The run-up to Christmas can be a bit stressful, as demonstrated by our two gentoo penguins in Antarctica, who appear to be getting things off their chests. Or perhaps they are simply participating in the tongue-in-cheek observance Festivus – popularised by the US comedy Seinfeld. Made up by American writer Daniel O’Keefe, it was rebranded as a rejection of Christmas-season commercialism in a 1997 episode of the sitcom, complete with alternative traditions such as the ‘Airing of Grievances’. Having said that, gentoo penguins mainly use their signature trumpeting call in mating rituals – so it’s perfectly possible these two lovebirds are on a date. Anyway, happy Festivus! Or Christmas Eve Eve, if you prefer.
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If you’ve ever been the least bit curious about how computers work, this week is for you. School pupils and adults alike are invited to set aside 60 minutes to try out one of the many Hour of Code tutorials, offered in 45 languages, for a brief introduction to coding. The idea began in the US, where 9 December marks the start of Computer Science Education Week, but has spread to more than 180 countries including the UK where there are more than 1,000 events registered for 2019.The idea is to inspire people to take an interest in computer science and to level the playing field in an industry that can seem intimidating to some. Organizers believe that every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science, as it nurtures creativity and encourages problem solving. We agree. And we highly recommend the Minecraft tutorials as a starting place. Happy coding!
Source: Bing
This close-up photograph of a snowflake shows the classic, six-sided structure associated with this tiny winter marvel. Until the advent of macro- and micro-photography in the late 1800s, it was impossible to study the structure of snowflakes as they melted too quickly to be accurately sketched under a microscope. Enter Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley. An American farmer and self-trained scientist, Bentley was the first person to successfully photograph an individual snowflake.Over his lifetime, he would produce more than 5,000 different images and he was the first person to observe that every snowflake is unique. He backed this up with some maths and meteorology as well. He understood that snowflakes form as they fall through the sky and their growth and appearance are shaped by hundreds of changing conditions such as altitude, temperature and humidity. This combination of factors means there are more snowflake design possibilities than molecules on Earth. So while some identical-looking snowflakes have been grown under lab conditions, in the wild you’ll never find two exactly alike.
Source: Bing
Forget Black Friday shopping mayhem and find a treasure in a nearby park or a wilderness instead. This spectacular scene from the US state of Colorado is hard to beat. The Maroon Bells, near the famous Aspen ski resort, are a particularly photogenic pair of mountains in the White River National Forest. Gracing many a travel brochure and postcard, they are set in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area and are both ‘fourteeners’ – or over 14,000 feet tall.Of the 96 fourteeners in the US, more than half can be found in mountainous Colorado, a popular winter destination boasting all sorts of snow sports. Here in the UK, Black Friday coincides with National Tree Week, so if you don’t have spectacular scenery to enjoy on your doorstep, maybe think about planting a tree instead.
Source: Bing
