Friday, November 13, 2015

Chemistry and Culture: Rule Britannia

I see that Sainsbury has posted their Christmas video and it makes you have all the feels. there is one tiny moment that merits a shout out and this is the image.

https://youtu.be/kuRn2S7iPNU

Gotta love a little British girl that dreams of getting a chemistry set for Christmas. I wonder if her parents know about this Kickstarter project.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Comic Chemistry: The Truth About Chemistry Kits

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal has a comic up today that bemoans the pulling of the teeth of chemistry sets. This has been commented on at length on the internet (LINK) but that does not change the betrayal of science that is captured by removing any risk from the sets.


I received my first chemistry set when I was 12. It was my gateway to DIY science and a remarkable insight for may parents to not only appreciate that I would like a chemistry set but to also purchase one for me.


The problem of course is the potential for lawsuits arising from the use of the equipment and chemicals in the set. And so the sets have been reduced to what the comic implies ... a safe irritant blocking further interest in chemistry.

It also makes me wonder about the curriculum of homeschooled students and how the lab experience of those students could possibly approach that of the experience and possibilities in a structured school lab unless the parents are science adept (and I have to say my experience is that the parents are often the ones getting the A's).

Comment added after initial post:

So, the day after this was posted a blog I follow posted on the solution to the whole problem as available in England. Perhaps soon it will come to Canada.


Thursday, October 15, 2015

Comic Chemistry: Love and Preservatives

The webcomic Bug today had something positive to say about food preservatives:


While the webcomic Sheldon seemed to be having an off day with a reductionist fatalism about the reality do love and purpose.


I have to say that the idea of food preservatives acting as a preservative for us is an interesting one. the principle of Mithriditism (yes, there is a shout out to LOTR fans) is an old one and has some basis in fact for cumulative toxins like arsenic and mercury. Some very cool chemistry and biochemistry at the bottom of that idea.

As for the second comic I have to object to the word "only". Chemistry should be enough love for everybody. The comic then ends with a reference to "processed sugar" that has to make us pause when we consider the language. Sugar is a highly processed food and there is no "natural" process for making it other than personally sucking to juice out of sugar cane. That said, as an industrial process sugar and salt may come from natural sources but the food industry markets them as chemically pure reagents which I think is cool in itself. The only other foods that I can think of that are chemically pure would be home preservatives such as vinegar, alum and baking soda.

Friday, October 02, 2015

Chemistry and Culture: Chemistry as the Universal Image of Science

The website for the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression had this up on their website today.


I have argued in the past that the only scientific discipline that is visually recognizable as science is chemistry and this is another example, not only of the lab coated chemist but also the Erlenmeyer flask as universally recognizable symbols for science. It is a cute reversal of the observer being observed but also confined.

Chemistry and Culture: Images of Mixtures

It is not often that you see a humanities style magazine use chemical imagery to convey concepts but the Chronicle of Higher Education did it today (warning link behind pay wall).


To my eyes there seems to be a volume mis-match between the flasks and the beaker but I get what they are selling and appreciate the use of chemistry as a image for mixing in various proportions. I might have used graduated cylinders.

As for the mix in an ideal class, the selection is truly American with the reference to SAT marks standing in for academic ability and parents income for ability to pay. In the spirit of the liberal arts I appreciate the extracurricular like athletics in the creation of whole persons as well.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Comic Chemistry: What's that Smell

Chemistry tends to get very little mention in the popular media and as a popular culture reference chemistry is associated with explosions, bad smells and obscure information. That said, chemistry shows up from time to time either directly or indirectly referenced in popular culture including the webcomics I noticed that the current run of Foxtrot which publishes only on Sundays now made a direct reference to good practices in the lab but also fell back on the chemistry equals smell thing. Today the Foxtrot Classics (a zombiecom) also made reference to chemistry but using the obscure information theme, Sigh, at least we got mentioned.



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