The Geek in Me: November 2014

Rutherford-Bohr Model Atom Necklace
on ThinkGeek

The design for this pretty necklace is a stylized representation of Bohr's model of the atom that most of us learned in our general science classes. (Do you remember this from school?)

Here, the nucleus is formed from a larger stone in the middle, with three electrons orbiting around it, made up of smaller colorful stones.

Our current view of the atom is more complex than the Rutherford-Bohr model, but the simplicity of this model gives us a good basic understanding of atomic structure, which is all that most of us will ever need!

The most critical reviews of this necklace was that the silver chain wasn't very sturdy and for some it was too short. You can replace it with something longer and more durable if that's a problem for you.

Model Atom Earrings

Men might also enjoy the pendant, and wear it on a leather cord.

This would make a great gift for science teachers or for avid science students. You can also pair it with these pretty matching earrings shown to the right.

Just in case you're not familiar with Bohr's Atomic Model (also known as the Rutherford-Bohr Model), here's a very simple review.

Stylized Lithium Atom by Halfdan

This drawing to the left is a stylized Lithium atom. The center is the positively charged nucleus, made up of protons and neutrons, and the negatively charged electrons orbit the nucleus. The number of protons and electrons are the same, and in the case of Lithium, there are three of both.

So why are the earrings and necklace representations of the Lithium atom? Most likely it's because this simple design is appealing to the eye and easy to recreate!

What do you think? Is this jewelry a good enough representation of the Bohr atomic model?

Are you a fan of the long-running British scifi television series, Doctor Who? If you are as big a fan as I am, you may enjoy having a few of these holiday ornaments to hang from your tree or in a window.

Choose from the TARDIS or the 11th Doctor with accompanying sonic screwdriver, or one of his enemies, such as the Daleks or Cybermen, one of the robotic K-9 units, or the truly scary Weeping Angel monster (shown here to the left.

These ornaments will delight any Whovian, whether they're for yourself or as a gift to someone else.

Doctor Who Tardis Figural Ornament

This TARDIS ornament is made from glass, and designed by Kurt Adler. It stands a little over 4 inches tall.

The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is one of the most iconic images from the Doctor Who universe. It is the vehicle that The Doctor uses to travel through time and space.

You might think that a space / time ship in the shape of a London police box is quite silly and impractical. Well, yes, it appears that way. But a well-maintained TARDIS has chameleon-type properties and can blend in to its surroundings. This particular TARDIS has gotten stuck in its present form due to a broken chameleon circuit. Luckily The Doctor enjoys the police box form.

The TARDIS is bigger on the inside than what it appears to be on the outside, giving The Doctor ample space for himself and his companions on their journeys.

Hand Painted Starry Night Ornament

This beautiful 4" diameter glass ornament is a recreation of the Doctor Who Exploding Tardis as painted by Vincent Van Gogh in the Doctor Who universe.

We see the original painting in the episode "The Pandorica Opens". It shows a "Starry Night"-like painting of the TARDIS exploding as seen in Van Gogh's visions.

Luckily this vision never comes true because of The Doctor's intervention.

The ornament shown here is painted using the ancient Ne'Qwa techique, which means it is carefully and pain-stakingly painted INSIDE the ornament.

A Few More Fun Ornaments for Whovians
Here are a few more Doctor Who ornaments that you might enjoy:

You can get the 2-ornament set of the Eleventh Doctor (as played by Matt Smith) and his sonic screwdriver
This Red Dalek, and enemy of The Doctor, is also pretty cool (look for the yellow version if you prefer). Exterminate!
The K-9 ornament portrays the robotic dog ("canine" = "K-9", get it?) that has appeared periodically in the Doctor Who story lines.

11th Doctor and SonicCHECK PRICE

Red Dalek OrnamentCHECK PRICE

K-9 Plastic OrnamentCHECK PRICE

And three more:

Don't blink! The Weeping Angels are the scariest of all the monsters in the series, in my opinion! They only move when you can't see them, but you have to blink sometime, right?
This elegant blue disk (not a ball) includes the images of all the doctors up to the Eleventh (Matt Smith).
The Cybermen are one of the most tenacious enemies of The Doctor, besides the Daleks.