Water flows uphill

The 'Physikshow' is a regular exhibition held by students at the University of Bonn to demostrate the fun side of physics to members of the public. Videos from the most recent event have been put on YouTube and have been a big hit. My favourite is of a boat floating in the air:



The tank it floats over is filled with Sulphur Hexafluoride gas which is significantly denser than air and will therefore support light objects. You can see the effect when the students try to fill the boat with the gas and it sinks down. Brilliant!

The best of the rest include a cigarette burning through metal, a nuclear reaction shown with ping pong balls and water flowing uphill!

Scratch and Sniff Stamps

China has issued stamps to celebrate their New Year on 18th of February that when scratched smell of sweet and sour pork! When the back is licked, the stamps also taste of the dish... in case you hadn't guessed, this year is the Year of the Pig.



It sounds like a made up story but the technlogy to make scratch and sniff stamps has been around for decades. The Royal Mail issued Eucalyptus scented stamps in 2001. Last year, Australian Valentine's Day stamps were issued smelling of roses. Several other scented stamps have been issued, including Magnolia, Green tea and Chocolate. The evolution of Postage Stamps is given in this comprehensive Fortune City site.

Storms sweep across the UK

Yesterday's storms in the UK caused traffic chaos, killed 10 people and left hundred of thousands without power. It was a crazy day!

I was working, and we knew it was windy but the realisation suddenly dawned on us that they were storm conditions. People were talking about 90mph winds and a ship sunk in the Channel overnight. Then in the afternoon emails started flying - one of the CCTV cameras has been blown down into the street, the car park barriers have been broken by the wind... then traffic. The Runcorn bridge closed, the Knowsley expressway closed, then the Thelwall viaduct on the M6, then gradually the region's motorways began to shut down. Closures on the M56, the M60, M62, restrictions on the M53. Lorries jacknived, trees fell, flights and trains were cancelled. Everyone was wondering how and if they could get home, and hoping their houses were undamaged.

Today, the morning light revealed broken walls and fences, roofs that had come crashing down. One friend took 3 and a half hours to get to the airport, normally a journey of an hour. People reported being stationary in queues for an hour or more. The BBC News and Travel pages were invaluable to keep us up to date and today they've published the best photos received from visitors to the site.

Coastal photos:


Transport photos:


Nature photos:


and Building photos:

Antarctica - land of fire and ice

You're in Antarctica. The ambient temperature is in the region of -50°C, but you're dodging balls of lava falling out of the sky... What the hell's going on?

They're coming from Mount Erebus, a volcano and one of the weirdest geological features of the frozen continent. Right in the midst of the snow and ice a massive pool of magma (molten rock) bubbles away, hurling lava out onto its slopes. The heat melts ice caves, some of which sustain life and in other areas, gas escapes to the surface and forms giant fumaroles which can reach 60 feet high. Intrepid photographer George Steinmetz had the oppourtunity to visit and capture the savage beauty of this landscape. The Smithsonian's website has a report, photos and a video of the volcano erupting.

It's all about the fish

Tropical, Coldwater, Marine, Freshwater... whichever your preference, aquariums are popular things. I have one myself - a 2 foot tropical freshwater tank. They're fascinating, addictive and also immensely frustrating, but i'm definitely hooked! For some people the hobby becomes an obsession. Nothing is too big (or small) a challenge, hence the brilliant palmtop aquarium:



When the smallest fish in the world was discovered, the challenge went out to find a suitable aquarium to house it. The result is this tiny tank, made from a bird feeder less than 100ml in volume, with sand, mini rocks and java moss. Beautiful!

The website (Age of Aquariums) also features an aquarium made from a cracker box, and one from a lightbulb.

Winter Festivals (and you thought it was all over)

January Blues? Christmas and New Year over too quickly? Well, the party's carried on around the world these past few weeks...


In India, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is well underway. Shortly after new year, the festival began in earnest. It's along similar lines to the huge Maha Kumbh Mela which takes place every 10 years and was reckoned to be the biggest gathering on earth, with up to 30 million people gathering back in 2001. The Ardh Kumbh will attract up to 40 million on the busiest day. The festival lasts a month and a half, at the confluence of three holy rivers in Northern India. Hindus believe that bathing in this sacred place can wash away their sins. The timing is based on astrological calendars and an ancient mythology, which is explained on the closest thing to an official website.


Prefer something a bit colder? The Harbin Ice Festival has begun in Northeast China. Running for a month and covering 400,000 sq. metres, the festival features huge ice sculptures replicating cathedrals, pyramids, palaces and the Great Wall - all built by stacking blocks of ice. Smaller sculptures are formed with chainsaws and chisels. The festival looks at its most impressive at night, when lights frozen into the ice illuminate the site. Flickr photos are here.



In Colombia, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites is held at the beginning of January every year. The carnival has several stages but the main days are the Day of Blacks and the Day of Whites. The Day of Blacks commemorates the free day slaves were given in colonial times. The Day of Whites is seemingly a counterpoint to that, with the white population joining in the fun. People paint each other in black, then the day after paint each other white and throw white powder at each other with parades, music and dancing in between!


Alternatively, you could have celebrated Christmas a second time with the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox Christian Christmas Day, which fell on the 7th of January this year (on account of the differences between the Julian and Gregorian calendars).

Coming soon... another chance at New Year's Eve - you've got to love competing calendars!

New Year around the world

A bit late maybe, but i've been browsing photos of fireworks around the world from New Year's Eve. Flickr photos below from Sydney, Seattle, New York, Rio de Janeiro and London:


Sydney, taken by Saruken


Seattle, taken by tollen


Times Square, New York, taken by Dirt Life


Rio de Janeiro (from Copacabana Beach), taken by Mari B.


London (the London Eye), taken by Stevie H

See more photos of NYE celebrations in Flickr Groups or Pictures from the BBC

For a better view, BBC News has a video compilation of the celebrations, and of course, there are hundreds on YouTube including these:


Amazing fireworks on a skyscraper in Taipei


Great view of the fireworks at the London Eye

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!