I just learned from Phil’s blog that the Galileoscopes I mentioned to you some months back (remember? International Year of Astronomy? Not just Darwin year?) are ready for shipping. There were issues with production at first, but now they are ready. The key issue right now seems to be that they are in danger of having to stop production of these lovely things if they don’t get lots of orders by May 31st. Ack!
So please please consider sending in a order for one or a few. Imagine what a delightfully unusual gift it would make for someone. Either someone you know, or someone you don’t know like a neighbour, your local school, church (yes!) or community center, or… even that special someone who you’d like to get to know – what an icebreaker, eh? Here’s a picture from the site of what a happy owner’ll have after assembling it:
It is easy to put together, gives a new window onto the world above your head, and a tangible connection to that historic year 400 earth orbits ago when Galileo first pointed a telescope up to the heavens.
Go! Now! Get a Galileoscope!
-cvj
I ordered a bunch! I’m going to distribute them to my freshman seminar students in the fall.
Ah, but a telescope *and* chocolates would be a killer combination! They’re not fungible, for sure, so aim for both 🙂
Regarding the icebreaker- all I know if someone were the sort to get me such a present I’d never leave him. Who wants chocolates when you can get a TELESCOPE?!
As is looks like I’ll just get my dad one for Father’s Day. 🙂