Two state solutions for creating colours but not for Trump

Creating your own rainbows

After the final edit of a second edition, went to discuss an artist client's website in development. Lots of rearranging the pictures on the site. I was caught out by not finding password for site till checking with Jane - why do our minds go blank at critical periods?!

Fortunately, I got back in time to spend an enjoyable afternoon with a student wanting to learn photography through the microscope. We started off with a butterfly wing with top lighting from simple macro photography to using the low power stereomicroscope to a high power compound light microscope. We finished photographing hair from different sources, culminating in the colour effects that could be achieved with polarisation filters.

Apart from pigments, many natural subjects create beautiful colour effects by reflecting light and interference - the sheen of iridescent butterfly wings and peacock tail feathers being two examples. CDs and DVDs are everyday examples of rainbow colours created by very fine gratings (see picture). Soap bubbles are good examples of colours created by interference, but there was another more permanent example that you could make at home, iridescent paper! A number of sites describe the technique of which the following worked best for me this evening (see picture):

• Pour some cold water into a tray
• Immerse a strip of black card or paper under the water, with a bit sticking out for you to hold.
• Let one or two drops of clear nail varnish drip onto the water.
• Quickly lift out the paper, which is coated with a very thin film.
• Blot the paper and allow to dry
• You will have an iridescent coating on the paper!

Trump rapidly redirects criticism of his administration's handling of contacts with Russia. First by blaming leaks from the security services and then by welcoming the Israeli Prime Minister and declaring that he (Trump) was not wedded to the two state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli situation. However, he did suggest that there had to be compromise on both sides and that Israel should hold back from settlement building on disputed land for the moment.

Was interested to read today that a lost essay by Churchill has been found, where he was open to the idea of alien life on other planets. Churchill was apparently interested in and a supporter of science. With Trump returning Churchill's bust to his Oval Office, we shall surely soon see POTUS shift in direction towards science and a fact based approach to key issues, such as climate change.