BS: So what are you actually researching then?
ER: For When Lightning Strikes?
BS: Oh in terms of you seem to be describing two types of research. One's about information and the other ones about the type of show.
ER: Yeah - the de- de- the demonstrations that you want to use and the information. So, for example, I, I was thinking about lightning because it's, the show's going to be about lightning. And, I thought to myself, well, whenever you watch lightning, whenever you look at pictures of lightning it always seems to be purple or blue. So then I started thinking to myself well why is lightning blue. Because that's - I I think it's quite, it's quite interesting. Particularly if, there's a reason then that you can have a demonstration. And you can have - because if you have - I don't know if you've seen the plasma ball in the low-light area. If you put a - a fluorescent tube next to it the fluorescent tube will glow. If you've got different gases in that tube, it'll glow will different colours. So I thought to myself well if the lightning is going through a certain gas in the air, and that's the reason that it's blue that would be a lovely demonstration. You could have a plasma ball at the front a fluorescent tube filled with the relevant gas, hold it up and it will turn, the colour of lightning.
Now, as it happens lightning is white, and it's not blue at all that's a trick of your eye, and also of, photography. Because, when you photograph it doesn't have the true colour. Now I found that out by, talking to lightning scientists - a guy in::: - Holland or Belgium. But he's on a group, an email group called lightning Group and he's the runner of that and he's, the organiser. What would we call them the name, they're in charge of - email chat groups. But I then signed on to the email chat group of lightning. Now, if you think that science communicators are mad these guys are completely mad because they're, it's full of lightning chasers, and - and that's been really useful because they're they're talking about lightning detectors, which lightning detector works best. So, then if I want to talk about, lightning detectors we can have, how tall ( ) lightning detector, kind of thing. I can then refer back to how they work by finding out from the people who actually use them in the field. A lot of these people are - so interested in lightning that they are researchers in their own field and they've become - atmospheric physicists. And, and that's very very useful because you can just talk to them and they're so enthusiastic, that they, they'll just, help you and give you information.
So although that mean that my, the demonstration that I wanted which was the plasma ball and the fluorescent tube, has been dropped from the show because it, it doesn't work like that, it meant that I got more information, fr- on an information point of view rather than a demonstration point of view. But the show, should have - I think something happening every 3 to 4 minutes. Something different happening. So either a new demonstration, or a - starting talking about something else, showing something, or, something changes, fairly frequently. Now that's a - that's a ball-park figure, ºplaying with my hands again.º Um - doesn't have to be, every 3 minutes. That's not a strict thing but it gives you an idea of, of how frequently, and how the pace of the show should move on. If you were to do that, and every 3 minutes have a change of demonstration then you'd go through go through an awful lot of demonstrations. So the demonstrations tend to be interspersed with snippets of information. Or, - things like, what position's best - if you're being struck by lightning. So imagine that you're stuck out in a field. There's a - thunderstorm brewing - there's nowhere for cover, you know, is it best to lie on the ground? Is it best to stand up? Or - and it's best to crouch down on one leg hugging your knees. So you can just imagine that could be a very entertaining thing. Just to have the presenter talking about, why and that's because you know the - if you - you don't want the lightning going across your chest, so if you're hugging your knees it'll go down your arms. Um and if you're on one leg then - I can't even remember why you're on one leg now but there's something about having 2 points of contact with the ground is worse than just having one point of contact with the ground. And - so that's that comes in information rather than demonstrations. But it's fun - and people might remember it. And cows, cows are just the worse shape to be struck by lightning. So many cows died from being struck by lightning - because, obviously they can't crouch on one leg hugging their knees but they do tend to, to die if they're struck by lightning. And little facts like that, all that comes under information rather than demonstrations and that's the stuff that you need to do research on. What's interesting what's not interesting. And from your body language I think, I think that one was quite interesting. ((laughter)). So that one might stay in.