Boom Blox - Physics in Wii

My sister recently bought a new game called Boom Blox for the Wii. What I found most interesting about this game is the amount of physics involved in playing it.
The main goal of the game seemed to be to knock down all the blue cubes (or gems) through various creative means using as few throws as possible.
In addition, the Wii remote even allows the game to calculate how successful to make your throw based on how much force you put into it. It is not just enough to do the throwing motion, you actually have to put some muscle behind it to get a "Strong Throw". Otherwise you'll get a "Weak Throw" and the heavy blocks won't move very much.

I took a picture of my sister playing Boom Blox:

Specifically, there was one game called Teeter-Totter which required you to knock a heavy block onto the balance beam to tilt it and make all the gems fall.

Here are the before (the initial setup) and after (with the blocks falling) shots.

Overall, I was intrigued at how a very simple game of physics could be so much fun to play and yet I was hooked the first time I tried it. Without even really thinking about it, I was applying my knowledge of physics concepts like weight, force, projectile motion, velocity, etc. to help me win the game.

Cirque Du Soleil - Trapeze

On Saturday, I went with my family to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Saltimbanco. It was definitely worth it. It was humorous, the acts were amazing, and (of course) it had tons of good physics! Unfortunately, the show doesn't allow for any photography so the picture I posted is scanned from the official program book they were selling.

This was only one of the many amazing stunts they performed. If you look closely, (click on the picture for the full sized image) you'll see that the second girl is being held up only by the first girl's flexed foot! I thought this was incredible, especially when you consider how much downward force/weight her foot is supporting. In addition, the first girl isn't sitting firmly on the trapeze but holding on with one hand and her leg!

Another amazing stunt was when one man climbed up a pole using only his hands. He climbed straight up with only his hands touching the pole while keeping his body pretty much parallel to the pole. It's unbelievable to think how much strength that must require.

Overall, I was very impressed by the show and I think most people would enjoy it. If you've never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show, you should definitely consider attending one in the future. It was a wonderful mix of stunts, humor, and story and I would most certainly go again if I could.