1. There are many different ways to say, "I don't know."
I don't know
Hmmm, let me think about that.
That's an interesting question.
I hadn't thought of that.
I wish I could tell you more about that.
I'm not so sure about that, but it is related to x...
I'll tell you what my Dad would say, "That's an interesting research project."
Well, why don't we check into that.
Okay, what do we know already?
That depends, do you want a real piece of information, or something I just made up so I could pretend I know?
2. There is no such thing as an "air molecule."
3. There is no such thing as 12 AM, or 12PM, regardless of what the US govt. style manual says.
4. The planetarium is the zoo. When we open the door, we undertake a safari.
5. One of the most common requests for a science institution, according to the suggestion box forms: Evolution is a lie! (Or something like that.)
6. Boy Scout Dads can be more irresponsible with alcohol than 2000 raver kids.
7. In response to common questions regarding what I "believe" about hot button issues like evolution and global warming: "It doesn't matter what I believe."
8. The brightest circumpolar star visible at 47.3 N Latitude is Capella.
9. Some of the more entertaining of the 88 official constellations: The Air Pump, The Water Clock, Scutum (shield. it just sounds funny), Apus (It means no feet. Legend had it that the Bird of Paradise had no feet. Apus = no feet = Bird of Paradise), Indus (stereotypical "indian" in headress, only holding arrows, only visible from Southern Hemisphere, go figure)...
10. Some people think it's polite to tell a performer or presenter that they will nap during the presentation.
11. "Ah" is the sound you make when you encounter something unexpected, and the result is "art" that is breathtaking in its beauty, or that invokes thoughtfulness.
12. "Aha" is the sound you make when you discover something that wasn't expected, and the result is "discovery"
13. "Hahaha" is the sound you make when you reach an abrupt change in expected outcomes, and the result is comical.
14. All 3 of the above points are essential in changing or reinforcing someone's understanding of a concept.
15. Kids are really beginning to not care one whit about sacred and icy "Pluto."
16. The Islamic Lunar Calendar has no intercalary month (leap month) to keep it in line with the seasons. It changes by 11 days every year.
17. Cultural legends of the sky come in different forms. They can be representative as with a constellation drawing. Some cultures identify individual stars as characters in the story. Some cultures use the darkened, "negative" areas in the Milky Way to describe it.
18. All of the legends of the sky are interesting, informative, and beautiful. In the end, they are just a bunch of mostly unrelated background stars that happen to fit some sort of pattern that we might, if we really open our minds, recognize as being roughly equivalent to the most basic conceivable pencil drawing.
19. You could be an Ophiuchus if you're born in December.
20. People want to know about the Age of Aquarius, but it's really a 20 minute lesson.
21. Mars will not be closer to the Earth than it has been in history this October. That is something I have had to respond to every single year since it actually happened. Apparently, people still circulate these 5 year old emails.
22. 2012!!!!!!!! Hair on fire!!!!
23. A lot of people don't know what they're talking about, but that doesn't stop them from talking about it.
24. Scientists in one field may have very little knowledge of a separate branch of science. There really isn't such a thing as a "general scientist."
25. How do you tell the children of a pilot that their Dad is wrong about the physics of flight? Ew. That's hard.
26. A lot of people did a lot of really dangerous things at some point in their lives, and they never once minded telling me just how dangerous they were when they did them. "Once, I put an acetylene torch in my best friend's pocket.... "
27. Well, if you insist you saw that really bright dot in the West, I guess I don't know what it is. However, if you happen to not know West from East, I can probably help you.
28. Don't concern yourself with subtleties in the material for someone new to the topic. First they have to understand something before they are able to move on to the parts where the things they just learn won't make any more sense.
29. The financial disparity between kids in schools is shocking. The real disparity comes in the form of "enrichment." Kids with money are just more likely to have enriching experiences that are not possible in school.
30. My two favorite groups of kids who came to see me are a center for run away kids, and a high school degree program for kids who could not make it in school, but for whom a GED is not the goal.
31. "You don't really believe in millions of years, do you?" All evidence suggests... Thanks!
32. A leaf blower has not just an air outlet, but also an air intake. Ask the girl whose hair I got stuck in the leaf blower.
33. Don't carry 20+ small hydrogen balloons in a mesh bag. You see, there is this thing called "static electricity." You're a science guy, figure it out.
34. People remember stuff like "Cosmos" from their childhood.
35. There is beauty and poetry in describing science.
36. In order to make a proper flaming tornado, you need to have some pretty fine mesh screen. Screen with bigger mesh is too big, and the flaming tornado will only spread out. The air needs to be drawn in from the top.
37. If you can perform and teach to your highly qualified peers, then you can teach or perform for anyone.
38. Instead of waiting for criticism, ask people to criticize you. Ask people what you can improve.
39. When answering questions, be sure that you give the person credit for being willing to ask the question. Asking a question is a difficult, because it acknowledges that you don't have information.
40. Family places are family places. Some people think that a family place should cater to their needs as a young adult couple on a date. Sorry. There are going to be children in a family place.
41. A lot of people don't know how to set up a chess board. White square at the bottom right, queen goes on her color.
42. When it bursts, a 2 liter bottle with about 12 oz of liquid nitrogen, expanding rapidly as it warms will displace roughly 15 gallons of water from a thirty gallon barrel.
43. Helium is a non renewable resource. The US has a "national strategic helium reserve." Apparently, it fuels the committee meetings. (seriously, gaseous helium on Earth is a result of decay. It's found in Natural Gas fields.
44. Most astronauts don't go into space. Sorry.
45. The most well liked story some astronauts tell is "how to go poop and pee in a space suit."
46. Waiting for people to come to you to learn science can be unproductive. The best example I've seen for going to the people is the science exhibits that were set up in the malls.
47. A lot of kids seem to care what "sign" they are.
48. My two favorite star names are Zubenelgenubi, and Zubenelschemali
49. Two stars in the constellation Delphinus are the latinized name of an astronomer, but they are backwards. Usually, that's not okay. They were snuck into the star catalog.
50. Honestly, I don't care about Pluto. Sorry! I only care in that it helps to demonstrate the changing nature of our understanding of the solar system.
51. Summer Solstice isn't defined as the "longest day of the year." It's this: 1. (Astronomy) the time at which the sun is at its northernmost point in the sky (southernmost point in the S hemisphere), appearing at noon at its highest altitude above the horizon. I
52. Guess what the Winter solstice is.
53. Knowing the names of the planets is not the same as understanding the science behind the formation, and the resulting form of our solar system.
54. You can't give stickers to kids. They will stick them on everything but the things they are supposed to stick them on.
55. I made a light up jump rope with streaming argon gas, a nylon tube, and a small voltage generator. It was cool. ("It was cool" or "it was fun" are the most commonly found phrases in my son's k-2 writing samples.)
56. Your brain is a rapidly adapting, sense making machine. It is, however, fond of operating on its own behalf and not telling you when it's really just doing it's own thing.
57. Spacecraft traveling inwards towards the Sun can use planets as gravity assists in order to slow down.
58. Spacecraft moving outwards can use the planets to speed up.
59. There are officially 88 constellations in the night sky. One of them is broken in two.
60. Some of the smallest constellations are : Delphinus, Leo Minor, Triangulum
61. Daylight Savings time is really confusing, even if it is a really simple idea.
62. Galileo thought the pope was a decent acquaintance. Ha.
Bonus-
The point of every show I ever performed or wrote:
1. Combustion is Fire, Heat, Oxygen.
2. Three commonly found states of matter are liquid, gas, solid. They change according to pressure and temperature.
3. 'Splosions! 'Splosions! 'Splosions!
4. The scientific method is useful. Before you think of an explanation that is out of this world, think of one that is in this worl.
5. Sound is vibration. Now, check out this awesome standing wave of fire.
6. Greenhouse gases are greenhouse gases because they behave in a certain way.
7. Air moves from higher pressure to lower pressure.
8. Bubbles are a result of the elasticity of the bubble goop, and the air pressure inside.
9. Your brain does weird things when it works correctly.
10. The solar system is home to extreme environments.
11. Bipedalism.
12. Fossils
13. Electricity with tesla coils and van de graafs
14. Learning about space through spectral analysis.
15. Here's what's in the night sky.
16. Discovering planets in your night sky.
17. Cassini mission
18. Messenger mission
19. Mars rovers
20. Discovering planets around other stars.
21. The calendars of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
22. The ancient Egyptian sky.
23. Different shows about the origin of the "star of bethlehem." (I had to go by company policy here. I just don't think there was one, period.)
24. Seasons
25. The moon
26. Preschool All Stars.
27. Preschool trip to the moon
28. The life cycle of a star in 23 minutes, no more no less.
29. I'm sure there are more. I just can't remember some right now.
So long and thanks for all the great questions.
Now I have to figure out a way to do a job that will pay me much more, but which will also carry with it the drawback of not having everyone clap for me when I'm done.
6:53 PM PT: You guys are awesome. I truly appreciate the community spotlight nee Diary Rescue.