Comments on: A Box Full of Awesome http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:07:58 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: scotchneat.ca » Blog Archive » Random links http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-62014 scotchneat.ca » Blog Archive » Random links Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:05:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-62014 [...] Snap Circuits Jr - Awesome Toy [...] [...] Snap Circuits Jr – Awesome Toy [...]

]]> By: Mark B http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56960 Mark B Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:44:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56960 SnapCircuits are awesome! I used them last year with a high school class I worked with two days a week. They were developed, in part, by the Boston Museum of Science for their "Engineering the Future" curriculum, which is a very interesting take on middle school/early high school science education. SnapCircuits are awesome! I used them last year with a high school class I worked with two days a week. They were developed, in part, by the Boston Museum of Science for their “Engineering the Future” curriculum, which is a very interesting take on middle school/early high school science education.

]]> By: jenna http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56575 jenna Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:27:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56575 holy moly! is it embarrassing to admit i'd love to have that? even as a graduate student? in physics? :) i would have peed my pants with happiness if someone had got me that when i was a little gal. i loved magnetics kits and legos. somehow at birthdays i always got nothing but barbies and hair doodads, though, so my dad and mom had to donate those to goodwill and got me the cool stuff on their own. holy moly! is it embarrassing to admit i’d love to have that? even as a graduate student? in physics? :)

i would have peed my pants with happiness if someone had got me that when i was a little gal. i loved magnetics kits and legos. somehow at birthdays i always got nothing but barbies and hair doodads, though, so my dad and mom had to donate those to goodwill and got me the cool stuff on their own.

]]> By: links for 2009-01-01 - the prophet king governance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56552 links for 2009-01-01 - the prophet king governance Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:02:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56552 [...] A Box Full of Awesome | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine Now I want a set. (tags: electronics toys make) [...] [...] A Box Full of Awesome | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine Now I want a set. (tags: electronics toys make) [...]

]]> By: Kaleberg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56305 Kaleberg Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:45:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56305 I had something like this as a kid as well. We used to play a game in which we'd make a radio or detector or music synthesizer. Then we'd take turns removing wires until it stopped working. Once it stopped working, you put that last wire back and the other guy had a go. The last one to remove a wire was the winner. It was sort of like the Bush administration, except that they didn't bother putting the last wire back in. I had something like this as a kid as well. We used to play a game in which we’d make a radio or detector or music synthesizer. Then we’d take turns removing wires until it stopped working. Once it stopped working, you put that last wire back and the other guy had a go. The last one to remove a wire was the winner. It was sort of like the Bush administration, except that they didn’t bother putting the last wire back in.

]]> By: Isis the Scientist http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56289 Isis the Scientist Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:13:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56289 That is a thing of beauty, right there! That is a thing of beauty, right there!

]]> By: Christopher http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56254 Christopher Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:39:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56254 Is it sad that I'm 31 and wouldn't mind getting one for myself? :-) I guess I *am* a geek... Is it sad that I’m 31 and wouldn’t mind getting one for myself? :-) I guess I *am* a geek…

]]> By: Emily Lakdawalla http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56252 Emily Lakdawalla Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:31:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56252 Thanks so much for this review -- I have been ogling these kits in museum stores for years, but haven't yet taken the plunge. I think this falls into the (embarassingly large) category of "Things I will buy 'for my kid' because I want to play with them." Do you think a toddler would enjoy what these kits do if an adult is playing with them? At my dad's house over Christmas I dug my old Capsela set out of the attic and my 2.5-year-old had fun chasing the fan-powered cars etc. across the living room. Thanks so much for this review — I have been ogling these kits in museum stores for years, but haven’t yet taken the plunge. I think this falls into the (embarassingly large) category of “Things I will buy ‘for my kid’ because I want to play with them.” Do you think a toddler would enjoy what these kits do if an adult is playing with them? At my dad’s house over Christmas I dug my old Capsela set out of the attic and my 2.5-year-old had fun chasing the fan-powered cars etc. across the living room.

]]> By: Julianne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56245 Julianne Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:35:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56245 Five year olds can enjoy it with adult help (or the help of a bossy older sibling). For the littlest kids it can function as a simple pattern matching exercise -- there's a picture showing what the completed circuit should look like, and the kid can just match up the pieces until the circuit does something. Kids who can read a little bit will probably have an easier time with it. Don't expect the kid to be thrilled when they open it, but after they play with it once, they'll likely be hooked. I actually live in fear of the marketing folks getting ahold of this. If they sell it to Mattel, it'll be repackaged with an earnest little boy on the cover, in color shades of grey, green, and brown. Five year olds can enjoy it with adult help (or the help of a bossy older sibling). For the littlest kids it can function as a simple pattern matching exercise — there’s a picture showing what the completed circuit should look like, and the kid can just match up the pieces until the circuit does something. Kids who can read a little bit will probably have an easier time with it. Don’t expect the kid to be thrilled when they open it, but after they play with it once, they’ll likely be hooked.

I actually live in fear of the marketing folks getting ahold of this. If they sell it to Mattel, it’ll be repackaged with an earnest little boy on the cover, in color shades of grey, green, and brown.

]]> By: John Preskill http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-56238 John Preskill Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:12:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/31/a-box-full-of-awesome/#comment-56238 I'm impressed that five-year-old kids really play with it. I used to put together "Knight Kits" (a competitor with Heath Kits), but not until I was eight or nine. My fingers were constantly burned by the soldering iron and I blew up a few capacitors. But you had to read and follow the instructions if you wanted the thing to work. Otherwise you would miss some of the biggest thrills: the vacuum tubes lighting and warming for the first time, or "breaking the iron curtain" (as we used to say) by picking up a short-wave broadcast from eastern Europe, in a strange language you couldn't understand. I don't recall learning much about circuits, though. If there was a section of the instructions explaining how the thing worked, I probably just skipped over that part. I’m impressed that five-year-old kids really play with it. I used to put together “Knight Kits” (a competitor with Heath Kits), but not until I was eight or nine. My fingers were constantly burned by the soldering iron and I blew up a few capacitors.

But you had to read and follow the instructions if you wanted the thing to work. Otherwise you would miss some of the biggest thrills: the vacuum tubes lighting and warming for the first time, or “breaking the iron curtain” (as we used to say) by picking up a short-wave broadcast from eastern Europe, in a strange language you couldn’t understand.

I don’t recall learning much about circuits, though. If there was a section of the instructions explaining how the thing worked, I probably just skipped over that part.

]]>