Strange Attractor

Image credit: Misucell

What are orbits and eclipses? What is an orbit? (NASA) (https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-orbit-58.html) What causes an orbit to happen? (Qualitative Reasoning Group) (http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/space-environment/1-what-causes-an-orbit.html) What is orbital mechanics? (Rocket & Space Technology) (http://www.braeunig.us/space/orbmech.htm) Orbital mechanics I (The Physics Hypertextbook) (https://physics.info/orbital-mechanics-1/) Heliocentrism from the Greeks to Copernicus & after (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus#Copernican_system) Copernicus (Biography) (https://www.biography.com/people/nicolaus-copernicus-9256984) Galileo & the controversy that moons orbited Jupiter (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei#Jupiter.27s_moons) Modern flat Earth societies (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_flat_Earth_societies) The middle ages (History) (http://www.history.com/topics/middle-ag

What happens inside computers? The cream yellow Volvo 850 T5-R wagon (Pinterest) (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1b/a3/e4/1ba3e49abd91ca711ee341c8190ca2c3.jpg) What is a computer? (Computer Hope) (https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/computer.htm) When women stopped coding (Planet Money, NPR) (http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/21/357629765/when-women-stopped-coding) Women computers in World War II (Engineering & Technology History) (http://ethw.org/Women_Computers_in_World_War_II) Human computers: The women of NASA (History) (http://www.history.com/news/human-computers-women-at-nasa) How do computers work? (Explain That Stuff!) (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html) How does a computer work? (Computer Hope) (https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001263.htm) What does the inside of a computer look like? (Computer Hope) (https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000997.htm) What is computer hardware? (How Stuff Works, Tech) (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/what-is-com

What is the Sun? Powers of Ten™: The famous video from 1977 that explains the scale of the universe (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0) The Sun (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun) Formation of the Sun (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Formation) The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old: Facts about the Sun’s age, size & history (Space.com) (https://www.space.com/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html) How is a star born? (Scientific American) (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-is-a-star-born/) How does a star ignite? (Physics Stack Exchange) (https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/61108/how-does-a-star-ignite) Cosmic dust (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_dust) All you need is cold gas: The legacy of K. E. Edgeworth (NED) (https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept14/Elmegreen/Elmegreen6.html) Stars form out in the cold & fuel the growth of supermassive black holes (SMH) (http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/s

What is email? Our Patreon site

What is science fiction? Science fiction (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction) Hard versus soft science fiction (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction#Hard_science_fiction) Why is science fiction so hard to define? (BBC) (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140729-what-is-and-isnt-sci-fi) How America's leading science fiction authors are shaping your future (Smithsonian) (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-americas-leading-science-fiction-authors-are-shaping-your-future-180951169/) What is science fiction good for? (Huffington Post) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-finn/what-is-science-fiction-good-for_b_1569279.html) The underrated universal appeal of science fiction (The Atlantic) (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/the-underrated-universal-appeal-of-science-fiction/360627/) Philip K. Dick (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick) An article that notes how Philip K. Dick almost starved to death as a premature infant

What is hacking? Before listening to this podcast We recommend changing your email, banking & Apple ID passwords if you use them for anything else. Use a password generator to make unique, random new ones for each login. These accounts are central to unlocking your online life. Ideally never use duplicate passwords. Nothing is perfect, but let's make it as hard as possible for hackers & bots

Why doesn't my computer work? What is a server in computer networking? (lifewire) (https://www.lifewire.com/servers-in-computer-networking-817380) What does a server technician do? (wiseGEEK) (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-a-server-technician-do.htm) Server (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_(computing)) A rack of servers (wiseGEEK) (http://images.wisegeek.com/racks-of-servers.jpg) A movie starring Johnny and a rack of servers (Vimeo) (https://vimeo.com/29903703) Inside the internet: Google allows first ever look at the eight vast data centres that power the online world (Daily Mail) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2219188/Inside-Google-pictures-gives-look-8-vast-data-centres.html) What is server redundancy? (Techopedia) (https://www.techopedia.com/definition/14718/server-redundancy) What is a hot swap? (TechTarget) (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/hot-swap) Hot swapping (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_swapping) What is a firewall? (CISCO) (http://www.

What is critical thinking? *NB: There's a few cuss words in this episode. We made a movie! You should really watch this. Because we made it.

What is nanotechnology? An invitation to enter a new field of physics: A lecture on nanotechnology that Richard Feynman gave in 1959 (Zyvex) (http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html) Definition of 'nano' (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nano-) Nanotechnology (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology) The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) (http://www.nano.gov) @NNInanonews: Twitter feed of NNI (https://twitter.com/NNInanonews) Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) (http://crnano.org/whatis.htm) The billion year technology gap (The Daily Galaxy) (http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/11/the-billionyear-technology-gap-could-one-exist-the-weekend-feature.html) The Fermi death sentence (Nanotechnology Now) (http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=149) Explaining nanotechnology to a 5th grader (YouTube) (https://youtu.be/DAOFpgocfrg) Your fingernail grows a nanometre every second (NNCI) (http://www.nnci.net/what-nano) Bottom-up versus top-down approaches (Wikipedia

What is the atmosphere? Atmosphere of Earth (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth) Evolution of Earth's atmosphere (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth#Evolution_of_Earth.27s_atmosphere) Earth's early atmosphere (Universe Today) (https://www.universetoday.com/26659/earths-early-atmosphere/) A lecture on Earth's atmosphere (The Ohio State University) (http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast141/Unit3/Lect10_Atmos.pdf) Gaseous composition of dry air (Columbia University) (http://eesc.columbia.edu/courses/ees/slides/climate/table_1.html) Not definitive, but a discussion around 'How is the equilibrium of 21% oxygen in Earth's atmosphere established?' (Earth Science Stack Exchange) (https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/4574/how-is-the-equilibrium-of-21-oxygen-in-earths-atmosphere-established) The first cells were anaerobic, i.e. they didn't use oxygen (Windows 2 Universe) (http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/first_life.html) The great oxyg

What is the Moon? The Moon installation touring the UK that inspired this episode (Museum of the Moon) (https://my-moon.org) Awesome simulated view of the Moon over 1 month (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libration#/media/File:Lunar_libration_with_phase_Oct_2007_450px.gif) Why do people say the Moon is made of cheese? (Mental Floss) (http://mentalfloss.com/article/53107/why-do-people-say-moon-made-cheese) Five myths about the Moon (EarthSky) (http://earthsky.org/space/five-myths-about-the-moon) Man in the Moon (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Moon) Ancient Greek astronomy (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_astronomy) Eratosthenes measurement of the Earth's circumference (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes#Measurement_of_the_Earth.27s_circumference) Aristarchus's 3rd-century BCE calculations on the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth & Moon (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_astronomy#/media/File:Aristarchus_workin

Are we alone in the universe? "Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying" (Arthur C. Clarke, Wikiquote) (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alien_life) "Our sun is one of 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is one of billions of galaxies populating the universe. It would be the height of presumption to think that we are the only living things in that enormous immensity" (Wernher von Braun, Wikiquote) (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alien_life) The Fermi Paradox: Where are all the aliens? (Kurzgesagt, YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc) The Fermi Paradox II: Solutions & ideas - Where are all the aliens? (Kurzgesagt, YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fQkVqno-uI) The Fermi Paradox (Wait But Why) (http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html) The difference between UK & US billions & trillions (Oxford Living Dictionaries) (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/how-many-is-a-billion) What does 'life as w

How do we see things in space? TRAPPIST-1: "Presenting humanity with many opportunities to study terrestrial worlds beyond our solar system" (TRAPPIST-1) (http://www.trappist.one) TRAPPIST-1 (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST-1) What is astronomy? (Space.com) (http://www.space.com/16014-astronomy.html) How do (visual) telescopes work? (How Stuff Works, Science) (http://science.howstuffworks.com/telescope.htm/printable) Galileo Galilei (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei) Four of Jupiter's 67 moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede & Callisto, are known as the 'Galilean' moons (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei#Jupiter.27s_moons) Galilieo got in big trouble from the church for saying that the Earth was not the centre of everything (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei#Controversy_over_heliocentrism) Galileo gives an eternal bird to the church: His middle finger is displayed in a jar in Florence (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wi

How does computer storage work? Timeline of computer memory & storage with cool pictures (Computer History) (http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/memory-storage/) Computer memory (Explain That Stuff!) (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-computer-memory-works.html) Random-access memory, or RAM (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory) How RAM works (How Stuff Works, Tech) (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ram.htm) Read-only memory, or ROM (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-only_memory) How ROM works (How Stuff Works, Tech) (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/rom.htm) How does a hard drive work? (Explain That Stuff!) (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/harddrive.html) Non-volatile memory (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-volatile_memory) What is the difference between volatile & non-volatile memory? (Reference) (https://www.reference.com/technology/difference-between-volatile-nonvolatile-memory-b77f02418af85655) Computer data storage (Wikipedia) (https:/

What is relativity? Einstein's theory of special relativity came first, in 1905 (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity) How special relativity works (How Stuff Works, Science) (http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/relativity.htm) Einstein's theory of general relativity came second, in 1915 (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity) Einstein's theory of general relativity (Space.com) (http://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) Einstein's theory of general relativity (TedEd) (http://ed.ted.com/featured/nQSf1gdH) 8 ways you can see Einstein's theory of relativity in real life (LiveScience) (http://www.livescience.com/48922-theory-of-relativity-in-real-life.html) "Do yourself a favour & read Einstein's paper on special relativity" (io9) (http://io9.gizmodo.com/do-yourself-a-favor-and-read-einsteins-paper-on-special-1545377104) Einstein's theory of relativity made easy (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30KfPtHec4s) T

What are wearables & RFIDs? Wearables 101: What they are & why you’ll be seeing a lot of them (How-To Geek) (http://www.howtogeek.com/207108/wearables-101-what-they-are-and-why-youll-be-seeing-a-lot-of-them/) Wearable technology (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_technology) The wear, why & how (The Economist) (http://www.economist.com/news/business/21646225-smartwatches-and-other-wearable-devices-become-mainstream-products-will-take-more) Gamification (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification) The Apple Watch, Series 2 (Apple) (http://www.apple.com/au/watch/) How the Apple Watch works (How Stuff Works, Tech) (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/apple-watch.htm) FitBit (https://www.fitbit.com/au) How FitBit works (How Stuff Works, Tech) (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/fitness/fitbit.htm) How does a pedometer work? (Explain That Stuff!) (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-pedometers-work.html) Pedometer take-apart (Evil Mad Sc

What is quantum physics? Quantum mechanics 101: Demystifying tough physics in 4 easy lessons (TEDed) (http://blog.ed.ted.com/2014/12/07/quantum-mechanics-101-demystifying-tough-physics-in-4-easy-lessons/) Quantum physics for 7 year olds: Dominic Walliman TED talk (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARWBdfWpDyc) 6 things everyone should know about quantum physics (Forbes) (http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/07/08/six-things-everyone-should-know-about-quantum-physics/#7c7722f941f8) What is quantum mechanics good for? (Scientific American) (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/everyday-quantum-physics/) What has quantum mechanics ever done for us? (Forbes) (http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/08/13/what-has-quantum-mechanics-ever-done-for-us/#1b24ecee6759) Quantum mechanics (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics) The map of physics: Dominic Walliman animation (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZihywtixUYo) Classical mechanics vs quantum mechanics (Cambrid

What is time & why does it move forward? (The Conversation) (http://theconversation.com/what-is-time-and-why-does-it-move-forward-55065) What is time? (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time) A debate over the physics of time (Quanta Magazine) (https://www.quantamagazine.org/20160719-time-and-cosmology/) Check if the time on your devices matches 'atomic time' anywhere on Earth (Time.is) (https://time.is) Why is a minute divided into 60 seconds, an hour into 60 minutes, yet there are only 24 hours in a day? (Scientific American) (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-time-division-days-hours-minutes/) A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving in its orbit around the Sun (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year) The period of time during which the Earth completes one rotation with respect to the Sun is called a solar day (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day) Length of a day & a year on Mars (NASA) (http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/facts/#?c=inspace&s=dis

We're moving! Hi. Johnny here. I'm just about to move Strange Attractor across to a different podcast hosting platform. Say what? Doesn't matter. Here's all you need to know: You shouldn't notice And if you did, that means I messed up. I'm sorry. This stuff can be fairly complicated. If you don't see episode 35 on the 13th January... ...just delete the podcast from your player and re-subscribe. That should fix it up. Any questions? Tweet me @johnnynoble any time. If you see this header, it's worked! This text only appears on our new host.