The book for the masses (pun intended)

Ah how I love Star Trekkin’ by The Firm – Its a catchy tune from the late 80s with this line from Scotty, the chief engineer: “You cannot change the laws of physics.”. And then later, “Its physics, Jim!”

Many, many years ago, I was a student at the OSCSS and just loved the physics class taught by Roberta Tevlin (on weekends, I’d catch her playing at Grossman’s in the Happy Pals). I even got Wonderstruck on TV (today, I just make the local newspapers).

Anyway, I heard an interview on the Quirks & Quarks podcast with the author of a book relating to physics and, appropriately for this month, future presidents.  I looked up the author, Richard Muller, and found his book called Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines.  I have since learned that the author intended only one copy to be read: the one he donated to this month’s new occupants of the White House.  Its written smartly for a quick dip without any mucking about.

Instead of buying that book, I’ve started watching the Muller’s lectures from his class at Berkley.  There’s a full textbook (of the same name but with ‘textbook’ added as a suffix) – the first couple of chapters can be downloaded from his site too.  If you enjoyed your university lectures, then watch these and read the textbook edition; if not, then read the short popular version of the book instead.

Watching him talk to his class reminded me of the one (and only so far) time I taught a physics class.  It was back at Henry Street High after I had graduated from OSCSS.  I showed off some of the neat demos that I learned while at OSCSS to an eagar audience of young high school students (okay, they were just a year or two younger than me).  The scariest moment was when I demonstrated how I could break a metre-long ruler (“yardstick” sounds better but it wasn’t that) with just a piece of newspaper and one hand.  I balanced the ruler half on and half off the side of the teacher’s desk.  I covered the half that was on the desk with a single sheet of newspaper.  I then whacked down on the other half with my hand.  Sure enough, the newspaper held down the ruler with a vaccuum and the rule snapped in two.  The broken half went whizing down the aisle between the students.  My heart stopped as I braced myself for its landing – thankfully it crashed eventually to the floor.  After the class, one student came to me and asked if I knew the student who was interacting the most and asking so many questions- I said no and asked why; they said because that student was usually so shy and quiet normally.  That’s when I appreciated that real learning comes through experience.

The best bit is that you can choose what bits of the song to listen to – just the vocals, the bass, etc.  There’s six buttons at the bottom to select which ones to have active.  So, if you just want to know the words (no prizes for guessing that “Black Mirror” figures pretty prominently, but there is also some French spoken in there, too).  Pressing the space bar flips black to white and vice versa.

Enjoy. Now, if only Zunior.com, my favourite place to download Canadian indie music, carried them.  And The Weakerthans (another popular Canadian band).

I got sucked into this musical escapade because I spent this evening flopped out on the sofa listening to some podcasts from CBC Radio 3 (if ever I am stranded on a desert island, and have just an iPod, with an ability to magically download just one podcast, then that would be it; I hope, though, that I’d have some soap, too).  I was listening to the podcast on my iPod nano and Logitech mm50 portable speakers — Great speakers, by the way.  You can get them cheap these days (there’s a new version out that includes, oh-ah, a battery fullness indicator; the “indicator” on the mm50 is…silence).

I haven’t yet mentioned that Katya has come close to busting a second set of my earphones:  My first iPod nano’s earpieces went kaput and so I got a lanyard replacement, which frayed from all the fritction they endured around her neck as she went jogging running; Now Katya has taken the earbuds from my newer iPod nano and asked me tonight: “is there any reason why songs would start skipping?”

I wonder if others have had their iPod nano start skipping songs, like you heard scratched CDs do.  I can only think of two causes: the iPod was dropped one too many times and some soldering is coming loose inside, or the cables to the earbugs are beginning to fray.

And on another note (!): I’m looking around eBay for a used Technics SL-1210 turntable.  I’ve heard from a bright spark on the Whitchurch forum that it is the one to use for converting my old vinyl albums to MP3.  My dad is bringing over quite a few of the LPs from my childhood, when he flies over next Saturday.  It will be fun to see if Tolii and Tosha get as much fun out of listening to them as I did.  On a related note (!), they’ve really enjoyed playing with the Fisher Price castle that I brought down from the loft last week (and have had since around 1972…).

Anyway, I’m off to bed with my iPod to listen to The New Pornographers, which Zunior does have for download. And which I did.

First, there was a party at Chia Chia and Graham’s house.

Then we moved to the Ontario Science Centre for the formal reunion.

It was great to see so many of my old (but not necessarily old looking) friends. Some teachers were there too, like John “Communications” Fowles; “Bio” Bob Lundy and Earl “Electron” Sweeney.

Does our semester win for the most fertile group? I’ve never seen so many kids! And what’s this with having 4 kids? Are you guys nuts?

All the spouses fitted right in too. Judy’s husband even climbed the tree and started pruning it!

Here’s who was at both parties…Leigh, Debra, Carolyn, Chia Chia, Adam, Roy, Roma, Judy, Marcus, Trevor, Lisa H., Kate, Stefan, and me!