ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Anyone ever tried a mounting system based on the floating ball
fountains? - water pushed up from below keeps a ball of stone, sometimes
quite large, suspended on stream and easily spun in all directions (for
example: http://www.atlanticfountains.com/ball_fountains.htm - no
endorsement implied, just first site I Googled)

Dave Smith

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Russell
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 3:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Globes and You


ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****

At 21:33 15/12/2005, Jay Higgins wrote:

>We are looking for a globe and having a hell of a time finding what we
>want.  Here's the idea, maybe you've seen something like this, a big
globe 
>sitting in a cradle that kids can spin around like a mouse ball. They
can 
>see the southern hemisphere just as easy as the north.  Custom stand...

Once you find your large globe, I suggest you get someone to engineer a 
gimbal mount for it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimbal

I think that could make a very appealing interactive exhibit (quite
apart 
from the geographical interest of the globe!). The designer will need to

eliminate finger-traps and maybe incorporate rotary dampers because 
children are going to try to spin it just as fast as they can...

The low-budget solution would be to buy a large
terrestrial-globe-beachball 
half-enclose it in a box with a large hole in the top and float it on a 
cushion of air from a blower, rather like the heavy stone Kugel balls
that 
'hover' above a thin film of pressurised water.


[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell  

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at
http://www.astc.org. To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L
list, send the message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]