adSci is an extensive collection of questions and answers about science, an archive covering as many subjects as there are curious humans with Internet access: the effects of caffeine on the human body, the life cycle of a jellyfish, whether water—if sufficiently heated—could be used as rocket fuel, and much more besides. All of the sciences are equally
well represented, and the core idea of the page is that if someone cannot track down a needed fact by using conventional Web research techniques, that person can ask a qualified expert to help them find the truth behind their query.
This "laboratory that never sleeps," as it calls itself, is the collective enterprise of more than 700 scientists, who work at universities and labs all over the world. Their Ask-an-Expert service tackles more than 100 questions daily from students and interested Web surfers of all ages. The site is searchable, of course—if a topic has already been discussed, there is no need for a visitor to wait in the MadSci queue for a new response.
MadSci isn't all about dry scientific research and online educational lectures, though. Its Random Knowledge Generator offers a fun selection of past questions—just why do bats hang upside down when at rest? It also has a long series of kid-friendly science experiments that can be performed at home, many of them using edible ingredients. Its list of science links and book recommendations is massive. Finally, its FAQ has a section on the most bizarre questions asked by Web surfers, a handful of quick essays that make for especially fun reading even as they shine a bit of light on the weirder corners of the human mind.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 29, 2004
areer scientist Phil Plait has made it his mission to tackle widely held but nevertheless mistaken beliefs about astronomy, whether they are urban legends or the ludicrous pseudo-science often seen in SF movies. Cheerful, chatty and scientifically rigorous, his Bad Astronomy Web site posts the facts about everything from whether comets contain water to why data
from the Hubble Space Telescope is withheld for a year. Want to know why the sky is blue, or how it is that the moon can sometimes seem so much larger than usual when it is hanging just over the horizon? This is the site with the answers.
The above sample of simple but often misunderstood basics of space and earth science are just a few of the myths debunked at Bad Astronomy. For SF lovers, though, the true fun on this page may lie with its movie reviews, which list the (sometimes rare) moments of scientific accuracy along with the outrageously poor science in movies as diverse as Men in Black,
Mission to Mars and Tomb Raider. Television does not escape unscathed, either; a long series of essays takes apart bad science on the tube with precision and wit.
Which movie comes in for the most ire from the Bad Astronomer? Without a doubt, it is Armageddon, whose list of science mistakes goes on and on. But even as he trashes film mistakes by the dozen, Plait takes care to assure visitors that he really does love movies, going so far as to post a long list of his favorites (which includes Independence Day, by the way). Each review has a brief spoiler-free version, and each is scrupulously fair—no matter how howlingly bad the flick, if it got anything right, Bad Astronomy will say so.
With a recommended reading list, Bad Astronomy bulletin boards, and even T-shirts, this site works hard to spread the truth about what's out there ... and what's here on Earth, too.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 22, 2004
s there anyone left out there who doesn't know who Joss Whedon is? The multitalented creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is deservedly well known—even revered—within SF fandom. He is also the subject of Whedonesque, a first-rate weblog on all things Joss-related.
Bloggers at Whedonesque must provide a link with every entry, as well as a summary of what Web surfers will find when they click: articles, interviews, reviews of the latest issue of Whedon's outstanding new comic, Astonishing X-Men, or information about Buffy-themed books and other tie-ins. Only members can post or submit comments to the site (oddly, would-be members can join only on weekends), but even a casual visitor can read the entries.
Whedonesque exudes a calm-but-busy tone. It averages about 200 posted links per month, and these entries generate 10 times that many comments. Older posts are archived by month, and for visitors less interested in general browsing, they are also categorized using a number of handy labels. This allows for easy sifting by anyone looking for information on specific shows, print publications, fan activities, cast and crew news, or data on collectibles.
This site has very clearly laid-out guidelines for posting and a solid policy on how to label spoilers. This makes it a good stop for spoiler-phobic fans, whether they are seeking information on the Firefly movie, the fate of Eliza Dushku's presumed-dead series Tru Calling or any snippet of gossip about what Joss is working on now that television is tragically Whedon-free for the first time since Buffy premiered.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Back to the top.
