Wired Magazine's article on Dr. Greg Crowther's Science Songs got me thinking: Isn't there someone close to me who's doing something similar? This S4theB! shares one song about science from Dr. Crowther's site, and then takes us to Chez Jose in Brentwood, Tennessee for a burrito feast and an informal interview with friend, songwriter, and research observatory superintendent Rocky Alvey. Rocky shares two as yet unpublished songs with us! Wow! Scoooooooooop! I highly encourage you to check out the links below to find all manner of science songs that can help your students internalize facts, figgers, and findings. A periodic Google search for Science Songs will yield more results, indubitably. Download the show here or browse the page that results from the "Feed" link in the lefthand sidebar. Links: Get it whilst you can: "Singing Science Records" brings 4 vintage LPs to .mp3 format. A cursory listen tells me that a little work with Garage Band, Audacity, or Adobe Audition would be a good thing, if just for filtering out the scratches and clicks time has dealt the webmaster's collection. The Science Songwriters' Association has a score or so CDs available for purchase. Mileage, of course, varies (a loose metaphor hinting that some songs, and some CDs, are better than others). Teachers, check out their "Pedaogy" page for research supporting why you should be using science songs in your teaching! Dr. Crowther is an integral member of the SSA. His songs are all available in their complete forms at his Science Songs site. He graciously allows S4theB! to use any of them, and believe me, we will! A Day in the Life of Rocky Alvey at Vanderbilt University's site is a really fun, if somewhat cheesy (in Rocky's overmodest appraisal) documentation of some of the thing this ultimate Renaissance Man does in the course of his work days. It does not address many aspects of his creativity, of which songwriting is only one. Dyer Observatory is a marvelous place. Check out the Virtual Tours of the observatory! And Rocky's contributions to the videoconferencing program at the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach are seminal. Look for more of them in 2006. The burrito lunch left me with more interview than I can conscionably include in this week's Snacks4theBrain!. Look for more later, maybe as early as next week! Thanks again to David Kiefer for background music from the entrancing song, "The Summer Pump," downloaded from Cagey House and used in this podcast with his permission! Ah, dontcha love the share!