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Have You Seen This? How to make a pumpkin levitate
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Science is awesome. Halloween is awesome. So, science plus Halloween equals super crazy awesome. - photo by John Clyde


THE LAB Halloween is a great day, full of pumpkins, costumes, candy and fun. And now it's also full of science.

This video from The Royal Institution may be three years old, but it's still pretty great. It shows us that the supernatural is actually quite natural and the spooky can actually be fascinating.

If I were walking down the street on a dark Halloween night and saw a levitating pumpkin coming my way I'd probably throw kids in front of me to save myself and run for a well-lit area. I admit I'm a coward, sorry little kids. But now that I've seen this video, I might now assume that levitating pumpkin just had a superconductor in it and was gliding along a magnetic track.

This video may not be the most entertaining thing you see today, but it could very well be the most educational and mesmerizing thing you see. Something about that pumpkin with the creepy face gliding along the air is magically off-putting and fantastic.

This makes me want to scream, "SCIENCE!" whenever I see it because that's how I react when I see science at work. This is why I wanted to be a scientist as a kid, so I could do cool stuff like this. Instead, I wasn't exactly smart and ended up a communications major. Don't judge me, just enjoy this awesome Halloween trick with me.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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