Moving barns

There's a fella in California who thinks he's cracked the Stonehenge question. That question, if you're not aware, is, "How the f-bomb did they make that thing by hand?!?!" No cranes, no lifts, no machinery of any kind, just pure human strength would have had to have made the glyphs, and they're several tons per stone.

But this California native is moving blocks that big (and things even bigger, like an entire barn) by hand. By himself. He's using nothing but gravity and wood, and forgotten technique. Maybe Sufjan should rewrite his song about Flint, MI to include this dude!

Prince Rupert's Drop

Physics is something that has always amazed and intrigued me. So when I see videos on the internet displaying physical properties, especially ones I didn't know about, I'm like a giddy kid at a candy shop where they make candy in front of your face. This video displays a peculiar property of glass: if you drop it in water and let it solidify, the bulbous droplet part is virtually indestructible. But if you snap off the frail little end, the thing explodes! SO cOOL!

Higgs

What do pretty pictures, humongous machines, and slightly witty reportage writing have in common?

They are the subject of a very neat article by National Geographic concerning the world's brand new particle accelerator. What are the Europeans (nay, all physicists) looking for with this giant, 17-mile-wide ring underground, smashing bits of invisible stuff against other bits of invisible stuff? A little thing that the press likes to call "The God Particle." Also known as the Higgs Particle, it is believed that this particle is the base particle, the single ingredient out of which the entire universe is constructed.

If your interest is piqued, then I suggest you read this article, which does a fantastic job of explaining how all this junk works, while throwing in a couple of snickery jokes here and there. Worth your time to read, like I say, if you're into that kind of thing.

Mario vs. Quantum Physics

I think it's no surprise that videogames can be considered in philosophical terms. In fact, anyone who plays videogames, I think, has some kind of philosophical thought process going on in the background, directly related to the game(s) being played. So, when I found this video and accompanying explanation of Many-Worlds Interpretation, the concept of many different worlds existing, branching off of a single moment of quantum decision so to speak, I thought it was a fun and simple way to be introduced to the concept. Enjoy!

And, as a bonus, this video reminded me of a video I'd watched a year or so ago that was, luckily, linked in the related-videos section, so it's included here: