That's sobananapenguin

Hessle Theatre Company have once again created something awesomely fun and frenetic, this time presenting a world in which many of our favourite fairy tales collide and merge to form something entirely unique.

Opening with a triple juxtaposition of Cinderella’s miserable domestic incarceration, a childless baker and his wife, and young Jack whose cow will barely milk, the three storylines swiftly crisscross to bring us a witch, a wolf, a young girl in red, a beanstalk complete with angry giant, a long-haired maiden, a castle, and not one but two princes hellbent on finding love. Filled with song, dance, comedy and heartwarming moments, Into the Woods also contains peril, tragedy, dark twists and its fair share of grisly fates, just like a proper folk story should.

Delivered in true Hessle Theatre Company style, prepare to enter a place where the woods are only trees, and the trees are only wood, yet there’s always something strange, sinister, dazzling or deadly lurking around the corner.

Into the Woods is running happily ever after at Hull Truck Theatre until Saturday 11 July. To book your tickets, call the Box Office on 01482 323638 or visit their website.

When I first heard that Oldham Coliseum and imitating the dog were bringing their touring production of The Mist in the Mirror to Hull Truck Theatre, two things crossed my mind:

1) I definitely want to see that.

2) Will it actually be scary?

Opening with our host reading a manuscript by James Monmouth, we discover how the writer returned to England after childhood relocation and many years of travelling, fascinated by an adventurer whose past is far more grisly than publications let on. As obsession, intrigue and entrapment lead Monmouth through a series of chilling events, the audience has no choice but to follow him on his psychologically strenuous journey, leading to a deliciously Gothic ending.

The show is excellent, with intense visual and sound designs that draw you in, characters that grab a hold of you, and an ending that won’t let you go. As for me doubting the capacity for a production in a large auditorium to be scary, I only wish I’d recorded my girlfriend’s scream halfway through.

The Mist in the Mirror runs nightly at Hull Truck Theatre until 25 April and includes a Saturday matinee. Call the Box Office on 01482 323638 or book tickets online to catch this spine-tingling show while you can, and I’d refrain from going to bed straight afterwards if I were you.

Can you believe I’d never seen The Sound of Music before this week? I don’t just mean the play; I’d managed to miss Julie Andrews in the 1965 film as well, despite it being on every Christmas. So when I went to the Bill Kenwright production that’s running at Hull New Theatre until Saturday 25th April, it was an entirely new experience for me. And I absolutely loved it.

My girlfriend, on the other hand, has watched the DVD countless times and this was the fourth live production of it she’d seen. She absolutely loved it too.

A beautiful and elegantly designed piece with fantastic performances from the entire cast, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one that felt uplifted. This was evident all the way from the opening title song to the reprise of Climb Every Mountain at the finale, after which came a standing ovation that beat those I’ve seen in the West End.

Whilst the adult performers are graceful and ideally suited to their roles, the children are so talented it would make me sick if they weren’t so damn loveable. Matched with a first-class orchestra and fluidic dance scenes, this is a show not to be missed.

Get your tickets now by calling 01482 300300 or book online.

Some people won’t even realise that Hull University has its own theatre spaces, let alone that they welcome and collaborate with first-class producing companies from around the UK and beyond. This week you can get tickets to Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage, a beautiful piece presented by Out of Joint, National Theatre Wales and Arcola Theatre, with Sherman Cymru, in association with the University of Hull School of Drama, Music and Screen and supported by the Ferens Education Trust.

A play about Welsh rugby icon Gareth “Alfie” Thomas and his arduous journey to come out as gay, the piece focuses just as much on politics, media speculation, mental health, friendship and changing communities as it does on sport and sexual orientation. With each of the seven cast members passing the role of Alfie between them, as well as presenting characters that range from supportive team members to rowdy spectators, the audience is taken on a smooth yet moving tale of courage, endurance and spirit, culminating in a true to life victory. Alongside Alfie’s story is that of two teenage girls who cope with matters beyond their control in very different ways, providing a parallel account of dealing with depression that is equally as powerful.

Each major event is delivered with realism and every moment in-between with tenderness, yet still the piece manages to include a lighter, humorous underflow designed to inspire and, to use part of the show’s title, touch and engage. Whether you’re a diehard rugby fan or have no idea what a scrum is, I can confidently recommend this show to everyone.

Running nightly until 18 April and including a Saturday matinee, this is an excellent opportunity to see a quality visiting production whilst accessing the essential work of Hull University’s School of Drama, Music and Screen.

Tickets: £15 / £12 Concs

The Donald Roy Theatre, The Gulbenkian Centre, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX

Booking number: 01482 466141 

I’ve already written a piece on Hessle Theatre’s production of Sister Act as I went to a rehearsal last month. The first run-through was great fun and overflowing with humour and soul, so needless to say that the full production at Hull New Theatre is absolutely fantastic.

With perfect performances from the entire cast, beautifully designed sets, costume transitions that had the audience whooping and an excellent orchestra playing a score of very catchy tunes, Sister Act truly is a divine comedy. 

However, it’s proving so popular that it may have already sold out between now and its final matinee and evening show on Saturday 21 March. Call the theatre’s Box Office on 01482 300300 to see if they can squeeze you in. I apologise for the anticlimax if they can’t, and strongly recommend you book tickets for Into the Woods at Hull Truck instead. As long as you get some Hessle Theatre action, everything will work out just fine.

Angry, the debut theatre production of The Pub Corner Poets, a collection of young and spirited modern thinkers, does what it says on the tin. The question is: why?

Interestingly, these theatre-makers are content in not knowing the answer themselves, with their press pack inviting the audience to "Come and watch a bunch of twenty-somethings in their pants, as they punch drums and each other to prove some sort of point they haven't yet figured out." This, alongside the warning that the show is not for the faint of heart, gives it a rough-and-ready charm, with the cast of seven sharing everything from pent-up frustrations that are mocked by the others, to an account of shagging the young daughter of a defeated Jehovah's Witness. (As they said, not for the faint of heart.)

Performed at The Adelphi Club, a venue celebrated for its cult gigs and lived-in decor, the work of The Pub Corner Poets fits well into surroundings with attitude. Theirs is a style and voice particularly suited to pubs, festivals and intimate studio spaces, with audience interaction effectively complementing raw emotion, tongue-in-cheek cynicism, powerful acoustic, and intentionally scattershot diatribe.

Though I can't even guess whether you'll enjoy it, there is something I can guarantee: whether you want to give them a hug, a handshake, a pint or a good slap, their characters will provoke an emotional reaction.

You can find out more about The Pub Corner Poets on their Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube channels, and I have a feeling they'll have plenty more to share over the coming years.

P.S. During parts of the show, the debonair gargoyle of verbal passion, Tyler Mortimer, was sketching something in his pad. Little did I know that it was a caricature of yours truly. The perfect touch to a show that treats its audience as individuals, rather than box office figures.

Something that I always point out when reviewing Hessle Theatre Company's shows is that I'm not a fan of musicals. Bit of a weird thing to say, considering they've presented one at Hull New Theatre every year since 1958, but there's good reason behind it. See, if I, someone who doesn't really like musicals, loves Hessle Theatre Company productions, it's a guarantee that you will too.

This season's offering is no exception and in fact could be the best I've seen so far: Sister Act, running from Tuesday 17 until Saturday 21 March. I can vouch for the quality and entertainment value already because I was kindly invited to watch the first full run, which took place in St Mary's Hall (how fitting) at the Endsleigh Centre. Being a rehearsal, it lacked the luxury of props, costumes, a sound system or even a stage, yet still this feel-good and energetic show had me grinning throughout, all to a score of very catchy tunes.

  With a membership of around 80 adults and children, Hessle Theatre Company are always keen to welcome new talent to their friendly society, both backstage and in the limelight. The company attracts a huge variety of skilled theatre-makers, with dazzling casts and choirs set against design, stage management and direction that never cease to impress. Sister Act makes full use of this passionate team, as the holy women have their world turned upside-down when a soulful diva brings both sides of the law crashing into their no-frills sanctuary.

Michelle Metcalfe plays Deloris, the loud-mouthed, wise-cracking, sassy singer in need of protection after witnessing her mobster boyfriend Curtis (Neal Edlin) commit murder in cold blood. The other characters range from the stuffy but kindhearted Mother Superior (Shirley Watts) to nervous cop Eddie (Russell Fallon), with a mix of superbly played nuns and a trio of hilarious stooges providing plenty of laughs along the way.

Sister Act is the fastest selling Hessle Theatre Company production to date (seriously, I'm not trying to trick you), so book your tickets now. Also make sure to follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as it won't be long before they share details of their autumn production at Hull Truck Theatre.

In 2013, the British public voted The History Boys as the nation's favourite play. Though I personally wouldn't go quite that far, there is an endearing quality to Alan Bennett's writing, which in this piece fuses young camaraderie and spirit with the regrets, weaknesses and limitations that can emerge with age.

Set in the fictional Cutlers' Grammar School in Sheffield in the early 80s, The History Boys follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxford and Cambridge entrance exams under the guidance of very different teachers. Filled with both intellectual and physical energy, it studies the importance of wanting to learn and the need to apply knowledge in a certain way, mixed with the complications that can arise due to desires, expectations, sexuality and authority.

The History Boys has plenty of laughs and tongue-in-cheek moments, but what makes it a truly powerful piece is the poignancy of its second half. An intelligent and heartfelt show polarised by what an individual may feel is right and what society tells us is lawful, Bennett trusts you to form your own opinion.

A skilfully directed and smartly designed production by Sell a Door, definitely worth seeing whilst at Hull New Theatre (until Saturday 21st February) or elsewhere as part of its UK tour.

If there's a time of year when it's truly important for adults to indulge their inner child, it's the festive season. This year's treat was a trip to Leeds to see Father Christmas, a co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith and Pins and Needles Productions.

I had a strong feeling that I'd enjoy this show as I love the work of Raymond Briggs in general and the animated short especially. However, what didn't click was that there wouldn't be any other adults there without kids, so we found ourselves a corner at the back where we could hide out of the way. This worked a treat, allowing me to become absorbed in the piece from the start without worrying that I was spoiling the view for a tiny human stuck behind my giant quiff.

Taking place in WYP's Barber Studio, the piece kicks off with endearing Briggs humour. Faithful to the book, the moaning yet loveable bearded fogey wakes up on a particularly chilly morning, only to discover that it's the 24th of bloomin' December. From here we follow Father Christmas, played by Seamus O'Neill, around the house, tending to his fickle cat, mischievous dog and majestic reindeer, all while making time to fetch eggs from his hen and visit the loo for an onomatopoeic plop.

Accompanying the nostalgic set, beautifully operated puppets and FC's chucklesome monologues is a dreamlike circle in the sky, surrounded by fairy lights, filled with musical knickknacks, and home to the voice on the wireless. From making a warming cup of tea to swooping above countless frozen rooftops, the production is made all the more magical through intricate, harmonious soundscapes for every action imaginable, each created by talented actor-musician Tomas Gisby.

With classic humour throughout, a wonderfully immersive gift delivering scene, and seamless story progression thanks to ultra-precise movement from Clare Rebekah Pointing, Father Christmas at West Yorkshire Playhouse was the happiest fifty minutes in a theatre I've had in ages.

The show runs until Saturday 3rd January 2015 and tickets are only £10-£12, so book now. Despite the weather forecast calling for snow, snow and more snow, this charming production will bring smiles to the faces of little sprogs and big kids alike.

I'd wanted to see Avenue Q for years, so when I was offered reviewer tickets by Mark Lonsdale, Marketing Manager at The Spa Bridlington, I leapt at the chance faster than you can say "The Internet is for Porn."

This perfectly designed show follows the story of Princeton, a college graduate rightly asking "What do you do with a BA in English?" as he moves into a ramshackle neighbourhood called Avenue Q, which "looks a lot cheaper" than Avenue A. Inhabited by an unlucky in love kindergarten teacher, a kindhearted bum, a Republican who's trapped in the closet, a sleazy monster hiding behind Venetian blinds and even a trio of humans, one of whom claims to be Gary Coleman, this show has it all. Or at least it does once Lucy The Slut appears on the scene, flaunting her golden curls, ruby lips and other jaw-dropping assets in Princeton's face, to the chagrin of his date. (Needless to say, Avenue Q ain't for kids.)

Having visited the tour's website beforehand, I had a rough idea of what to expect. After all, songs like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "If You Were Gay" make it pretty clear that the content is going to be charmingly outrageous, and yet my eyebrows still shot up when the sex scene suddenly appeared, offering yellow flesh, furry nipples and a variety of experimental positions, despite the puppets not owning a single leg between them.

The thing is, unless you suffer from an exceedingly prudish nature, it's very difficult to be offended in the least by Avenue Q. It's not a political manifesto or a treatise on modern society, but instead raises issues in a lighthearted way that brings everyone in on the joke. It's a great night out from start to finish and I recommend it to anyone, even if you're not usually a fan of musicals.

The show only runs until Saturday 22nd November at Brid Spa, so you'd best book your tickets now or risk singing "It Sucks to Be Me" all alone at home instead.

Hull New Theatre always does well with musicals. Opened in 1939, the 1,100-seater venue has the polished wood, shiny brass and red folding seats characteristic of many twentieth century performance spaces. It even has good old-fashioned theatre boxes high above stage level, although I've never actually seen anybody sat in one. That was until last night, when the King of Siam paid a visit.

The King and I runs until Saturday 8th November. With a cast so large that I lost count and a few familiar faces from various local theatre societies, it's an engaging, energetic and highly melodic show that's guaranteed to please. Brought to us by One Off Productions, the set and costumes are so glitzy and colourful it's as if a sequin bomb went off in a Dulux factory. The razzle-dazzle perfectly suits the feel of the show, which is warm and welcoming, fun and friendly, and includes some excellent vocal work, including "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Getting to Know You".

Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with the story and haven't seen the classic movie; it's all very easy to pick up and you'll find yourself rooting for a character or three in no time.

As for the theatre box, you'll just have to wait and find out.

From soulful poets to pushy advertisers, many of us are word lovers. But how about the letters that make up the words? No, scratch that: how about the design of the characters that make up the text, alphanumeric and punctuational alike?

Whether you truly realise it or not, typography is incredibly important to our world, and has been for centuries. The creation of a typeface can be a painstaking process but, as with all other forms of design, the stress of trial and error before achieving perfection is crucial. How the characters look alone is one thing, and how they work in unison is another thing entirely. These combine to form the essence of any font: how it conveys the text, and how it will be received by the reader.

Helvetica has been around since 1957 and is still considered one of the finest typefaces ever created. Having said that, many designers believe that it's overused and applied solely by either hipsters or the lazy, or both. Still, many normal people (i.e. non-designers) wouldn’t know Helvetica by sight if it slapped them round the chops with an upper case H, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the sharpness of its structure, resulting in clean, comfortable and quietly charismatic readability.

I’d love to see fifty years into the future and find out if a typeface is created that’s universally recognised as superior to Helvetica, but only time will tell. Until then, we should digest this sage clarification of the art of typography from UK designer @markboulton:

"Most people think typography is about fonts. Most designers think typography is about fonts. Typography is more than that, it’s expressing language through type. Placement, composition, typechoice."

Each month I take part in an online forum run by Just Act, a new website that provides free information, advice and resources for anyone wanting to start or expand a community project. I enjoy these hour-long public discussions about everything from fundraising to spreading the word, so imagine how chuffed I was when the administrator got in touch to say that I'd won £200 of vouchers in their monthly prize draw. That's right: proper chuffed!

These vouchers could go toward any kind of community activity, so I decided to spend half on the local branch of the RSPCA. The other half has been used to create packs for homeless people (pictured below), which I'll talk about more in-depth in a future post.

So, having bought £100 of pet food, toys and treats, plus some carrots and lettuce for the wascally wabbits, me and me mam visited the RSPCA on Clough Road in Hull, which typically houses twenty-odd dogs, around thirty cats, and as many bunnies as a dozen hutches can comfortably accommodate. 

We were greeted by Vicki-with-an-I on reception, who kindly called Vicky-with-a-Y to bring through Toby. A fourteen-year-old crossbreed and still full of spark, Toby was friendly and incredibly well-behaved, indulging me in a quick photo (although something else had clearly caught his attention). Having been rescued from a hard life, Toby needed eight teeth extracting and was suffering from an ear infection that required immediate attention. He's now right as rain and, in spite of his years, is keeping his paws crossed for a loving home. 

The Hull branch of the RSPCA is a very welcoming place. With smiley staff and excellent maintenance, it really is a shining example of the organisation's commitment to providing accommodation, rehabilitation and the chance of a new life for the animals that need it most. Even if you can't adopt an animal, please make a donation if you're able to do so. Any amount at all will help them continue their passionate and essential work in Hull and the East Riding, which benefits all creatures great and small.

Wherever you are, you can also follow RSPCA Hull on Facebook and Twitter. And don't forget to follow Just Act on Facebook and Twitter too, that way you'll be inspired by tips and case studies on cultural events, sports projects, education, health and wellbeing, and all manner of other projects. Make things happen and improve your community!

Sometimes, when it comes to design, it’s not so much the form that makes the end result extra special as it is the function.

This gigantic floor graphic’s form is incredibly simple: a photograph of a dog scratching itself, with a snappy brand message pinpointing the issue and providing a call to action. But it’s the function that brings it to life and makes it work so well.

As customers walk across the massive mutt, they become active visual elements rather than obstructions. Despite its size, the graphic could otherwise be ignored after an initial glance, but is instead transformed into a living promotional channel, ever-changing and never presenting the same arrangement twice.

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty average. Got a bit of gardening done, went to B&Q, nicked some plums from the garden of my Grandma's care home; nothing out of the ordinary. That was until I received a message from my past self, dated 31 August 2010.

Have you heard of FutureMe? It allows you to write an email and send it to yourself. Sounds pretty standard and a bit sad, right? Well it ain’t. The point of FutureMe is that you then decide when you want the email delivering, whether it’s one month away (minimum) or fifty years in the future (currently the maximum). The email I received yesterday was delivered four years from its creation date, exactly as planned, and opened a window into a half-forgotten life.

Beginning with “Dear FutureDickles” (I’m so cute), it immediately went on to say that “Izzy went on holiday to Cyprus with her family for 2 weeks. She was back 1.5 days, then she broke up with you. Mm, bad memories eh?”

As I’m sure you’ll have guessed, Izzy is my ex. However, the memories of our time together aren’t bad at all; in fact, so much has happened since then that I seem to only remember the good times on the rare occasion that she pops into my head. Funnily enough, I felt relief that this past version of me would be alright, despite him no longer existing because he became who I am today. Time’s arrow, eh? It’s a rascal.

This email from 28-year-old Rich then pointed out that he’d just ordered a new bed and settee and hoped that I, my then-future self, still have them. (I do, as it happens, but they’re now in the guest room and garage respectively, having moved into a larger house last year.) He then rambled on about a writing project I was working on at the time, ending the paragraph with “you freaky old bastard, you!” (It’s good to know that I’ve always felt comfortable with who and what I am.)

A brief list of minor events and activities from August 2010 followed, all of which caused the corners of my mouth to curve upwards through the power of nostalgia. My past self also commented that “I hope you’re as busy during your today as I am during mine; I'd hate for me to become a lazy you.” Eloquent, if a little confusing.

Signing off with “Hugs and smooches of the Narcissus variety,” this once-me then went about his business, day after day, month after month, with jobs, relationships and dreams changing accordingly, until finally he ended up where I am now, having completely forgotten about the email that would connect the two of us far better than the strongest memory ever could.

I’ve always been one for a bit of introspection; a little time examining the way in which you think, aspire, plan and react to external factors can be very insightful. But if you really want to have an accurate idea of how you are as an individual, emailing your future self is far more effective than asking a friend for their honest opinion. Reading a first-hand account of how you once felt and envisaged your future, comparing it to the current reality and taking note of your emotional response (amusement, sadness, pride, anger, disappointment) can really help you to appreciate what you now have, and set your sights on what you don’t.

Personally? I’m content in writing for a living and working for myself, but I’m a bit peeved that I still haven’t seen Niagara Falls in real life. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.

So if you’ve never visited this wonderful website, I urge you to give it a go. After all, the future may be unwritten, but the future’s past is always worth jotting down whilst you still have the chance.

So today I did something a bit different that many people will never have the opportunity to do, and which I doubt I'll get to do ever again either. It's something that you've probably not really thought about, even though it concerns each of us at some point. It's also a major legal requirement, as failing to follow the procedure to the letter could result in outrage and possibly even localised upheaval. Plus we had chicken goujons and cake afterwards.

Quite recently, the York Diocese of The Church of England approved a request from East Riding Council to consecrate two burial compartments within Anlaby Cemetery, just outside of Hull. The consecration took place this morning (Thursday 28th August 2014) at 10am, with the Bishop of Hull, The Rt Revd Richard Michael Cockayne Frith, conducting the ceremony. 

Me, I'm not religious or spiritual at all. As a matter of fact, I'm an atheist. Still, I find this type of thing fascinating; not just religion, but the formalities and traditions that we must follow as a society in order to feel that we are indeed still human and in control of our world. The detail and effort that we put into such protocols is both extraordinary and reassuring. What may be seen as bureaucracy, pomp and red tape by some is often based on something far deeper and essential to us all: the preservation and protection of our heritage, values, human rights and, in this case, lasting memory. The passion and importance surrounding the procedures of a religion really are quite beautiful, even if you don't follow it personally. 

In addition to the C of E clergy and notaries present, dignitaries from other denominations and faiths were invited to attend, as well as local councillors, funeral directors and stonemasons. (Speaking of which, after the ceremony I had a very interesting chat with Neal of W.P Everingham & Sons, a family-owned memorial company based in Hedon. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone's trade in twenty minutes over a couple of onion bhajis and a slice of fruit loaf.)

All in all it was a highly productive morning, with two new burial plots ready for the future, the Bishop of Hull performing an invaluable service before his move to Hereford next month, and me satisfying my hunger for both knowledge and crisps.

Something else that struck me, which I didn't realise until this morning, was that cemeteries can accommodate numerous faiths. This was the case today, with a sizeable Jewish section alongside the Christians, and a Muslim section right next to the newly consecrated plots. The latter contained just two headstones that faced a different direction to the thousands of others, devotedly pointing toward Mecca.

Regardless of which religion you belong to, or even if you're agnostic or atheist, you can't help but feel a sense of tranquillity when walking around a cemetery. So many lives with countless stories; people of different backgrounds, professions, social classes and even faiths, all side by side in one large final resting place. It can be a lot to take in, with nothing to stir you from your contemplation but the rustling of leaves, and maybe the occasional pinwheel spinning in the breeze. 

I'm not a scientist. Hell, I don't even know how we breathe air; not really, not technically, and not even in as much detail as when I was doing my GCSEs. Still, I find science absolutely fascinating, especially when it's in digestible chunks and has an eye-catching GIF to accompany it. Below are three such chewy, delicious nuggets. Mmmm, tastes like enlightenment.

        What do red blood cells do again?

Put simply, red blood cells contain an iron-rich protein called haemoglobin, which allows them to carry oxygen and transport it to the rest of the body's cells. In turn, this allows you to... you know... live and that.

If you were to take a cubic millimetre of human blood, it would contain between 4.6 and 5.2 million red blood cells, depending on whether you're female or male, respectively. (On behalf of men everywhere, I admit that we're greedy.)

A red blood cell only lasts for 100-120 days. Thankfully, we organic beings are extremely good at making new ones, otherwise we'd each resemble a sack of year-old potatoes.

        Why haven't we found any aliens in our solar system?

Have you ever sat down and had a good old think about just how lucky we are that the Earth is the way it is? In order for a planet to be habitable (at least by our Terran standards), you need five ongoing factors:

Water - It's not just for wetting your whistle and cleaning your hair; water is required for chemicals to dissolve. This allows them to be transported to, from and within cells. Earth has plenty of water, but that doesn't mean we're allowed to waste it.

Temperature - Too cold, you freeze. Too hot, you overheat and either burn or vaporise. This applies to everything on the planet, including water. Despite having an axis that results in seasons ranging from sweaty to snotty, Earth has it pretty good.

Atmosphere - Aside from containing chemicals essential to life, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, Earth's 100 miles of atmosphere traps heat whilst shielding us from the brunt of the sun's radiation.

Nutrients - Without these nourishing substances, there would be no proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids and so on. Even those on a crazy diet need nutrients in their bodies at all times.

Energy - Whether in the form of light or chemicals, energy is a prerequisite for life. However, too much of certain types, such as ultraviolet rays, would be harmful or even lethal.

Some planets are far removed from the sun to the extent that they're practically massive ice cubes, and some are close enough to be molten infernos. Some are so small that their gravity can't hold an atmosphere, and others have gases so thick that it would be like breathing toxic soup. Luckily for us (not to mention all manner of flora and fauna), Earth has the Goldilocks factor.

        How does a grenade go KABOOM?

Grenades are a particularly nasty invention. The most common model is the anti-personnel fragmentation grenade, designed to scatter metal shards through the air at high speeds, with a wounding radius of around 15 metres. If you were to accidentally let one off in your pocket, or pull the pin then drop it in your lap, you'd be a goner. And even if you somehow survived, you'd probably have to live the rest of your days as a Futurama-style head in a jar.

The grenade has an external safety pin that, when removed, releases the striker lever, which is the only thing keeping the striker inside the grenade from being projected downwards by a tight spring. The striker then hits the percussion cap, creating a spark that lights a short fuse. At the end of the fuse is a detonator in the form of a small amount of combustible material; this ignites and causes a mini explosion, which in turn ignites the much larger amount of explosive material that lines the inside of the grenade. A powerful noise and destructive force immediately follow, not to mention a horrendous mess.

        Such fact. Much learning!

So there you have three pieces of scrummy science. Want to know about something specific? Comment below or tweet me with your topics. The accumulation of knowledge really can be amazing fun, but please remember to learn responsibly.