Notebook

Humans

From the December 2, 1933, issue

SCIENTISTS UNLEASH LARGEST ATOM-ATTACKING MACHINE Seven million volts, mans closest approach to the voltage of natures lightning, flashed across the gigantic ball terminals of sciences greatest generator, erected by Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicists in Col. E.H.R. Greens airship hangar at Round Hill, Mass., and operated Tuesday for the first time at so great an […]

Physics

Particle Interactions

The world’s leading particle physics laboratories have collaborated to provide a one-stop online resource for communicating research in the world of particle physics. Updated daily, the site provides news stories, science policy papers, conference information, and much more. An image bank contains photos and illustrations showing accelerators, detectors, particle collisions, historical events, aerial views, and […]

Humans

From the November 25, 1933, issue

STEEL TOWERS GO UP AND DOWN TO SPEED SURVEY OF COUNTRY Work on control surveys of the United States is being rapidly pushed forward under funds recently provided by the Public Works Administration to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Although the immediate purpose is to provide employment to a great number of men, the […]

Math

Fractal World

Created by Michael Frame, Benoit Mandelbrot, and Nial Neger of Yale University, these Web pages serve as a remarkably comprehensive source of information on fractal geometry. The site offers basic definitions, many illustrations, and lots of mathematical details. Topics include natural fractals and dimensions, iterated function systems, the complex Newton’s method, fractals in art and […]

Humans

From the November 11, 1933, issue

RARE BIRD COURTSHIP SHOWN BY NEW MUSEUM GROUP Romantic squires and young knights of the sunset days of feudalism paid court to the lovely ladies of their fancy in elaborately built bowers set in corners of the castle grounds. Even in these livelier days, when troubadours carry saxophones and steel guitars instead of plaintive lutes […]

Humans

Everyday Mysteries

Why do onions make you cry? What causes the noise when you crack a joint? How does sunscreen work? The Library of Congress offers “everyday mysteries” Web pages devoted to answering such questions. The archive includes responses to questions in a wide range of fields, from anthropology to zoology. Go to: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/archive.html

Humans

From the November 4, 1933, issue

WEIGHT LOSS FOUND TO BE CLUE TO PERSONALITY TYPE A new link between the mind and the body has been described to psychologists in a report by Dr. W.R. Miles and his wife, Dr. Catharine C. Miles, of the Institute of Human Relations, Yale University. The minute quantities of weight lost from your body when […]

Tech

Craft Tech

The Craft Technology Group at the University of Colorado, Boulder, interweaves computation with craft materials both new and old. This Web site offers glimpses of innovative projects involving the use of software to design mechanical toys and paper sculptures, embedding computation and behavior in simple objects such as tacks and hinges, developing affordable three-dimensional printing, […]

Humans

From the October 28, 1933, issue

WEATHERMEN UNWITTINGLY POSE HALLOWEEN PICTURE Not ancient warlocks making weather but modern scientists just making a record of it, unintentionally posed a good Halloween picture on the top of Mount Washington, with the aid of a cat that doesn’t like the wind. The photograph has nothing of the mellowness of autumn about it–quite naturally, since […]

Physics

Shedding Light on the Infrared

For students and teachers, this NASA-sponsored Web site offers illuminating insights into infrared light. It explains the fundamentals of infrared astronomy, using animations, images, classroom lessons and activities, games, and more. Take a look at infrared views of familiar objects, from Yellowstone’s “Old Faithful” geyser to a pot-bellied pig. Go to: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/