You claim to be interested in science? Do you sit down to eat your dinner at a periodic table table? No? Then be quiet. Because Theo Gray, co-founder of Wolfram Research, out-geeks you, hands down.
In Gray’s home, you can find a table dedicated to all the elements. Within the table are individual compartments ordered like the periodic table, each of which holds samples relevant to the particular element. From a silicon disc engraved with Homer Simpson, through a jar of mercury, to uranium shells, each element features. (Apart from the super-radioactive ones, obviously.) As he points out, some elements are harder to collect for than others — especially gases.
I know of a scientist who receives a sample of the element whose atomic number corresponds to their age every year as a birthday present. Until now, I thought that was the best chemistry collection I knew of. Now I’m not so sure. [Byte Size Science]