Air Hockey

Air Hockey is a two player where both sides try to push the puck into the opponent's goal. It is a played on a special low friction surface.  Its origins are in America in the early 1970s.

It was invented by employees of Brunswick Billiards.

Manufacturers include TekScore and Kostkowice-based Wik.

Ride Along 2 (2016)

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are back for a bust up in Miami. The film starts with Finna Get Loose ends with KRS-ONE's Sound of Da Police. The film is directed by Los Angeles-born Tim Story.

Production houses involved include Santa Monica based Cube Vision and Universal Pictures.

Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay were involved in the writing for the film.

Zoolander 2 (2016)

Ben Stiller comes back as Derek Zoolander (a.k.a. Erek Toolander) and Owen Wilson returns as Hansel up against the wily Mugatu (played by Will Ferrell). Billy Zane plays himself.

Where do Kettlebells come from?

Kettlebells were developed in Russia in the 1700s for weighing crops.

Search 1,000 Years of History

The National Archives provides a search engine for one thousand years of history.

Solid State Physics - What is it?

Solid state physics is exactly what the name says, it's the study of the physics (physical properties) of solids and how they emanate from properties at the atomic level.

In other words, it is about how the micro impacts the macro.

Practically speaking, solid state physics is the theoretic basis of the very practical science of Materials. Materials science has led to the development, for example, of composite materials.

Many universities are pursuing research into solid state physics. Examples include Warwick University which has a research team focusing on ssNMR (solid state nuclear magnetic resonance).

Solid state physics aside, it is extraordinarily beneficial to understand physics in general to understand:

a) how the world works
b) understand the future of science

Spectre (2015) - Big Data on the Big Screen

Set in Mexico City and Rome (including the Tiber River), Daniel Craig returns as Bond with Sam Mendes directing (following on from his direction of Skyfall). References to drones and big data threaten to obliterate the double-0 program but Bond triumphs in the end.

The film also stars former wrestler and MMA champion Dave Bautista (who will be starring in Kickboxer: Vengeance, in a remake of the 1989 kickboxing classic). In training sessions, Dave always does two to three sets of key exercises.

Obertilliach, Austria, the highest village in Lesachtal, is also featured quite prominently in Spectre. Silesians (originally from the area largely taken up by Poland) settled in the area around 1375.