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December 23, 2008
Holiday Break
Posted by Derek
Posting will be intermittent around here until after January 1st. I'm going to be doing various important tasks at home, such as wrapping presents and making another chocolate pecan pie for folks who didn't get any the last time around. There's also some snow to be shoveled, particularly if I want to get the telescope out during this period of new moon. There's 15 to 20 inches out there on the ground, which is not much of a stable surface for the equatorial platform to sit on, nor do I relish wading through it while hauling the telescope tube itself.
My workplace is very quiet indeed today, I can report, and later on I'll be doing my part to keep it that way. I suspect it's the same across a lot of labs today and for the next few days, and that's a good thing. It's impossible to have good ideas when you're grindstoning away the whole time; you need to clear your head every so often and take a look at what you're actually doing versus what you should be.
This is one of the only times when sleeping late and eating pecan pie come under the heading of "clearing one's head", so I'm going to take full advantage of it. I hope that many of you can do the same!
Comments (19)
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1. Anon on December 23, 2008 10:18 AM writes...
Thank-you very much for your insights and observations this year, and for nucleating several interesting discussions between myself and my colleagues. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
All the best for 2009.
Permalink to Comment2. Chemgrad on December 23, 2008 10:39 AM writes...
Schöne Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
Permalink to Comment3. toxchick on December 23, 2008 11:06 AM writes...
Happy Holidays Derek, I'll miss your blog!
Teresa
Permalink to Comment4. toxchick on December 23, 2008 11:06 AM writes...
Happy Holidays Derek, I'll miss your blog!
Permalink to Comment5. Dan Howitt on December 23, 2008 12:18 PM writes...
There's also some snow to be shoveled, particularly if I want to get the telescope out during this period of new moon. There's 15 to 20 inches out there on the ground, which is not much of a stable surface for the equatorial platform to sit on, nor do I relish wading through it while hauling the telescope tube itself.
That's devotion!
Permalink to CommentDan Howitt
6. retread on December 23, 2008 12:18 PM writes...
Derek:
Merry Xmas and happy New Year. It's remarkable (to me) how you pump out such high quality stuff day after day. I've got to wait until the literature throws something up on the beach for me to scavenge.
Suggestion for some (unrelaxing) reading over the holidays -- "A Different Universe" by Robert B. Laughlin. As chemists we've all had some exposure to quantum mechanics, at least enough to see how the quantum numbers for atoms come out of the solutions to the Schrodinger equations.
This book, by a Nobelist in solid state physics, is also about quantum mechanics. It is not at all mathematical, but you will feel you're on another planet, despite your background. I found it nearly incomprehensible. Are there any smart people out there who can explain it?
Permalink to Comment7. Hap on December 23, 2008 12:33 PM writes...
Have a nice break. I will have a real break when munchkin ceases needing to be fed during the wee hours, which is unlikely to be a Christmas present. At least she eats.
Permalink to Comment8. Wavefunction on December 23, 2008 12:38 PM writes...
With reference to Retread: Incidentally I am also reading this gem of a book currently. I have to agree; it's one of the deepest books I have come across and I am struggling to understand it. Laughlin is one smart guy, that's for sure.
An easier to read and entertaining book I just picked up is Leonard Susskind's recent "The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics"
Permalink to CommentAugment this with "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's outrageous Legacy" by Kip Thorne and you have some comprehensive black hole science to keep you entertained over the holidays.
9. Santas Ghost on December 23, 2008 2:45 PM writes...
Happy Holidays Derek!:)
Permalink to Commenthttp://img224.imageshack.us/img224/2885/outsourcesantasized4fj.jpg
10. Spark Gap on December 23, 2008 3:48 PM writes...
Merry Christmas, Derek!
Permalink to Comment11. KC on December 23, 2008 6:07 PM writes...
My lab is effectively shut down. We did our annual deep-clean yesterday, secured all our waste, and then pretty much locked up. But that's not to say you or I are done doing chemistry for the year - just now we get to eat the experiments. ;)
Thanks for 2008! Your blog's been a great read as always!
Permalink to Comment12. Chemjobber on December 23, 2008 9:38 PM writes...
Best wishes, Merry Christmas and a Happy (and hopefully well-employed) New Year!
Permalink to Comment13. Harvey Burger on December 26, 2008 3:57 PM writes...
Happy Holidays
Can you provide an update on my awful tenure?
TIA
Permalink to Comment14. Swapna on December 28, 2008 10:22 PM writes...
Saw this just today.
http://www.nature.com/nchem/authors/index.html
Nature Chemistry, finally.
Permalink to Comment15. Sili on December 31, 2008 4:58 PM writes...
I'd missed you're an amateur astronomer. Nifty!
Happy New Year!
Permalink to Comment16. Anonymous on January 1, 2009 2:44 AM writes...
HAPPY NEW yEAR
Permalink to Comment17. Zemyla on January 1, 2009 1:28 PM writes...
As a chemist, do you cook regular foods differently from normal people? I'm interested in your chocolate pecan pie recipe.
And happy new year from a big fan of yours, especially your "Things I Won't Work With" series!
Permalink to Comment18. Hap on January 1, 2009 5:25 PM writes...
Zemyla,
See "How slow is research today? Here's a recipe!" (Derek's post of November 26, 2008) for the chocolate pecan pie recipe.
Permalink to Comment19. Anonymous BMS Researcher on January 2, 2009 7:25 PM writes...
Yes, the pie recipe is a good one:
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/11/26/how_slow_is_research_today_heres_a_recipe.php
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