In 1958 Willy Higinbotham of Brookhaven National Laboratory cooked up a bit of kit and created Tennis for Two - perhaps the first video game to engage kids at a laboratory open house.
Peter Takacs of BNL has recreated the game for exhibit. If you are in the area catch it at the New York Historical Society through April - the history of technology created in the New York City metropolitan area.
Although interesting and cool, it is unfortunate this has become his legacy. He was head of the instrumentation division at BNL for many years and was responsible for a large amount of innovation in high energy physics apparatus - innovation that had a profound impact on medicine and other aspects of human life. He was also a passionate force for nuclear non-proliferation. As a young scientist he was part of the Manhattan Project and, like many others, pushed for the elimination of the weapon. He went beyond the ordinary and cofounded the Federation of American Scientists.
The spinoff from experimental physics has been enormous. Physicists have to invent techniques to make their measurements. Although developments are often a historical chain, most of the instrumentation used in medicine has a direct link to physics. In the past few decades medical imagining comes directly from nuclear and high energy physics techniques. Perhaps the most direct example is positron emission tomography which was largely developed at BNL.
__________
recipe corner
This was really good, but I have a weakness for sweet potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Mustard
Ingredients
° 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
° 2 tbl vegetable oil
° 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
° 1/2 tsp cayenne
° 1/2 tsp tumeric
° some chopped fresh cilantro - one or two tbl
° salt
Technique
° bake the sweet potatoes in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. Let them cool a bit, peel and cut into half inchish chunks
° fry the mustard seeds in oil in a skillet on high heat until the seeds begin to pop. Cut the heat to medium
° mix in the potatoes, turmeric, cayenne and salt to taste
° cook about ten minutes until a crust starts to form.
° garnish with cilantro
Comments