-Mitch Hedberg
Thought I'd start off with the quote today, because it's very apropos to my work right now. We are making interferometers on interferometers on interferometers. Like the hip song Racks on Racks on Racks, but more of a mouthful. (Got ya. No I couldn't really put that song on here, it just wouldn't fit with the whole good music thing I have going.) So we have the one originally built with a frequency stabilized laser that will shit 1 part per million of a frequency over a whole month. Yeah thing's legit. Then we have a less good laser that is used in a Mach-Zenhder interferometer so we can tell the noise is really due to the target and not the optical equipment we run it through. Then, once we have the appropriate number of beam-splitters, we'll split the frequency stabilized laser and use it to form a Michelson interferometer. This will provide a baseline amount of noise. No matter what we do, that noise, or inaccuracy, will be in our measurement because it's the super stabilized laser on the super stabilized optical table. We will also cover this up, to minimize wind effects (when you deal with ten nanometers, they're important) and cover up the laser and interferometers putting the latter in a vacuum chamber so nothing is really moving and seeing how accurate we can make everything. And that's what we have to work on for the next two weeks. Game on.
In other news, my buddy Steven Thorn, author of The Phoenix Guardian, available here on amazon, has been visiting me. We did Paris right. He got in on Friday, and after settling in, we went and saw the Notre Dame plus Shakespeare and Co. Then it was time to hit the hay, because Saturday was Bastille Day. On saturday, my poor navigating ability ensured that we didn't see much of the parade, but we did see the helicopters flying over the Louvre. Which was pretty awesome. Then we got lunch at a quick little bistro thing, I had some pasta, it was good. From there, we went off to the Louvre and saw too much art. Then it was time to picnic and watch the fireworks next to the Eiffel tower. Mir got some really good photos of everything, and he stood with the Eiffel between him and the fireworks, which is probably the way you're supposed to see it, but o well, I enjoyed myself. There was quite the interesting walk home, let me tell you. For sunday, Steven and I went to mass at the Notre Dame. Incroyable. Then off to Invalides to pay Napoleon a visit, and then up to the Sacre Coeur, with a quick stop at the Arc d'Triomphe in between. I gotta say, I was more impressed with the Arc this time as opposed to last year, and I don't really know why. Maybe I knew what to expect more. Also the guard for the tomb thing that's there changed while we there. Not as cool as the Tomb of the Unknown back home ('Merica) but it was still kind of cool to watch it. Then we went to Zango's for dinner, and it was it's usual fantastic stuff. Then gelato for dessert, and the Eiffel tower to cap it all off. It was beautiful up there, and it was great chatting with Mr Thorn. I always enjoy our discussions. (You sound like you're from London!)
Aunt Julie and Luke got in today, so I briefly saw them, and outlined the good sights to see and we went and got dinner. It was great to see them and share any knowledge I could.
.... I don't know how to end without a quote.
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