Greetings, my reading friend, and welcome to the wonderful world of aviation and space. Today’s topic, as you undoubtedly know by now, is an unconventional dual purpose household appliance yours truly stumbled across while perusing, a virtual perusing actually, the pages of the 20 November 1948 issue of La Patrie , a daily newspaper published in Montréal, Québec. I know, I know, a combined dishwasher and washing machine has little to do with the aforementioned world of aviation and space. Still,

Videogames are cultural heritage artifacts worthy of preservation. My Master’s major research project culminated in the creation of a podcast and website which investigates videogame preservation and proposes some solutions to this complex and pressing issue.

Have you ever dreamed of ditching your day job and playing with toys instead? Nathan Sawaya—a former attorney in New York City—did just that, and he couldn’t be happier. Sawaya creates inspiring artwork from one of the most recognizable toys in the world: the LEGO® brick. An exhibition featuring his creations, THE ART OF THE BRICK, has travelled around the globe and was named one of CNN’s Top Ten “Global Must-See Exhibitions.” THE ART OF THE BRICK is coming to the Canada Science and Technology

Did you know that Canada processes a whopping 2.86 million tonnes of potatoes a year — into things like frozen French fries, instant mashed potatoes and chips? Unfortunately, all of that processing translates into a lot of potato waste. But recently — at the University of Alberta — a team of innovative researchers found a way to put these potato processing leftovers to good use...by transforming then into a biodegradable plastic! Watch this short, educational video — developed by the Canada

The Ingenium’s collection of ranges, includes a variety of appliances — fireboxes, table stoves, cooking plates, buffet stoves — and illustrates the main innovations made to these electric household cooking appliances between 1900 and 2000.

(Image cred: Boston Public Library )

In the fall of 2016, the Canada Science and Technology Museum will be opening their travelling exhibition Game Changers at Science North in Sudbury. On this episode of Science Alive, Dave chats with assistant curator and gaming guru Sean Tudor about all the elements that make up a great video game. From story to graphics to great audio- it’s Game On at the Museum!

If you were trapped in the Museums’ collection warehouse during the zombie apocalypse- what would you use to defend yourself? Dave and Museum Conservator Erin Secord examine the creepier side of the Museums’ collection in this special, zombie-themed episode.