March 19, 2005

Explore the cosmos
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html

Founded by Nasa, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has been set up to explore the cosmos by determining the exact temperature of radiation. The site provides an overview of the WMAP mission, a crash course in cosmology for beginners with a variety of universe and mission-related pictures (tucked away in the image gallery). Details of the WMAP mission are also available. All those curious to know more about the origin of our universe must give this site a shot.

Birdwatching
http://www.avianweb.com

So you have parrots and pigeons but don’t know how to take care of them? Well, visit this website and you’ll find out that nurturing birds is not all that difficult, provided you have the right kind of information. With over 15 categories of birds listed here, this site tells you just about everything that you need to know — from birdwatching to bird health and from products to books, which you will find useful. A list of various bird-related electronic products is also on the site.

Stupid movie physics
http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

Action movies can be great fun but not when they teeter between the absurd and downright stupid. Yes, I’m talking about those completely unexpected action sequences where the writer and director defy every law of physics in the book. This website presents a range of “movie absurdities” to choose from, most of which are quite a surprise. Check it out for a host of such movies and the glaring loopholes that they present in terms of science.

Victorian robots
http://www.bigredhair.com/robots/index.html

If you are an ardent admirer of Artificial Intelligence and want to know more about its origins, then Big Red Hair is just the thing for you. This site boasts of a vast collection of Victorian robots, explaining their creation and functionality in great detail, with relevant illustrations on the side. You just might be surprised to discover that some of these robots were light years ahead of their time. — Samina Wahid Perozani

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