Taking Data! [purplecthulhu]

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This observing trip, to Mauna Kea, has been looking doomed from the start. I had to reschedule flights, there was apocalyptically bad weather before I arrived (snow and winds >100kmh), equipment issues and my nice new powerbook died on the plane on the way here (it seems to have a problem with its memory). Last night was a total washout, and weather and equipemt issues are liekly to kill tomorrow night.

But I am now on the sky, taking data and detecting things! This is good news!

And for those of you interested, you might be able to see me on the webcam...

http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/jac-bin/jcmtvid

Real Live Astronomer - Do Not Feed (just send money)...

Mood::

accomplished

Music:: Kate Bush, Man with the Child in His Eyes

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There are 22 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

Don't you find it somewhat unnerving that you potentially have virtual folk looking over your shoulder? I know I would.

Happy collecting!

I consider it part of my Public Understanding of Science duties. When people hear I'm going to Hawaii to work, they think of sun-drenched beeches. Looking at that webcam they can see that its more an issue of sitting in a boring office (OK its inside a telescope) and working nights in the cold at altitude...

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Very public spirited (and that's not meant to sound anything other than genuinely meant!).

Sun-drenched beeches tho'? Isn't Hawaii more palm trees?

With my skewed view of heat, light and life in general, the prospect of night work in the cold at altitude appeals rather more than the tropical sun, sea and sand.

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They do have jobs available here for telescope operators if you're interested!

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Ooh, I've never driven a telescope before ;-)

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I've not driven many. They only let properly trained specialists drive the big ones!

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I see you!

Now you are reading a book.

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Caught red handed!

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This is fun! Why don't all of our friends have webcams? Probably because I would spy on them all day.

"Hey,

handslive, you're about to roll over your headphones!"

"Hey,

purplejavatroll, how's that sandwich?"

You're still reading a book.

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I actually have an iSight sitting on my desk at work, though turned off. It can be used for AV chat over the web, using iChat, and can be used as a webcam. Not that you want to see me at my desk - its very boring!

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is this what we invented the interweb thingy for?

For scientific collaborations, I think, so maybe it counts, yes!

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With our slow connection I dare not try and peer over your shoulder - nice idea though.

How's the altitude treating you? Myles did a good job of deglamourizing the whole Hawaii experience but I am still jealous. After all I cannot really deglamourize the Annual Leeds World Medieval Studies Conference more than the title alone does. Eat some fancy fruit and say a polite hello to Pele for me.

Late shift gets me more from the lack of sleep and messed up rhythms, but the altitude has an effect for sure. You always feel terrible up here, and you don't work properly.

Its been a few years since I had proper altitude sickness, but the headache, nausea, confusion etc. are familiar. My first time up here I got it bad but didn't realise what was happening until our support sceintist said 'He's going green! Get him down at once!'. Going from 14000 to 10000 feet has always been enough to cure me.

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I remember watching Roy Castle going up Mauna Kea on Record Breakers back in the 70s. That was in the days when they made everyone stay at an acclimitisation house. When he finally got to go up to the observatory he rattled off an impressive list of all the possible symptoms of altitude sickness we might get to witness in him. I hope you continue to not experience most of them - especially the cynosis, blue lips and unconciousness ones - going green sounds nasty enough.

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Is March a bad time for Hawaii? I remember at this time of year in 1995 having very high winds on the Big Island, and only getting up to the observatories on the last day of my trip.

March varies - every time of the year varies! The winter is usually either gerat or terrible, and its been a bad one this year.

Sometimes you can guess what'll happen on the basis of El Nino (or La Nina) but I don't know if we have an El Nino this year or not.

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(Checks webcam, circa 1735 UT)

Yep, that's someone awfully familiar-looking in the chair.

I have this awful urge to say BEHIND YOU!!!!

MC

WHAT?????

Oh its you.

You know, when I used to drink caffeine to stay awake up here I tended to get very jumpy...

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I can see you!

Hope the weather isn't too bad for the rest of your trip :)

Sadly the weather crapped out on us tonight and looks as if it'll stay that way for my last night. And there are other issues with the instruments too. But that's the way it goes.

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December