Love science.

A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING “WHY” CAN BE DANGEROUS
By Stephen McNeil

SARAH: Daddy, were you in the shower?

DAD: Yes, I was in the shower.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: I was dirty. The shower gets me clean.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does the shower get me clean?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the water washes the dirt away when I use soap.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why do I use soap?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the soap grabs the dirt and lets the water wash it off.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does the soap grab the dirt?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because soap is a surfactant.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why is soap a surfactant?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: That is an EXCELLENT question. Soap is a surfactant because it forms water-soluble micelles that trap the otherwise insoluble dirt and oil particles.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does soap form micelles?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Soap molecules are long chains with a polar, hydrophilic head and a non-polar, hydrophobic tail. Can you say ‘hydrophilic’?

SARAH: Aidrofawwic

DAD: And can you say ‘hydrophobic’?

SARAH: Aidrofawwic

DAD: Excellent! The word ‘hydrophobic’ means that it avoids water.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does it mean that?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: It’s Greek! ‘Hydro’ means water and ‘phobic’ means ‘fear of’. ‘Phobos’ is fear. So ‘hydrophobic’ means ‘afraid of water’.

SARAH: Like a monster?

DAD: You mean, like being afraid of a monster?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: A scary monster, sure. If you were afraid of a monster, a Greek person would say you were gorgophobic.

(pause)

SARAH: (rolls her eyes) I thought we were talking about soap.

DAD: We are talking about soap.

(longish pause)

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why do the molecules have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the C-O bonds in the head are highly polar, and the C-H bonds in the tail are effectively non-polar.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Because while carbon and hydrogen have almost the same electronegativity, oxygen is far more electronegative, thereby polarizing the C-O bonds.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why is oxygen more electronegative than carbon and hydrogen?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: That’s complicated. There are different answers to that question, depending on whether you’re talking about the Pauling or Mulliken electronegativity scales. The Pauling scale is based on homo- versus heteronuclear bond strength differences, while the Mulliken scale is based on the atomic properties of electron affinity and ionization energy. But it really all comes down to effective nuclear charge. The valence electrons in an oxygen atom have a lower energy than those of a carbon atom, and electrons shared between them are held more tightly to the oxygen, because electrons in an oxygen atom experience a greater nuclear charge and therefore a stronger attraction to the atomic nucleus! Cool, huh?

(pause)

SARAH: I don’t get it.

DAD: That’s OK. Neither do most of my students.

* * *

(REPRINTED FROM ISSUE ONE, APRIL 11th, 2005)


found on http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2gd659/www.scq.ubc.ca/a-dialogue-with-sarah-aged-3-in-which-it-is-shown-that-if-your-dad-is-a-chemistry-professor-asking-%2525E2%252580%25259Cwhy%2525E2%252580%25259D-can-be-dangerous-5/

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is incredible.
Its simplicity, warmth and inevitable tragedy rendered me into a waterfall of tears. The fact that Death is the narrator and you know the end right from the start does not diminish the heartache that grips you when it finally happens. Seldomly have I found a book dealing with Nazi Germany in such a skillful, unapologetic but simple and affective way. It steers clear of melodrama and lectures. It's a wonderful book. Read it.

Tears and Saints

As I am reading it currently in preparation for our forthcoming production of Howard Barker's short plays 'The Forty', I should like to share some Roumanian wisdom:

"Death makes no sense except to people who have passionately loved life." (p.16)

"Music is everything. God himself is nothing more than an acoustic hallucination." (p.54)

That's enough for now.

So long!

Sad but beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTdzCAGH3lU&feature=related

Freshers' Week

...is probably the maddest time of the year, though I cannot deny that I thoroughly enjoyed being a 'Freshers' Hero', pointing people to their houses, showing the way to the library/union/arts centre/finance office/town (though the last always puzzles me: the uni overlooks town, how can you wonder where it is?)...

On a different note: Swing City night at the Angel Inn was utterly amazing! With a drawn-on moustache (to get in for free)a night full of electric swing and I-have-no-idea-what-it's-called-but-it's-awesome! music I danced so much that my feet hurt the next morning. Definitely the sign of a good night. The floors may be sticky and the toilets infamous and the smell rather particular, but the Angel puts on a lot of interesting things.

So long!

A garden of memory

Since my parents are moving house, a lot of packing had to be done over the course of the last few months. Also, a lot of winnowing had to take place. For me, this included throwing out my old, dried flower bouquets. Before I did so (them looking sad and undignified on the compost heap) I photographed them. It is mostly the memory we wish to keep, not the thing itself. Without explanations or further ado: some memories.

Woe is me

...because I seem to utterly fail at keeping this updated. But then again, I do not wish to post uninteresting and irrelevant things here and life isn't too exciting right now.

I have been spending a ridiculous amount of time packing. Sisyphos has nothing on me.

Last week I finished George Hunka's "Word made flesh", possibly the single-most difficult book I have ever read so far. A quote from it, which made me laugh out loud and with which I agree whole-heartedly:

"Especially the question, "What does it mean?" Which is attempted homicide and should be prosecuted and punished as such." (p. 95)

With this thought about the 'meaning of art', I take my leave.

So long!