OT - Mr Wizard

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89 By LYNN ELBER, AP Television
Writer

Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations
of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home,
said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

"He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist,"
said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s
show that echoed the original 1950s "Watch Mr. Wizard" series, which
became a fond baby boomer memory.

In "Watch Mr. Wizard," which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and
received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an
entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he
demonstrated experiments using household items.

"He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today
might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,"
Jacobs said. "You were learning about the forces of nature."

Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said
Jacobs, who recounted serving as a behind-the-scenes "science
sidekick" to Herbert on the '80s "Mr. Wizard's World" that aired on
the Nickelodeon channel.

When Jacobs would reach for beakers and flasks, Herbert would remind
him that science didn't require special tools.

"'You could use a mayonnaise jar for that,'" Jacobs recalled being
chided by Herbert. "He tried to bust the image of scientists and that
science wasn't just for special people and places."

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When
"Late Night with David Letterman" debuted in 1982, Herbert was among
the first-night guests.

Born in Waconia, Minn., Herbert was a 1940 graduate of LaCrosse State
Teachers College and served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during
World War II. He worked as an actor, model and radio writer before
starting "Watch Mr. Wizard" in Chicago on NBC.

The show moved to New York after several years.

He is survived by six children and stepchildren and by his second
wife, Norma, his son-in-law said. A private funeral service was
planned.

___

On the Net:

http://www.mrwizardstudios.com

On Jun 13, 2:53 am, cavelamb himself wrote:
TV's 'Mr.Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89 By LYNN ELBER, AP Television

...

http://www.mrwizardstudios.com

BTW, there are DVDs of some of his shows available
on that site.

--

FF

Richard Riley wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:53:09 GMT, cavelamb himself
wrote:

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89 By LYNN ELBER, AP Television
Writer

Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations
of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home,
said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

I found him on the the web about a few months ago and sent him a note,
asking about a demonstration I saw him do at a live show when I was a
kid that I still don't understand (it involved a piece of metal tube,
some window screen and a propane torch.)

Now I know why he didn't answer.

Godspeed, Mr. Wizard.

The one demonstration he did that I wish I knew how he did it was
when he poured a pitcher of a clear liquid into another clear liquid and
they both suddenly went black in the middle of the pour.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

My high school chem teacher did that for us in my junior year of high
school. I'm almost certain those (1960) notes are gone by now, but I can
ask our chem department how it is done. Evidently it is a rather common
demonstration.

However, they won't be back until August. Remind me?

Jim

--
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."
--James Dean


The one demonstration he did that I wish I knew how he did it was when
he poured a pitcher of a clear liquid into another clear liquid and they
both suddenly went black in the middle of the pour.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

RST Engineering wrote:
My high school chem teacher did that for us in my junior year of high
school. I'm almost certain those (1960) notes are gone by now, but I can
ask our chem department how it is done. Evidently it is a rather common
demonstration.

However, they won't be back until August. Remind me?

Jim

Like I will remember?

I'll try.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

You old farts can't remember...ummm remember...aw hell, I forgot what it
is you can't remember!


--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die
Building RV-4 (Super Slow Build Version)


Dan wrote:
RST Engineering wrote:


However, they won't be back until August. Remind me?

Jim

Like I will remember?

I'll try.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

Scott wrote:
You old farts can't remember...ummm remember...aw hell, I forgot what it
is you can't remember!


Memory is the second thing to go. I forget what is first.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

On Jun 13, 4:49 pm, Dan wrote:
Richard Riley wrote:

...

Godspeed, Mr. Wizard.

I remember him too.


The one demonstration he did that I wish I knew how he did it was
when he poured a pitcher of a clear liquid into another clear liquid and
they both suddenly went black in the middle of the pour.


As I recall Starch is used as an indicator
for iodine. I suppose if you had a little starch
suspended in water and a little iodine dissolved
in alcohol, then mix the two, the iodine will
drop out of solution and the resultant mixture
will be black.

Iodine dissolved in alcohol has a reddish color
(the familiar tincture of iodine). By the smell of
it, this is done by adding ammonia to produce
a clear solution.

--

FF

Dan wrote:
Richard Riley wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:53:09 GMT, cavelamb himself
wrote:

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89 By LYNN ELBER, AP Television
Writer

Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations
of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home,
said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.


I found him on the the web about a few months ago and sent him a note,
asking about a demonstration I saw him do at a live show when I was a
kid that I still don't understand (it involved a piece of metal tube,
some window screen and a propane torch.)

Now I know why he didn't answer.

Godspeed, Mr. Wizard.


The one demonstration he did that I wish I knew how he did it was when
he poured a pitcher of a clear liquid into another clear liquid and they
both suddenly went black in the middle of the pour.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired
Google on "clock reaction".
Rip

On Jun 13, 10:52 pm, Rip wrote:
Dan wrote:

...

The one demonstration he did that I wish I knew how he did it was when
he poured a pitcher of a clear liquid into another clear liquid and they
both suddenly went black in the middle of the pour.

...

Google on "clock reaction".
Rip

Ah hah. That's it!

The reaction has been used since before
the Hellenistic Age. It was referred to by Aristotle
in his treaty on Physics, who may well have taught
the process to his most famous student, Alexander
of Macedon, who later used it to great advantage.

Alexander's father, Philip had amassed the largest
army the Mediterranean world had ever known
but had done little to advance the art of war in
terms of tactics. The standard formation was the
phalanx, several rows of spearmen who would
advance en masse usually against a similarly
arrayed enemy. As it was to be a thousand years
or so before the invention of ether the longbow
or the stirrup, neither was particularly effective and
Philip had eschewed both excepting for scouts
and couriers. And so whatever army had the
widest phalanx of sufficient depth could gain great
advantage over their enemy, by outflanking them.

The problem was that Philip's army was so large
that the phalanx was so wide that there was no
way to coordinate their advance. Alexander
solved this problem using what is now known
as the 'clock reaction.'

When the time neared for the attack to begin
Alexander would have the solution prepared
then cloth rags would be immersed in it and
several messengers, each with one of these
bands tied about their arm would leave to
take up positions at regular intervals along
the phalanx. As the armbands had all been
wetted with the same solution, they all
turned black simultaneously and that was
the signal used to coordinate the attack.

And now you know the story of
Alexander's Rag Time Band.

--

FF