Weird Science

My buddy Ken called yesterday and asked if we wanted to tag along to an event called the “Weird Genius Real Science Fair” here in Seattle. We had nothing special planned so decided to go.

The tag line for the event was “Electromagnetism, mycology, non-Newtonian viscosity, large scale carbonic acid dissociation, neurochemistry, high risk nuclear technology, and computer science, oh my!”

We had envisioned a “Revenge of the Nerds” type gathering, but it was primarily the Gothic Youth and Aging Hippie crowd. Well…it was late Saturday night in Seattle.

I agree the fair was weird, but I'm not sure about the genius part.

The large scale carbonic acid dissociation was the old vinegar and baking soda trick.

Never did see anything related to mycology. There was no fungus among us.

One guy had mice in a maze. Ooooooh!

Another fellow had an infrared camera. Ahhhhhh!

Non-Newtonian viscosity was the old standby of mung (2 parts cornstarch, one part water). It does have some entertainment value if you haven’t played with it before.

One display involved gas jets, but they didn’t have a fire permit from the city, and so they showed a video tape of what it would have looked like had they been permitted to light it off.

Only event somewhat amusing was a display on insect senses. Wearing special glasses, earphones, wings, simulated mandibles and proboscis, one could experience being a bee or butterfly and search for nectar. Annette, being a good sport, gave it a go. Gotta love her!


They did serve beer and wine. The wine sold for ten bucks a bottle in what looked like used bottles filled from who knows where and then a hand written label slapped on the outside. We did not partake. Oddly enough, soft drinks were NOT available.

As we left, there was a carload of semi-gothic girls parked next to us. The driver asked what I thought of the show. I told her it was pretty lame. She then asked if it was worth the nine buck entry fee. I said I didn’t think so. She looked rather disappointed and seemed to be looking for any reason to go in. I told her they did have a large crowd inside. She said thanks, and as we got in our vehicle, I heard one of the girls in the back say, “let’s go to the lesbian bar instead.” Probably a better choice.