Storytime for scientists

[jnorman]

hi guys - i manage a group of scientists and engineers working in the environmental field, and i hold unit meetings once a month. at the end of each meeting, i do "storytime" for my group, which is, by far, the most interesting part of our meetings.

in the past, i have read selected magazine articles on a wide variety of topics, both funny and serious, an 1865 letter from chief seattle to the president of US (very moving), philosphical materials from several writers, articles by einstein, articles about ancient mysteries (some of my favorite stuff - ancient masonry, cuzco, pyramids, etc), and have recently read them some short sections from feynman's QED, and taught them some basic subatomic physics. most of them have never been exposed to the fundamental mysteries of quantum physics.

i would really appreciate some suggestions from you guys on new materials like this that i can share with my staff - any kind of material is fair game, as long as it is interesting, or educational, or even just funny (once i just read them about 50 of the quotes i picked up from the philosophy forum here). it needs to be something i can read/deliver in about 5-15 minutes or so. thanks for any ideas.

[zoobyshoe]

...or even just funny (once i just read them about 50 of the quotes i picked up from the philosophy forum here).
OMG, that's brilliant! This idea can't be beat for comedy.

I am not sure this fits your criteria, but there have been a few threads around here lately about synesthesia. It's a fascinating subject, and there's more than enough material to fill 15 minutes.

[Ivan Seeking]

No doubt you will find that many fine suggestions are forthcoming. However, if you ever want to take a walk on the wild side, this is one that will raise some eyebrows. It is the Joint Chiefs of Staff report on a UFO that the Iranian military engaged in a dog fight, in F-4 fighter jets, over Tehran. This occurred back when the Iranian military was effectively an arm of the US military. It comes directly from the files at the National Security Agency. Fun stuff, but you may never live it down if you use it.
http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/ufo/routing_slip_ufo_iran.pdf

Also
http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/ufo/dep_ba1.pdf

[TeTeC]

Your first link is broken, and google isn't very talkative about it.

[Ivan Seeking]

Your first link is broken, and google isn't very talkative about it.

??? It works.

Being that it is the NSA, it is possible that non-US ip addresses can't open the link, but I don't think we've ever had a problem before.

Here is a copy saved in the PF database
http://www.physicsforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17274&d=1232741313

[TeTeC]

It doesn't seem to work from here (I'm not in the US), but thanks for the file!

[EnumaElish]

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/

[Ivan Seeking]

It doesn't seem to work from here (I'm not in the US), but thanks for the file!

Hmmmm, this must be new. It may be that the last NSA database upgrade added a blocking feature. Just know that the file does come directly from the declassified files at the NSA. Beyond a doubt, this is not an internet hoax. There is also a declassified CIA file from the same time that alludes to this event. As can be seen, the CIA was included in the distribution.

You can also likely find interviews with a number of the military people involved; including both pilots and a General. I had links for this through YouTube, but as often happens, the links went dead after a year or so. They have been interviewed in any number of US and other television shows. Perhaps the best one that I've seen was show made for Iranian television.

[Ivan Seeking]

You might also consider:

The Hobbits
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html

The Sliding Rock Phenomenon
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=60676

In the S&D forum, we have a napster of links and information dedicated to credible [generally recognized by science as genuine] anomalies, including
Ball Lightning
Earth lights and Earthquake Lights
Fireballs
Jets, Sprites, Starters, ELVES, and TIGERs
The sliding rock phenomenon
Methane Clathrate Hydrates
Rogue Waves

The Measurement Problem
Entanglement

As per John Baez, open questions in:
Condensed Matter and Nonlinear Dynamics
Quantum Mechanics
Cosmology and Astrophysics
Particle Physics
The Big Question™

Space and SETI
The Pioneer Anomaly
Transient Lunar Phenomena
[etc]
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=58374

There is an odd story that I found rather amusing. I like to call it the Mojave Phone Booth Phenomenon.
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=318857

There is also the 1977 "Wow" signal
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=105821