Dressed as The Prof for Halloween

This youngster is dressed as Professor Martyn Poliakoff for Halloween, complete with a periodic table tie.

Click for hi-res version

The original

Here's the email which accompanied the picture...

Dr. Poliakoff and Team,

We wanted to share a photo of our son,  Joshua, who decided to dress up as Dr. Poliakoff for Halloween this year. 

Joshua loves The Periodic Table of Videos that you all produce.

He is 8-years-old and has a special interest in the elements, chemistry, and physics. 

Thank you for all you do – there is a little boy in Blythewood, SC (USA) who appreciates it! 

Thanks, 

Dana and Max (Blythewood, SC)

Joshua is not the first person to be inspired by The Prof for fancy dress purposes - here's me a few years ago!

And here is our Halloween video for 2012.

Vampire Numbers and Neil's Cauldron

I've posted two videos for this year's Halloween.

At the time of posting a YouTube glitch meant they'd not been delivered to YouTube subscribers... not ideal.

But anyway, here they are:


Neil's fiery cauldron - liquid oxygen and red-hot charcoal


Vampire numbers and a counting obsession

HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST OF SCIENCEY VIDEOS

I also uploaded this video today about the Ash Dieback problem gripping the UK.

The video has also went missing in action on the YouTube subscriber feeds.


 
UPDATE: The YouTube technical boffins have 'fessed up that their subscription system messed up for several hours... I was unlucky to be affected three times... It's now fixed but the videos will feed in lower on the subscription feeds! :(

Picture of Martyn and Neil

A new viewer-submitted picture of Professor Martyn Polikaoff and "silent rogue" Neil Barnes.

Click here for bigger version.

It was accompanied by this message:

Hi periodic table videos,

I started watching your videos at GCSE and this year I've started my A-levels (one of which is Chemistry), and I still really enjoy them!

Thanks for fueling my interest in Chemistry!

My younger brother, who is 13, drew a picture of the professor and Neil, so I thought I'd send it to you.  

All the best,

David

Click here for more caricatures created by viewers.

It's Halloween Again

This year I'll be uploading two videos for Halloween - one each for Numberphile and Periodic Videos.

I'm just finishing them now.

Halloween is not a "holiday" of much import to me, but for some reason I always end up doing quite elaborate videos.

I guess it's just a fun one in terms of "themed films".

Here are videos from previous years:

Pictures from San Francisco

Last week I travelled to San Francisco for a YouTube EDU summit.

It was basically a get-together arranged by YouTube to discuss online education - especially videos.

Loads of cool people were there, including quite a few who I'd met earlier this year at BrainSTEM and Vidcon... I won't bother listing them all again. You'll see some of them in the pictures below.

Excitingly, a bunch of them also gave me quick interviews for an upcoming Numberphile film. Stay tuned for that one!

While I was nearby, I also took the opportunity to visit Berkeley for periodicvideos because so many elements were created there. Videos from that are coming soon too.

In the meantime, here are some photos... And some links to secret "unlisted videos".

Coming in to land, the closest I got to the Golden Gate bridge!

Brady on the main stage (during a lunch break when everyone was gone!)

I did get to talk briefly during a panel - but here no-one seems to be looking at me! (video)

Better than stairs at YouTube head office (video)

Just chilling by the slide with Destin from Smarter Every Day (ladies form an orderly queue)

Yes there is a staff massage room at YouTube (video)

In the woods - from l-r (Vi Hart, Hank Green, Henry Reich, Derek Muller and me)

Vi Hart, Derek, Henry and Brady

CGP Grey spotted amongst the trees

Freaky picture of Henry in a tree

Hank Green and CGP Grey

At Berkeley there are car spaces reserved for Nobel Prize winners (not joking!)

The room where Plutonium was discovered

The sign on the room where Plutonium was discovered

Curta-Phile

I've been pleasantly surprised by the response to our Numberphile video about the Curta calculator.

Writer Alex Bellos bought one on ebay some time ago and demonstrated it for our video.



The video has been besieged by comments from people expressing a desire to own one.

And this week I heard from a viewer who himself bought one on ebay - Razz70.

He even sent us a picture - thank you.

Razz70 says: "No smile. It's my scientific face!"

Own the Numberphile Nepal Flag

The brown paper in Numberphile is often a topic of conversation - and I even wrote a blog to explain its use.

But I've now accumulated quite a few pieces, and rather than throw them all away I thought I might auction a few for charity!?

First is the Nepal Flag paper, drawn by Dr James Grime using the exact wording from Nepal's constitution.

THE ORIGINAL IS AVAILABLE ON EBAY (auction ends October 23).

Proceeds will go the Nottinghamshire Hospice, for which Mrs Numberphile is currently fundraising!