment ideas and science demonstrations online to date. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and suggestions for future segments. I liked the e-mail that said, “Spangler videos are like Pringles… you can’t stop at just one.” Pour yourself another cup of coffee and dig in.
