Helvetica

February 3, 2006 10:40 PM

Please ensure that you have your copybook at hand. Calcium, you may know it as Jinny, or Ninny, or Peter's Peck, but whatever you call it, Calcium, valency 1, atomic weight 44 is one of the most important elements known to mankind.
posted by nile_red (30 comments total)

Other important elements: hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, phosophorous, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, potassium, helium, flourine, iodine, bromine, iron, copper, gold, platinum, aluminum, tungsten, mercury... oh, heck, I love 'em all. Except for cesium.
posted by kjh at 11:00 PM on February 3, 2006

Try spelling it "caesium". It makes it seem more worldly, more sophisticated. Maybe then you could learn to love it like you do the other elements.
posted by TimeFactor at 11:05 PM on February 3, 2006

For the record...I dig on The Electromagnetic Force, The Weak Nuclear Force, and The Gravitational Force--but the Strong Nuclear Force? Christ, what an asshole.
posted by sourwookie at 11:34 PM on February 3, 2006

L O L

It took me entirely too long to realize this was bullshit.
posted by rubin at 11:42 PM on February 3, 2006

Who did the music? I love it.
posted by Rothko at 11:45 PM on February 3, 2006

Flash friday [mi]
posted by hortense at 11:49 PM on February 3, 2006

The first series of Look Around You was a perfect pastiche of early 1980s televison programmes for schools.

And of course, Imhotep is invisible <ting!>
posted by scruss at 4:32 AM on February 4, 2006

Haha, this is hilarious. I'd love to show this to a bunch of 4th form schoolkids and watch the reaction, they'd eat it up. I love the bit where he does an experiment to prove calcium doesn't conduct electricity, *however*, when he pours salt on it the little lamp lights up, because Ca + NaCl = CaCl + N20, and as we all know, calcium carbonate conducts. Small quantities of Thomason's oil Segnopid are also produced.
posted by snoktruix at 5:36 AM on February 4, 2006

Calcium chloride. My chemistry was always bad, possibly because the way it's taught in school is about as clear as the fake science in the video.
posted by snoktruix at 5:39 AM on February 4, 2006

Do you see the triple helix? If you do, write it down.

Smile of the week. Thanks again, nile_red
posted by jaronson at 6:59 AM on February 4, 2006

DVD. Google gon get sued someday soon methinks.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 7:55 AM on February 4, 2006

Bah. I knew is was a fake from the get go. Calcium is valency 2, dummies!

But it ain't a chemistry program without a mortar and pestle
posted by lalochezia at 8:18 AM on February 4, 2006

Even better, spell it "cæsium."
posted by five fresh fish at 9:04 AM on February 4, 2006

"Look around you. Look around you. Just look around you. There. Now take a closer look. Have you worked out what we're looking for? Correct. The answer is..."

Sweet chicks on park benches that we might be able to hit on?

Ah. Damn, no.

I'm not entirely confident I could grind teeth into dust using a mortar and pestle.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:11 AM on February 4, 2006

Also, there are times when British humour is entirely too dry.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:14 AM on February 4, 2006

I disagree.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 9:20 AM on February 4, 2006

I watched the ghosts one first. BRILLIANT!
posted by piratebowling at 9:50 AM on February 4, 2006

I totally forgot about this series...we were shown it when I was a wee lass and it cracked me up then, and now even more so. Something that can spark discussion on science while entertaining you is worth its weight in Calcium (just watch out for the Helvetica!). Mad propz to nile_red for reintroducing it to us. I agree wholeheartedly with Rothko on the music side...its very Dr Who/Blakes 7 incidental goodness. The world needs more sillyness in this style to combat the ugliness around us.
posted by gren at 9:52 AM on February 4, 2006

The first season of Look Around You is perfect. I was a bit disappointed with their second season, as they changed the format and had more time per episode so things seemed really dragged out.
posted by kindle at 9:54 AM on February 4, 2006

we were shown it when I was a wee lass

You know it was made in 2002, right?
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 10:08 AM on February 4, 2006

hrm, well, my 6th grade science teacher showed us some BBC science show that was silly...I shall have to ask him what it was...it definitely wasn't Mr Wizard like, thats for sure...
posted by gren at 10:25 AM on February 4, 2006

btw, torrents of this are available...both seasons :)
posted by gren at 12:23 PM on February 4, 2006

Calcium

The doe munches on rotten cow-skull
bone, she is pregnant.
Back of the woodshed
hooves rustling dry poison oak.

Cement hardens up at the footings
poured for the barn.

Molecule by molecule
drawn in and saved by
single swimming cells,
a few sparks of Calcium
like Blue Whales
far apart, and streaming through the sea.

- Gary Snyder, Shasta Nation, 1968-1985
posted by spincycle at 1:00 PM on February 4, 2006

I was very disapointed that none of my fellow chemists at my last job ever called me out on the periodic table I had above my desk (as we all did) that included highlights such as "Xm - Christmas", "Hi - hello" and H20.

That said, I would still give good money for the second periodic table in the sulfur episode.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 1:07 PM on February 4, 2006

Oh man, this show is terrific.
posted by jenovus at 3:07 PM on February 4, 2006

I feel bad for the intelligent calcium. :(
posted by jenovus at 4:24 PM on February 4, 2006

That said, I would still give good money for the second periodic table in the sulfur episode.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey @ 4:07 PM EST on February 4

I bet if we analyzed the video some, took screenshots, used photoshop, we could easily recreate it and have it printed up @ cafepress.com...it would be a worthy endeavor!
posted by gren at 10:59 PM on February 4, 2006

Do you mean this periodic table, perhaps?
posted by yoz at 1:03 AM on February 5, 2006

>10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU"
>20 GOTO 10
>RUN


Oh, hell yes.
posted by quite unimportant at 11:55 AM on February 5, 2006

No, the periodic table that the Beeb has on their site was what I had above my desk. The one I would love to find is of the "Citadel 5 1 5 7 000" variety.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 6:04 PM on February 5, 2006