The Minute Physics Interactive Periodic Table of Awesome

Henry Reich and Jasper Palfree have created an amazing interactive version of the Periodic Table. As you change temperature, you can see the elements transition between different states of magnetism. You can also see at what temperatures an element changes state from solid to liquid to gas. There is even an option to display temperatures in Fahrenheit for the heathens among you. If that isn't awesome enough, Henry makes clever use of Youtube, HTML5, and the interactive periodic table to explain how to destroy a magnet. You can also click on any element to see a clip, courtesy of Periodic Videos, about it. This is a great educational tool. I can't wait to see what Henry and Jasper come up with next.

Avalanche at Tunnel Creek

A gripping tale of an avalanche that overwhelmed some of the best backcountry skiers in the world. There is a lot of interesting science in this article about how avalanches form that is expertly interwoven with the human drama that unfolds. This story took six months to write and it shows. One of the best usages of HTML5 I have seen. If you read one thing this week, this should be it.

Beautiful LOTR statistics and graphs

With the release of The Hobbit in a few days, I found this beautiful–detailed–look at population statistics of Middle Earth timely. Emil Johanssen has created some fascinating interactive charts detailing population, age, genalogical trees, and the routes and distances various characters take in the books.