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Sparks will fly - How to hack your home

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Elegran Mon 29-Dec-14 18:28:13

To find out how, watch BBC4 from 8pm to 9 pm tonight, tomorrow night and the next night (29, 30 and 31 December)
www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/sparks-will-fly

That is the title of this year's series of Royal Institution Christmas lectures - how everyday objects can be adapted to do extraordinary things. They are aimed at schoolchildren (lots of dramatic experiments to watch and some dreadful jokes) but are suitable for adults too.

Tonight's is called "The light bulb".

Tomorrow's is ""Making contact" - how paintball guns can be controlled with a webcam and a smartphone transformed into a microscope.

Wednesday's is "A new revolution" revealing how robotic and motor-driven appliances work.

More fun than a soap. Dads and grandads will also enjoy watching the presenter - Professor Danielle George. Not all engineers are blokes with slide rules in their pockets and bald heads under their hard hats.

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janeainsworth Mon 29-Dec-14 20:09:17

Not all engineers are blokes with slide rules in their pockets and bald heads under their hard hats.

But so many of them are, Elegran wink
grin

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pompa Mon 29-Dec-14 20:41:09

I haven't used a slide rule for 30 years (but I do know where mine is) and I have never worn a hard hat at work.

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Soutra Mon 29-Dec-14 20:43:12

And the bald head . . . . ? tchgrin

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pompa Mon 29-Dec-14 20:46:05

High forehead

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Soutra Mon 29-Dec-14 20:49:34

Highbrow!!

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Nonu Mon 29-Dec-14 21:06:24

You are so wise soutra , you seem to know everything, about everything. That is marvellous !

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Purpledaffodil Mon 29-Dec-14 21:10:00

So impressed by this year's presenter! Only sixth woman to present the lectures and she's also 38 weeks pregnant. So very inspiring!

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crun Mon 29-Dec-14 22:32:22

I'm not bald, have never worn a hard hat (at work), and haven't used a slide rule since I left school. Remember these? I bought one with my first weeks pay. I've still got it complete with box, receipt (£9.95), and hand book, and it still works.

We never had any good looking female engineers at our place. Come to think of it, there weren't many female engineers of any other variety either.

Being for kids, the Xmas lectures are a bit slow for adults, and when you're an electronics engineer, this one's especially so.

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durhamjen Mon 29-Dec-14 23:22:25

My sister in law is 71 and she was an engineer. She designed showers after being made redundant from Plessey's.

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