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World's Smallest Advent Calendar

Posted by Soulskill on Sat Dec 15, 2007 04:09 PM
from the small-measure-of-christmas-cheer dept.
Christmas Cheer Science
An anonymous reader passed us this article from RSC about a unique holiday decoration. Quoting:"A group of nanotech specialists in Germany have got into the Christmas spirit by making what they believe is the smallest ever Advent calendar. It would take about five million of the miniature calendars to cover a postage stamp. The doors for 1 December through to 6 December are open, with six different images including Santa Claus, a bell, a snowman and a church. The team needed two attempts to make the calendar. 'The whole process lasted about two hours,' Neumaier said."
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Submission: World's smallest advent calendar by Anonymous Coward
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  • That's not an Advent Calendar (Score:5, Informative)

    by dangitman (862676) on Saturday December 15 2007, @04:13PM (#21711332)
    It's just a picture of an Advent Calendar. It doesn't actually work.

  • Unexpected downsides (Score:5, Funny)

    by StefanJ (88986) on Saturday December 15 2007, @04:56PM (#21711684) Homepage Journal
    1) Pieces of candy hidden behind little doors way too small to stimulate tastebuds.

    2) "Pictures" of Santa, angels, etc. are actually nano-assembler based micro-lifeforms which can infect human hosts, alter their neurons, and make them generous and jolly . . . forever.

    3) Tiny illuminated menorah delayed until cold fusion nano-generators perfected.
  • The rectangular Advent calendar measures 8.4m by 12.4mu.gifm and is etched onto a semi-conducting gallium arsenide wafer coated with Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) - used to make Perspex.

    So much for having it color coded to match the candles!

  • Given that they made it in two hours, how much work is involved in etching lines at the nanometer level, once you have the equipment? I s it just a matter of drawing image in a MS-Paint like program, and clicking 'print'? Or is there more to it?

    • Re:How hard would this be for them? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by eggnoglatte (1047660) on Saturday December 15 2007, @06:02PM (#21712204)
      TFA says they had to program the path of the beam to etch the image. So it does sound that once they have the equipment it is just playing aroudn with it. That said, TFA also suggests that the equipment was actually developed in that research group. So they did the science, and then applied it in a fun way.

      It is interesting what scientists have to go through to get some public attention. Develop and build a cool device, and nobody cares. Use it to print a picture that ties in with a seasonal festivity, and you are all over the press (well, kind of).

  • That is so German (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ciaohound (118419) on Saturday December 15 2007, @05:12PM (#21711792)
    Do the Germans have a lock on advent calendar technology? My sister gives them to my kids every Thanksgiving, printed paper ones, and they're made in Germany. Honestly, what are the economics of that? Or, why aren't they made in China like everything else?
    • We have them here in Sweden too, usually slightly different in that the little doors are more randomly spread over it. Usually over a picture that shows some Christmas scenery. Searching on Google I get the impression that in Germany this regular ordering is more common, though with the numbers in any order just like on the micrometer image.

      Are they often seen in the US? Are they traditional there too? — And what about other countries?
      • They're in the US, but I don't see them that often. I think I remember one printed on card stock when I was a child, two layers, a picture behind and I try to open the door.

        The movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation featured one, that might be the only one I've seen in popular culture.
      • They are pretty common in Australia with the numbers scrambled.
      • Most of the ones I've seen in the UK, and all of the ones I've seen in the last 10 years, have had a chocolate behind each door. Are these normal elsewhere?

        I've also seen countdown-to-Hannukah and countdown-to-Diwali ones for sale here.
        • I've seen those here in Sweden, but here they're relatively new, I saw the first one just a few years back. I think they're still unusual.

    • Re:That is so German (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Reaperducer (871695) on Saturday December 15 2007, @06:45PM (#21712518) Homepage
      A true geek would have the Lego Advent Calendar, which has little Lego guys or trucks or whatever to assemble behind each door.

      Actually, you can skip this year's edition -- it's pretty lame. Mostly firefighters and construction equipment. This morning was a convenience store check-out lane. But previous years have been very cool.
      • 'A convenience store check-out lane'

        Well you cant get more christmassy than that.
      • I've seen the lego one and its really cool. What I would want though is a case of Kinder Eggs with each day written on them. They blow those little legos out of the water for small sets.

    • Do the Germans have a lock on advent calendar technology? My sister gives them to my kids every Thanksgiving, printed paper ones, and they're made in Germany. Honestly, what are the economics of that? Or, why aren't they made in China like everything else?
      Because everyone knows the chinese knock-off Advent Calendars contain lead! No thanks! I'll keep buying my Advent Calendars from Germany.
    • Germany has been, more or less, the printmaking capital of the Western world since the invention of the printing press.
  • Nice of them to use the Linux Penguin as the Snowman.. Only 2 micrometers small too - Awww!
  • ...to make the world's biggest advent calendar? Who wants smaller chocolates?
  • The worlds smallest Projector [bbc.co.uk] was a cool idea, what other crazy crap are Ze Germans(TM) going to shrink next?
  • > It would take about five million of the miniature calendars to cover a postage stamp

    Why would I want to cover a postage stamp with miniature advent calendars when I could use just one from Hallmark to do the same job?

  • You know Google has reached commodity status... (Score:5, Funny)

    by White Flame (1074973) on Saturday December 15 2007, @09:11PM (#21713490)

    Weiss believes his team's advent calendar is the smallest in the world, but admits he has no hard evidence to back that up. 'I searched on google and could find nothing smaller,' he said.
    ...when even the Germans don't capitalize the word!
  • Were they expecting it might take a couple more days to make it? :)
  • It isn't about bashing Christianity. It is about promoting wonder, understanding, and science. Imagine putting a fractal there. Look at the snowman--isn't that good enough?

    Posting under my real name despite the karma loss.

    • I know TOTALLY (Score:5, Funny)

      by explosivejared (1186049) <hagan.jared@NOspAm.gmail.com> on Saturday December 15 2007, @04:18PM (#21711396)
      The team needed two attempts to make the calendar. 'The whole process lasted about two hours ,' Neumaier said."

      That two hours probably was the key to curing cancer, ending the war in Iraq, ending world hunger, solving p=np, and everything other problem that the world has been faced with. You sir a luminary whose insight is all too often lost on this world. I salute you!

      Don't listen to the naysayers that naysay that this was a harmless little piece of fun. The world couldn't stand to lose your wisdom.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by conlaw (983784)
      That was my first thought, too, but I actually thought about it. In having the enthusiasm and taking the time to make these micro-designs, the crew members probably learned and/or perfected techniques that will one day resurface when they're needed for something Important. If one of these folks is able to save a life by being able to do quick and accurate nanotube work, the after-hours efforts spent on this project will have been worth it.
    • I hear you, man. Totally wasteful. Almost like using a vast globe-spanning communication network to whine about how a grad school team uses a bit of its free time...

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by FooAtWFU (699187)
      N team members for 2 hours making something silly and fun, with personal relevance, and no doubt having a great time doing it. How is this such a waste?

      Now, writing contentless posts implicitly and explicitly slamming Christianity on Slashdot, that I'll give you as a Waste.

    • My thoughts exactly. If it doesn't have chocolate, it's not an advent calendar.

    • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by gronofer (838299)

      I'm not sure what to make of it.

      Once again, scientists show that they can do things that priests can only dream of.

      Once again, a new technology is subverted to promote religion.

    • And why don't scientists have a right to have some play time, too? We enjoy our computer games, we shop at thinkgeek, that's not really pushing technology ahead either.

      Maybe you're just jealous that they may play with those cool nanotech toys.

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