Carrotin... your PC
Posted 11th December 2007 at 7:22pm by M1ke, tagged as University | Commenting Closed
I attended a research seminar today on the subject of molecular electronics. Despite this sounding mildly coma inducing it was a very well done talk, working off the premise that we can construct computers from carrots. We were shown how various molecules in nature (all carbon based) can be used to create electronic circuits, in much the same way as our favoured material, silicon. Whilst a processor using these techniques could not rival modern silicon processors for speed they can be used to make cheap electronic circuits for other uses, such as LEDs. To round up we were shown a calculator which had its battery removed and replaced with a potato and a lemon. Apparently the task had been to power it with just a potato, but the lemon was found necessary for the calculator to switch on.
Incidentally if we assume a potato and a lemon weigh about 0.2kg together, and that a calculator takes maybe 1W of power to run we can see that it would take over 400kg of fruit and veg to power a basic laptop. To put it in perspective thats 3x your weight in greens. Were this to be implemented wide scale, grocers would become very happy people indeed.
Finally we were shown a "demonstration" of a molecular manufacturing process that could be used in the future to literally have molecules construct each other - assuming we can handle the problems of Entropy which is basically the thermodynamic law that everyone wishes they could break but finds themselves unable to. Admittedly the demonstration we were shown involved small plastic santas manufacturing a car for the lecturer, but the essential point is there - just wrapped up in festivity.
All in all it was an interesting talk and the tikka sandwiches provided for attendees made it even better. As for the carrots - the future's bright, the future's...
Skydiving
Posted 15th October 2007 at 1:10pm by M1ke, tagged as University | Commenting Closed
I was first trying to think of a clever title for this post, but to be honest when you've jumped out of a plane at 3,500ft and survived the experience smart alec blog titles aren't really so cool any more.
Durham University is lucky enough to have a Free Fall Club, and with some minor hesitation I signed myself up for the first course of the year. The hessitation was due to the £160 fee, but I reasoned that it was the cheapest I'd ever be able to do it - the same centre charges £225 for members of the public. On Friday we got the bus to Shotton Colliery Airfield where our training commenced with signing lots of forms and receiving our BPA membership cards which allow us to legally skydive in the UK.
We had three hours of training on the Friday night, covering everything from different parts of the rig (or parachute), what to do with various canopy problems (the canopy is the big thing that stops one dying), and how to fly around to get a good landing on the airfield. It was rather worrying when they pointed out that nearby hazards included pylons, wind turbines, an industrial estate and the north sea but it was made fairly clear that we'd only hit them by being clueless jackasses. A little stat for you - only 1 in 10,000 skydivers die and it's usually their own fault.
After the training we moved our stuff into a crappy little bunk room (with creaky springs and bunk beds) and spent the evening in the bar chatting with some experienced skydivers. One guy (known as Wakey) was rather drunk and appeared to have ADD but was fairly amusing until we were all trying to get to sleep. The experienced guys had done from 30 to about 2,500 jumps which is quite incredible.
On the second day we had another 3 hours of training, practicing our exits from the plane (you have to arch and count for four seconds before checking your canopy has opened), going through malfunction drills (so that you know how to get your reserve out and prevent death) and shouting a lot (apparently it makes your nerves come out of your mouth instead of somewhere else). Sadly the day ended in disappointment as the cloud never got higher than about 2,000 feet, and we were unable to jump.
Not to be perturbed we returned on Sunday in the beautiful sunshine and after some re-training we were assigned to groups on the plane (called a Porter) and got geared up. After having our parachutes checked and watching a few of our friends descend (one pulled the brakes too early and had a very ungraceful landing) we boarded the plane. I was told I would be first out and as the ground moved away beneath us I began to get a nasty sick feeling in my stomach. Nevertheless once we hit 3,500 feet and the door was opened the drills took over, leaving me sat in the door waiting for the command. The instructor shouted go, I pushed away and promptly forgot everything else.
As a result I ended up doing a barrel roll because I didn't arch properly, but after counting I looked up and saw my canopy open above my head. I quickly went through the rest of my drills, then properly looked around... and it was amazing. There really is little use in trying to describe the feeling, but it was basically flying 3,000 feet up without a plane and being able to see for miles, right out to sea and all the way up the coast. With the toggles on the parachute I could steer left and right, and was basically swooping around as the ground got very slowly larger. Once I was past 1,500 feet I started getting instructions through the radio for where to turn at various points. By this point I was in control of where I went so I made a very good landing, apart from the fact that I forgot to put my legs together so fell over once I hit the ground. Regardless it wasn't painful at all and I collected up my canopy and waited for my companions to land.
Due to my ears popping repeatedly on the way up and down I had lost most of my hearing, so was shouting at everyone for at least 5 minutes (though I was so hyped at this point I may have shouted anyway) but a quick nose blow cleared that up and I went in for my debriefing. I was told I had to make a better exit, but other than that I'd done very well. The instructor was pleased to hear that I enjoyed it, and congratulated me on becoming a skydiver. In the end, if nothing else, it sure beats the hell out of your weekend :D
Get Up Earlier
Posted 6th September 2007 at 1:06pm by M1ke, tagged as University | Commenting Closed
As the return to University approaches I've been trying to get into a nice easy rhythm for all the 'get-up-early' 9 'o clock lectures that I'm sure they'll schedule for us. Of course it's more than just a matter of setting an alarm, especially when nights out can end any time up to 4am. So to help get my body into a rhythm I've been taking a few tips.
The things they suggest are mostly common sense, but there's enough there to give you a helping hand - the most useful I have found being to have a constantly updated list of stuff to do next to my bed/desk. Upon returning to University I intend to get a small whiteboard to continue this function with a bit more style.
Varsity
Posted 13th March 2007 at 1:26am by M1ke, tagged as University | Commenting Closed
The assassin's society has featured in a number of posts this year, mainly because despite the massive amount I have to say I've felt a certain lethargic streak take effect when I actually want to type it up. So on to yet another story about crazy people with toy guns (and I'm not talking about the American army; oh how witty) that happened over a week ago (Saturday 3rd March).
The Varsity match is an anual event, a game held between the assassin's of Durham and Cambridge (it used to involve Oxford too, but their society closed due to them all being eaten by a particularly savage old creaky wardrobe). This year it was the turn of Cambridge to come to us and come they did, armed with a lot of water guns and funny wooden things that fired elastic bands. We had our usual arsenal of foam dart guns, with our rubber pellet guns being banned because they look too realistic. Unfortunately whilst nerf guns are superior for assassinations the pitched battles involved in a Varsity game favoured the use of water weapons, which can be aimed upwards and sprayed for maximum area coverage. However before I tell you how we won despite their having a much higher body count I will describe the game rules.
The area of play was the entirety of Durham town, based around checkpoints. There were 6 Durham teams, each with a key. Cambridge needed at least two keys to deactivate the nuclear device aimed at their University, but the more they had the best chance of guessing where our control was located. To make sure we couldn't all just hide we had to move around between the checkpoints. The first encounter of the day came near the Maiden Castle sports ground where we found Cambridge waiting in ambush on the raised ground of the old railway. They retreated as we tried to surround them, and we pursued them a good quarter of a mile - I went into the raised forest area to make sure they couldn't escape and ended up facing three across a field but for some reason they withdrew.
We were on guard along the river but no more attacks came. We moved to engage them at the Court but to no avail, then I left my team to assist the key carrier from Blue team who's team, containing our president, had been attacked and nearly wiped out. Together we moved back to the sports ground and met up with two other survivors then went into the forest to try and ambush Cambridge at the science site - we thought that they would be unsuspecting because they wouldn't know the routes, whereas recently I have walked quite a lot in the forest. In the woods we had an amusing meeting with the Durham Treasure Trap (live action role-playing) society. Far be it from me to judge other people's activities, but it is quite funny seeing them in action, dressed in full medieval kit and even wearing pointy ears. I didn't say anything at the time because as we left their area there was a single guy hiding under a tree with a knife, muttering things and looking slightly derranged.
Unfortunately when we got to the top of the hill Cambridge were rudely not in attendance, and we went back towards Trevs college. We met more people here and even more down on Prebends bridge where we found my team had been attacked and the key taken (even though the person reporting the attack kept saying our team leader had been compromised, leading me to think Cambridge were now using rape tactics.
Finding the Cambridge team in a graveyard we attacked but they had two people hiding with water guns and our tommy gun carrier's weapon jammed, leaving him to a soaking from the southerners. One team member ran in on a last ditch attempt, though we suspect it was the draw of the dead pub that made him this heroic, rather than actual bravery. The other two of us pulled back to defend control under the command of a guy carrying a warhammer. Unfortunately he proved as apt a commander of a team as the rubber weapon across his back, stopping me from hiding to try and get behind the Cambridgites in favour of us walking backwards up Elvet bridge as he apparently ran off in another direction. The public location wasn't exactly my taste for a good fight, and their water once again proved superior to darts. I came very near to hitting the Cambridge leader, but sadly nerf darts are rather easy to dodge, wheras I would have had to fly or backflip in order to avoid his responding jet of water.
Rather glad to be out of the awkward fight I wandered after the Cambridge team to watch their assault on Control. After determining it was in a lecture theatre they proceeded to lock themselves in the antechamber to prevent our survivors from attacking them, meaning we could watch through the glass in the doors as they unsucessfully attempted to stop the missile. After a while of firing their ammo through the door they decided to use distraction tactics, sending in runners as the rest of the team fired. Having tried this three times they seemed to realise their team was depleted. Obviously fans of the First World War approach to tactics they hadn't stopped after the first time and seemed a bit confused. Nontheless they ralied and sent three more people storming in, all of whom fell to Durham, taking out only one of our defenders in the process. The final two made an attempt to run in but withdrew, to our amazement they had stolen the automatic defense gun thinking it was the nuclear control thingamajig. We laughed from outside as they tried to shove keys into a plastic toy, and were rather glad when the clock ran out and the game ended, in our favour.
I was knackered at the end, but it was a good fun day teaching a number of lessons for future matches. Firstly get a good water gun, secondly try and affect ambushes or sneaky assassin stuff instead of plain fights and finally don't listen to people who carry rubber warhammers in public.
The Monolith
Posted 9th March 2007 at 11:46am by M1ke, tagged as University | Commenting Closed
The monolith sits in my room. Standing there, a shadow in the dark it waits, silent. Slightly shorter than me it stands wider, partially open doors inviting entrance to its dark interior. Not entirely stable it nevertheless exudes prescence, looking rather medieval with a metal pole thrust through its width and panels re-inforcing its bending sides. It is made of a strange material, one with two layers and a complex internal structure. It feels just slightly rough to the touch, a faint grain on the surface. Cardboard.
But enough with my attempt at beating Dan Brown in the description of an inanimate object. Basically what I'm referring to is the cardoboard wardrobe that I have constructed over the past day and a bit for tonight's Informal Ball. The theme is films and fairytales and our table has been allocated the Chronicles of Narnia. Now whilst that world has many and varied characters the thing most people think when they hear Narnia is "Lion, witch, wardrobe!" Hence my choice of costume.
It's an interesting design, large cardboard boxes taken from the loading bay of a local shopping centre (with the kind permission of, oddly enough, a west country security guard) folded and cut to about 5 feet tall and two feet wide. Its intended that for the whole night I shall be entirely enclosed in the wardrobe, apart from my feet and however much leg sticks out, hence the metal pole which goes through my belt loops. I will have to put another pole through the top and find some way of attaching it to my head to stop the box pivoting, but it should basically be free standing, allowing me hands to hold the doors closed. I've designed a clever flap at the back so I can sit down normally and all is going well. Some paint, some more re-inforcing and some serious testing and it will be ready to go.