Designing a board game takes more than spreadsheets and theory. While it’s possible to model every permutation of scores on a computer, what no algorithm can tell you is how it feels to actually play the game. That’s where the real magic (and hard work) happens. Over the weekend, Sean Roberts and I rolled up our sleeves and printed off multiple versions of cards and boards to see how different mechanics played out in practice. We shuffled, scored, restarted, debated, and scribbled notes on the margins. It was equal parts testing and playing and honestly, a lot of fun. What We Explored We experimented with: Scoring systems – tweaking values to see how they changed the balance of play. Different card types – from small and quick to big and slow with the ability to overlap, adding unpredictability and challenge. Board size and layout – how much space should a player have, and how does that shape decisions? Timelines and pacing – ensuring the game unfolds with energy, without dragging or e

There’s something satisfying about seeing a big idea take shape especially when it arrives in a big box, ready to be opened. This week, we hit a major Collider Cafe milestone: our first fully finished product is here. The card decks have arrived! To mark the moment, my daughters decided to spell out something suitably iconic:E = mc², Einstein’s famous equation linking energy and mass, and one of the most recognised symbols of scientific discovery. Why that equation? Because it captures what Collider Cafe is all about: energy, transformation, and the power of ideas. These decks represent more than just cards, they’re the first physical product born from the sketches, prototypes, tests, and conversations that have shaped this journey over the last year. From concept to delivery, this project has involved: Collaborating with designers Selecting materials Finding suppliers Testing concepts And finally… stacking boxes into equations on the living room floor 😄 This is just the beginning. Wi

This week marks an exciting milestone for one of our biggest Collider Cafe projects so far - our Voyager-themed STEM ecxperience is heading out for its first real test missions. After months of designing, prototyping, refining, and tinkering (often in the company of coffee cups and scribbled notebooks), we’re sending out the first full version of the game, complete with all printed materials, to a small group of testers. These lucky first players will help us understand how the experience works in real hands, on real tables, with real families playing and learning together. Their feedback will be essential as we fine-tune everything from game mechanics and difficulty to the way instructions are explained and how teams interact with the content. We’re aiming for a wider release toward the end of the year, ideally in time for families to explore it over the holidays. Between now and then, we’ll be iterating based on what we learn, testing new ideas, and sharing updates as we go. Thank yo

In 1962, as John Glenn prepared to become the first American to orbit the Earth, he had one final request before launch: "Get the girl to check the numbers." That "girl" was Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose quiet brilliance would help change the course of space history. Katherine Johnson was one of NASA’s "human computers" — a team of highly skilled mathematicians who calculated flight trajectories long before digital computers became reliable. Her work ensured that American spacecraft would not only reach their destinations, but also return home safely. Her most famous contributions came during the Apollo program, including the 1969 lunar landing. Johnson's calculations were crucial in plotting the precise trajectories that would guide Apollo 11 to the Moon and, just as importantly, bring the astronauts back to Earth. Her mastery of orbital mechanics turned what once seemed like science fiction into reality. But Katherine Johnson’s story isn’t just about numbers. It’s about co

At first glance, it looks cryptic, almost poetic, a swirl of Greek letters and symbols. But this single equation opened a door into the bizarre and beautiful world of quantum mechanics. Historical Context n the 1920s, physicists were grappling with the strange behavior of electrons and atoms - particles that didn't seem to follow the tidy, predictable rules of classical physics. Enter Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian physicist with a passion for waves and a knack for elegant mathematics. In 1926, inspired by Louis de Broglie’s idea that particles can have wave-like properties, Schrödinger published his now-famous wave equation. The equation describes how the quantum state of a system, captured in what we call a wave function (Ψ), evolves over time. It was a revolutionary shift: instead of tracking particles like tiny billiard balls, we began to think of them as probability clouds, spread out and fuzzy, only snapping into a definite state when observed. What Does It Actually Do? At its he

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Octopus Energy Tech Summit during London Climate Action Week — and it left me genuinely inspired. Now, I’ve attended more than my fair share of conferences over the years. Most are full of good intentions, a few spark interesting ideas, and some blur together by the end of the day. But this one stood out. It wasn’t just about energy or policy or climate; it was about the power of human creativity, the potential of technology, and the responsibility we share to shape the future. It was also a powerful reminder of why I started Collider Cafe. Creativity, Curiosity, and the Climate From astronauts to AI ethicists, physicists to philosophers, the day brought together people who don’t just work in STEM — they use it to challenge the status quo, tell new stories, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Highglights for me were: Chris Hadfield reminded us that exploration and progress are driven not just by technology, but by the application