h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hiya, thought you might find the videos linked off this interesting. I don't pretend to understand all of it myself, but it is very interesting.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2184,The-Science-behind-the-Large-Hadron-Collider,Labreporter

don't worry about the comments, just have a gander at the videos Fascinating stuff.

Thanks for that - they look really interesting! I'll have a look at them later when I've finished all my homework ... sometime next year, possibly.

Really? You don't understand all of it? *is shocked* Go forth and find books to read!

heh!

far too busy trying to read u-p on buildings regulations fopr fireplaces and garages and stuff. It is tedious in the extreme and very shortly I shall give up and go find some beer!

3mm here, 15mm there, can't be bigger than this if it's closer than that and it was built on a tuesday by a bloke wearing yellow socks if the wind was blowing NNW - I swear they make it up just to confuse us!

Boring! Beer sounds much better. Hmm, that's something I shall have to pursue whilst doing my revision...

A bloke wearing yellow socks - are there many of them around? And of course these things are there to confuse you - it's so that when you've finally finished whatever project you happen to be working on, you feel that you have accomplished something great!

I've just watched those videos - they were quite interesting! A lot of it was stuff that I've already read but it was all quite clear and not too complicated - unlike a couple of the books I've come across! Actually seeing the LHC was really good - I've read about it but that's not the same, and I'd never really had any idea how it would detect whatever particles it happened to be looking for!

Anyway, thanks again for giving me those links.

another link for - but I guess you are well into revision now?

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Outreach/Public_Lectures/View_Past_Public_Lectures/

It's a load of public lectures on current position/knowledge in a number of areas - all very interesting!

Thank you - I will look at it when "traffic is back to normal", as it said when I clicked on it! Yeah - revision has taken over my life now... Exams started yesterday so there's not too much longer to go

ah, site unavailability will be due to what is known in geek/net circles as 'the Slashdot effect'.
There is a very well known and popular geek/nerd site called Slashdot. Covers all sorts of interesting and geeky stuff (from why bill gates is the devil through to how quantum computers work), And every 14yr old computer geek in the USA and UK is logged in there. So when someone posts a link (like the above one) several hundred thousand (possibly more) people click on it and the website falls over cos it can;t handle the traffic. Give it a day or so for the slashdotters to forget about it and it should work well again.

It works! I shall read it now...

I am watching one now...

Which one you watching?

And why aren't you working hard at school work?
(says he posting from the works computer )

I was going to watch "The Physics of Information: From Entanglement to Black Holes", but there were only five minutes before I had to go back to the classroom, so I only watched the first few minutes of it. I'll have to watch more at the weekend when I've got time - and speakers.

What do you mean, why aren't I hard at work? I'd revised for Biology for half an hour (during my free lesson) then I decided to watch that so that I would be ahead in Physics next year! Surely that counts as hard work? Thought I might as well go on HooToo at the same time!

so did you enjoy them/find them interesting?

When you get your research job at LHC can I come visit you?

*has confession to make*

I haven't actually got round to watching them yet. When you only have half an hour on the copmuter and revision to do, it's a little difficult to find time to watch them. Sorry! However, in a week's time, I will have all the time in the world to watch them, so I will settle down and enjoy!

You can come and visit, if I actually get a job there!

ah, that's cool, no rush, you've the holidays before 6th form to get through yet! plenty of time

Yay, holidays. *attempts to sound enthusiastic* I'm looking forward to the first week, but after that I fear boredom will set in! I may watch all of the lectures twice, or maybe three times!

Sixth Form however, I am really looking forward to - I think it will be like heaven...

it should certainly be fun, and a much more rewarding learning environment providing you get decent teachers.

BTW, try
how transistors work
http://www.intel.com/education/transworks/index.htm

it's intel, so they should know! Let me know if it isn't quite what you wanted. Gates is the next step up from that and then on to half-adders, full-adders and JK FlipFlops.

Ignobel awards (and the organisation that gives them) can be found here:

http://improbable.com/

specifically :

http://improbable.com/ig/winners/

Oh the joy to be had when you're bored at lunch and stumble across old posts which happen to provide you with the very entertainment you're looking for! Just (re)found this and am having fun looking at all the awards

heh They are good to go back to aren't they?

Got your emails but not had a chance to reply (to busy arguing philosophy with Edward de Bonobo on the god delusion thread - nah, not really!).