It's that time again for a look at how dumb the public is about science. One in ten children thought the telephone was invented by the Queen, with Darwin coming in second place. One in twenty thought the first man on the moon was Luke Skywalker, or possibly Richard Branson. Some 60% thought Sir Isaac Newton discovered fire.

OK, that's probably enough laughable statistics. However, this was a poll of 1,000 students, across primary and secondary schools, taken in Birmingham, UK. The results don't yet appear online at Birmingham Science City website but have been reported by the BBC.

We tend to think of firewalls as either trying to keep people outside from getting in, or to keep those inside from looking out. The Chinese have firewalls around government websites to protect them from prying eyes, as well as around the whole country to stop their people from seeing the whole big bad web. But I can't think of an example where other people will build a firewall around you to keep you in your place. It's like having the wall around your property built by all your neighbours; why don't they like you?

Two songs and videos about science for children, written and performed by They Might Be Giants. The almost anthemic "Science is Real" and a stroll through the periodic table in "Meet the Elements".

They Might Be Giants serve up another slice of power pop for kids with "I am a Paleontologist". One of the better videos in their science series.

How to explain resonance to a non-scientist? A few years back I heard a guest speaker on BBC Radio 4 trying to explain the resonance effects of pulsed microwave radiation on the brain in contrast to the thermal effects of the carrier frequency: sadly he failed miserably. What is it about resonance that makes it so hard to explain?

I have taught it to A-level students and to undergraduate engineers. Electrical engineers, in particular, need to be thoroughly familiar with the phenomenon and yet, I could see that its significance eluded them. There are few, if any, good visible examples in real life. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is one famous example, where strong winds set the bridge oscillating. Eventually it hit its resonant frequency and collapsed.