Lots of Periodic Tables

Just a pointer post to an interesting post by my fellow GeekDad writer Nathan Barry on some creative versions of Periodic Tables, including illustrator Russell Walks' cool-looking Periodic Table of Imaginary Elements.

Theo Gray's new book, The Elements

Here's what I said about it on GeekDad's first holiday gift guide:

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
Even if this book weren’t absolutely gorgeous, it would still be a worthwhile investment because of how well it works as Coffee Table Education. This is when you leave a book lying around that is so tempting the kids pick it up and start learning stuff without even being asked! Based on author Theodore Gray’s amazing website, The Elements offers a double-page spread (or sometimes more than one) on each element, complete with lush photos of the raw material in its pure form, as well as in various incarnations, both common and rare. Delightful. Buy it on Amazon.

Is it becoming dangerous to NOT blog?

It wasn't so long ago that the big discussion about scientists blogging was whether or not it would hurt your career. Granted, some the examples used involved personal content that would have been problematic on any platform. Still, many scientists chose to blog anonymously, even for the most uncontroversial scientific musings.

Recently I have noticed a change in the tone. The question doesn't seem to be "Is blogging bad?" anymore but rather "Is blogging a waste of time?". Often this involves the rather ironic situation of naysayers using a blog to express their opinion that blogging is a waste of time. There are many examples of this but a particularly controversial discussion took place on Nature Network recently.

And then yesterday I came across a particularly good example of why blogging is not a waste of effort. I was checking my Sitemeter referring links and found a few from Nature Chemistry. Unfortunately the article is toll access but I was able to get my hands on a copy. It was Michelle Francl's article about the history of the periodic table and all the creative ways that people have used to demonstrate order in the elements.

Michelle used my blog post about Andrew Lang's 3D representation of the periodic table in Second Life as a reference for this type of table. This is a very short (4 sentence) post but it has the key elements of a good reference - answers to who? what? and where?. That is enough information to visit the exhibit and contact the creator for a copy.

Now Andy and I are witing this up as part of a larger article on chemistry in Second Life (see draft here). If that article had been completed and published, it is likely that Michelle would have used that as a primary reference. But it can take a really long time for the journal publication process to reach completion. If I had not blogged this I am sure Michelle could have adapted her article and found another similar reference.

The point is that mainstream scholarship (Nature Chemistry is certainly an example of that) is able and willing to use Web2.0 references when these are the most appropriate.

There are very few examples of mindblowingly original ideas. People working in related areas tend to come up with similar ideas. In a world where any of your competitors can blog their ideas as soon as they think of them, hoarding ideas might be the more dangerous choice.

It doesn't matter what you think about the professional status of blogs. It doesn't matter most scientists don't blog. The only thing that matters is that at least one of your competitors is willing to blog their research and that the traditional journals in your field are willing to accept blog posts (and other Web2.0 publication formats) as valid references.

April Fool's!

The Periodic Table of Rejected Elements -- containing such families as the Dingy Gases of L (Linoleum) and Vi (Visine) -- was created by Michael Gerber and Jonathan Schwarz for the Atlantic Monthly.

Here's another cute variation: The Periodic Table of Hardware.

B is for Bolt, Al is for Aligator Clip, Kr is for Key Ring. From artist Jim Rosenau's site This into That.

I did a search for any other chemistry-related April Fools items, but all I could find were teachers who informed their class there would be a major quiz. Since I don't do grades, I'll give you a pass on that one!

Fizz, Bubble & Flash

I reserved this book through my library's website a while back but just took a look at it the other day. At first glance, it looks like a book for younger children (the age range listed on the back is 8 and up). But with its lively, clear explanations of all the elements and families of the periodic table and its nicely-laid-out experiments, including variations on demonstrations I've seen elsewhere plus some that are new to me (such as one that tests zirconium-based underarm anti-perspirant on aluminum foil), I'm thinking of buying a copy to keep around for my own teens. Author Anita Brandolini is a chemistry professor at Ramapo College who tested out the activities on kids at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey (a museum which my family has enjoyed on trips with the grandparents). My only beef: in general the illustrations are cute, but the drawings of molecules don't successfully convey the idea of their structure in three-dimensional space.

Periodic Tables and Lego Molecules

Becky over at Farm School at Home, a homeschooling blog out of the Canadian wilderness, had a post last week featuring an avalanche of periodic table links. Following a Lego Periodic Table link led me to a University of Wisconsin - Madison site featuring molecules built out of Legos -- with instructions. (The DNA Lego molecule above is from the Lego website -- I had trouble getting an image from the UW-M PDF instructions.)

I'll have to get the kids on this project!

Farm School: Cybils Review: The Periodic Table: Elements with Style!

(Scroll past the book review for the links)

3D Periodic Table in Second Life

Further adding to the set of chemistry tools in Second Life, Hiro Sheridan has created a 3D periodic table with rotating atoms. Although not directly proportional, the relative sizes of the spheres are in the correct order. Clicking on them provides basic information about the corresponding element.

The 3D periodic table is available on the Chemistry Corner on Drexel Island (SLURL).