Greetings from Waterloo

So this evening I find myself in a hotel room in Waterloo, Canada - not far from Toronto.

I'm here for the BrainSTEM Unconference with some of the top science YouTubers, such as MinutePhysics, CGP Grey, Veritasium and Smarter Every Day.

More of the big names are joining us tomorrow - making my little projects seem quite small!

When we finish here, many of us will be travelling to Los Angeles for VidCon. Bit of a YouTube roadtrip, it seems.

I'll post more soon... In the meantime, here are some videos I've uploaded in the last week or so:

This video about why YouTube view counts freeze at 301 has created plenty of interest...


This film with Dr Meghan Gray was hastily made in response to a controversial marketing video put out by the EU...


Another computery Numberphile video - this one about the internet and IP addresses...


The new element Livermorium...


What is CERN? from Ed Copeland on Sixty Symbols...


Messier 37 - a Deep Sky Video


The strange tale of a spy telescope...


And a little bit of philosophy...

It's Sweden v England

Everyone knows I love a tenuous link between science videos and popular events.

Well tonight everyone (in England) is talking about tonight's match up in football's European Championship.

It is the might of England (World Cup winners 46 years ago) against Sweden (World Cup runners-up 54 years ago).

At least they build good telescopes!

Here's the Nordic Optical Telescope and Isaac Newton Telescope, both on the island of La Palma.

From my Deep Sky Videos series.

An Astronomical Father's Day

With Sunday marking Father's Day (in many countries), I've taken a Deep Sky Videos approach this year.

Our main video features astronomers Mike Merrifield and Meghan Gray.

They speak about the famous Herschel dynasty - "father figures" of astronomy but also a true father-son-son trilogy of their own.

The questioning also turns to Mike and Meghan's own fathers and some curious personal tales.

Here's the main video:



And because it was all so fascinating, three lots of "extra footage" exploring the various tangents.

Here are my channels

It seemed like about time to write another update of all my projects and YouTube channels.

If any of them sound interesting, please do subscribe on Youtube (if you don't have a YouTube account, it is super easy to sign up and totally free).

They're listed in no particular order.

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF VIDEOS

Web: http://www.periodicvideos.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/periodicvideos
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/periodicvideos
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/periodicvideos

Started with a video about every single element, this series has branched into other areas of chemistry. A collaboration with the University of Nottingham School of Chemistry, the most familiar face is that of Professor Martyn Poliakoff.

Example video:

SIXTY SYMBOLS

Web: http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/sixtysymbols

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sixtysymbols

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/periodicvideos

This is the physics spin-off from periodicvideos (above). Loosely based on the various symbols used by physicists and astronomers, it was originally supposed to be sixty physics videos... It's now closer to 200 films. Again a collaboration with the University of Nottingham, but this time with the School of Physics & Astronomy.

Example video:

NUMBERPHILE

Web: http://www.numberphile.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/numberphile

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/numberphile

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/numberphile

Sort of about mathematics, but not always. The premise is that each video is about a different number, from zero to infinity! This is one of two video channels by Brady which were sponsored by YouTube in 2012.

Example video:

COMPUTERPHILE

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Computerphile

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/computerphile

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/computer_phile

A sister channel to Numberphile, this version obviously centres on computers, the internet and similar topics. Unlike other channels on this list, most of the work and film-making is done by my talented colleague Sean Riley - but I try to stay involved in some small ways.

Example video:

DEEP SKY VIDEOS

Web: http://www.deepskyvideos.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DeepSkyVideos

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeepSkyVideos

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DeepSkyVideos

These astronomy videos look at science and news from the very depths of space. While they cover a range of areas, the primary goal is to make videos about all 110 of the so-called Messier Objects. This was another YouTube-sponsored channel but is now run in conjunction with the University of Nottingham.

Example video:

TEST TUBE

Web: http://www.test-tube.org.uk/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nottinghamscience

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/periodicvideos

The projected which started it all, and still going. This video series takes you behind-the-scenes with scientists. From the passing a PhD exam to a professor's retirement... From the heart-ache of a failed experiment to the joy of a big funding grant. This project also contains out-takes and extra footage from Brady's other projects, such as Sixty Symbols and periodicvideos. The project is again a collaboration with the University of Nottingham.

Example video:

BACKSTAGE SCIENCE

Web: http://www.backstagescience.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BackstageScience

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BackstageScience

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BackstageSci

A chance to go deep inside some of the UK's biggest and best science facilities, from giant synchrotrons to powerful lasers. A project with the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The project is currently in hibernation but you can still watch all the videos and maybe it will come back to life one day!

Example video:

WORDS OF THE WORLD

Web: http://www.wordsoftheworld.co.uk/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/wordsoftheworld

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wordsoftheworld

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/wordsnottingham

This is a collaboration with the University of Nottingham's School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies. Each video is based on a word (usually a foreign word which has migrated into English - but not always!).

Example video:

BIBLEDEX

Web: http://www.bibledex.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/bibledex

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bibledex

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/bibledex

A video about every book in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This project has since branched out into new areas, such as focusing on individual verses. The project is not religious but rather an academic discussion of history's most famous text. A collaboration with the University of Nottingham's Department of Theology and Religious Studies. We're currently adding new videos only very occasionally.

Example video:

MY FAVOURITE SCIENTIST

Web: http://www.favscientist.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/favscientist

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FavScientist

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/favscientist

A fun but informative discussion of scientists - by scientists. Various experts at Nottingham Trent University select their favourite scientist - sometimes famous and sometimes obscure.

Example video:

FOODSKEY

Web: http://www.foodskey.net/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/foodskey

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/foodskey

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/foodskey

A video project looking into the wide-ranging world of food and science - from health to technology, from taste to food security.

Example video:

PHILOSOPHYFILE

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PhilosophyFile

An occasional series with philosophers at the University of Nottingham.

Example video:

PSYFILE

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Psyfile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Psy_File

An occasional series with psychologists at the University of Manchester.

Example video:

BRADYSTUFF

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BradyStuff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyHaran

This is a personal channel - it is where I put videos I want to make but have no home for!

Example video:

Some Football Stuff

Fans of football (or soccer, as some may say) may be aware the European Championships has begun.

Here are some football-related videos from my back catalogue (let me know if I have forgotten any!).

Steve Bennett designing a football computer game - here is a day in his life!



The physics of a football... (from Sixty Symbols)



The Professor famously analyses the World Cup trophy! (from Periodic Table of Videos)



Some football philosophy (from PhilosophyFile)



The shape of the ball... (from Numberphile)



A scientific penalty shoot-out (extra footage from the football physics film above).



Birthday probability... you'll never watch the game the same way again!? (from Numberphile)



More philosophy!



About the annoying vuvuzelas which appeared at the South Africa-hosted World Cup.

Today's Trio of Videos

I've uploaded three videos today - a mixed bag as usual.

First was this astronomy video (Deep Sky Videos) all about a supernova and the galaxy M101.



Then a quickie for Numberphile about Pythagorean Primes.



And lastly for Test Tube, this in-depth interview with James Clewett about the struggles of finishing a PhD.



For more from James, don't miss the video: Confessions of a Tetris Addict.

The Transit at Night

As I write (just after 1am) it's not possible to watch the much-hyped transit of Venus.

That's because it is night here - my view of the Sun is being blocked by the planet I live on.

I know it's happening though because I'm seeing the live feeds and Twitter activity.

And just to double check, I fired up the planet app on my iPhone and pointed it at the floor. Here's what I saw:

The App is called The Night Sky.

There's a limited chance for me to see the transit at sunrise, but I'm pretty sure UK clouds won't permit that!

Oh, and here is the preview video we made for Sixty Symbols (which was tweeted by YouTube today!)

Martyn the Mole

The creativity (and quirkiness) of Periodic Table of Videos viewers continues to impress me.

This latest contribution comes from high school teacher Monica in Seattle, USA.

Monica told me her student, Melinda, made a "Molityn Moliakoff" mole for Mole Day.

"It is complete with hair, glasses, and a tie that represents the periodic table tie Martyn wears, " Monica explained.

I also hear the mole may be delivered to Professor Poliakoff himself in the near future!?