Happy Birthday, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

[filkertom]

On this date in 1632.

What was your favorite science toy, or toys, when you were a kid? I had the whole run -- chem lab, geology lab, gyroscopes, a couple different microscopes, a telescope that I think my brother still has, and a Radio Shack 200-in-1 computer lab (back in the days when a single LED numeric display was Really Freaking Cool).

And books. Lots and lots of science books. Not the kid variety, either (although I had a couple of those I remember to this day), but serious astronomy books and geology field guides, that kind of thing.

Comments

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

The chemistry set was second best; the microscope was third place. Top of the list was a simple magnifying glass, because I could do so MUCH with it (everything from looking at stuff to building telescopes to starting fires (and incidentally almost burning down the neighborhood one time; pyros and woods ought not to mix :-) ).

I think I still have it somewhere, but damned if I can lay my hands on it.

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

I might be going out on a limb here, but did you ever see the first robotic armature that Radio Shack sold? I loved that thing, played with it for ages. GI Joe can keep its kung fu grip; this thing had REAL gripping ability. Just too neat. Very helpful training for all that plutonium handling I've had to do later in life.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing it, but I never did have it. I also remember Fischerteckniks (which you can still get at Edmund Scientific, but it's pricey).

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

I had one of those! Dad had a habit of going to Radio Shack the day ofter christmas day and buying all the returns at 85% off. Most of them worked fine, heh. One of them was that arm, with a bunch or things to do with it... and a nifty joystick thing.

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

Toss up between the microscope (that my parents still have) and the telescope (that got stolen from me back in 1990).

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

I still have the 4 1/4" Edmund Scientific reflector telescope I bought when I was twelve with my own money.

Any I also still have my favorite astronomy book from that time, an autographed, and hand corrected copy, of Clyde Tombaugh's autobiography.

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

I had the Radio Shack 200-in-one thing too. Had LOTS of fun with the light sensor...particularly since I had a "flashlight gun" I'd won from the local arcade, which actually had a semi-accurate sight to aim down.

-=ShoEboX=-

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

I remember one year getting as a birthday present a semi-kiddie weather forecasting kit that included a barometer, thermometer, humidity gauge and other gadgets. There was also a microscope, which I thought was really cool. And, of course, books, books and more books. And my godmother used to get me a subscription to National Geographic magazine each year for Christmas.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Wow.. hmm..

LOVE Gyroscopes. LOVE crystal radios, lemon batteries.

MICROSCOPES, TELESCOPES. TESLA COILS!

Oh come on, there are TOO many!

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Gyroscopes! (are lots of fun, really...)

[devospice.livejournal.com]

We had a gyroscope that I played with constantly. I had lots of books on dinosaurs and astronomy. I had a telescope that we used to use all the time. I remember we brought it up to my parents' beach house when they bought it. For all I know it's still there but I haven't seen it in ages.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

There was a chemistry set which Dad bought home once when the kids were all wee tackers. Given that the experiments were of the "burn down the neighbourhood" variety, he opted instead to perform them himself with us as an audience.

"Let's see, this is a magnesium strip... hey, turn the kitchen lights out, this will be fun."

"Why, dad? What's it -" *FOOM*

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

I had a microscope that I absolutely freaking loved. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of getting another one to play with, if I can figure out where it would live.

I also had a chemistry set -- one of the good ones, that you could kill yourself with -- but I never really did the reading, so all I did with it was put some interesting spots on the ceiling.

[huskiebear.livejournal.com]

I had a lot, but my favorites were the microscope, the 200-in-1 set (I even did a science fair project on the persistence of vision with it) and a way cool little optics kit that I would love to track down again. It was in a long black box that you could turn into a pinhole camera with a variable aperture. Ya think they might have had anything to do with my career choices?

I also loved science books, repeatedly checking out one called "The Way Things Work" (not the Macaulay illustrations, a dusty old text with line drawings from the 60s) from my second grade library. My Mom was a bit freaked that I enjoyed reading about how toilets work so much, but she got used to it.

[elektra-h.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, a series of LPs my Dad would play for me constantly (I think there were 5 of them) about everything from the colors of the rainbow to Isaac Newton. Pre-pre-schoolhouse rock. IIRC, they led to a very strange parent-teacher conference in kindergarten after a teacher asked about insects and I started in about segmented eyes, antennae, etc.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Do you mean this set? All there, available for download at 160 kbps (including "Why Does the Sun Shine?", later covered by They Might Be Giants).

If not, you might like these anyway :-)

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

My favorite science "toy" was the dumpsters at a semi-industrial site. Scavanging around there let me and my friends discover/explore/experiement with physics, electronics, aerodynamics, chemistry, you name it. Even psychology, as we learned how to get away with several of the things that got out of control.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Chemistry set. Every child should have one. With a fire extinguisher right beside it. (Don't ask.)

I remember watching my dad "play" with an oscilloscope in his basement workshop. It was really cool to watch the bright green lines squiggle around, even though I was too young to know just what it all meant.

Do you know the poem about van Leeuwenhoek?