Once again I am sorry for not having updated this blog in a couple of months. The last thing I wrote about was the marathon walk that Raewyn and I did. We've both recovered; in fact we even went for a walk last Saturday up to Boulder Hill (Belmont Regional Park), training for Queen Charlotte / Milford track / the next marathon walk... I think she's hooked now :) Anyway it was a gorgeous day to be out and about.
September is birthday month for our family. It was Mum's 60th on the 25th, and Al's 29th on the 30th. So we had a surprise in store for Mum a couple of weeks ago - dinner at a restaurant in town, followed by cake and presents and games at my house. We invited Uncle Derek and co as well and it was a really enjoyable evening (although I think Mum was a little worried at times about what we had planned next!).
August and September were pretty slow and steady work-wise; no trips away, which is good for actually settling in and getting things done. There are a number of papers which I've started working on and not finished, so now is the time to make some progress on those. The first half of October is the same; after Labour Day (22 Oct) I have a trip to Melbourne for 24 hrs of experiments, then in November I'm off for a conference circuit of Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide for 3 weeks.
About two weeks ago we had badminton club champs. My first game was the open ladies' singles final. It went to three sets and was probably one of the best singles games I've played in. Eventually I lost (20-22, 21-9, 15-21), or you could look at it as coming runner-up and winning the plate! My second game was the open ladies' doubles final, where I was teamed up with the girl I played against in the singles. We won that one reasonably easily. After that it was open mixed doubles, where there were four pairings and again my partner and I came runners-up.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Recovery
So the last few days we have been recovering... and seeing the sights of Brisbane at the same time.
On Sunday we had a gentle wander around Roma Street Park, taking full advantage of the facilities for disabled people!
On Monday we took the hop-on hop-off 'City Sights' bus tour around the city. We stopped at Mount Coot-tha and the Botanic Gardens. Our tickets gave us access to the City Cat ferries for the day, so in the late afternoon we jumped on one to have a bit of a ride up and down the river.
On Tuesday (today) we found our way to a bike hire place and rode around across the Story Bridge, down to the City Botanic Gardens, across to South Bank, and around Kangaroo Point. We both really enjoyed it, as it allowed us to see more of the city than we would have by walking, and at our own pace. Later in the afternoon we went to the science museum, until we got kicked out at 5 pm because they were closing. We are still moving slowly, but definitely on the mend!
On Sunday we had a gentle wander around Roma Street Park, taking full advantage of the facilities for disabled people!
On Monday we took the hop-on hop-off 'City Sights' bus tour around the city. We stopped at Mount Coot-tha and the Botanic Gardens. Our tickets gave us access to the City Cat ferries for the day, so in the late afternoon we jumped on one to have a bit of a ride up and down the river.
On Tuesday (today) we found our way to a bike hire place and rode around across the Story Bridge, down to the City Botanic Gardens, across to South Bank, and around Kangaroo Point. We both really enjoyed it, as it allowed us to see more of the city than we would have by walking, and at our own pace. Later in the afternoon we went to the science museum, until we got kicked out at 5 pm because they were closing. We are still moving slowly, but definitely on the mend!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Marathon day!
So you're reading this, which means we survived the Bridge of Hope marathon walk today!
At the start line, bright and early. Kick-off: 7 am.
The task: 218 walkers, 42 km. The weather: perfect.
During leg 1, the path went through picturesque parks and followed the canal.
Arriving at pit stop 1. Leg 1: 13.5 km, 2h:21m.
20 minutes later, we were off again, through the Boondall Wetlands. This was time to practice our cyclist avoidance tactics!
Leg 2: 13.5 km, 2h:24m
Just about to cross the bridge! - the feature of the third and final leg. It's 3 km long but didn't feel as long and demoralising as we were expecting!
Arriving at the finish! Leg 3: 15 km, 3h:13m
The consequences of our madness!
Pfft... girls and shoes!! (Honestly, we needed them all...)
Friday, August 3, 2012
Reconnaissance
We arrived in Brisbane yesterday for our marathon walk tomorrow - eventually (our flight was a little delayed leaving Wellington). Surprisingly the quarantine people in Brisbane didn't bother checking our boots etc. when we went through - we had washed them, but you would still expect them to check.
We have an apartment booked while in Brisbane, it's about 15 minutes away from the start point for tomorrow, and not far away from the city either. It also has scenic views over the river and the city:
Yesterday after we arrived and had dinner, we went to the supermarket to stock up on breakfast supplies and food etc. for the walk. We even found a 'New Zealand' section, which had items such as various Griffins' biscuits, Twisties, L&P, Raro, Maggi soup, chocolate fish... and ironically, it was located in the 'health food' section!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Today we decided to go for a drive to find the start point and various pitstops along the route. We found our way around without too many problems, and had lunch at a cafe near the finishing point. After that it was back to the apartment to rest up before tomorrow!
Crossing the Hornibrook highway bridge - 3 km long, right at the end of the walk
Lunch stop with Steph the kiwi, our mascot
Hopefully we will look this happy at the finish line tomorrow!
We have an apartment booked while in Brisbane, it's about 15 minutes away from the start point for tomorrow, and not far away from the city either. It also has scenic views over the river and the city:
Yesterday after we arrived and had dinner, we went to the supermarket to stock up on breakfast supplies and food etc. for the walk. We even found a 'New Zealand' section, which had items such as various Griffins' biscuits, Twisties, L&P, Raro, Maggi soup, chocolate fish... and ironically, it was located in the 'health food' section!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Today we decided to go for a drive to find the start point and various pitstops along the route. We found our way around without too many problems, and had lunch at a cafe near the finishing point. After that it was back to the apartment to rest up before tomorrow!
Crossing the Hornibrook highway bridge - 3 km long, right at the end of the walk
Lunch stop with Steph the kiwi, our mascot
Hopefully we will look this happy at the finish line tomorrow!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
One week to go!
So it's only one week until we do our marathon walk for Bridge of Hope!
Last night we had our fundraising quiz, which went really well. We had 7 teams, an interesting collection of people who are, I think it's safe to say, never going to be in the same room again: three teams from church, one team from my work, one team of my brothers and a couple from their home group, one team of my mum and dad's neighbours, one team of some people I knew from badminton and their friends!
It's been quite overwhelming the amount of support that I've had. I found fundraising for the Oxfam trailwalker walk quite hard, and made a little over $600 which was the bare minimum. I was expecting people to be less generous this time because most of them wouldn't have heard of Gospel for Asia or Bridge of Hope - and I was fully expecting some people not to support me because it's a Christian orgnaisation. But so far the two of us have raised over $3000 with a pretty even split, which is awesome for the cause (and humbling at the same time)!
Now that the quiz is over, which I was thinking to make the culmination of my fundraising efforts, I can relax a bit - and concentrate on walking a marathon next Saturday!
(Speaking of which, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but there is a 'walker tracking' page which will be available on the day, so you can track our progress through each of the pit stops.
http://www.thebridge.net.au/eventw/tb_event.html )
Last night we had our fundraising quiz, which went really well. We had 7 teams, an interesting collection of people who are, I think it's safe to say, never going to be in the same room again: three teams from church, one team from my work, one team of my brothers and a couple from their home group, one team of my mum and dad's neighbours, one team of some people I knew from badminton and their friends!
It's been quite overwhelming the amount of support that I've had. I found fundraising for the Oxfam trailwalker walk quite hard, and made a little over $600 which was the bare minimum. I was expecting people to be less generous this time because most of them wouldn't have heard of Gospel for Asia or Bridge of Hope - and I was fully expecting some people not to support me because it's a Christian orgnaisation. But so far the two of us have raised over $3000 with a pretty even split, which is awesome for the cause (and humbling at the same time)!
Now that the quiz is over, which I was thinking to make the culmination of my fundraising efforts, I can relax a bit - and concentrate on walking a marathon next Saturday!
(Speaking of which, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but there is a 'walker tracking' page which will be available on the day, so you can track our progress through each of the pit stops.
http://www.thebridge.net.au/eventw/tb_event.html )
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Busy
So I think it's suffice to say I've been busy lately... with my marathon walk for Gospel for Asia coming up in only two-and-a-half weeks, the fundraising is pretty full-on at the moment. I am selling home baking 3 times a week at work, and have raised about $400 so far. On top of that we are organising a quiz night for next Friday, 27 July. And the same day I am giving three lectures as part of an X-ray diffraction workshop at Vic.
Today I am in Melbourne for a proposal advisory committee meeting. It's a flying visit - so not having any luggage apart from my backpack feels a little weird, but it's not the first time I've done it. I stay overnight and then fly back to Wellington tomorrow. And am then helping some people with some small angle X-ray scattering measurements at Vic the following day.
Like I said, I've been busy!
(Oh and if you'd like to sponsor me for my walk, just click here, select my name from the list of walkers, and remember the amount is in AUD!)
Today I am in Melbourne for a proposal advisory committee meeting. It's a flying visit - so not having any luggage apart from my backpack feels a little weird, but it's not the first time I've done it. I stay overnight and then fly back to Wellington tomorrow. And am then helping some people with some small angle X-ray scattering measurements at Vic the following day.
Like I said, I've been busy!
(Oh and if you'd like to sponsor me for my walk, just click here, select my name from the list of walkers, and remember the amount is in AUD!)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Feeling the heat
So I've recovered from the spleen vent yesterday.
Today it's HOT... and I have photographic evidence to share with you. (Edit: I should say where I am! - Argonne National Lab, near Chicago.)
And some arithmetic:
99 F -> 99 - 32 = 67 * 5/9 = 37.2 C
Today it's HOT... and I have photographic evidence to share with you. (Edit: I should say where I am! - Argonne National Lab, near Chicago.)
And some arithmetic:
99 F -> 99 - 32 = 67 * 5/9 = 37.2 C
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The U. S. of Arrrgh
So I've been in the US for less than 3 days, and lots of things about it are already really getting on my nerves. I can hardly believe that I lived here for 15 months... and I've never felt like such a foreigner in a place where I thought I was supposed to be able to speak the language.
Maybe that's the problem - Americans use the same words as us, but they mean different things. Take the word 'solicitor' for example. In New Zealand it means a lawyer. In the US it means someone who solicits, be they someone offering you a taxi ride at the airport or a homeless person on the street asking for a few coins. So, not a lawyer.
So here are a few of the frustrating things that happened to me in the last couple of days...
1) I went to a shop and was waiting in a line at the checkout to buy something. As soon as the person in front walked away, a family of four pushed in front of me, saying that I wasn't in the line because the line was over there. I looked and there was no line, no sign, nothing to say that's how it worked. Maybe I didn't see the invisible sign, 'foreigners not welcome here'.
2) I had to fill up the car before taking it back to the airport this morning, so I pulled into a petrol station (well 'gas station', except I was getting fuel in a liquid form not a gas, yeah ok I understand it's an abbreviation of gasoline but don't you think calling a liquid 'gas' is a bit strange?). Now I know from past experience that you have to go to the counter first and pre-pay some money, or hand over a credit card, before they'll activate the pump. But the guy asked 'is it a rental', to which I said yes, then he said I had to hand over the keys. I wasn't quite sure if that's what I'd heard, so I just stood there holding out my credit card. Then he insisted, 'the keys', so I gave them to him and he drawled something I didn't get, so I asked him, 'sorry, what did you say?' Then he replied r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y l-i-k-e I w-a-s a-n i-d-i-o-t 'You have to push the button for which fuel you want.'
3a) Checking in at the self-help kiosk. First I couldn't find the 'confirmation code' on my ticket. I have a booking reference (which is for the travel agent), a ticket number, but nothing saying 'confirmation code'. So I asked one of the staff what I should do, so he looks over the ticket and says, 'Oh it's this one here - the PNR.' I have no idea what PNR stands for. Nor how I was supposed to know that PNR and confirmation code are the same thing.
3b) Then when I entered the PNR it came up with a message saying it couldn't process an inter-airline ticket. I presume that means Virgin America doesn't like Air New Zealand? Even though I have a PNR?
3c) So I head for the line saying 'Full service check-in' as that's what the screen told me to. And I have to stand there, waiting, while three airline staff members are tied up having their photos taken with a handbag-dog wearing a little red jumper for some sort of promotional thing. And I have to try not to get frustrated at other people in the line oohing and ahhing over how cute the dog is - which it wasn't. It was wearing a flipping jumper. Stop laughing, it's not funny.
3d) Finally I manage to make it to a counter to check in. 'So you have one bag to check today?' Yes. 'That'll be $25.' No, it's supposed to be included in the price. 'Oh, ok then.'
4a) Airport security. Another misunderstanding in pronunciation... I was waiting in the line to have my boarding pass and ID (passport) checked. There was one counter, and one person behind it checking. Then another person came along, stood next to her, and started calling, 'Max, Max.' He was looking in my direction, so I looked around thinking he was calling to a co-worker. But no, he was calling 'Next' and I was holding up the works by standing there looking like an idiot.
4b) Then we have to pick a line to have all our stuff X-rayed. I watched a girl aged probably about 11 or 12 struggle to pick up her suitcase (which would have been larger than the bag I checked in) to put it on the counter. I looked around and counted how many pieces of luggage people seemed to have on average. Bearing in mind that you're supposedly only allowed one, plus 'a personal item, like a small handbag or laptop bag', I'm sure the average was over two. But then if airlines are charging $25 to check a bag, it's not surprising really. I wonder if Americans travelling by air in other countries realise how much less stressful things are, because people don't have excessive amounts of carry-on luggage? (In my world, the rule would be, if you can't carry it on, then it's not carry-on.)
4c) Also there was a woman travelling with her son. She pulled a zip-lock bag out of her luggage and offered it to him: 'Do you want some ice? Take what you want then throw the rest away.' Ice? You packed ice??
4d) Today I had my first experience of the nudie scanner - oops, I mean the terahertz scanner. Thankfully it sounds like the TSA has done something about everyone's privacy concerns because they had a sign up saying that the image is analysed by a computer and projected onto a generic person figure for the officer to check. I was wearing my pants that have zips partway down the leg so they can be converted to shorts. And the female officer wanted to check the zips because they showed up on the scanner. Um...? Guess they don't get many German tourists through SFO.
5a) Finally I arrived at the gate, having bought an overpriced sandwich (but which was large enough for two meals, so I ate half on the plane and had the other half once I arrived at the lab accommodation in Chicago). There I encounter another sign, which I can read ok, but doesn't mean much to me: "Wanna PREBOARD?? Just let us gate check your bag... :D" (yes, complete with capitals and emoticon). I'm perturbed as to what 'gate check your bag' means. Check that my bag is not a gate? Check at the gate that I have a bag? Check that it's my bag? Check my bag in at the gate? In which case, what was the point in lugging it through the terminal, for those who did? And perhaps most importantly, do you still get charged the $25?
5b) The only positive thing about the airport: after boarding their first class passengers, families with children under 5, those requiring extra assistance, and super-duper frequent flyers, they made an announcement that anyone who didn't need to put a bag in the overhead bins could board before everyone else. Since I was sitting in 4A (i.e. a window) I figured I may as well get on at that point. I'm not sure if they did this because (i) it wouldn't apply to most people, (ii) putting bags overhead is what takes the most time, (iii) they're being nice to people who checked a bag earlier. But anyway I thought it was a good idea, and more US airlines should consider it.
5c) One last thing - and this is not so much that I didn't understand it as it was something that didn't make a lot of sense: as we were getting on the plane they had a bin with headphones available to purchase for (says the sign) "$2 bucks". Now I get that Virgin is trying to be edgy, so I know what they mean by "two bucks", but then surely you don't need the dollar sign? Because isn't that then "two dollars bucks"?
One final thing in general that has disappointed me - actually two, the food has been noticeably bad. I opened a pottle of yogurt the other day which was shiny. Yogurt's not supposed to be shiny. And then I read the label a bit closer, and it seemed proud of the fact it had aspartame instead of sugar. Not that aspartame would have made it shiny - but it was obviously so over-processed that it couldn't have been good. So I threw it out.
Anyway, the final thing: is how wasteful American society is. The packaging on everything. And while Californians think they're so green by recycling and using 'compostable materials' (which I think is what we call 'biodegradeable'?), the simple fact remains that they wouldn't need to recycle all their plastic and cardboard if things weren't packaged in so much plastic and cardboard. At the rental car place at SFO, after you park the car, you take a lift or 4 escalators down to ground level, then take another lift or escalator up to the AirTrain. Instead of going up and over one level. I guess the woman with the boy and the ice fits the bill here. And the smog as we climbed away from San Fran. Too many people, who all have too much money and too much stuff. I'm so glad I moved back to New Zealand. I'm not saying it's perfect, but there are a lot of things it seems to do much more efficiently than the US does.
Maybe that's the problem - Americans use the same words as us, but they mean different things. Take the word 'solicitor' for example. In New Zealand it means a lawyer. In the US it means someone who solicits, be they someone offering you a taxi ride at the airport or a homeless person on the street asking for a few coins. So, not a lawyer.
So here are a few of the frustrating things that happened to me in the last couple of days...
1) I went to a shop and was waiting in a line at the checkout to buy something. As soon as the person in front walked away, a family of four pushed in front of me, saying that I wasn't in the line because the line was over there. I looked and there was no line, no sign, nothing to say that's how it worked. Maybe I didn't see the invisible sign, 'foreigners not welcome here'.
2) I had to fill up the car before taking it back to the airport this morning, so I pulled into a petrol station (well 'gas station', except I was getting fuel in a liquid form not a gas, yeah ok I understand it's an abbreviation of gasoline but don't you think calling a liquid 'gas' is a bit strange?). Now I know from past experience that you have to go to the counter first and pre-pay some money, or hand over a credit card, before they'll activate the pump. But the guy asked 'is it a rental', to which I said yes, then he said I had to hand over the keys. I wasn't quite sure if that's what I'd heard, so I just stood there holding out my credit card. Then he insisted, 'the keys', so I gave them to him and he drawled something I didn't get, so I asked him, 'sorry, what did you say?' Then he replied r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y l-i-k-e I w-a-s a-n i-d-i-o-t 'You have to push the button for which fuel you want.'
3a) Checking in at the self-help kiosk. First I couldn't find the 'confirmation code' on my ticket. I have a booking reference (which is for the travel agent), a ticket number, but nothing saying 'confirmation code'. So I asked one of the staff what I should do, so he looks over the ticket and says, 'Oh it's this one here - the PNR.' I have no idea what PNR stands for. Nor how I was supposed to know that PNR and confirmation code are the same thing.
3b) Then when I entered the PNR it came up with a message saying it couldn't process an inter-airline ticket. I presume that means Virgin America doesn't like Air New Zealand? Even though I have a PNR?
3c) So I head for the line saying 'Full service check-in' as that's what the screen told me to. And I have to stand there, waiting, while three airline staff members are tied up having their photos taken with a handbag-dog wearing a little red jumper for some sort of promotional thing. And I have to try not to get frustrated at other people in the line oohing and ahhing over how cute the dog is - which it wasn't. It was wearing a flipping jumper. Stop laughing, it's not funny.
3d) Finally I manage to make it to a counter to check in. 'So you have one bag to check today?' Yes. 'That'll be $25.' No, it's supposed to be included in the price. 'Oh, ok then.'
4a) Airport security. Another misunderstanding in pronunciation... I was waiting in the line to have my boarding pass and ID (passport) checked. There was one counter, and one person behind it checking. Then another person came along, stood next to her, and started calling, 'Max, Max.' He was looking in my direction, so I looked around thinking he was calling to a co-worker. But no, he was calling 'Next' and I was holding up the works by standing there looking like an idiot.
4b) Then we have to pick a line to have all our stuff X-rayed. I watched a girl aged probably about 11 or 12 struggle to pick up her suitcase (which would have been larger than the bag I checked in) to put it on the counter. I looked around and counted how many pieces of luggage people seemed to have on average. Bearing in mind that you're supposedly only allowed one, plus 'a personal item, like a small handbag or laptop bag', I'm sure the average was over two. But then if airlines are charging $25 to check a bag, it's not surprising really. I wonder if Americans travelling by air in other countries realise how much less stressful things are, because people don't have excessive amounts of carry-on luggage? (In my world, the rule would be, if you can't carry it on, then it's not carry-on.)
4c) Also there was a woman travelling with her son. She pulled a zip-lock bag out of her luggage and offered it to him: 'Do you want some ice? Take what you want then throw the rest away.' Ice? You packed ice??
4d) Today I had my first experience of the nudie scanner - oops, I mean the terahertz scanner. Thankfully it sounds like the TSA has done something about everyone's privacy concerns because they had a sign up saying that the image is analysed by a computer and projected onto a generic person figure for the officer to check. I was wearing my pants that have zips partway down the leg so they can be converted to shorts. And the female officer wanted to check the zips because they showed up on the scanner. Um...? Guess they don't get many German tourists through SFO.
5a) Finally I arrived at the gate, having bought an overpriced sandwich (but which was large enough for two meals, so I ate half on the plane and had the other half once I arrived at the lab accommodation in Chicago). There I encounter another sign, which I can read ok, but doesn't mean much to me: "Wanna PREBOARD?? Just let us gate check your bag... :D" (yes, complete with capitals and emoticon). I'm perturbed as to what 'gate check your bag' means. Check that my bag is not a gate? Check at the gate that I have a bag? Check that it's my bag? Check my bag in at the gate? In which case, what was the point in lugging it through the terminal, for those who did? And perhaps most importantly, do you still get charged the $25?
5b) The only positive thing about the airport: after boarding their first class passengers, families with children under 5, those requiring extra assistance, and super-duper frequent flyers, they made an announcement that anyone who didn't need to put a bag in the overhead bins could board before everyone else. Since I was sitting in 4A (i.e. a window) I figured I may as well get on at that point. I'm not sure if they did this because (i) it wouldn't apply to most people, (ii) putting bags overhead is what takes the most time, (iii) they're being nice to people who checked a bag earlier. But anyway I thought it was a good idea, and more US airlines should consider it.
5c) One last thing - and this is not so much that I didn't understand it as it was something that didn't make a lot of sense: as we were getting on the plane they had a bin with headphones available to purchase for (says the sign) "$2 bucks". Now I get that Virgin is trying to be edgy, so I know what they mean by "two bucks", but then surely you don't need the dollar sign? Because isn't that then "two dollars bucks"?
One final thing in general that has disappointed me - actually two, the food has been noticeably bad. I opened a pottle of yogurt the other day which was shiny. Yogurt's not supposed to be shiny. And then I read the label a bit closer, and it seemed proud of the fact it had aspartame instead of sugar. Not that aspartame would have made it shiny - but it was obviously so over-processed that it couldn't have been good. So I threw it out.
Anyway, the final thing: is how wasteful American society is. The packaging on everything. And while Californians think they're so green by recycling and using 'compostable materials' (which I think is what we call 'biodegradeable'?), the simple fact remains that they wouldn't need to recycle all their plastic and cardboard if things weren't packaged in so much plastic and cardboard. At the rental car place at SFO, after you park the car, you take a lift or 4 escalators down to ground level, then take another lift or escalator up to the AirTrain. Instead of going up and over one level. I guess the woman with the boy and the ice fits the bill here. And the smog as we climbed away from San Fran. Too many people, who all have too much money and too much stuff. I'm so glad I moved back to New Zealand. I'm not saying it's perfect, but there are a lot of things it seems to do much more efficiently than the US does.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Next trip
I bet you can hardly believe this as much as me... I'm off again on yet another trip away.
It's less than three weeks since Mum and I got back from Europe, then I was in Melbourne for a week, and now I'm off to the U. S. of A.
I'm heading to Chicago to do some experiments at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab. It's the largest synchrotron facility in North America, and home to one of the few (i.e. 2) beamline instruments in the world which offers high resolution X-ray diffraction at temperatures down to 10 K (that's -263 deg Celsius). I'm looking at some high temperature superconductor materials: one that has oxygen-16 and one with oxygen-18. If these experiments work, it should help shed some light on the isotope effect, which is one of the puzzles surrounding the theory of high temperature superconductivity. (I tried to find a wikipedia, or similar, entry on the 'isotope effect' but no luck - you can try googling it if you like, but chances are you'll end up with some journal article from Physical Review that even I don't fully understand!)
The good news is... after this, I only have one more trip planned before our trip to Brisbane in August for the Gospel for Asia marathon walk...
It's less than three weeks since Mum and I got back from Europe, then I was in Melbourne for a week, and now I'm off to the U. S. of A.
I'm heading to Chicago to do some experiments at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab. It's the largest synchrotron facility in North America, and home to one of the few (i.e. 2) beamline instruments in the world which offers high resolution X-ray diffraction at temperatures down to 10 K (that's -263 deg Celsius). I'm looking at some high temperature superconductor materials: one that has oxygen-16 and one with oxygen-18. If these experiments work, it should help shed some light on the isotope effect, which is one of the puzzles surrounding the theory of high temperature superconductivity. (I tried to find a wikipedia, or similar, entry on the 'isotope effect' but no luck - you can try googling it if you like, but chances are you'll end up with some journal article from Physical Review that even I don't fully understand!)
The good news is... after this, I only have one more trip planned before our trip to Brisbane in August for the Gospel for Asia marathon walk...
Friday, June 8, 2012
Howzat for X-ray performance!
This clip is a couple of years old now, but still classic... Former Australian cricketer Damien Fleming promoting the Australian Synchrotron.
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