Monday, December 21, 2009

Just to Introduce Myself ...

My name is Jim Wetzel, and I used to post here. And now I think maybe I will again. The last few weeks saw an alignment of several things ... none of them planets or anything else that would impress a high-powered Mayan astrologer, but things packing some significance for me. I'm talking about things like the end of a semester in the world of Physics 218, and muzzleloader season, and Advent-related activities in my church, and the emergence of some lively interest in the half-percent subtleties of geometric distortion in a three-mirror anastigmat test collimator. All of these have in common that they require time, and they involved me. Then there's that pesky "sleep" thing. Hey, at least that one's optional.

In any case, it's clear to me that if I don't blog, the world swirls in an ever-tightening orbit of the toilet bowl. If, on the other hand, I do blog, then the world swirls in an ever-tightening orbit of the toilet bowl. That's why I felt free to take a break for a little while.

But break time's over.

5 comments:

Dr. Harl Delos said...

Post, don't post, it's up to you. I've enjoyed following you in the past, and I suspect that will resume.

But I'm getting dizzy. Could you do something please, about the world? It seems to swirl in an ever-tightening orbit of the toilet bowl.

PS: the CAPTCHA I'm asked to verify is "perearse". If I were you, I'd ask Blogger to keep kid's butts out of their system.

Jim Wetzel said...

Harl, thanks for your kind words.

And I think I'll ask Blogger to stop asking for a verification word. I put it on after getting a bunch of automated comment spam. Might as well find out if that's still a problem.

Anonymous said...

The toilet bowl stuff is completely understandable, and you're more than welcome to take a break (even though I missed you.)

However. The half-percent subtleties of geometric distortion in a three-mirror anastigmat test collimator that you left us for might disturb my sleep. Don't do it again.

Jim Wetzel said...

It does seem finicky, I know. Half a percent of distortion is something that is completely un-noticeable to the eye and of no importance at all, for most purposes. It's very small 'taters, as we Hoosiers are apt to say. The thing is, though, it's also deterministic, and subject to being modeled, characterized, and compensated for. And for what we're using this collimator for, that compensation must be regarded as a required exercise. Even though it's small 'taters, we're obliged to keep the best track we can of every single little-bitty fraction of every single 'tater.

Mmmmm, and now I'm hungry for something starchy. My own fault, too. Rats!

Anonymous said...

Collimator. I can't for the life of me understand your fascination with something I use to drain pasta.