Explain that Stuff

Noble gases used to be called "inert gases" because people thought they were so un-reactive and boring. In this week's episode, we discover how they provide the secret atomic power behind neon lamps, xenon lamps, and the brightest lights in our otherwise dark and dingy world!

Why can't you blow all the dust off a bookshelf? Why are wind turbines so high? Why does coffee spill when you pour it and barges bang together? Find the answers in our easy-to-understand intro to aerodynamics!

Are electronic books (ebooks) really the future? For those of you who've yet to discover them, here's a quick guide to ebook readers, ebooks, eink - and how all that stuff works.

What are earthquakes and why do they cause so much destruction? Following the offshore quake and tsunami warning in northern California a few days ago, here's a timely 15-minute introduction!

If you're tired of all those Windows worms and malware scares, maybe it's time you switched to Linux. What is it and how does it work?

Why would "things" want to use the Internet? If you've no idea what people mean by the "Internet of Things," start here... with our quick introduction!

Washing clothes is easy; drying them can be more of a pain. Understanding a bit of science can help you get your clothes dry much more quickly and efficiently!

The climate's in a fix, but can we really fix it with geoengineering - large-scale tinkering with carbon emissions, weather, and the sky?

The hovercraft was an iconic British invention from the 1950s; now we barely hear about it at all. How exactly did it work... and why did it fall out of favour?

From Blaise Pascal and Charles Babbage to Konrad Zuse, Alan Turing, and Steve Jobs... join us on a 2,500-year journey through mechanical calculators (cogs), relay-driven early computers (clicks), and modern microprocessors (chips) as we explore the fascinating history of computers!