Well, this is strange.
Stacey and I spent a good chunk of the day trying remember how to build working Cyclotropes for a drop-in program in Open Studio. In theory this should have been easy, put the frames of an animation on a bike wheel and spin it in front of a webcam. If you get the wheel’s speed to match the shutter of the camera you get a neat animation. We got pretty good at doing it last summer when we ran a Cyclotrope workshop for Cyclepalooza, but somehow in the past 9 months we completely forgot the subtleties of the set-up.

After a frustrating morning of messing around with webcams and light sources I googled “cyclotrope troubleshooting” and the first hit was the Prototype Lab blog post Alex wrote about our process last year working on the same project! Even though I worked with Alex to solve these same problems last time, it was really helpful to re-read the things we figured out.

It actually took about 5 minutes to get our Cyclotrope working after reading Alex’s post. Ten points for documentation! And thanks Alex!

-dana

Comments »

Alex and I are working on a visitor experience that will happen in the new GIANT atrium space in the New Science Centre. We’ve stopped counting what version of this program we are on, but I think the multiple iterations are worth it.

Yesterday was a very exciting day because we took 6 of the new activities to the Boys and Girls Club to try them out with the 45 kids who are participating in day camp there.  (Sidenote – this organization is inspiring, and they do incredible work)

SPOILER ALERT!

One activity in particular was a huge hit. It was called, “Human Hockey Puck.” We found some plans online that Alex and our shop wizard Bill have edited to make the perfect hovercraft. It’s essentially made out of ½ inch plywood and a leaf blower. So, students got to ride the hovercraft while their friend tried to “shoot” them into the hockey net. One student, Quinn, emphatically exclaimed, “That was the best thing in the entire universe!” We’ve heard best thing in the world, but never the whole universe.

Here’s hoping the final version of the Atrium program is even a quarter as exciting to visitors as it was to Quinn.

Carly

Comments »

At the end of the work day my husband will often pick me up to carpool home.  Often, I’m not ready to leave just yet; sometimes having to finish sending one last email, or in this case – working on the floor during the last week of Titanic.  He usually sits patiently in his truck listening to music or tidying up his paperwork.  That is, unless he knows we’re up to something big.

As I came off the floor finishing my shift; I took a look around the parking lot and noticed he wasn’t in his truck.  And so, I continued around the parking lot to our loading dock where I suspected Alex and Dana were up to something.  And something big  – Alex is testing some demonstration experiences, and today it was about exploding hydrogen balloons.  With rocket ignition.

Of course my husband is right in the middle of the action, helping to figure out the technique of ignition.  I asked how it was going, he replied, “I am SCHOOLING these two in science!”.  And under my breath, I murmured, “Well, they’re doing their job”.

Alex and Dana are not inept when it comes to science, nor were they playing dumb for my husband’s sake.  They were just doing their job well:  facilitating an experience.  Facilitating it so that my husband felt like he had viable answers, he had the opportunity to experiment and try his ideas, and all the while they were keeping the environment safe for him to test out these ideas.

Even though science demonstrations typically have a staff member displaying all the cool and dangerous tricks on stage; I have a feeling you’ll be amazed at what Alex is thinking up.  A demonstration where every bang, boom and whiz is performed by *gasp* a visitor in the audience.  Where visitors who wants to participate will have a chance to freely explore and test out their own experiments on stage.  I like to imagine the visitor who leaves the Presentation Theatre saying, “I’ve never got to do that before in my life!”.  Alex, don’t take it personally when someone proclaims they ‘were schooling you’ on the job.  It’s just a sign you’re doing a great job.

-stacey.

Comments »

Its been a while since we’ve had the Prorotype Lab open, but you can still be involved.

Come to this DIY Instrument and Circuit Bending workshop this weekend at Local Library!

We’ ll be exploring the weird and wild side of DIY technology, Frankensteining beloved childhood toys and making our joints sing in a series of afternoon workshops.

The New Science Centre team will be doing a Circuit Bending drop-in program that we’re planning for the NSC. Our pal Craig Storm will be showing us how to make Light Theramins. I’ll be helping people (somehow) hack circuits to our bodies to make a giant dance piano. And there will be a free tour of Cantos at the end.

Come play and learn stuff!

This Saturday, June 4th, 1-4pm
Local Library
131 7th Ave SW. Entrance is from the alley behind the church.

-dana

Comments »