Sometimes demos go wrong—that doesn't make demos wrong

If you're hip enough to have tuned into this blog, you've probably seen the viral video of the cinder-block smash demo gone wrong. I'm not linking to it directly, because it's not any fun to watch. Of course, in this modern era, you can find versions of this incident from multiple angles.

I have mixed feelings about this demo and have never done it, myself. But I think Greg Schwanbeck makes a powerful argument against the knee-jerk reaction that will likely follow.

Please Don't Ban My … Physics Demos From Schools

And despite the date, this was no April Fool's joke.

Paly teacher burned in science experiment accident

Details are sketchy, so I'm not sure what conclusions can be drawn. No matter how often we've done some of these demos, it's imperative to remember the risk involved.

We wish speedy and full recoveries for both injured teachers.

And, OK; I'll give you a bed of nails blooper—direct from my talented and enthusiastic colleague, The Skeptical Teacher Matt Lowry. (Things get real at about 5:25.) He has recovered!