Hey, I'm sure that a lot of you guys are fans of the show Watch Mr. Wizard. I remember an episode where he asks a kid what a seismograph is used for. The kid says, "to detect earthquakes" and Mr. Wizard adds, "yeah, or atomic weapons."

That always cracked me up. I wanted to order that episode but I'm not sure which on it is. Does anyone happen to know?

Not a clue, but maybe there's information on imdb.com.

I think there have been several incarnations of Mr. Wizard over the years. I remember one from the 1950s or early 1960s. Is the one you're thinking of more recent?

__________________
Relight the Firefly!

"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)

Is the one from the 50's or 60's the cartoon pal of Tooter Turtle? The Lizard Wizard?

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

It was this show:

http://www.mrwizardstudios.com/watchmrwizardtvshow.htm

They have eight DVD sets for sale.

Yeah, I remember one episode where Mr. Wizard added some liquid to another in a large beaker, and a couple of moments later, FOOM! This column of ash pops up. I always wondered what those liquids were and what that ash was made of.

Ah, very cool. Never heard of him before. Looks like the predecessor to Bill Nye Science Guy (my hero).

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I'm sad that for some reason, I only saw a few of Don Herbert's
shows when I was little. Maybe they were on the wrong channel,
or at the wrong time of day for me, but somehow I missed almost
all of them. But I hold him in the highest esteem, right up there
with Bob Keeshan!

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

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http://www.FreeMars.org/jeff/

"I find astronomy very interesting, but I wouldn't if I thought we
were just going to sit here and look." -- "Van Rijn"

"The other planets? Well, they just happen to be there, but the
point of rockets is to explore them!" -- Kai Yeves

Tofu, that web site you linked to has a contacts page. It includes an email addy for Don Herbert himself, as well as others. I'm sure a polite request to one of them would get you the information you seek.

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Relight the Firefly!

"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)

No one believes me when I say soap makes water wetter. I remember Mr. Wizard saying that on an episode. I need to request that episode and rub it in the face of everyone that laughs at me.

At least they'll get a good scrubbing out of it.

I think I saw that episode, 'cause I remember hearing that quote from TV at some point when I was young. Couldn't place it, though. I would have guessed 3-2-1 Contact. I remember watching a lot more of it.

I'm not sure. Is it that soap breaks down the surface tension of water, like I'd reasoned out, or does it increase it (like the Dawn soap commercials seem to imply)?

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And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling [faces] lyin' to ye' everywhere ye' go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

yeah, I think there was an episode of Bill Nye the science guy where he said that too.

I wonder if there are any science shows like that on TV today, or do kids today have to make do with MTV's Real World *shudder*

Well on Nick, in between the shows they show little facts here and there, but they also have entertaining educational shows on children's channels like the great big book of everything, noodle, they also have great shows on the science channel that captivate my kids. We are all waiting, impatiently for Sunday's Science Channel program, In The Womb. Nothing quite like Mr. Wizard or the Science Guy, though. *Shudder* parents let young kids watch MTV?

I always got a kick out of the term "The Real World". A group of people, specifically chosen for conflict, living in a huge house, with a jacuzzi, in the heart of a major city, rent free. Is there anything actually real about the real world?

nope. In fact, I think that show should be illegal. It makes kids think that antisocial behavior is cool.