August 29, 2012
Shambala: Particle Zoo Safari
We went on a quest for some strange wildlife in the wilds of Shambala: subatomic particles, the fundamental bits and pieces of the universe.
Three quarks – two up, one down – joined together in their strange, tri-coloured amorous union to form a proton.
An electron, darting this way and that with boundless energy, joined them to form a hydrogen atom.
Three more quarks joined us, creating a second proton, soon paired with their own electron. Our electrons, repelling and despising each other, spiraled round both our protons in a polyamorous union, forming a covalent bond (considered kinky to some).
We pushed the atoms together to form helium – releasing photons, and creating sunlight!
For the grand finale, we crashed them together in our particle accelerator -
revealing the star of the show, the Higgs boson!
Without daring to let it get away, we snagged it with a net and dragged it back into our tent.
The end.
Sponsored by the wonderful STFC, made in partnership with designer Patrick Stevenson-Keating and particle physicist Dr Ben Still.
Check the write up in The Guardian, with a short film edited by Thom Hoffman, after we held the event for the first time at the Secret Garden Party in July.
August 27, 2012
Shambala: Simon Foster
Simon Foster came to Shambala brandishing gunpowder and chemical explosives for a crash course in the history of rockets.
Every time he gives this talk, not only does he blow the roof off the tent (almost literally), but teaches us something that blows our minds.
Ever heard of Joe Kittinger? What an absolute brilliant example of a human being. Eleven months in a Vietnamese concentration camp to boot. What a badass.
Thank you, Simon, for rocking the Guerilla Science yet again, and for being the Higgs Boson in our Particle Zoo Safari!
Aces high.
September 27, 2011
Wired: The Astronomer’s Ball
Wired Magazine has published a short piece our upcoming event, the Astronomer’s Ball – read more here!
September 15, 2011
Bestival: Small & Beautiful
Fire tornadoes. Summer snow. Elastic liquid. Magnetic monsters. Liquid armour. And of course, the flame tube.
Our own Steve Mould brought us a miscellany of tiny marvels of magnetism, fire, light, sound and chemistry.
Perhaps most popular, the Chladni resonance patterns displayed on a square metal plate, visualised using sound waves and salt crystals. “You are god!” one pleased punter cried.
Not quite – but he sure is handy with the laws of thermodynamics.
See all the pics on our flickr site.
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