Stellar Sounds

I basically love anything thats happens in the Planetarium, its one of my favourte places in Glasgow. I think I'd like it if they turned it into a dentist's practice . . actually thats not a bad idea would be a lot more relaxing staring up at the stars than at a peeling ceiling (Though I don't fancy the idea of a woman with a drill trying to operate in my mouth in the dark. Maybe they could wear night vision googles. )

Anyway I digress - my point is that anything that happens at the planetarium is usually pretty good fun and so the below advert sounds great.

Stellar Sounds
Music under the stars! That's right - For IYA 2009, we've got live music in the planetarium.
The stars have been an inspiration to writers for centuries and have featured in thousands of song lyrics from the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle and Rock n Roll Star by Oasis to Eminem We Made You (Rock Star) and Stardust by David Bowie.

To book tickets please phone 0871 540 1000.
Wednesday 12th August
Rio Callahan, Funksion and Federation of the Disco Pimp will entertain gig goers under the stars.
The Planetarium offers the chance to see a night sky as it should be seen, with thousands of glittering stars above us. Most city-dwellers have never seen a clear night sky, as light pollution is now a serious problem throughout the Western world. These exclusive gigs are the chance to experience music in a truly unique venue. Doors open at 7pm, with the gig starting at 8pm. Over 16s only, £12. A cash bar will be available.
For more information call 0871 540 1000.

Have a Drink with the Stars!

I love all the lectures at the Planetarium so will try and pop along to the below event. The big lie back seats are really comfy though, so try not to have too many drinks or you might find yourself drifting off and snoring like a bear. (I heard one very recently and they snore extremely loud.) I'm not sure what the Galileo affair is all about but it sounds like a spy thriller.

"Following considerable success of our first lecture you may be pleased to hear that there will be a cash bar available from 6pm to 7pm to supplement our March 25th evening lecture.

We hope this will add to your enjoyment of the evening, allowing you to meet and have some refreshment as well as hear Brother Guy Consolmagno's account of "the Galileo Affair". "

OTHER SCIENCE CENTRE NEWS

"A few places left for our sleepovers

What a way to kick off the Easter School holidays! We've got a few places left for a sleepover on April 3rd. A fantastic line up of events, including star gazing, a live link-up with astronomers in Perth (Australia - just to be clear!), a chance to kip down amongst the exhibits and a breakfast to get you started the next day.

There's limited spaces available, so please follow the link above to find out more or email Joanne Foo"

Written in the Stars

Next week we are off on a big adventure to Japan so there will be no posts for a few weeks. Obviously we are very excited but I've just found out about an event happening in Glasgow which we're sadly going to miss.
The Planetarium (one of my favourite attractions in Glasgow) is having a wee poetry evening which I think will be brill. Lying back in nice comfy chairs in the dark, watching the amazing stars floating across the sky which someone with a nice voice reads you poems sounds great and its only £5. Someone is going to have to go and tell us all about it.

Poetry readings in the ScottishPower Planetarium
Try something different this winter! Experience the sky as never before and be amazed as we join poets Liz Lochhead and Jim Carruth under the spectacular sky in the ScottishPower Planetarium.
For centuries, poets have been inspired by the night's sky to write verse. Enjoy a glittering evening under the stars as we travel through time and space accompanied by some favourite star poems.
Doors open at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.
Cost £4.95
Car park cost: £1
For more details email mailto:jo.foo@glasgowsciencecentre.org or to book please call 0871 540 1000.

SMASHING TIMES: HOW TO BUILD A PLANET

23rd of October 2008
Dr Helen Fraser will take you on a journey from the Northern to Southern hemisphere skies, to regions where new planets have been found, around baby stars and into chemical cauldrons of our galaxy. Your feet certainly won't touch the ground during this exploration of the greatest construction projects in space- both man-made and natural- as we discover how planets are formed.
Glasgow Science Centre
Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Tickets £4.95
Car park cost: £1

For more details email jo.foo@glasgowsciencecentre.org or to book please call 0871 540 1000.

WINTER NIGHT SKY 2008

Gav and I did the Winters night sky course at the Science Centre last year and it is brill. Highly recommended try and get a ticket while you can. Info below.

In collaboration with the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Science Centre's ScottishPower planetarium presents Winter Night Sky 2008.

Don't hibernate this winter! Swap the comfort of your couch for a spectacular view of the stars in one of Europe's best planetariums. Join Jo Foo and Steve Owens as they take you on an adventure across the winter night sky. Learn how to locate the north star, discover the planets, understand nebulae, and delve in to the history of astronomy!
The Winter Night Sky class is for everyone, from absolute beginners to enthusiasic amateurs! Please note, there are no exams or homework, just ten hours of relaxation under the glittering stars!
The class will run on Monday evenings, 1900 - 2100 from Monday 13 October until Monday 10 November 2008

To book please call University of Glasgow 0141 330 1853 or go to link and quote Winter Night Sky coursenumber "G188". Course cost: £50

Quay Conversations

Think it might be a bit late to post about the below, but it does sound interesting. We will try to post further in advance of future shows. Or maybe email the address at the bottom of the post for further deatils.

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To celebrate the uniquely collaborative space of the BBC's new headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, Radio Scotland has a monthly series, Quay Conversations, in which Janice Forsyth talks to key figures whose work is helping shape the future of Scotland.

On the evening of Monday, 31st March, Janice plays host to three people who can give a unique insight into urban regeneration and the importance of communities:

Bliss Browne, founder of Imagine Chicago, a pioneering urban regeneration project, whose work is now being used a model here in Scotland; Bob Holman. best known for his work in Glasgow's Easterhouse, and who for the last thirty years has devoted his life to community groups; and Darren McGarvey, aka LOKI - a 24 year old rapper from Pollock, who's committed to challenging the stereotypes of the streets he calls home.

In 1991, Bliss Browne - banking executive, mother of three, and an ordained Episcopal priest (she was the first woman ever to preach at Westminster Abbey) - gave up a sixteen year corporate career to found Imagine Chicago. Saddened by seeing whole communities within her home city written off as having no future, her aim was to inspire civic engagement, foster links between cultures and generations, and cultivate hope and aspiration. The processes her organisation has developed for bringing together fragmented communities have now been picked up as a model for regeneneration and renewal across the globe, including projects in Scotland.

Bob Holman is a retired professor of social policy, community worker, anti-poverty campaigner and grandparent. He too, gave up a career - his in academia - to devote his time to community projects - living and working within the community he was helping. Holman is best-known for setting up successful grassroots schemes in two neglected communities; the Southdown estate in Bath (for 11 years), and later, in 1987, he moved to Glasgow's Easterhouse, where he helped to establish FARE - Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse.

Darren McGarvey aka LOKI is Glasgow's best known rapper, whose songs deal unflinchingly with the realities of life in Glasgow. He grew up in Pollock, has been involved in community groups since his teens, teaches children to rap, worked his way out of supported accommodation, and is determined to make us all remember that "every ned is a human being, with a heart and a soul and a story".

Join Janice and her guests for a glass of wine and a discussion about the importance of community and a dream of "a world in which nothing and no-one is wasted".

The evening will consist of interviews and discussion with the guests followed by audience questions, with drinks from 6pm, recording starting at 7pm.

The programme will be broadcast at 1.15 pm on Wednesday 2nd April on BBC Radio Scotland.

Please mail to: quayconversations@bbc.co.uk if you would like to come along.

In addition, if you have a question you'd love to put to Bliss, Bob and Darren please let us know.

We are all in the gutter . . .

. . . but some of us, are doing a fantastic course in astronomy at the Planetarium.

Me and my flatmate are doing a five week course, "The Winter Night Sky" organised through Glasgow University's Adult Learning scheme. Last night was the first night and it was really enjoyable. Playing to a packed house of 110 happy spectators, our guide Steve Owens (Head of the Planetarium) was extremely interesting and infectiously enthusiastic. His passion for the subject was very evident and he offered to answer questions from the audience before the class, during the class, at the break, after the class or by via email between classes happily handing out his email address to everyone. I hope for his sake we don't all start emailing in with questions immediately.

If you've never been to the planetarium you really should give it a go. You lie back in large comfy chairs, looking up at the huge white dome ceiling. As the lights dim, the ceiling appears to vanish and a spectacular vista of stars hangs all around you in a crystal clear precision that sadly we don't see very often in real life. When the stars first began to sparkle above us and the milky way revealed itself, there was an audible wow from the audience and as I looked about the room, everyone had big grins on their faces like little kids.

As I mentioned above the lecture itself was excellent, covering a simple introduction to astronomy and pointing out some of the more well known constellations - Orion, the plough etc. Steve then explained about the changes that you can see in the sky, from the passage of the sun and planets, to the waxing of the moon. As he talked people shouted out questions and we would shoot off into intriguing tangents but always returning to the main topic. Sadly, if you think this all sounds like fun, I'm afraid this particular course is fully booked, but I'd recommend contacting the Science Centre and finding out about any other classes that are on.

While you can attend the planetarium during a visit to the Science Centre - the day time talks are aimed at kids and though you will get the wow factor of just seeing the dome in work, the shows only last 30 mins, which just isn't long enough to take it all in, so a longer course is best.

If you don't feel like committing to a full 5 or 10 week class however, there are also monthly lectures on the last Thursday of the month. The next one therefore is on Thursday the 25th at 7pm. Booking is essential so call 0871 540 1000. Tickets are £4.95.

The witches are coming

I like halloween, I think it could be my favourite of the annual events, less dangerous than bonfire night but with all the colour of Christmas and you are allowed to dress up in daft costumes if you want which is a plus in my book - though our scooby gang costume of recent times was not great - I look more like Tony Hart than Fred.

We didn't get any guisers last year though me and my neighbours did share a large bucket of sweets which we kept on the stairs for a week. When I was a kid, I used to hate having to do the wee song or joke at each persons house, but now that I'm a grown up I'm annoyed that kids today don't even bother pretending to entertain you, they just ring the door bell and hold open their bags.

Anyway it seems there are a lot of events going on in the city for those that enjoy the spooky fun.

Firstly there is the kids fancy dress party at the Glasshouse in Queens Park - but I know the tickets sell out very fast so if you want one, you'll need to contact them soon. There is halloween fun all that week 22 -28 Oct from 10am - 4pm and then the big parties are 6pm -10pm on the 26 + 27 Oct. Tickets are just £5 for a family of four.

Contact details are
Land and Environmental Services General Enquiries
Phone: 0141 287 5918
E-mail: land@glasgow.gov.uk
[click here for more info]

There is also

Glasgow Science Centre's Family Halloween Party
Friday 26th October - 6:30-9:30pm. All tickets are £4.95 per person. Book your tickets online now!

Experience spectacular fire-juggling demonstrations
A gruesome "Who Dunnit" murder trail
Gory, gloopy science shows
Slimy workshops where you can crunch a cricket!
Costume competitions with great prizes and if you're brave enough, get on stage and face our Judges in a TriX or Treat talent show.

Early Owl discount for groups of 10 or more! Phone 0871 540 1000 and book your place before 12th October to receive 1 free admission for each group of 10 or more.

Any more suggestions?

Robots in disguise

On Thursday I dragged Ann along to the Imax, at Pacfic Quay to see the new Transformers movie on the big, big screen.
To begin with I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't in 3D but it turned out to be a blessing, as we would have left with a serious headache otherwise.

While I did enjoy the film, it does suffer from an overuse of the cgi camera. Directors can now use computers to achieve pretty much any shot they want, no angle or camera movement is out of bounds. But just because they can make the camera do a 360 spin, shoot up the side of a building, through an explosion and then fall to the earth doesn't mean they should.

The second half of the film is told almost entirely through this ever moving camera, which constantly flies up, over or around the Transformers, who themselves are made of thousands of constantly moving parts.

I find that the constant movement while effective in moderation during fight sequences does have quite a distancing effect. I think subconsciously the brain knows that the movement the camera is going through is not actually physically possible and it draws your attention to the fact you are watching a film. While this can be used intentionally to a directors advantage for example the sectional pans in David Fincher's Fight Club it is just off putting in your average blockbuster where its sole use is to be flashy and show off.

In saying all that, it is a film about giant alien robots coming to earth to have a big fight so I probably am being a bit harsh. Don't go looking for high art, go looking for popcorntastic big old robotic fights, a bit of humour and some high speeding chases. The first half of the film is good fun, with our young hero first coming into contact with the big robots to humorous effect and showing off the bad guys at their genuinely menacing best.

The last hour or so however all gets a bit busy for its own good, with a huge raft of characters introduced for not much reason and with the bad guys lacking the killer punch they displayed at the beginning of the film.

At £8 its a bit pricey but the film does show off the Imax massive screen to good effect and I think it is probably worth the cost.
Harry Potter 5 is also still on in selected showings with the last half an hour a full 3D spectacular. Ann is keen we go see that while its still on. The Imax website has info on times and dates for these two films along with their regular short film format which gives you the Imax experience at a cheaper price.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

One thing I miss about living in rural Scotland, is being able to see the stars on a cold winter night. However the Glasgow Science Centre is running a 'Winter Night Skies Evening Class' so maybe this will suffice.

The course is due to start on the 22nd October 2007, costs £48 and covers astronomy basics by exploring the winters night sky in the Science centres planetarium. If your interested in going along you can call them on 0141 330 1835/1860

If your an astronomy fan but don't fancy joining the evening class, there is also 'The tale of how modern astronomy began' a talk by Stuart Clark on the 4th of October at 7pm. Tickets are £4.50

call 0141 330 1835/1860 to book.