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In case anybody thought I was making up the story about Steve Jacobs’ (aka Wizard IV) staff – see my last post; here it is.  Each of the wizards  (Farraday, Alyea, Herbert, Jacobs) have contributed an object embedded in the staff – a crystal, a fossil, a shark’s tooth….

Some of you may recall Don Herbert, aka Mister Wizard, whose TV show was the first to turn kids on to science.  I remember it vividly, though in black and white.  Mister W was visited weekly by a couple of clean cut kids and they did cool science experiments.

Don Herbert - Mister Wizard

Well, it turns out that Don was following in the footsteps of Michael Faraday.  Faraday, along with his engineering and science accomplishments, was much beloved in England as a science ambassador to children and the world at large.  He was dubbed a “wizard” in Queen Victoria’s time and he had, believe or not, a “Wizard’s staff”.  That staff was passed down to Herbert and then to Herbert’s protege, Steve (Jake) Jacobs, aka Wizard IV.

Steve (Jake) Jacobs - Wizard IV

Steve, Chief Scientist from Faraday Studios,  is – among other things – the science consultant for MythBusters on Discovery Channel, and a board member and judge for our Kids’ Science Challenge competition – which launches its latest season tomorrow!

I’ve seen Jake in action, working his science magic with kids and adults – it’s fun and ingenious – lots of smoke, no mirrors! Many of the experiments he does – like the air cannon – date back to Faraday’s demonstrations.  And he’s got Faraday’s wizard staff, too!

Jake and Astronaut Michael Massimino preparing to blow something up for a science demonstration.

Check out http://www.kidsciencechallenge.com where you’ll with some videos which feature Jake and our latest group of scientists.

We’ve seen the Bad and the Ugly; the Good that hurricanes do is easier to see in the aftermath, once the electricity as been restored, along with whatever vestiges of patience and humor remained.  Our power was turned back on after  five days and the phone lines after six.  Ulster County, NY was hard hit: there are still plenty of downed trees, power and phone lines.  Back roads are chewed up, bridges slammed by trees that hit them like battering rams when raging flood waters reached new heights.

At the same time,  overgrown forests have been thinned, many  of the sick or dead trees  taken down, watersheds flushed out (be interesting to see what effects the flood has had on PCB levels in the Hudson).

And on the human side of  the equation, it was an opportunity to see how dependent I/we are to electricity in general,  and specifically – to computers, smart phones and texting.  The Monday after the storm, local refugees flocked to a cafe that had coffee, breakfast food, electricity and wireless internet.  Business was brisk.  One day without iPhones and it was Cold Turkey time.  To see the avidity with which the patrons scrambled for the few available outlets (no one had thought – yet – to bring extension cords), the passion on the faces of those retrieving their emails, the despair of those who couldn’t get online;  it was clear we’re addicted to more than the coffee.

Finally, a word on the rhythm of the hurricane itself – the way each of us got fooled by the Eye – the relative calm after  torrents or rain, thinking the storm was over, only to get blind-sided by the gale force winds that followed on the trailing edge of Irene’s spiral.  Although the storm was weakening, those winds were powerful enough to inspire awe in witnessing the forces of nature.

And then, the calm that could have followed the storm – broken by the inevitable generators.  Silence is scarce, even in the wake of a record-breaking hurricane.

Here’s an email from listener Dan Mason. He poses an interesting question about the ability of insects and other animals to hone in on things that are in motion:

I missed my morning bike ride yesterday so I rode in the evening instead. A firefly landed on my shoulder. I did not notice it until it flared. I stopped my bike and watched it for a brief period then decided it was not too heavy and started pedaling again.
I was bemused by the thought of how the beetle landed on my shoulder. Sure the firefly had taken off from a stationary-to-the-earth point. It and I must have been traveling in different directions in at least two dimensions and at different relative-to-the-earth speeds.
I was in an airport last April. It had moving sidewalks. The sidewalks were teeming with signs urging passengers to beware of the moving sidewalks, to hold on, to be careful, etc. My shoulder is bereft of such signage in any language, even assuming a firefly could read it when trying to land on a moving object or that a firefly would read it when not paying attention.
What has a firefly got that I ain’t?
My question is more about “Insects and landing on a moving object v. People and moving objects” than about fireflies. Getting other theories might be interesting, but I am genuinely interested in who an insect or bird has to do to land on a swaying tree branch or telephone wire and why I can’t do the same thing, aside form the fact that I don’t so much fly as plummet.
Sincerely,
Dan Mason

Saturday, July 9th, I’ll be performing in NYC at the Algonquin Seaport Theater at 7 PM.  It’s located on Pier 17 in South Street Seaport, 89 South Street.   Have been a singer/songwriter for many years; another pulse of the planet.  If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by. Come early, it’ll likely be one set only.

Jim