Californium is a radioactive metallic chemical element with the symbol Cf and atomic number 98. The element was first made at the University of California, Berkeley in 1950 by bombarding curium with alpha particles (helium-4 ions). It is an actinide element, the sixth transuranium element to be synthesized, and has the second-highest atomic mass of all the elements that have been produced in amounts large enough to see with the unaided eye (after einsteinium). The element was named after California and the University of California. It is the heaviest element to occur naturally on Earth; heavier elements can only be produced by synthesis.

Two crystalline forms exist for californium under normal pressure: one above 900 °C and one below 900 °C. A third form exists at high pressure. Californium slowly tarnishes in air at room temperature. Compounds of californium are dominated by a chemical form of the element, designated californium(III), that can participate in three chemical bonds. The most stable of californium's twenty known isotopes is californium-251, which has a half-life of 898 years. This short half-life means the element is not found in significant quantities in the Earth's crust. Californium-252, with a half-life of about 2.64 years, is the most common isotope used and is produced at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States and the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Russia.

Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American musician. He has worked in several bands: Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (as one of the founding members). He also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw/Blades, and has done work alongside TMG, the Tak Matsumoto Group. His most recent efforts include a second solo CD, and Shaw/Blades is in the process of recording ‘’Influence II’’.

Jack has released one self-titled solo CD and a second one is on its way. He has written or co-written songs for Aerosmith, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, and many more artists. Jack has also produced or co-produced CDs for Night Ranger, Shaw/Blades and for several other artists including Great White, Ted Nugent, and Samantha 7, among others. Blades appears on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood album, which was released in 1989. In the 1990s, Jack co-wrote four Aerosmith songs with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Tommy Shaw: "Shut Up and Dance" (1993), "Can't Stop Messin'" (1993), "Walk on Water" (1994), "What Kind of Love Are You On" (1998). In 1998 Jack was asked by Ringo Starr to be play bass in Ringo Starr VH1 Storytellers with Joe Walsh and Simon Kirke. In 2006 Jack played the role of an 80’s Sunset Strip club owner in the Las Vegas version of the Broadway musical show “Rock Of Ages.”