Synopsis
Dr. Howard Wright, inventor and high school chemistry teacher, and his daughter Jessica chat about the various phenomena of everyday life and the science behind them.
Episodes
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Nineteen: How Does Soap Work?"
16/04/2012Join inventor Dr. Howard Wright and I as we explore the bubbly, bodacious world of soap! Why do we need it? How does it work? And what does the game “Angry Birds” have to do with it again?
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Eighteen: Help! I Have a Canker Sore!
31/01/2012In this week's podcast, Dr. Wright and I tangle with a terrifying topic: canker sores! We battle viruses, bacteria, and several toothpaste commercials from the 1950s to bring you our thoughts on canker sore treatment. Supported by several animations, lovingly by yours truly in Microsoft Paint.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Seventeen: What's the Deal with Fluoride?"
12/01/2012At last! A new podcast from Dr. Wright!In this week's podcast, Dr. Wright and I explore the ins and outs of fluoride: what is it? Whose idea was it to put it in the drinking water? Why is that seal getting its teeth brushed?Accompanied, as always, by my delightful animations, painstaking crafted in Microsoft Paint.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Sixteen: How Do Glow-In-The-Dark Toys Glow?"
13/10/2011In this week's episode, Dr. Wright and I discuss how exactly all those glow-in-the-dark frisbees, yo-yos, and Glowstorm Whistles work. I jump to the conclusion that these items clearly must be emitting nuclear radiation, and have to be reminded about the Law of Conservation of Energy. Oops.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Fifteen: How to Deal with Rip Currents
28/07/2011Keeping with our summer theme, Dr. Wright and I navigate the ins and outs (literally!) of rip currents, also called rip tides. Rip currents are insidious, deadly, and clandestine--the similarities to javelinas are not overlooked. Oh no, dear listener! They are not overlooked at all.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Fourteen: Do Dogs Sweat?
10/07/2011The dog days of summer are upon us, and so Dr. Wright explores an important topic about our favorite canines: how exactly do the poor things keep cool? We discuss werewolves, sweat glands, and the importance of NEVER SHAVING A HUSKY EVER EVER EVER.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Thirteen: What Should My Price Point Be?
14/06/2011All right! So, you’ve got an idea, and you’ve built a prototype. Now what? Join Dr. Wright and I as we lead you through the final steps of making your dream a reality: getting a manufacturer and figuring out a good price for your product. If you can successfully manufacture your item and sell it for a price that consumers will actually pay, then congratulations! You’ve done it! Go get your patent!Video coming soon...
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Twelve: I Think I've Got a GOOD Idea! Now What?
02/06/2011Join Dr. Wright and I as we continue our conversation on how to get your dream invention off the ground. You’ve made sure that your idea is both original and not awful? Great! The next step is to make a prototype. I think this sounds like a lot of work—Dr. Wright firmly believes that it’s the only way to move forward in the process.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Eleven: I've Got an Idea, Now What?
02/06/2011Join inventor Dr. Wright and I as we discuss the how to make your dream invention a reality. First step: DON'T TELL ANYONE YOUR IDEA BEFORE YOU PATENT IT. If you do, then it magically becomes part of the public domain, and you can't patent it. Scary.No MSPaint animations today, but I've included several silly inventions from the 1920s and 50s. Enjoy!This episode of "Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You" has been generously sponsored by the All Weather Safety Whistle Company
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down For You," Podcast Ten: But How Is Electricity Used in Daily Life?
02/06/2011Join Storm whistle inventor (and high school chemistry teacher) Dr. Wright as we discuss how humanity harnessed whatever happens when you zap your kid sister into That Thing That Makes Computers Work. Featuring Hans Christian Oersted, Michael Faraday, Nicola Tesla, and a girl milking a cow. And some awesome animations made in Microsoft Paint (of course!).
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Nine: Electricity
02/06/2011In this week's episode, Storm Whistle inventor Dr. Wright and I discuss the mysteries of electricity. It's confusing stuff, and Dr. Wright keeps the analogies coming faster than bolts of lightning. Chocolate sprinkled doughnuts, frogs, balloons, and my truly awful Microsoft Paint animations accompany our daring journey through the Land of Electrons.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You" Podcast Eight - How Do Flowers Know It's Spring?
02/06/2011In this week's episode, Storm whistle inventor (and high school chemistry teacher) Dr. Wright and I discuss how flowers know when to bloom in the springtime, and when to hunker down in the fall. Apparently the sun acts as some sort of timer device? The whole thing kinda blew my mind.Featuring some adorable bears, an extremely hairy horse, and my Microsoft Paint animations, as always.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You" Episode Seven: The Potato Famine
02/06/2011In this week's episode, Storm whistle inventor Dr. Wright discusses the causes of the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s-50s.This episode's a bit of a downer as well. Let's all agree never to be as cold-hearted as the people who were EXPORTING FOOD from Ireland during the Famine.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You" Episode Six: Crowds
02/06/2011In this week's episode, Storm whistle inventor Dr. Howard Wright discusses both slow and fast-moving crowds, and the different techniques needed to survive each one.Also featuring that one crowd scene from "The Blob," which, in this context, is a good deal scarier than The Blob itself.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Five: Ever Wonder about Traffic Lights?
02/06/2011In this week's podcast, Storm Whistle inventor and high school chemistry teacher Dr. Wright explains the various mysteries and origins of the traffic light. We chat about flag-twirlers, a horn-operated traffic signal (a.k.a. the worst idea ever), and the possibility of getting arrested.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Four: The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
02/06/2011In this week's episode, Storm Whistle inventor Dr. Howard Wright discusses why the explosions occurred in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the dangers of radioactive iodine, and what the "smoke" coming from healthy nuclear power plants really is (spoiler alert: just steam). Accompanied, as always, by my very own MSPaint animations.We sound a bit shaken in this podcast, which was recorded about a week ago. Not that surprising.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Three: Thundersnow!
02/06/2011Dr. Wright, inventor of the Storm Whistle, and Jessica, creator of Microsoft Paint animations, collaborate on yet another epic podcast. We discuss thundersnow, electrons, and when it's appropriate to eat dog food.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode Two: Thomas Jefferson and the Microphone
02/06/2011Join us on this delightful romp as we discuss what politicians did before microphones. Helmholtz resonators, elephants, and the ancient Greeks all make an appearance, along with our favorite presidents.The video for this podcast also features an animation that I made in MSPaint, which is either adorable or really embarrassing. I hope everyone sees it as the former.
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"Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," Episode One: Exactly How Does the Storm Whistle Work Underwater?
19/05/2011Please take a listen to our first episode of our new podcast, "Dr. Wright Breaks It Down for You," where Dr. Howard Wright, Storm whistle inventor and high school chemistry teacher, explains the mysteries behind everyday phenomena. For our inaugural episode, we discussed how the Storm Whistle works underwater. Hilarity ensues! Though this is before I got a decent microphone.