April's Fool or why you should never post late in the evening due to inevitable errors.
[sorry for the double entry, I'm a "Trottel"!]
The last few weeks I spent in a Radiochemistry lab - Radio as in Radioactivity not as in walkie-talkie (sadly... My dad made a radio set once. I'm well versed in frequency calculation and waves interaction with material, but I have no idea how to actually build a radio ._." Maybe I should develop a nice, big inferiority complex out of it...)
Anyway, somehow I managed neither to contaminate myself nor to cause any worst-case scenarios like Hiroshima or Chernobyl...
(by the way, have you ever heard about that guy who got a proton beam through his head?)
Maybe I'm getting older, growing more boring and cautious at what I'm doing... Or maybe they didn't gave us anything too toxic. For example, when working with activated iodine, it was almost the same amount someone would get for a thyroid analysis (Schilddrüsenuntersuchung). Also, at the end of the day everyone had to check them in a special apparatus: It looked a bit like a beam machine in some old science-fiction films. When you fingertips touch the back of the metal lattice and your feet stay firm on the other lattice, the countdown will start.
10, 9, 8, ... at first you were pretty sure, you have no activity on you, you were working quite smart and all the Geiger-Müller-counters were almost silent ... 7, 6, 5, 4,... but as the countdown is running and the apparatus keeps checking on you, you are getting more and more nervous. What if you have got it nevertheless?... 3, 2, 1... till the cathartic result pops up: [Not contaminated!]
Repeat the procedure each day, two weeks in a row and by the end of the time you are as calm as an ocean. Because, really, all the routine sorrows are void and dull compared the that feeling of relief ;)
P.S.: Also, while sitting in the cellar, doing some of my measurements, I had a chance to leaf through an old log-book with the radioactive pollution measurements of the environment. The log-book was so old, it looked almost antique, with all the different hand-writings and pens. From time to time, there will be some extra measurements with different probes (like my own). Most of them were quite boring: numbers of the samples, metals or ceramic. But one entry from April, 2002 really caught my eye "sample: roasted peanut".
Yeah, science!
P.²S.: Since my neighbour had an ill sense of humour, he gave me chocolate today. I'm suffering from a nasty indigestion for days now and can't even think about chocolate without an overcoming, inevitable nausea. Still, the small yellow guys were a nice touch.
Happy Eastern or Happy 1. April! If I were to decide, it'd be the Fool's Day. Making a fool of oneself is a far better reason to celebrate and should be declared an official holiday! ;)
[zoom in]
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The last few weeks I spent in a Radiochemistry lab - Radio as in Radioactivity not as in walkie-talkie (sadly... My dad made a radio set once. I'm well versed in frequency calculation and waves interaction with material, but I have no idea how to actually build a radio ._." Maybe I should develop a nice, big inferiority complex out of it...)
Anyway, somehow I managed neither to contaminate myself nor to cause any worst-case scenarios like Hiroshima or Chernobyl...
(by the way, have you ever heard about that guy who got a proton beam through his head?)
Maybe I'm getting older, growing more boring and cautious at what I'm doing... Or maybe they didn't gave us anything too toxic. For example, when working with activated iodine, it was almost the same amount someone would get for a thyroid analysis (Schilddrüsenuntersuchung). Also, at the end of the day everyone had to check them in a special apparatus: It looked a bit like a beam machine in some old science-fiction films. When you fingertips touch the back of the metal lattice and your feet stay firm on the other lattice, the countdown will start.
10, 9, 8, ... at first you were pretty sure, you have no activity on you, you were working quite smart and all the Geiger-Müller-counters were almost silent ... 7, 6, 5, 4,... but as the countdown is running and the apparatus keeps checking on you, you are getting more and more nervous. What if you have got it nevertheless?... 3, 2, 1... till the cathartic result pops up: [Not contaminated!]
Repeat the procedure each day, two weeks in a row and by the end of the time you are as calm as an ocean. Because, really, all the routine sorrows are void and dull compared the that feeling of relief ;)
P.S.: Also, while sitting in the cellar, doing some of my measurements, I had a chance to leaf through an old log-book with the radioactive pollution measurements of the environment. The log-book was so old, it looked almost antique, with all the different hand-writings and pens. From time to time, there will be some extra measurements with different probes (like my own). Most of them were quite boring: numbers of the samples, metals or ceramic. But one entry from April, 2002 really caught my eye "sample: roasted peanut".
Yeah, science!
P.²S.: Since my neighbour had an ill sense of humour, he gave me chocolate today. I'm suffering from a nasty indigestion for days now and can't even think about chocolate without an overcoming, inevitable nausea. Still, the small yellow guys were a nice touch.
Happy Eastern or Happy 1. April! If I were to decide, it'd be the Fool's Day. Making a fool of oneself is a far better reason to celebrate and should be declared an official holiday! ;)
[zoom in]
.