Coming up next...Bob Roach and the History of the Chemical Industry in Widnes (and maybe Runcorn as well?)

The Orr's Zinc White Ltd Laboratories

The next Widnes Sci Bar will feature an insight into the origins of the Chemical Industry in Widnes, delivered by our very own Bob Roach. The Catalyst Centre in Mersey Road provides a series of splendid displays and films that transport  visitors along an amazing journey through the industrialisation of Chemistry, that the region experienced from the middle of the 19th century until the present day. From around 1840, the banks of the River Mersey drew some of the greatest names in Chemistry, who  in turn laid the foundations of an industry that gave its name in 1895, to Widnes Rugby League Football Club: "The Chemics" (although these days they are more often called the Vikings, after an earlier "business" visit!).  Bob will draw on his own background in Science and his passion for Local History to give us his own, personal take on what was and remains, one of the greatest achievements in the history of British Industry. The talk will be delivered on the second Wednesday in May at 7.30pm at the usual venue, the Hillcrest Hotel, Cronton, Widnes.

Magic, alchemy and science at the Widnes Scibar

Over the last year, the Sci Bar has provided the residents of Widnes with a a wide range of opportunities to catch up on contemporary topics in Science and Technology, ranging from renewable energy through particle physics, to the history of the science of dyestuffs. However, the lecture by Pete Turner entitled: "The Science of Misdirection", provided a rare insight into the challenges that magic and magicians bring to the world of rational Science. Pete combined some breathtaking "tricks" and illusions with a thought-provoking view of the psychology of perception and the skill of misdirection. Starting with an unsettling, pacing around the "stage" in silence, for a minute, he invited us to participate in an "experiment" that would test our perceptions of what was scientifically possible and what we witnessed. Within a few minutes, he had most of the audience in the palm of his hand (well not quite!).

His first "trick" (and incidentally, controversy surrounds the "oldest trick in the book": was it the ball and cup trick, made famous by Tommy Cooper, or the "miraculous" refilling and emptying of a bowl of water? And does it matter?), involved a ring, a long chain and a volunteer, Adrian. As we all sat scratching our heads Pete had managed to achieve the seemingly impossible deception of making the ring thread around the chain, before our eyes. Scientifically impossible, maybe; but we all saw it happen. Or did we? The stage was set for further impressive illusions, including the disappearing silk scarf, which made its reappearance in the wallet of the volunteer, during Pete's "encore". 

Throughout Pete's "performance" he infused his spellbinding magic with a thoughtful exposure of our gullibility! We all fell for his tactics and almost enjoyed falling prey to his manipulation of our collective audience psychology. As we craved explanations of his unbelievable tricks, Pete's magic circle lips remained sealed. Occasionally he offered a peek into the secret world, but we had to settle for the (by now) familiar realisation that once again he had misdirected us! Pete closed the evening with a couple of card tricks and he did a roaring trade with his booklets on illusions. However, Schroedinger's cat stayed firmly in the bag!

The Science of Misdirection

The Next Sci Bar event:

The Science of Misdirection

Pete Turner, Magician

7:30 pm, Wednesday 8th April

Victory Room, Hillcrest Hotel, Cronton Lane, Widnes, WA8 9AR

 

One of the hardest skills as a magician is making his punters believe that what he is saying is what he is doing. But what the magician seems to be doing is not what he is really doing. ...CONFUSING!
    

Beating the sceptics and preventing the punters from spoiling your magic by being smart requires a special skill. This lecture will give an insight into the field of working as a Close up Magician by showing you how not to be caught out.
 

Also, I will ask someone to come up and challenge them to be awkward and try to beat me. This lecture requires a sharp and eagle eyed audience. It's objective is to beat the sceptics in an interesting and amazing way.

Presented by Friends of Catalyst & the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre

Commentary from Chris Lewis

I have just read an article in The Telegraph about the public being kept in the dark over green costs. Those of us attending the last SciBar evening (How Electricity is Priced in the UK, delivered by John Conway and Zack Stevens) are not. John  and Zack  of Eon gave presentations that revealed the charges hidden in electricity bills. Zack spoke first on what influences UK electricity prices, largely the price of gas. He showed how the price of gas is determined by world demand and pinch points where liquified natural gas (and oil) is transported to Europe.  (CL - this is not true in Germany as electricity prices are determined by the world price of coal, much cheaper than using gas. German electricity have fallen as a result of coal prices.)

 

John then took over to break down an electricity bill into its components, over twenty. I threatened to test the audience on Triads that John had explained. He showed how the various green levies are soaring. Only about 60% of electricity bills are for the actual electricity received. Going back to The Telegraph article it clearly states that if green targets were scrapped and substituted with gas then average electricity bills would come down by £214.  Should the electorate be told these figures? 

Looking in more detail showed how the renewables obligation charges, put simply as subsidies for wind farms, are rising by a factor of five over ten years. Feed in tariffs (mainly to subsidise solar panels) have risen by a factor of six over the past two years alone. Then obviously in the background the agreed price for the first new nuclear station will effectively double the price of electricity in real terms. Customers start paying for this later this year.

 

So the question is should Governments come clean (no pun intended) on these costs so voters can make a judgement? What main political party wants to admit this? Politicians either do not understand this, or choose not to. It is better to blame power companies for excessive profits.

 

It should be noted that these are my thoughts, not the thoughts put across by Eon at the SciBar unless specifically stated.

 

Chris Lewis