experiments

Posted: February 27, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Bartleby the Scrivener | Leave a comment

I wish I could find my usb cable so I could upload the pictures we took. jarom and I have been experimenting lately.

1. grapes in the microwave. we weren’t cutting them quite right at first, so we just got sparks flying. then we found out the better way to slice them to make plasma balls. yeah. in the microwave. coolest thing ever, except I feel bad using our brand new microwave. next time we’ll do it in jarom’s ollllllld one.

2. mentos + diet coke. we’d seen so many videos on google, but somehow managed to not do it perfectly. still, we did get a 5-foot-high fountain of diet coke. it’s still on sale for $1/bottle at smith’s, so tomorrow I’m going to buy more. and more mentos. definitely.

3. peeps. of course everyone knows they’re lots of fun in the microwave, but then we got to wondering about their chemical properties. here were the battles and the winners:
peep vs. box of matches: peep
hairspray-soaked peep vs. fire: peep
lighter-fluid-soaked peep vs. fire: peep
flammable-bug-spray-soaked peep vs. fire: peep
kerosene-soaked peep vs. fire: peep
all in all, peeps are just remarkably resilient. I found this website that further tests the chemical properties of peeps, and I say we need to get our hands on some liquid nitrogen pretty quick.

so that’s what we’ve been up to. I’ll add the pictures when I can.

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Inkheart

Posted: February 15, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Book of Sand | Leave a comment

by Cornelia Funke

I made the mistake of joining a book club. You know, where you get so many free books as long as you buy a set amount in a set time period? Yeah, that was a bad idea. Anyway, this book was highly recommended based on the other options I selected, and it came for free. I have to say, though, that it didn’t really look appealing. It sat on the shelf for a number of months. Then, before bed the other night, I picked it up to fend off the boredom of trying to sleep.
 
I read for four hours straight. And I think Inkheart is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The characters were well-developed, there were twists in the plot, it was a thorough and intricate story. Most impressive, perhaps, is that the book is translated from German. I’m amazed by the translator! The writing was magnificent!
 
Later I learned that there’s a sequel of sorts, Inkspell, and I hope it’s every bit as good as Inkheart. Recommended to anyone who likes children’s fantasy.