Saturday, January 07, 2006

MMCs

Metal Matrix Composites, or MMCs, re a big part of my life, as my PhD research is all about the laser deposition process for creating a MMC surface on stainless steel. At the moment I'm happy becuase I got a ouple of good results during last week, which means the ball is rolling again. I would like to get this degree done by 2007, to prove that life DOES begin at 40.
Meanwhile - my writing work for Dark Realm Miniatures is progressing - it's not every day that someone who has studied astronomy gets to create his own galaxy!

That's it for now - anyone who wants to read something miles better than this could try a search for Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize acceptance speech - it sure brings a ray of light to the world.

And listen to Gershwin.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Going North


It's funny, but 5 times out of the 6 I've been to Italy, I've not gone North of Taormina. Which, if you check a map, is quite Northernly - as long as you stick to Sicily!
The only place North of that was Bologna, and I only spent 2 days there, meeting a scientist at the CNR there. Go on, look it up, that's what Google's for. (sorry, I'm feeling lazy)

Someday we'll go on a holiday - to Pisa, Firenze, and Venezia. And Rome.


The pic comes from our last visit, a day trip to Mt. Etna and Modica. And that's my first ever real snowfall. Right in the Sivestri crater.

Cheers all.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Two double-oh six

Tsk - missed the end-of-year post.
People are creatures of change. The start of the New Year is a day like any other, when the Earth is located at a none-too-particular a position on it's orbit. It's not even as significant as the equinoxes or the solstices, which are distinct points on the orbit. And yet, the start of a new year, with its resolution paraphernalia and out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new is a celebration of change, of opportunity. It would be better to consider each - umm - minute as a new minute, and celebrate it - but then change would be too frequent, and would not, in fact represent change.
I think I'm being a wet blanket again.

Today I stored a Pylon and a Village, and unearthed a boxful of skeletons. Oh, and a troll.

And a Vanmullikan is something you won't find using a search engine. You would find a Mullikan, so I added the Van.

Cheers all, and all the best for 2006. The next year is Bond's....
PS - no, that's not his new car.