Single crystal growth - and choking

Warning: NSFW words (mostly starting with f's) at 0:45...and at 3:43...and at 4:39...and at 4:57...and at 5:33...and at 7:26 and 7:31...and at 7:44...and at 8:42...and at 9:10...and at 10:45...and at a14:10

Ok, so maybe this shouldn't be shown in class.

I've long wondered how single crystal turbine blades are grown to be single crystals. We mimic this is far less complicated ways with our copper (II) sulfate crystal growth lab in our matsci class at Princeton (and in many other ASM-born matsci classes).

...but I knew that simplistic method clearly wasn't going to work for the cast metal structures for metallic crystals.

Thankfully this video's foul-mouthed Yorkie host explains how we go from molten metal to single crystal, grain-boundary-less macrostructures. It's not a very thrilling video as it's just a knowledgeable guy explaining things in his garage with a white board to show what he's talking about. I respect the knowledge and appreciate his explanation about something I've wanted to know for a while now.

Maybe just watch it and explain things to your students rather than showing the video itself.

...because the video itself is absolutely fandabidozi.

NSFW: Plastics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

I know, I know.

I've promised that I would only post videos and articles that are safe for work.

This one definitively breaks that self-imposed rule. This one should NOT be shown to students at school unless you have a really good relationship with your Board of Education and some pretty mature students.

The video mentions - as comedic asides - sex toys, numerous f-bombs, loads of s-bombs ('shot' but with a different vowel), and cheapshots at the blobfish.

But there's a whole lot of actual content about the environmental horrors of our plastic obsession, our lack of recycling in the face of more and more claims of recycling, the advertising push from the plastics industry to convince us all that the lack of recycling is our individual faults (including the famous crying Italian-American commercial, the route that plastics take into our stomach and body, the US's refusal to sign onto plastic waste reduction treaties, the movement to pass extended producer responsibility bills.

The video is well worth watching. There's good content in there. And I'll admit to enjoying the crass humor.