What are your jeans doing today?

[Maynard Friedman]

^ that would be too unbelievable

[Double 0 Soul]

“He were dressed head to toe in denim.. I think he was going to a B*Witched concert”

[Geeman]

So we have now established he has hair. Did you have a beard trim while there @Maynard Friedman ?

We could build up a photo fit WAYWT? 

[unders]

@Geeman’s building a Guess Who profile. 

[julian-wolf]

In September of last year, I joined an experiment aiming to do ultracold atomic physics with titanium. Traditionally, most ultracold experiments use elements from the first and second groups of the periodic table, which are relatively easy candidates for laser trapping and cooling due to their simple electron structure. In certain contexts, this same simplicity limits the types of interactions that can be engineered in the quantum systems that we build, which makes it appealing to look towards preparing ultracold samples of transition metals.

This involves some added complication, and the experiment that I recently joined has been actively working towards generating a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of titanium for around 5 years, now. A MOT amounts to a cold (but not yet quantum-degenerate) dilute gas of atoms at a temperature of around 1 mK, and is the first step in most experiments involving ultracold atoms or molecules. As a point of reference, outer space has a temperature of 2.7 K, around 1000 times hotter. Once a cloud of a few hundreds of thousands of atoms is trapped in a MOT, they can be handed off to other more versatile traps and used toward any number of science goals—but most experiments involve this as a first step.

In mid-October, we finally observed the world’s first MOT of titanium.

This involves two colors of lasers—one at a wavelength of 391 nm, which is invisible to the human eye, and one at 498 nm, which is a beautiful teal color. It's been a pleasure working with this color of light, both from a technical and from an aesthetic perspective, and it's made the pictures very fun to show off.

The trapped atoms themselves are the little teal dot in the first and last photos. For these photos, only around 1000 atoms were present, but they were still visible to the naked eye—which is really cool to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thanks_M8]

Not as scientifically important but still fun:

My parents got a yuzu tree a few months back. Fruits and all, in the fruits were lots of seeds (around 20) about 1,3 cm diameter. So huge seeds for a citrus.

Since our own yuzu died because it was grafted on a less hardy rootstock, we were on the search for a replacement for a while and behold:

We put the seeds in germination containers and nothing happened for a good while.

6 - 8 weeks germination (1 still hasn't put it's head out, even though it is rooting), a bit of water and a warm spot and we got 6 plants, 1 coming. Let's hope they all pull through

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

While I should be writing a masters thesis, walking in the mud is more fun. It has been raining almost non stop for the past 14 days, so when I spotted an opening I took the dog out for a walk. It was nice and muddy. 

 

@Thanks_M8 that’s really cool. We have plenty of citrus trees (2 types of orange, lemon, 2 mandarins and one red grapefruit) but no yuzu. I recently tried to translate a yuzu peel tea recipe to orange and came out horrible. 

Edited January 29 by Hopethisoneisnttaken

[Thanks_M8]

@Hopethisoneisnttaken thanks! 

Where do you live, if I may ask? Would love to have a tiny orchard myself.

If you use the whole fruit it works out fine, imo. Since yuzu peel is s bit sweeter and more aromatic the recipe can be altered like this (at least i tried it and it worked fine).

Tbh I only found out about yuzu because they are supposed to be pretty hardy (grafted on trifoliate orange down to -15 °C and on their own roots down to -12 °C) the fruits are great though. I'm on the lookout for other hardy species for our balcony right now, but most are just supposed to taste like bitter grapefruits or trifoliate oranges, which isn't my thing.

Edited January 30 by Thanks_M8

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

3 hours ago, Thanks_M8 said:

@Hopethisoneisnttaken thanks! 

Where do you live, if I may ask? Would love to have a tiny orchard myself.

If you use the whole fruit it works out fine, imo. Since yuzu peel is s bit sweeter and more aromatic the recipe can be altered like this (at least i tried it and it worked fine).

Tbh I only found out about yuzu because they are supposed to be pretty hardy (grafted on trifoliate orange down to -15 °C and on their own roots down to -12 °C) the fruits are great though. I'm on the lookout for other hardy species for our balcony right now, but most are just supposed to taste like bitter grapefruits or trifoliate oranges, which isn't my thing.

I'm from Israel. Summers are hot and humid and winters are relatively warm(5 to 18 C most days, rarely goes below 5), so ideal for these type of citruses. We're actually renting so I didn't planet the trees, but the fruit are amazing. Also they all ripe in different stages of winters, so there's that, and the flowers which are starting to bloon now smell amazing.

I did planet some other stuff though. Sweet potatoes, beans, onions, garlic and spaghetti squash(which the wild boars have destroyed almost entirely).

Where do you live?

Edited January 30 by Hopethisoneisnttaken

[Thanks_M8]

I live in southwest germany, the region is called Breisgau. Summers here are hot and dry, winters mild but we get frost for a week or two usually. Sometimes - 12°C, but only for a day or two.

Not ideal weather for mediteranean plants, but I guess I have to try

[rbeck]

@julian-wolf looks like some really cool instrumentation, and you're right that the teal color looks real nice. What's the usefulness/end goal of studying this stuff?

Edited January 30 by rbeck

[NilsLW]

Today I went to a small vintage store where amongst the Zara and H&M jeans there was a pair of unwashed, completely unworn 555 LVC 55 501s and a real pair of Big E 701s!! Super cool to actually find a pair of Big Es in the wild but of course I had to tell the elderly lady who owned the store what she had on her hands, because she had no idea. Also I'm finally the happy owner of a copy of What's The Story on vinyl. The jeans of today are my Sugar Cane 66s which I've been wearing a bit more lately, really easy to dress up and down.

[shredwin_206]

running some cast iron pipe for waste and vent. 
copper for water   
that blue collar worker fade going on 

[MJF9]

Enjoyed watching African Head Charge and Mad Professor last night

[julian-wolf]

Spent a couple evenings this past week tending dye pots of cochineal and red cabbage

Both dyes were new to us, so so far it’s just been testing out different fabric treatments & dye additives, with some cheap silk handkerchiefs and some little cotton & linen test strips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maynard Friedman]

Some beautiful hues there @julian-wolf

[shredwin_206]

plumbing a vent and some copper water lines 

[Talan]

On 1/30/2024 at 1:01 PM, Thanks_M8 said:

I live in southwest germany, the region is called Breisgau. Summers here are hot and dry, winters mild but we get frost for a week or two usually. Sometimes - 12°C, but only for a day or two.

Not ideal weather for mediteranean plants, but I guess I have to try

We lived next door at the beginning of the war. A little to the south, in the Zell im Wiesenthal area. We often came to Freiburg. Very beautiful places. 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Sunday walk

[MJF9]

Usual coffee shop was rammed busy early doors so we had a kebab for breakfast in Leeds Kirkgate Market

The largest covered market in Europe and dates from 1822.  Never knew either til I looked it up now.

👀

👀

Edited March 9 by MJF9

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

Our landlord sent me a text to deal with the tall grass in our yard. He never mentioned how. 

[buler]

Another morning in the barn. Fullcount 1101s this time. Carhartt jacket being used as intended. Mucking, haying, watering, feeding, petting, etc.

 

 

[MJF9]

Homeward bound after a trip to Johannesburg and Pretoria... 

The main man himself in Sandton, Johannesburg

Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria

View from the Voortrekker of Pretoria

Peech hotel in Johannesburg, near Melrose Arch

Freewheelers WW2 denim and Buckweat

Edited March 22 by MJF9
Added some details

[Double 0 Soul]

Yesterday i made a little insect house out of a spare bit of waney-edge oak.. it's like social housing for all the l'ill insects, they'll move in on a first come first served basis.. it'll elevate the neighbourhood with a more upwardly mobile class of owner occupier insect.. eventually they'll sell it on at a vastly inflated profit to a multi-occupancy household.. then due to apathy i'll fail to make anymore and the whole system will collapse, but hey, that's insecto-capitalism for ya!

It had to be these sizes because 1) this was the only waney-oak i have left and 2) i'm trying to cover up a horrible bit of the neighbours wall

Coated a piece of ply with mould release solution

Cut some bamboo into 4" lengths

.. mixed some resin

..poured it into the bottom of the insect house, using the ply to stop it running out

..dropped all the bits of bamboo into the resin and waited for it to cure

Popped the ply off and they're set in resin, i didn't want to cover the bottom.. for 1) i didn't have anymore green oak and 2) the rain should run straight through..

..ordered some long vine eyes to wire it to the wall along the same plane as my outside lights.. (which are also there to cover up the horrible bit of wall) but they were fkin garbage, they wouldn't hold an insect, ne'er mind an insect des-res so i made some out of marine grade landscaping screws, i'm holding it by hand like a proper foolhardy professional

..there we go, i'll screw them in with a hex driver and thread a keyring loop

Ta-Daa!

..then today, i rode up to Stanage Edge

..up to the ridge

..had to do some rock hopping with bike on shoulder before i got back on track

..up to Stanage Pole

..down to the reservoirs at Redmires

..overflow

..to ride the loop home from here would hab]ve meant lots of boring road miles.. so i rode back up to Stanage

..around the ridge

..and stopped for a rest.. well it is Easter Sunday

..then home

[Double 0 Soul]

Oh.. and a friend of mine had her art book published

I've finally been recognised for my contribution to the arts

 

[Dr_Heech]

Good job @Double 0 Soul  - we have a few of those insect houses on one of our courses but on a grander scale - Several pallets stacked high scale, so think insect tower blocks! 

[silencejoe]

TOKYO TRIP 

[MJF9]

@silencejoe nice... what are you planning to do in Tokyo? Any shopping planned? Enjoy...

[MJF9]

Had lunch with my lad in the seated area near Hibiscus Rising, a sculpture I’d read about and wanted to see close up.  It’s touted as ‘Leeds first public artwork to reflect the cultural diversity of the city’.  That’s nice language to describe the abhorrent police racism and brutality in the late 1960s against David Oluwale which is at the root of this.   

Then a wander around what they’re calling the South Bank end of Leeds.  I can see the city is being opened up and this old part of town regenerated and linked into the city centre.  A mixture of old red brick and new multi-coloured gaudy blocks whichever way you look.

The Teletley's Brewery building... brewers long gone

The front of Salem Chapel, dated 1906

The original chapel buildings from 1791, with the city centre in the background

I never knew until today Leeds United football club was founded here in 1919

Modern city centre living

Love this building

Edited April 2 by MJF9

[rbeck]

@Double 0 Soul got some closeups of that bike? Looks real sharp 👌