It isn't so completely unusual for kids to get classes in engineering and technology these days, although I certainly wish it were more common. To me, the really interesting thing is that "technology" isn't really "computers" anymore... that is old school. Now it's all about mobile and social and making physical things. That is what inspires kids to want to learn about math and engineering. That is what our education system should be using to inspire and challenge our future engineers, scientists and technical entrepreneurs. Maker projects for all!
Today's post includes a request for your help. Please read all the way through.
By now many of you have heard of Kickstarter or Indiegogo. These are the websites that are allowing entrepreneurs to raise money to start a new venture. The process is called crowd funding. Rather than going to Sand Hill road and getting money from venture capitalists, these websites allow participants to take their plea directly to the people. Widdakay and I met a developer who was struggling to get his watch project funded. 6 months later, he had a successful Kickstarter campaign that was able to raise over $10 million. Needless to say, he isn't struggling with funding any more.
Last week, a new Kickstarter project popped up to build a small hydroponic garden, not unlike the system that Bix and Widdakay (and the "Awesome is What We Totally Are" team) teach about in their classes. In the first week of this campaign, Click & Grow has raised over $250,000! While congratulations are in order to them, it was a nice confirmation of the interest that hydroponic systems can generate.
The Click & Grow success is also very timely, because the "Awesome Team," was already busy preparing a crowd funding campaign of their own. They aren't funding a start-up company, but they would like to raise some money to offset some of the expenses of teaching their aeroponics classes. Fortunately, a new website is launching that will help people, including kids, raise money for a cause. The new site is called PiggyBackr, and it is designed to help sports teams and student causes benefit from the same type of crowd funding that Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects enjoy for start-up companies.
The "Awesome Team" put together a campaign called Aeroponics for All. Watch the brief video above to see how the "Awesome Team" is seeking donations to continue teaching their classes and research on aeroponics.
This is where you come in. We would really appreciate your help in spreading the word about their campaign. Please, post, tweet, email or tell your friends about Aeroponics for All. We would love to spread their message as far and wide as possible.
Of course, if you can spare any amount (even if not listed on their page) it could help them reach their goal. And, if you know of some kids who have a fundraising project of their own, tell them to check out PiggyBackr. You can see other PiggyBackr campaigns here.
There is a star floating around out there that appears to be really really old... like older than the whole universe. Wait a minute... how can it be older than the universe? Something must be wrong. According to the original estimates, the star was about 16 billion years old, while the universe is only 13.7 billion. Well, in fact, it appears that the star, named HD140283 (or Methuselah, depending on who you ask) is travelling very very fast, and was created very soon after the universe was created (not before the universe existed as originally estimated). Watch the video to get the whole story.
The National Museum of Mathematics (aka MoMath) opened last December in New York City. It looks pretty amazing to me. It may be a reason to go to NYC some time. The video below is a tour of the place as given by George Hart, who I believe is Vi Hart's dad.
I like this little video explaining how a differential gear works. Whether you don't know what a differential gear is or you already know how it works, I recommend watching this little explanation from the 1930s. I like how it moves through the problem and illustrates each step clearly. Spend a few minutes watching and you'll understand it for life.
I should've thought of this one. Eran Amir had a great idea to record people on the street singing a single note. Then, those video clips were set up to be triggered from a keyboard, et voila! The people sing a little ditty together. Nicely done!
In this video, at first it seems as if Vi Hart is trying to work through some broken relationship with an existential exploration of self in a poem. Then she repeats the poem and it turns out that it is indeed about a confusing and sometimes upsetting relationship, but not the kind of relationship you probably imagined the first time through. This video requires a little bit of advanced math understanding, but wow! Outstanding Vi... simply outstanding.
Monika suggests that this might need to be made into a country song, while i think it should have been filmed in black and white... very Film Noir-style.
You know, it doesn't matter how long I live around here, I'm always finding out about new sites and points of interest. For example, did you know that nearby is the Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia? Who knew? It's not large, however, they do have a 7' 10" tall, working PEZ dispenser replica. Apparently this has been a point of some contention. While it does hold the Guiniess Book of World records(as of 2008 anyway) record for the Worlds Working PEZ Candy Dispenser, it also caused PEZ to sue Gary Doss, the owner, and demand that he destroy the replica because it was unauthorized and they didn't want to be responsible if it suddenly started biting people or tipped over onto someone. A judge dismissed the case in 2010. Meanwhile Gary Doss has expanded his enterprise to include the Classic Toy Museum and the Banned Toy Museum.
Time Magazine has named this "A Top 50 American Roadside Attraction." A PEZ museum huh? Sure. Why not?
I like this view of the SF Bay Area from above. It was made with a very fancy stabilized camera platform and a Red Epic camera. AS far as I can tell, both items are carved of unobtainium and unicorn horns. Sure they are expensive, but they do capture something about the place that reminds me why we like living here. I hope you enjoy it too. One of these days, I hope we'll do the poor man's version of this with a quadcopter and a GoPro.
According to Google Analytics, right now there are 41 visitors from the International Space Station looking at the Digital Diner website. Since there aren't 41 astronauts on the International Space Station, I presume they have invited some alien friends over for a little internet surfing party... Or maybe it's just another in the long line of April Fools jokes hitting the net today. In case you've missed any, here are a few that we thing are worth checking out.
BMW apparently introduced the limited edition BMW P.R.A.M. (Postnatal Royal Auto Mobile). Among other things, it comes with N.A.P.P.I.E. (Nanny-Assisting Petrol-Powered Injection Engine).
