tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54068935201857182072024-03-12T19:44:18.926-06:00The Amblings and Ramblings of Nickolas PickolasWhat will come out of my brain today?Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-72978182991993935232011-08-18T10:37:00.002-06:002011-08-18T10:42:25.334-06:00Wedding PicturesA little while ago I got married. It was way more fun than I thought it would be! (The wedding day, that is.)<br />
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So here are a few pictures, I'm pretty sure <a href="http://whatwasithinkingaboutjustnow.blogspot.com/">the wife</a> will give me grief for not getting her approval to publish each and every one of these, but I'm not completely whipped yet...<br />
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-31047759190437416852011-08-11T09:31:00.003-06:002011-08-18T10:43:10.640-06:00Things That Make My Imagination Sore (Soar)<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #b45f06;">Sore...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">BYU Financial Aid</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Glenn Beck</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Soviet architecture</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Soar...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bridges</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Castles!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Zombies</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Firefly</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">EVE Online</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Math</span></div>
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-76732783773618844782011-08-02T04:08:00.003-06:002011-08-18T10:43:29.819-06:00Cochem Castle and the AutobahnFor my birthday and the 4th of July, Jenna and I rented a car and drove over to West Germany to visit my Aunt & Uncle & Cousins for the weekend. I drove on the Autobahn, they took us to the military base commissary, we celebrated the 4th of July with Americans en mass, and we visited the Cochem Castle in the Rhineland's Moselle River Valley. Keep reading for details!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cochem Castle</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>The Autobahn was all kinds of fun! Before I came to Germany I thought the Autobahn was just one road with no speed limit, but it turns out the entire German freeway system is the Autobahn. Although not every mile is without speed limit, a lot of the intercity stretches have no limit. Well I had fun maxing out the speedometer on our 4 cylinder rental car at every opportunity. Unfortunately the speedometer only went to 180 kph (112 mph) :( Someday I'll come back and rent a nice car and go really fast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxing out the speedometer on the Autobahn</td></tr>
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Along the way we saw a half-dozen castles just chillin' on hilltops.<br />
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My family took us to the American commissary which is an American grocery store in Europe. It was AMAZING. All the same selection you would find in America at the same prices - including frozen and refrigerated foods and bread. The military must have a massive supply line to get that stuff over here, but I tell you I was in heaven. Jenna and I have been eating like (American) kings ever since.<br />
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Later in the day the military base we were visiting had a big 4th of July shindig for all the military personnel and their families. Highlights were: yummy American food, non-Aryans, a carnival, and fireworks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amurica!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Abbott family and Jenna (and a couple of dudes)</td></tr>
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On Monday we crammed in the Abbott's (American) mini van and headed off for the Moselle River Valley, in the Rhineland of Germany,<br />
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It was good for Jenna to be around children. She's not too fond of the entire genre, but she rather liked my cousins. (It's all part of my plan...)</div>
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Here are pictures of the beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moselle_%28river%29">Moselle</a> River Valley and the small town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochem">Cochem</a>. (Trivia: Nicolas Cage's mother is from Cochem.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cochem, Germany</td></tr>
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Pretty standard German town, until you see the GIGANTIC castle right in the middle!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cochem Castle</td></tr>
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The Imperial Castle sits on a hill right in the center of the city, necessitating a steep hike to the top through beautiful medieval streets and vineyards.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A neat wine-cellar style restaurant built up against the cliff</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cochem Castle (click to enlarge)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was busy taking pictures of the awesome castle we were in, but all Jenna saw were the pretty flowers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The builders scraped the hill down to bedrock and built the castle right on it</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3wukPFiIxE/TjfBG0sBMVI/AAAAAAAABTw/tUedHGc5a5s/s1600/DSC00357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3wukPFiIxE/TjfBG0sBMVI/AAAAAAAABTw/tUedHGc5a5s/s320/DSC00357.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Cochem Castle</td></tr>
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We took a tour of the castle, but there wasn't much to see. It was blown up in 1689 and rebuilt in a Gothic Revival style (whatever that is - just not medieval fortress style!) in the late 1800s. The man who rebuilt it did so for a summer house, so there weren't any neat dungeons or draw bridges and the like. I was pretty disappointed, but there were some pretty paintings and woodworkings.<br />
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After seeing the castle, we went down into the town and poked around for a bit.<br />
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On the drive back to the Abbott's house we passed through some beautiful areas. Here the walls of an eery old <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Stuben">convent</a> stand amid vineyards and the Moselle River.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Stuben">Stuben Convent</a>, near Bremm, Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Aldegund">St. Aldegund</a>, Germany</td></tr>
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-78798913016245753452011-07-11T10:47:00.001-06:002011-08-18T10:41:33.253-06:00German ObservationsHere are a few observations I have about Germany: <br />
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<u>Things I Like</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Bakeries - There are tons of them and they're uber delicious. They have this cream monstrosity that is oh-so-yummy it makes me want to go into convulsions and die.</li>
<li>Ivy - It's everywhere and is really pretty. (Not the poison variety!)</li>
<li>Cobblestones - Quaint and practical (but reportedly difficult to walk on in heels). Because cobblestone streets are just a bunch of little pieces you can put back together, after they tear up a cobblestone street for sewer work it looks like nothing ever happened! Cobblestone streets are also viscous, so they'll move to adapt to changing ground levels.</li>
<li>Consonants - It seems like speaking Deutsche is hard work - so many consonants! Their mouth is going crazy. Fun to listen to, watch out for spit.</li>
<li>Universal Functional Windows - They're all the same and swing open wide, or pop open at the top. (No screens though.)<a name='more'></a></li>
<li>History - What's old in America is young here. The relationship is approximately: 200 years in America = 1000+ years in Germany. (Our oldest surviving commonly found buildings in America are around 200 years old, while some Indian ruins and Spanish mission ruins are older. The oldest surviving commonly found buildings in Germany are around 1000 years old with some ruins going back 2000 years or so.)</li>
<li>Autobahn - Before I came to Germany I thought the Autobahn was one highway, but it turns out the Autobahn is the name of the Germany highway system. Parts of it really don't have a speed limit! Here I am driving 180 kph (110 mph) and some guy in a BMW flies past me like I'm standing still. So cool.</li>
<li>End Speed Limit Signs - These nifty signs tell you when a speed limit zone ends. No guessing when that pesky 120 kph zone ends.</li>
<li>Kindergartens - "Child garden." We live around half-a-dozen of these and they're really cute. The kiddles play outside a good chunk of the day in what really is best described as a child garden - they play among the bushes and dirt and they all wear little hats. Our favorite child garden apparatus is a giant wicker basket swing that can accommodate 5-8 hat-wearing toddlers at a time. Often another toddler will be pushing the crew - all them silent with little hats on just looking around.</li>
<li>Castles - They're everywhere. On our drive to West Germany last week we passed about 10 - and those were just the ones we noticed from the autobahn. (see picture)</li>
<li>Civil Engineering works - They love their public works here! In an effort to keep vehicle speeds up on the autobahn (much like high-speed railroads) Germans employ bridges for most valleys across Germany. There are a LOT of road and train bridges. They also love tunnels. There's one tunnel nearby (<a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=50.879089,11.608858&spn=0.009003,0.021629&t=h&z=16">Lobdeburg Tunnel</a>) they built just because the road was too loud for houses nearby.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4VTI-F8RRs/ThsoazRp0RI/AAAAAAAABRo/s73z5baaIss/s1600/60nomorekmh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4VTI-F8RRs/ThsoazRp0RI/AAAAAAAABRo/s73z5baaIss/s1600/60nomorekmh.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German end speed limit sign</td></tr>
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</ul>
<u>Things I Don't Like</u><br />
<ul>
<li>No Drinking Fountains - Welcome to Europe, the land of people with apparently high water-retention rates. I've seen five drinking fountains since I've been in Germany - two in the Frankfurt International Airport, and three on the American Military Base.</li>
<li>No Air Conditioning - All I can say is ugh. The only places with air conditioning are the grocery stores and laser labs (of which there are more-than-the-average here). Even the malls don't have air conditioning.</li>
<li>Sorting Trash - Germans sort trash into biowaste (no meat though), recyclables (including a long and confusing list of plastics), paper/cardboard, and everything else. The plastics bin is particularly confusing, I still don't really understand what goes in there...</li>
<li>Store Hours - All stores here close early - 8 pm or so for grocery stores, 6 pm for bakeries, etc. Saturday hours are terrible or non-existent.</li>
<li>Ugly Dudes - I've noticed a startling proportion of really ugly dudes here in Germany. The women seem normal, but boy are there some ugly guys. Perhaps it's the propensity for really disgusting piercings, lower hygiene standards, or maybe the gene pool is getting a little shallow. Any way, I've seen some real doozies.</li>
<li>Smoking - I want to send a memo to every German: smoking is lame. It's much more common here than in the states. They seem to have missed the 90s when smoking went out of style and everyone started dying of lung cancer.</li>
<li>No baggers at the grocery store.</li>
<li>At McDonalds you have to pay for ketchup and at the grocery stores you have to pay for bags.</li>
<li>Gas is super expensive. Last weekend we paid an average of €1.55/liter, that's $8.37/gallon!</li>
<li>They like to sneak you a carbonated drink in disguise - watch out for carbonated water, carbonated apple juice, and carbonated orange juice.</li>
</ul>
And here's a picture of a castle we saw from the highway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random castle we saw along the Autobahn</td></tr>
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com3Unknown location.50.928574149513089 11.58714294433593850.888538149513089 11.508178944335938 50.96861014951309 11.666106944335937tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-329858482267469452011-07-07T06:42:00.001-06:002011-07-08T01:19:45.641-06:00What was I thinking about just now?: Ode to Nickolas PickolasMy first wife published a review of my personality on her blog. Enjoy:<br />
<a href="http://whatwasithinkingaboutjustnow.blogspot.com/2011/07/ode-to-nickolas-pickolas.html?spref=bl"></a><br />
<blockquote>
<a href="http://whatwasithinkingaboutjustnow.blogspot.com/2011/07/ode-to-nickolas-pickolas.html?spref=bl">Ode to Nickolas Pickolas</a>: "Well, today my Old Man got even older. That's right friends, Nickolas Pickolas has reached the ripe old age of six and twenty. In honor of..."</blockquote>
*Jenna is my first, current, and only wife.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-25513853127274703992011-06-28T07:29:00.001-06:002011-08-18T10:44:28.192-06:00Exploring JenaBecause we have no money, we haven't really gone anywhere. At the beginning of the summer we had big plans to visit Prague, Vienna, Switzerland, London, as well as a bunch of German places: Munich, Berlin, Neuschwanstein Castle, and Oberammergau. (Of course if we had lots of money I really want to go to Rome and Istanbul, but I kind of always knew we would get those in on this trip.)<br />
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But, since we're poor, we've been seeing a lot of Jena and tagging along with members of the ward to other cities whenever we can. A couple of weeks ago we visited the Freiberg Germany Temple, which was the first temple behind the Iron Curtain. We found mostly American temple workers there but the services were in German - so we had to wear headphones (that used an infrared receiver that you could wear under your clothes! I admit, I was distracted by this...). The temple is very small - smaller even than the "small temples" the church has been building the last 15 years or so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3RPRGnLpeE/Tf4r5KujDCI/AAAAAAAABPQ/hR2vUJMY15E/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3RPRGnLpeE/Tf4r5KujDCI/AAAAAAAABPQ/hR2vUJMY15E/s400/0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freiberg Germany LDS Temple</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>A few days later (I think...) we were invited to a free orchestra concert at the Volkshaus in Jena (folk's house - German is so easy). The played a lot of American tunes and were pretty good for a community orchestra. The concert hall was neat, though:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0RVJNZ9h1o/Tf4r8GjFweI/AAAAAAAABPU/1RP68jh4lLE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0RVJNZ9h1o/Tf4r8GjFweI/AAAAAAAABPU/1RP68jh4lLE/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Volkshaus in Jena, Germany</td></tr>
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We also decided to go for a walk/hike up the hill behind our house. On the way we passed through the community garden plots that apartment-dwelling Germans can lease to grow vegetables and flowers. They were beautiful with lots of big roses that Jenna cooed over and lots of happy Germans puttering away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A German garden plot on the edge of the city</td></tr>
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Our walk was all kinds of lovely. We had a destination in mind (keep reading) but didn't know how to get there, so we just set off in the right direction. We only got yelled at by an angry German property owner once!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead-end street from whence we were summarily expelled by an angry German</td></tr>
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We eventually found our way up the hill to the trails on the top and made our way to...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty girl I found in the woods</td></tr>
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Jena's own Bismarckturm (Bismarck Tower) built in honor of Otto von Bismarck's visit to Jena in 1892. (Apparently building a tower to honor one of Bismarck's visits is common in German towns.) You can read about the tower <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bismarckturm_%28Jena%29&ei=yL8JTuG5F8TLswbAyNGfDg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DBismarckturm%2Bjena%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Df3C%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1389%26bih%3D770%26prmd%3Divnsm">here</a> via Google translate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty girl in front of the Jena Bismarckturm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagles at the top of the Jena Bismarckturm</td></tr>
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We had some great views of Jena. You can just barely see our roof in the picture below with downtown Jena in the distance. Now you can start to appreciate all the hills in Jena, ugh!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Jena, Germany from the hills to the west</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some prettiness in Jena, Germany</td></tr>
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Here's a picture from the window of our church building:<br />
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It's actually not a building - it's sandwiched on top of a couple of bakeries and surrounded by a hotel. It's located right in the center of Jena which is very convenient for most people (but, like everything else, down a huge hill from us). On the right (the red columns) is a cheap ice cream place Jenna and I visit regularly. The square is usually full of people with trams and buses arriving constantly. This square is also located pretty much in the center of Friedrich Schiller University (which is spread throughout the city), so there are lots of students and such around. It's a fun place to walk around on Saturdays as it seems there are weekly farmer's markets we've developed a liking for.<br />
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Here's my kitty friend I named Ralph.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ralph</td></tr>
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He waits for me outside the bus stop at Beutenberg Campus and is very friendly. I think he's quite old because he's missing half his tail, has large chunks taken out of his ears, and is missing most of his teeth. But he has a collar, doesn't seem underfed, and is very friendly, so I've concluded that he's happy.<br />
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The only problem is that he sheds all over the place and when he gets excited he gums my fingers and drools a lot.<br />
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This last picture is of a well-known stretch of restaurants in Jena called Wagnergasse. There are lots of neat restaurants along here in very cramped European style. On warm nights the narrow street is filled with tables and chairs and most people sit outside. We've had some yummy Italian and German food here, but have resisted all the locals urges to visit the American Cheers Restaurant/Bar because we already know what American food tastes like.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wagnergasse, Jena, Germany</td></tr>
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1Jena, Germany50.9269994 11.58701129999997250.8364434 11.443184299999972 51.0175554 11.730838299999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-91805082458710870012011-06-18T12:44:00.003-06:002011-08-18T10:45:44.570-06:00Lobdeburg CastleHere are a bunch of pictures from my latest adventures in Germany.<br />
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Since we're so poor and work all day we really don't have the ability to travel outside of our town (at least for now). So lately we've been exploring the sights around Jena. Luckily, as is the case with pretty much everywhere outside of the USA, there's all kinds of history right here in our valley.<br />
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For instance, here are a few facts about this small city that you probably have never heard of. Jena has Luther's original tombstone and the world's first planetarium. It was a frequent stomping ground for Geothe and Napoleon marched through. Coolest of all: the Carl Zeiss company was founded here.<br />
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There's also a medieval town center and castles or towers on almost every hill surrounding the city.<br />
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The closest old-stone-thing to our house is the Friedensberg WWI memorial. We found it quite by accident - we wandered up the hill and I saw a tiny trail going into a clump of trees at the top. I jokingly said, "I wonder if there's a castle in there?" So we went in (with Jenna gagging and screaming because plants were brushing against her legs and there might be bugs). We found a huge round stone wall! Circling round we found the entrance and it turned out to be a WWI memorial by the name of Friedensberg.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gate to Friedensberg memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna inside the Friedensberg memorial in Jena, Germany. The inscription behind her reads:<br />
"DIE TOTEN | DER KRIEGE | MAHNEN | ZUM FRIEDEN"<br />
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"THE DEAD | THE WARS | ADMONISH | FOR PEACE"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Cenotaph<br />
"Our fallen 1914/18"<br />
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1926<br />
To commemorate the establishment of the 1st World War fallen citizens of Jena in 1459, primarily from donations of the population, architect: Emil Högg<br />
1929<br />
Inauguration of the monument on the mountain grove, the former gallows, the old Rich Jena site<br />
1949<br />
Renamed Friedensberg<br />
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The boundary wall of 30 meters in diameter, enclosing a memorial grove with the altar-like stone block that contains the list of names of the dead.<br />
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(Translation via Google translate - a better one would be appreciated!)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big pretty hill near our house with Friedensberg at the top</td></tr>
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Since my last blog post I started work at the Friedrich Schiller University Institute of Applied Physics. I'm doing more high-intensity laser physics and it's all kinds of fun. I actually really like my job, even though everything is in German and it's really hot in the building (but not in the laser labs, which is where I spend most of my time anyways).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for work (with Carlos in the background!)</td></tr>
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A couple of weekends ago we had an adventure out to the small town of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lobeda&aq=&sll=50.892666,11.610146&sspn=0.017406,0.043259&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lobeda+Jena,+Thuringia,+Germany&z=13">Lobeda</a> and the castle <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobdeburg">Lobdeburg</a> (Lobeda is in range of our bus/tram pass). We had all kinds of fun on the way up through the town and found a neat old church.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobeda, Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A really old church (with a gigantic crack in it) in Lobeda, Germany</td></tr>
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It's a cute little village, but our destination was the castle at the top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobeda, Germany - Notice the "No Crapping Dogs" sign</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A really small hummingbird</td></tr>
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We had to hike up a pretty good sized hill to get to the castle, but the trail and the views were beautiful.<br />
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On the way up we had a good view of the soviet-era concrete block housing community near Jena. They're super ugly, super small (I've been in one), and super cheap. Thanks USSR.<br />
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We could see another castle in the distance! I can't remember the name of it right now, but we want to go there someday (when we have money to travel outside the range of <a href="http://jenah.de/">JeNah</a> transport).<br />
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After a sweaty hike we arrived at <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobdeburg">Lobdeburg</a>, a 13th century castle perched on a hill overlooking the Saale valley. It was all kinds of neat and broken down. Some organization is attempting to preserve it from further decay - thus the fences and braces you can see in the pictures below.<br />
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The main features of the surviving castle are a central tower (completely inaccessible) and the knave of the ancient chapel, seen below. As you can see in the above picture it even hung out over the end of the wall.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobdeburg Castle, Lobeda Germany</td></tr>
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At the end of the wall pictured below was a square tower that I decided to climb.<br />
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The view from the top was incredible!<br />
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Plus there was an interesting hole in the middle of the tower (notice how thick the walls are!). The circular part was clearly a well, while I suspect the entire hole was a cistern.<br />
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After we were done exploring the castle we headed back down the hill a short ways to the restaurant conveniently placed at the castle parking lot. We begged them to take our VISA (cash is king in Germany - so far the only places that have accepted cards are hotels, not even at the grocery stores!) and they accepted! So we sat down to have a lovely meal in a classic German "Beer Garden" perched on the edge of a steep hill. The view was great and we got some great pictures of the sunset across the Saale valley. (At the right of the two sunset pictures below you can see where Jenna and I work. The city of Jena is further down the valley to the right.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy schnitzel</td></tr>
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And to finish the post off, here's a picture of a giant slug I found one day on the way home from work! Epic.<br />
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com2Lobdeburgweg 25, 07747 Jena, Germany50.890541162906423 11.62025213241577150.890228162906425 11.619635132415771 50.890854162906422 11.620869132415772tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-22884588548977651312011-05-31T15:18:00.002-06:002011-08-18T10:46:01.121-06:00AdventuresI got hitched! The wedding was in California at the Newport Beach LDS Temple and the reception was in Fountain Valley. It was epic - we had a <a href="http://orleansjazzband.com/">New Orleans Jazz Band</a>, awesome food, and much fun was had by all.<br />
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The next day Jenna (my wife) and I left for Miami to catch a big-ass boat across the ocean! The Norwegian Epic is the world's 3rd largest cruise ship.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norwegian Epic docked in Miami</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I reserved our stateroom last fall and got a killer deal on it, about $720 each for a balcony room for 11 days! That's about the price of a one-way plane ticket to Europe, but with 11 days of entertainment, awesome food, and much fun. Pro-tip: repositioning cruises are uber cheap. (It's in the Caribbean during the winter and Mediterranean during the Summer.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norwegian Epic docked in Barcelona</td></tr>
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I rode the three waterslides a whole bunch of times and Jenna and I spent a couple days in the hot tubs talking to folks. When we left Miami the temperatures were in the 80s, but as we traveled further north and east it got progressively colder.<br />
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It was all kinds of fun exploring the ship, going to shows (Blue Man Group, improv comedy, some talented musicians, some not-so talented) and eating at any of the 20 restaurants. The hardest part of our day was deciding where to eat! We would catch an occasional movie on their huge LED screen in the middle of the ship or eat a nice lazy dinner under an awesome chandelier with a live pianist. It was fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really fun water slides, pools, and hot tubs on top of the Norwegian Epic</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the fun towel animals our steward left for us</td></tr>
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There was a hilarious magician and a talented (but kind of annoying) ventriloquist. We even went to a comedy hypnotist and Jenna and I were chosen to go up on stage to be hypnotized with about 15 others. We were both curious to see if hypnosis is real - I said to Jenna as we arrived that the only way I would ever believe in hypnosis is if she or I were hypnotized. Otherwise, no cake.<br />
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Well here was our chance - we listened carefully to what the guy was saying and tried to relax like he said. Both of us actually wanted to be hypnotized! We really tried! Alas, I was kicked off stage after only a few minutes... not quite sure why. Jenna lasted a little longer, but she was eventually kicked off stage too. Apparently we're hypnosis-proof. Or hypnosis is fake!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna (3rd from the left) pretending to be hypnotized (it didn't work). The hypnotist had already kicked me off stage</td></tr>
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Having been at sea for 7 straight days, we were getting a little batty - that's when we made our only stop of the voyage at Ponta Delgada, Azores.<br />
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The Azores are a Portuguese territory settled in the 1400s. They have a very mild climate - not quite tropical, but sort of.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Norwegian Epic (right) docked in Ponta Delgada, Azores</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna, happy to be on land for the first time in 7 days</td></tr>
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We explored Ponta Delgada for a couple hours, the largest and capital city of the archipelago, before we saw a postcard with a BEAUTIFUL waterfall somewhere in the Azores. We asked the lady where it was and through mediocre English she told us it was called the Caldeira Velha and was located on the slopes of an ancient volcano called Lagoa das Fogo - the Lake of Fire.<br />
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I love waterfalls. So we rented a car and set out to find the place with only a rough idea of where it lay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ponta Delgada, Azores</td></tr>
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We saw all kinds of prettiness on the way.<br />
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Got lost a few times...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our rental car in the Azores</td></tr>
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But eventually made it to Lagoa das Fogo - the Lake of Fire. This is an ancient volcanic crater at the top of a windy and steep road. The views were fantastic even with all the cloud cover. I can only imagine what they would have been like were it clear! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lagoa das Fogo - Lake of Fire</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking from the top of Lagoa das Fogo north towards the other side of the island</td></tr>
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Going down the other side of the volcano we finally came across the entrance to Caldeira Velha - the waterfall we were trying to find. After a short hike (and passing some pools of boiling water!) we found it!<br />
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So we got in. The water wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold - sort of luke warm (the weather was chilly though - in the 50s) and fed by hotsprings upstream. It was magical. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caldeira Velha (Old Boiler)</td></tr>
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Back on the ship we hit bad weather for a day. Waves were 19 feet high according to the bridge and even the 3rd largest cruise ship in the world tossed a <i>lot</i>. It was difficult walking, especially towards the front and the back of the ship. Luckily our cabin was in the center of the ship, well placed at the fulcrum of the main axis of oscillation. Even so, we spent most of the day in bed and only ventured out to eat and see a show.<br />
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I noticed, though, that the cruise staff stealthily stashed barf bags all around the ship for woozy passengers. How funny.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barcelona</td></tr>
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We arrived in Barcelona around 3 am and I stayed up to watch the ship dock. How do you dock the 3rd largest cruise ship in the world? Very slowly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barcelona </td></tr>
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We arrived in Barcelona with no plans, no accommodations, and no travel reservations to Germany. We figured we'd just wing the whole thing. The only thing I wanted to see in the city was La Sagrada Familia - a really strange cathedral still under construction. I could just barely see it from the cruise ship.<br />
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Unfortunately, there was a Formula 1 race in Barcelona that week so all the accommodations were completely booked. Bah! So we bought a couple of surprisingly cheap plane tickets to Frankfurt and left that afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barcelona</td></tr>
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Getting to the airport was a bit of an adventure - there were bomb threats shutting down big chunks of the city we were trying to travel through and messing all the buses up. I did get the above picture because of them, though.<br />
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We eventually made it to the airport (exhausted and sweaty and missing our lovely stateroom and buffet dearly), flew to Palma de Mallorca, then to Frankfurt. (Mental note: Visit Mallorca and Barcelona for reals someday.)<br />
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We arrived in Frankfurt at around midnight, again with no accommodations. Luckily, though, the hostels in this city weren't all full and we made our way to one and crashed for the night. It was a very long day - Jenna didn't like it very much, but I thought it was an adventure.<br />
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Still without confirmed housing in Jena, we decided to spend a full day in Frankfurt before journeying to Jena. Apparently Germans and tourists don't think much of Frankfurt, but we rather liked it. We walked around for a few hours and had a jolly 'ole time.</div>
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We even found some cute ducklings swimming in the Main (the river running through Frankfurt). They were a subspecies we're not familiar with, so I took a picture. We like ducks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Frankfurt skyline</td></tr>
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We finally got a hold of Jenna's contact at the Max Planck Institute in Jena who informed us that we could move into our apartment right away! So after a day in Frankfurt we hopped on the train to Jena. It was supposed to be relatively simple...<br />
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But it wasn't. Here's Jenna looking much more chipper than she felt.<br />
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Our second of three trains was roomy and comfortable.<br />
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At one point they stopped the train and kicked everyone off, saying something about a bus coming to pick us up. But no sooner were we disembarked and lugging our crap down a gravel driveway than the train conductor excitedly ran up and happily (and unintelligibly) said something along the lines of the "the train is working again, hurry and get back on and we'll leave." So we did. But then, since everything was now delayed, we missed our connection and had to wing it for a bit. And, because everything was now running behind our last train was extremely crowded - standing room only. (Not as crowded as <a href="http://www.worldpressphoto.org/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=2063&Itemid=292&bandwidth=high">this train</a>, though.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SMu7kYQTt30/TePa-lx_9XI/AAAAAAAAApU/cBEbylS0Na8/s1600/DSC00093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SMu7kYQTt30/TePa-lx_9XI/AAAAAAAAApU/cBEbylS0Na8/s320/DSC00093.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna tries to figure out the train schedule in German</td></tr>
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We eventually made it to Jena! Jena is a city of 100,000 people located in the former East Germany. It is the only city in former East Germany whose population has increased since 1989. It is home to approximately 25,000 students, 3 Max Planck research institutes, the home of Zeiss optics, Schott glass, and Jenoptic, as well as dozens of smaller optics companies and research institutes and a whole suite of biotech industries and research centers. It is one of Germany's "Science Cities" and is a bit of an optics Mecca.<br />
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After we arrived at the Jena train station (below) our Max Planck contact never came to pick us up. So after waiting for several hours at the train station, then wandering the city with all of our luggage relying on the mercy of taxi drivers who didn't speak English (and who always laugh at us... haven't figured that one out yet), we eventually just got a hotel and collapsed from exhaustion.<br />
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The next day I went out and bought a phone and we finally were taken to our apartment. We like it! It's in a pretty little neighborhood on top of a hill overlooking the city. There are a whole bunch of "kindergartens" (preschools), lots of pretty greenness, and lovely cobblestone streets. The one thing we don't like: the bus stop and closest grocery store are at the bottom of the hill, about a 10 minute walk away. So we're working off our cruise fat. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our apartment building in Jena</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View out of our bathroom window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-viBe5Agc8Lw/TePbbyi1QxI/AAAAAAAAAqU/shSAipTzsTs/s1600/DSC00121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-viBe5Agc8Lw/TePbbyi1QxI/AAAAAAAAAqU/shSAipTzsTs/s320/DSC00121.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our street</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the entrance </td></tr>
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Jenna started work at her new job last Monday: the <a href="http://www.ice.mpg.de/ext/">Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology</a>. She's working on the genetics of bugs that eat tobacco. The institute is located on the <a href="http://beutenberg.de/index.php/41b4f5a070d2b088c33c3944d4ec5640/2">Beutenberg Campus</a>, a large biotech and optics research site southwest of Jena. Did you hear that? Biotech and OPTICS! Yes, the Beutenberg campus is home to the Friedrich Schiller Institute of Applied Physics (where I started today), the Institute of Photonic Technology (in a way awesome building), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. It's pretty much an optics heaven.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www1.uni-jena.de/biologie/mikrobio/jsmc/cms/images/stories/bilder/Beutenberg/beutenberg_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://www1.uni-jena.de/biologie/mikrobio/jsmc/cms/images/stories/bilder/Beutenberg/beutenberg_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1z62qCVgyA/TePbCJsT2HI/AAAAAAAAApc/O-uOatHV0H4/s1600/DSC00097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1z62qCVgyA/TePbCJsT2HI/AAAAAAAAApc/O-uOatHV0H4/s320/DSC00097.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna all ready for her first day of work!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
General observations about Germany:<br />
<ul>
<li>They don't seem to mind graffiti - it's everywhere and rather unsightly. (And it's in English... go figure.)<br />
</li>
<li>There are no drinking fountains, air conditioning, or bathrooms and it's quite warm outside. Conclusion: the people here retain water very well.</li>
<li>They charge for everything: ketchup at McDonalds, water, and coffee at work.<br />
</li>
<li>There are a disproportionate number of really ugly dudes. (No, seriously, they're really ugly.)</li>
<li>It is very green.</li>
<li>They like cobblestones.</li>
<li>They're manic trash-sorters.</li>
<li>They love their beer.</li>
<li>They spend more time outdoors than typical Americans.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7SdT9P10ow/TePbQPhG2UI/AAAAAAAAAp8/veVoFcNtfMQ/s1600/DSC00111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7SdT9P10ow/TePbQPhG2UI/AAAAAAAAAp8/veVoFcNtfMQ/s320/DSC00111.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germans love to party...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And to finish things off, a few scenes from around Jena:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rBn5ajI9XJo/TePbXGMiUzI/AAAAAAAAAqM/7NqFSIlLrAQ/s1600/DSC00119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rBn5ajI9XJo/TePbXGMiUzI/AAAAAAAAAqM/7NqFSIlLrAQ/s640/DSC00119.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our house and neighborhood</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJWB7tB2Gik/TePbfIiYu8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/UeDsmImxEzw/s1600/DSC00123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJWB7tB2Gik/TePbfIiYu8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/UeDsmImxEzw/s320/DSC00123.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The never ending stairs on the way to work...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More stairs coming down the hill</td></tr>
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Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com4Jena, Germany50.9269994 11.58701129999997250.8364434 11.443184299999972 51.0175554 11.730838299999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-9856586054911687842011-03-23T02:24:00.001-06:002011-03-23T04:48:32.500-06:00How to Thoroughly Vaporize a MultimeterSorry it's been awhile since I've posted. I've been busy getting engaged (almost married!) and trying to get through school. Here's my latest adventure:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zmq6NHfn7QQ/TYmqjdZWkxI/AAAAAAAAAm8/lJToLIFr5AQ/s1600/IMG_0377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zmq6NHfn7QQ/TYmqjdZWkxI/AAAAAAAAAm8/lJToLIFr5AQ/s320/IMG_0377.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950s Vacuum Tube Tesla Coil (vacuum tube not pictured)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A 1950s vacuum tube tesla coil based around a Hartley radio frequency oscillator. My uncle gave it to me over thanksgiving. He got his hands on it from the scientific instrument shop of the Los Angeles County School District. Apparently, they gave it to him because he asked nicely and it didn't work (it's ancient).<br />
<br />
The last week or so I've been trying to get it working, with limited success. So far I've got the smaller transformer working - providing 6.3 VAC to the base of the vacuum tube so that it lights up nicely.<br />
<br />
This evening I was testing the large transformer, which is supposed to convert 120 VAC to +/- 600 VAC (I think). It supposedly puts out -600 volts on one lead and +600 on the other, for a total of 1200 volts. My multimeter says it can handle 600 V, so I decided to try each lead individually.<br />
<br />
I disconnected the leads from the large red capacitor shown in front of the large transformer (you can see the leads detached in the picture) and tested each individually with reference to ground. The first (attached to the right side of the cap) came out at about 40 VAC. The second came out as 340 VAC.<br />
<br />
Puzzled and assuming I had found the problem, I decided to test both transformer leads at once. I hooked up each lead from the transformer to a cable from my multimeter and turned the thing on. There was a flash of light and a loud buzzing sound as the insides of my multimeter vaporized under what definitely was <i>not</i> 380 VAC. I quickly hit the switch on my power strip and opened up my multimeter to examine the damage. Here's what I found:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-feFhhGZgidI/TYmqkUHNSrI/AAAAAAAAAnA/DyPSY0ybeXw/s1600/IMG_0378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-feFhhGZgidI/TYmqkUHNSrI/AAAAAAAAAnA/DyPSY0ybeXw/s320/IMG_0378.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back side of the board of my vaporized multimeter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bdu1t_KCRPc/TYmqljPR6OI/AAAAAAAAAnE/K9SlcvFKPZU/s1600/IMG_0382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bdu1t_KCRPc/TYmqljPR6OI/AAAAAAAAAnE/K9SlcvFKPZU/s400/IMG_0382.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front side of the board and underside of the dial of my vaporized multimeter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, I'm down one multimeter. This was after last week vaporizing my oscilloscope probe by touching it to the large red capacitor while charged.<br />
<br />
Tesla coil: 2 Nick: 0Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-69606515498971933492010-11-09T21:11:00.001-07:002010-11-09T21:12:09.481-07:00How to Pay LDS Tithing Online<span style="font-size: 100%;">Here's how to pay tithing online for members of the <a href="http://www.lds.org/">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> (aka Mormons or Latter-day Saints [<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LDS</span>]).<br />
<br />
If you're anything like me then you almost never use checks. The only day-to-day uses for these dinosaurs of the financial world are to pay rent and tithing. But more often than not I forget my checkbook when I go to church. After all, I don't carry it with me anywhere else! This habit has resulted in sporadic donations in which I try to figure out how many paychecks have come in since I last paid and then try to catch up.<br />
<br />
(For those who may not know, Mormons usually pay 10% of their income to the church in the form of<a href="http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/the-commandments/live-the-law-of-tithing"> tithing</a>. These funds support the growth of the church, building construction and maintenance, and other managerial things. They don't support a paid clergy (the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LDS</span> church has none at the local level) or <a href="http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/membership-in-christ-s-church/humanitarian-aid-and-welfare">humanitarian relief</a> - there are separate donation avenues for helping the poor, victims of disaster, etc. Tithing does pay the administration costs of humanitarian aid so that 100% of money "given to the poor" actually goes to help the poor.)<br />
<br />
Well I've finally found a solution. I heard a rumor that members can pay their tithing online somehow, so I fired up google and figured it out last night.<br />
<br />
Here are directions to set up online tithing payment:<br />
<br />
1. Download the necessary form from <a href="http://ldsclerks.com/index.php?title=Image:BillPay_Authorization.doc">this website</a>: </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">The </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">Bill Payment Service Electronic Donation Information Form</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">. (The version dated 21 May 2010 doesn't work, download and use the one dated 21 August 2008.) Fill it out on your computer and e-mail it to <a href="mailto:donations@ldschurch.org">donations@ldschurch.org</a>. You'll need to know your membership number, which you can get off of your temple recommend or from your ward clerk.<br />
<br />
2. After you have e-mailed the form you'll receive a detailed response on how to set up your electronic bill payment through your bank. You'll need to figure out how exactly to configure bill pay for your bank. I use Bank of America and it was relatively easy to set up.<br />
<br />
The e-mail you receive will provide information on how to set up separate bill payments for the following:<br />
</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Tithing<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Fast offerings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">General missionary fund</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Book of Mormon fund<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Perpetual education fund</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Other</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: 100%;">Each bill payment you set up will use a different <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">biller</span> name. These names must be entered exactly as shown below and are case sensitive.<br />
</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">LDS</span>-Tithing</li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">LDS</span>-Fast Offering</li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">LDS</span>-Missionary (General)</li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">LDS</span>-Book of Mormon</li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">LDS</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">PEF</span></li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">LDS</span>-Other<br />
</li>
</ul>You will be identified by your membership ID which you enter as the account number on your banking website.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S58g3-wYY6I/AAAAAAAAAd8/eGmQlSZsuV0/s1600-h/Bill+Pay.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449110220252406690" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S58g3-wYY6I/AAAAAAAAAd8/eGmQlSZsuV0/s400/Bill+Pay.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 360px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Lastly, take care to enter the Pay To address and phone number correctly as shown.<br />
<br />
A few notes on donating tithes and offerings electronically:<br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Any donations you send will go to church headquarters and will not be seen by your ward clerks or bishop - for good or for bad.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">You can't donate to your ward missionary fund online, only to the general missionary fund.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">The donations office can't accommodate special requests towards ward fast offerings or ward missionary funds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">You will receive monthly statements to verify that your payments have been successful as well as yearly tax receipts. You can receive these statements via snail mail or e-mail. If you choose to receive them via e-mail, this is what they look like:</span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TNoZ9RPpMeI/AAAAAAAAAmo/tqkDb_wD1pc/s1600/Tithing+Receipt+September+2010.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TNoaq2fnQqI/AAAAAAAAAms/vo4RaWqmes0/s320/Tithing+Receipt+September+2010+cropped.png" width="320" /></a></div>Good luck! Hopefully this will be useful to folks like me who always forget the checkbook before church.<br />
<br />
ORIGINAL: 3/15/10<br />
UPDATE: 7/27/10 Updated directions to download the working<span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">Bill Payment Service Electronic Donation Information Form. </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Also mentioned the new ability to receive statements electronically.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">UPDATE: 11/9/10 Added example image of a monthly electronic donations statement. Re-published with today's date.<br />
</span>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-84989667397085142622010-11-01T06:44:00.000-06:002010-11-01T06:44:40.889-06:00Largest Cruise Ship in the World Squeaks Under Danish Bridge with 20 Inches to Spare<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?deepLinkEmbedCode=Q4MmZzMTrev9aGOAzYsTkXFoQLB4GGNF&width=640&height=360&embedCode=Q4MmZzMTrev9aGOAzYsTkXFoQLB4GGNF&autoplay=0">
</script>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-89230257479765226772010-08-28T16:34:00.000-06:002010-08-28T16:34:33.984-06:00To WooFrom the Wikipedia article on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtship#Duration">courtship</a>: <br />
<blockquote>...Acts such as meeting on the Internet or virtual dating, chatting on-line via instant messaging or e-mail, sending text messages, conversing over the telephone, writing each other letters, and sending each other flowers, songs, and gifts constitute <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">wooing.</span></b></blockquote> LOL.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-66511403676541049062010-08-05T02:15:00.005-06:002010-08-05T21:07:19.529-06:00T-Rex vs. Mars RoverComment sections are usually full of idiots. Case in point:<br />
<blockquote><a href="http://physicsworld.com/blog/2010/07/packing_for_mars.html">jjeherrera Jul 30, 2010 6:17 PM</a><br />
<i>I've always found it hard to understand why there is so much insistence in manned space exploration, when it has been proven that robots are infinitely better at it.</i></blockquote>Wanna know what I say?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TFt73QmnHUI/AAAAAAAAAk4/EdqaRbpu_js/s1600/TRexEatsRobotxt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TFt73QmnHUI/AAAAAAAAAk4/EdqaRbpu_js/s640/TRexEatsRobotxt.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td center;="" class="tr-caption" style="color: #aaaaaa;" text-align:="">Top speed of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the mightiest dinosaur: 25 mph<br />
Top speed of the Spirit Mars rover: 2 inches/second</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Human space flight <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/for_the_win">ftw</a>!<br />
<br />
But seriously, "<i>...it has been proven that robots are infinitely better at [space exploration].</i>" Huh? What planet are you from? (Maybe one where T-Rex and Mars rovers can peacefully coexist?)<br />
<br />
Right now robots are the method of choice for exploring the solar system because they don't want to come home when all is said and done. And nobody has a fit when one or two burn up in the atmosphere. But to do serious exploration, robots just won't cut it forever.<br />
<br />
Imagine trying to design a robot to<br />
<ol><li>Land in the Rocky Mountains (and survive!) </li>
<li>Move about successfully (good luck) </li>
<li>And then discover <b>dinosaurs</b>.</li>
</ol>It's utterly unthinkable.<br />
<br />
Do you think that's a bizarre scenario? Consider for a moment that Mars has both the highest mountain (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons">Olympus Mons</a>) and the biggest canyon (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valles_Marineris">Valles Marineris</a>) in the solar system. Mars used to have vast oceans, huge rivers, and gargantuan lava flows. It still has dust storms, polar ice caps, and massive amounts of water ice just below the surface. The possibility of fossilized microorganisms is very real - not to mention the chance of native life just below the frigid surface.<br />
<br />
If we're ever going to do space exploration any justice we'll need to get our feet dirty. Humans are infinitely better at space exploration than robots!<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thanks for the drawing Brook! </span></div>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0United States39.2508229 -106.292523834.9992474 -113.7632268 43.502398400000004 -98.8218208tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-75047424238288258242010-08-03T19:12:00.024-06:002010-08-03T20:50:03.264-06:00The Value of Creative ScienceWhen you hear the word <i>creative</i> you don't necessarily think of science. But science is an extremely creative process and has occupied some of the most creative thinkers in human history. Many of the problems in the world can be solved by science, such as rising energy costs, global warming, starvation, and disease.<br /><br />Admittedly, the following video was made for corporate propaganda purposes, but it does a beautiful job of illustrating why science is an alluring, creative field with the mission to change the world.<br /><br />I am a scientist because I love the thrill of creatively solving a difficult problem. The prospect that in some small way my work might change the world for the better turns a fun career into a great one.<br /><br />And of course, nothing says science like Asians in lab coats. :D<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='600' height='315' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwO07iobR8uRSua638QXKjPd8yBRfP_vYFL_U9rCrsoZxuqcC74SfW6qnEbWXQxN2TQX9_xljuVwPq1I4aDvw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Did you notice the boiling cryogen at the beginning of the movie? Cool.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-62621173530128783872010-07-26T23:50:00.000-06:002010-07-26T23:50:57.078-06:00More Blog ChangesBlogger has implemented a new native visitor statistics program (no, not<i> </i>a program that tracks<i> native visitors,</i> a <i>native program</i> that tracks visitors!). It's fairly new, but it told me that currently my most popular post is <a href="http://nickolaspickolas.blogspot.com/2010/03/pay-lds-tithing-online.html">How to Pay LDS Tithing Online</a>. Yay! So I've gone an updated a few things that have changed about the program since I wrote about it in March.<br />
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Blogger also has a great new preview button to use when writing posts. This feature works <i>much</i> better than the previous one (which was mostly useless) and I'm happy. I can also use more-normal keyboard shortcuts for formatting on while blogging on my mac such as command-I to <i>italicize</i> something instead of control-I (which is pesky on a mac). Yay for progress!Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-20592771533157547482010-07-22T22:44:00.016-06:002010-07-22T23:52:41.751-06:00My Senior Thesis is DONE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TEkglxq_i_I/AAAAAAAAAkA/ZDYj7E0SfvM/s1600/Thesis+Page.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TEkglxq_i_I/AAAAAAAAAkA/ZDYj7E0SfvM/s200/Thesis+Page.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496960653543312370" border="0" /></a>After hundreds of hours of machining, wiring, troubleshooting, programming, fiddling, head scratching, fixing, typing, agonizing, and banging my head against the optical table...<br /><br /><br />It's done! And aaaaalllliiiiiiivvve!<br /><br /><br />My senior thesis. (<--- see that period? My thesis is as done as that period! Uhmph!) ..... I just noticed a typo. <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >Controlled Attenuation of Laser-generated High-order Harmonics for Extreme Ultraviolet Polarimetry</span></span><br /></div><br />Abstract:<br />We constructed an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) polarimeter which utilizes laser- induced high harmonics as the light source. This device is capable of making absolute reflectance measurements as low as 0.2% over a wavelength range of 8-89 nm. The polarimetry positioning system allows incident reflectance angles of 0–40◦. In order to increase the dynamic range of our EUV detector we introduced a low-pressure gas downstream from the harmonic generation region to predictably attenuate EUV flux during incident measurements. We also used the gas cell to measure the photoabsorption cross sections of hydro- gen and oxygen compared to that of water vapor, revealing the influence of chemical bonds on EUV absorption.<br /><br />If you <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> wanna read it, then <a href="http://nherrick.com/files/NicholasHerrickThesis.pdf">click here (.pdf)</a> . It has pretty pictures, I promise!Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-70200262548289874852010-07-21T04:22:00.000-06:002010-07-21T04:22:53.565-06:00BYU Library's Old Spice Body Wash ParodyI loved the original version of this commercial I actually went out and bought Old Spice body wash. Now, this parody comes out from my own school! It already has 1.1 million hits on YouTube:<br /><br /><center><object style="background-image: url("http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/2ArIj236UHs/hqdefault.jpg");" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2ArIj236UHs&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2ArIj236UHs&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></center>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-57232661373425184812010-07-13T00:25:00.009-06:002010-07-13T00:46:56.156-06:00Book Review: "The Passage," by Justin Cronin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TDwHnaMdc6I/AAAAAAAAAj4/g65oIP8q7lA/s1600/ThePassageUSA.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TDwHnaMdc6I/AAAAAAAAAj4/g65oIP8q7lA/s200/ThePassageUSA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493274019113038754" border="0" /></a><i>“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”</i> First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment...<br /><br />Aaaaand that was enough for me! What a great book! You can read the whole back cover (don't worry, it doesn't reveal much) <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345504968">here</a>. I listened to it for free on my iPhone from <a href="http://www.audible.com/">audible.com</a>.<br /><br />If you sign up with audible.com they give you a one month free membership and two free audio books - this was my first. The entire book took around 40 hours to listen to - I was enthralled the entire time!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >Review:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Passage</span> is a sci-fi thriller taking place around the year 2016. That's about all I'm going to say - I'm happy that I knew so little before I started listening to it! Justin Cronin tells the story so wonderfully and helps you fall in love with the characters and actually care about whether they live or die (some live, some die, some do... other things).<br /><br />It's a classic tale of good versus evil where the good are REALLY good and the bad are REALLY bad - innocent little girls against mindless monsters, you know the drill. He uses themes throughout the book to build a sense of fear, especially darkness. I actually found myself yelling (in my mind), "Don't go in the building! It's dark in there!"<br /><br />The book was complete with love and adventure and lots of guns and explosions! I recommend it to anyone with some time on their hands this summer.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-89984513834844759482010-07-12T13:57:00.001-06:002010-07-13T00:47:17.356-06:00LEGO Rubik's Cube Solving Robot<div style="text-align: center;"><object style="background-image: url("http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/eaRcWB3jwMo/hqdefault.jpg");" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eaRcWB3jwMo&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eaRcWB3jwMo&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></div>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-6112865263137697292010-07-09T18:38:00.003-06:002010-07-09T18:44:57.956-06:00Blog FaceliftYou may have noticed that I've changed the template for this blog. I had a pretty great template before, but because it was from an external website and was written substantially in javascript, I had very little control over it. Several components were broken and I didn't have the ability to fix them.<br /><br />The reason I originally went to that system was because the Blogger templates I had been using didn't allow enough customization even though everything worked seamlessly. Well Blogger has released a new custom template system which gives me the level of customization I want while making sure everything functions correctly.<br /><br />Of course, it could just be artistic boredom and these are excuses.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-36573102249721376242010-06-28T20:33:00.000-06:002010-06-28T20:34:01.710-06:00Some People Are Soooo Dumb: Part 1<center><object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/fLnWxgAhjvTBR5dfiJJOUg/1005/1022"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/fLnWxgAhjvTBR5dfiJJOUg/1005/1022" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="288" width="512"></embed></object></center>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-76135567014937541572010-06-24T18:54:00.018-06:002010-07-13T00:47:35.255-06:00US National Debt<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The total U.S. national debt for June 23, 2010 was: <span style="font-size:180%;">$13,041,849,923,645.94</span>.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(That's thirteen trillion, forty-one billion, eight hundred and forty-nine million, nine hundred and twenty-three thousand, six hundred and forty-five dollars and ninety-four cents. phew!)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np">Click here</a> for yesterday's national debt number!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(The total national debt is tabulated each day for the previous day.)</span><br /></div><br />These numbers are taken from the public treasury website, <a href="http://www.treasurydirect.gov/">treasurydirect.gov</a>.<br /><br />The following is a graph of the total national debt from 4 January, 1993 to 23 June, 2010. I've left out all context with the exception of the terms of Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TCQHVRaF7aI/AAAAAAAAAjw/GJzw56DxaH8/s1600/Total+National+Debt+History+1993-2010.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/TCQHVRaF7aI/AAAAAAAAAjw/GJzw56DxaH8/s400/Total+National+Debt+History+1993-2010.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486518308075597218" border="0" /></a>If these data bother you at all, may I suggest making a contribution to the federal government? Just <a href="https://www.pay.gov/paygov/forms/formInstance.html?agencyFormId=23779454">click here</a> to donate to the "Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt" account. No joke, try it! It's for reals; Last year $3,063,057.05 was donated to relieve the public debt.<br /><br />Why on earth did I do this? I was looking up the value of my savings bonds and started exploring the treasury website. I saw the link for "Debt to the Penny" and couldn't resist. I also love graphs. And I love data. And I'm getting rather tired of all the huffaw about spending - in my opinion no one cares about deficit spending until it's the other party doing the spending! Take that for what it's worth.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-53675093453870662592010-05-28T20:45:00.000-06:002011-06-18T11:07:05.168-06:00Iceland Adventure: Day 2Oh wow, I thought I had published this about three weeks ago. That goes to show how much fun I've been having in London! Well, enjoy. I'll write more soon. This entry is for Tuesday, May 4th.<div><br />Today I woke up at 4am starving. Dawn is very early in Iceland - I don't really know when the sun rises, but I sleep next to the window in my hostel. I sleep in a room with 9 other people (10 total), mostly men. I met an American chap who happens to be LDS - pretty neat coincidence. But there's no breakfast until 7am. So I laid in bed and read the New York Times until I got up and washed my face at 6 am.<br /><br />Breakfast was muesli and toast downstairs. The lobby was also a cafe where people hang out - it's pretty cool. I had no plans when I woke up, so I spoke with the attendant and he hooked me up with a Golden Circle tour starting at 8 am for 8000 isk (about $60). When the tour arrived it was just a nine passenger van with three other passengers and the tour guide - pretty cool!<br /><br />First stop was Iceland's newest geothermal power plant - the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cjjEzVDgI/AAAAAAAAAfk/P0AIEmSV3BM/s1600/DSC03838.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 272px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cjjEzVDgI/AAAAAAAAAfk/P0AIEmSV3BM/s320/DSC03838.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469379357956181506" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.or.is/English/Projects/HellisheidiGeothermalPlant/">Hellisheidi</a> power plant outside of Reykjavik. This powerplant is built right on the volcanic zone centered over the mid-Atlantic ridge. It taps high-pressure steam from 2 km below the surface and generates 213 MW. Hot water separated pre-energy production is sent through pipes to Reykjavik for space heating and domestic hot water use. This means that none of the buildings have chimneys on them because they heat everything with geothermal water! 97% of the city is heated this way. Also there are almost no water heaters because hot tap water comes from low-temperature geothermal wells.<br /><br />Reykjavik has so much excess geothermal energy that they've begun to heat their roads, parking lots, soccer fields, and even a golf course! Not to mention greenhouses out the wazoo and five public outdoor heated swimming pools in the city. That is SO COOL. Iceland uses 99% renewable energy for electricity production (mostly hydroelectric with the remainder geothermal). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-coCtjsb7I/AAAAAAAAAf0/BGtqZVs-X-8/s1600/DSC03870.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-coCtjsb7I/AAAAAAAAAf0/BGtqZVs-X-8/s320/DSC03870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469384299518914482" border="0" /></a>This country is awesome, too bad geothermal and hydroelectric energy aren't as readily available in the rest of the world. :(<br /><br />Next stop was an extinct volcanic crater filled with beautiful blue/green water. The country is covered with treacherous lava fields that came from volcanoes like this within the last 1500 years.<br /><br />We stopped by a "small" waterfall that anywhere else would be the pride and joy of the country. Here, there are so many gorgeous waterfalls that this one is practically ignored. I didn't even catch the name.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cn30nv4QI/AAAAAAAAAfs/Iy-_o9t0E_c/s1600/DSC03891.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 208px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cn30nv4QI/AAAAAAAAAfs/Iy-_o9t0E_c/s400/DSC03891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469384112436404482" border="0" /></a>It turns out that the only Icelandic word to become entrenched in world vocabulary is 'geyser,' which is taken from the original geyser, Geysir (GAY-seer). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cqkPh9JaI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8WgitEurafg/s1600/DSC03910.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 227px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cqkPh9JaI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8WgitEurafg/s400/DSC03910.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469387074597365154" border="0" /></a>[<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=iceland&sll=51.501189,-0.181878&sspn=0.007133,0.018089&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Iceland&ll=64.278141,-20.351486&spn=0.039784,0.144711&t=h&z=13">location</a>] For awhile "they" thought this was the only such object of its kind in the world. It wasn't until geyers were discovered in America that they realized that half-a-dozen or so exist in the world.<br /><br />Within the last fifty years earthquakes have mostly deactivated Geysir, but the nearby geyer Strokkur erupts every five minutes or so. It's really neat because you can stand quite close as it erupts.<br /><br />Watch the video I took of a double eruption - way cool.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2w1Qym8I/AAAAAAAAAg0/BaWUmkfGWzA/s1600/DSC04018.JPG"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy0Dzxfy2vRN3EpUnwok1e9iTHWoVt3CodWMvbmcLaikT-OOBCUnMdT6_-dfxhnR_E7Ffx9gPW0h8zTdVnJ8Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a></div>Geysir is located in a hotsprings area with a bunch of adjacent hot pools and boiling pots. Enjoy the pictures - the fluorescent blue one actually took my breath away! The one with the cave was tricky to take a picture of because of the steam, but I mostly succeeded.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cq7nu8WcI/AAAAAAAAAgM/w02ByA_mjsY/s1600/DSC03938.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cq7nu8WcI/AAAAAAAAAgM/w02ByA_mjsY/s400/DSC03938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469387476231281090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cq7JtRQ2I/AAAAAAAAAgE/qp8yiRQpW60/s1600/DSC03925.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cq7JtRQ2I/AAAAAAAAAgE/qp8yiRQpW60/s400/DSC03925.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469387468171199330" border="0" /></a>Next we visited the Gulfoss waterfall [<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=iceland&sll=51.501189,-0.181878&sspn=0.007133,0.018089&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Iceland&ll=64.326338,-20.120173&spn=0.019857,0.072355&t=h&z=14">location</a>] - neither the largest volume nor the highest waterfall in Iceland, but probably the most famous. It has three levels facing different directions, the last gushing down into a very narrow canyon - far to narrow for a waterfall this big! That just goes to show how geologically young the country is. Iceland = waterfall heaven.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cyOw11JeI/AAAAAAAAAgU/mLlnTMfiBFI/s1600/DSC03962.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-cyOw11JeI/AAAAAAAAAgU/mLlnTMfiBFI/s400/DSC03962.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469395501674997218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Gulfoss falls. Note the people on the edge of the cliff for scale.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwN2-QB7xXWSloJpn1fuStRiDsKCWaFEx1_sAr-HKTyIUUhPpnQfVILtiHKl9OOS2dbH0kok8dMpShnJ8k6XA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Last stop on the golden circle tour was Þingvellir National Park (pronounced THING-vuh-leer NA-shun-uhl Park). It is a Unesco world heritage site and the location of the first European <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c3g9C7TxI/AAAAAAAAAg8/Uos9F0aABZI/s1600/DSC04051.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 196px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c3g9C7TxI/AAAAAAAAAg8/Uos9F0aABZI/s320/DSC04051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469401311746936594" border="0" /></a>parliament in 930 AD. Vikings would gather here yearly to work out government things and drown witches and such (see picture at right). Þingvellir is located in the rift valley of the mid-Atlantic ridge. This rift valley is formed as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates diverge by about 2 cm a year. Huge chasms open in the earth and fill with glacial water forming some of the most beautiful fresh-water diving destinations in the world (top 5, apparently). The edge of the North American plate can be seen behind the ancient parliament location in the picture below. You can also see a beautiful little waterfall placed by the vikings so they could have a waterfall in the vicinity of their meeting place. That's my kind of logic!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2wAiP_SI/AAAAAAAAAgs/dJIx2MDlcqo/s1600/DSC04017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2wAiP_SI/AAAAAAAAAgs/dJIx2MDlcqo/s400/DSC04017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469400470870031650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2vWA89GI/AAAAAAAAAgk/2lgxBCUFaDk/s1600/DSC04031.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2vWA89GI/AAAAAAAAAgk/2lgxBCUFaDk/s400/DSC04031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469400459456083042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2w1Qym8I/AAAAAAAAAg0/BaWUmkfGWzA/s1600/DSC04018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2w1Qym8I/AAAAAAAAAg0/BaWUmkfGWzA/s400/DSC04018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469400485023882178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2u9lKMBI/AAAAAAAAAgc/1MyXB65TICU/s1600/DSC04011.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 158px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S-c2u9lKMBI/AAAAAAAAAgc/1MyXB65TICU/s400/DSC04011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469400452897058834" border="0" /></a>After the tour I talked to folks in the hostel for a couple of hours, then took a nap which ended up being all night. A good day.</div>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-25676334918144612372010-05-03T11:40:00.028-06:002011-06-18T11:07:05.168-06:00Iceland Adventure: Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Mt73ahEI/AAAAAAAAAeU/IgOBORT3avQ/s1600/Sunrise+over+Greenland.JPG"><img style="float: right; border: medium none; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Mt73ahEI/AAAAAAAAAeU/IgOBORT3avQ/s320/Sunrise+over+Greenland.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467102455954834498" border="0" /></a>Today, or yesterday, I'm not quite sure which, I flew into Iceland. I slept most of the seven hour flight from Seattle to Reykjavik, Iceland, but woke up to see the sunrise over Greenland :D<br /><br />Notice in the picture the interesting "triple sun" phenomenon - you can see a bright blob about 15 degrees to the left of the sun (and there's another one to the right not pictured). I've never heard of it or seen it before, any ideas about the cause? The second picture is of my location during the sunrise.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Ngx7S_gI/AAAAAAAAAec/062ythxi_zs/s1600/Sunrise+over+Greenland+%28position%29.jpg"><img style="float: left; border: medium none; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 160px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Ngx7S_gI/AAAAAAAAAec/062ythxi_zs/s320/Sunrise+over+Greenland+%28position%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467103329460092418" border="0" /></a>As we landed in the Keflavik airport about 20 minutes southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, I saw a cute little church just off of a black beach on the Atlantic. The terrain was incredibly flat - a perfect place for an airport! Customs took awhile - mostly because they had to re-screen all the passengers - ugh.<br /><br />After retrieving my luggage I bought a round-trip bus ticket to Reykjavik for 3,500 isk (about $30 USD). Last week I scheduled a bus trip to the Blue Lagoon and I found out in the airport that during peak season (June - August) buses go directly from the airport to the Blue Lagoon only 20 minutes away and store your luggage for you! Note to self: Next time I have a layover in Iceland for a few hours, definitely hit up the Blue Lagoon. (You can rent swimsuits and towels and take a shower afterward to be back in the airport in about 2 hours!)<br /><br />Once I got to Reykjavik I made my way to the <a href="http://www.hostel.is/extern.asp?cat_id=681">Downtown Hostel</a> (part of the HI hostel network) where I had previously made reservations. I thought they would just store my luggage, but they let me move in right away because it wasn't full the night before (the time was 9 am Iceland time - but about a million pm Nick time!). I put my valuables in a locker in the (very nice!) dorm room and the stored my luggage in their secure luggage room. I had breakfast (Muesli, toast with jams, and orange juice - mmmmm) and then caught the bus to the Blue Lagoon at 10:30 am.<br /><br />So far I've noticed that Icelanders love sweaters and jackets. They pretty much wear them year-round from what I can tell. All the models pictured in store windows or airport advertisements are dressed very warmly. Public Immodesty is not a problem in Iceland!<br /><br />The capital, Reykjavik, looks generally clean with very low traffic. The roads downtown are incredibly narrow - the bus drivers are very brave. Everyone seems to speak English well-enough, but they sure do love the Icelandic language. Apparently the language is such a pure remnant of the Viking language that most Icelanders can read the ancient Viking texts. They also <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> compound words. Looking out the window of the bookstore right now I see Islandspostur (Iceland post), Ausurstraeti (I have no idea), and vioskiptavinir (again, no idea). Long words! Sometimes it even sounds like they're speaking Russian...<br /><br />11 am Iceland time, 5 am Utah time, ugh. Pushing through - time for adventures! Check out these awesome pictures of the Blue Lagoon!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Tje7tZPI/AAAAAAAAAe0/99LNJTR7EWY/s1600/Blue+Lagoon+3.JPG"><img style="display: block; border: medium none; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98Tje7tZPI/AAAAAAAAAe0/99LNJTR7EWY/s400/Blue+Lagoon+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467109972970923250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98TkIJJztI/AAAAAAAAAe8/vdDmE9BrlNU/s1600/Blue+Lagoon+4.JPG"><img style="display: block; border: medium none; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98TkIJJztI/AAAAAAAAAe8/vdDmE9BrlNU/s400/Blue+Lagoon+4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467109984033165010" border="0" /></a>You're not seeing things - the water really is blue! It's apparently caused by the perfect balance of minerals and blue-green algae - all natural of course. They've built a resort out of it, but this place has been around a lot longer than anyone ever cared enough to get to it. This has to be the most rugged terrain I've ever seen. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98b4w163fI/AAAAAAAAAfM/nox1-trSP2M/s1600/Extremely+rugged+"><img style="float: right; border: medium none; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98b4w163fI/AAAAAAAAAfM/nox1-trSP2M/s320/Extremely+rugged+" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467119134648753650" border="0" /></a>Getting to the Blue Lagoon without roads would be a nightmare. These lava fields make talus slopes look like fairways. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to try to move any pack animals or even people across it without taking an enormous amount of time to blast out a road. The Vikings named it the "Evil Lava." It was formed about 300 years after settlement began - it must have been a huge eruption lasting months.<br /><br />The Blue Lagoon is a large hot springs resort. In the pools where people swim the water is a very pale green but where it's undisturbed it's a milky blue that's out of this world! There are warm and warmer spots all around the extensive pool which visitors can swim in. The almost-freezing-rain at whipping through the lagoon produced copious amounts of steam rising from the hot water. Visibility in the air was only a few feet at times:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98dDp_mv4I/AAAAAAAAAfU/Rg5ZrVuHQmA/s1600/Blue+Lagoon+2.JPG"><img style="display: block; border: medium none; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98dDp_mv4I/AAAAAAAAAfU/Rg5ZrVuHQmA/s400/Blue+Lagoon+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467120421300518786" border="0" /></a>The water itself was cloudy - visibility drops off after a couple inches. The water was very salty, but not really ocean salty - it wasn't quite as traumatic in your mouth as the ocean. Floating was easy because of the extra buoyancy provided by the high salinity. The water over time has deposited thick layers of white minerals over the lava rocks making the pool bottom smooth and white.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98d_8bw3RI/AAAAAAAAAfc/UdzOA2i8f90/s1600/Blue+Lagoon+Algae.jpg"><img style="display: block; border: medium none; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PFdvEpeQqis/S98d_8bw3RI/AAAAAAAAAfc/UdzOA2i8f90/s400/Blue+Lagoon+Algae.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467121457042611474" border="0" /></a>The whole experience was eerily quiet. There were a few dozen other visitors exploring the pools of different temperatures and covering themselves with the white "therapeutic" sand. The pools were surrounded by dramatic lava rocks completely covered in moss and lichen.<br /><br />Despite the perfect combination of driving rain and gloriously warm water - I was definitely overheated when I finally got out about 90 minutes later. In Japan, where they've perfected the public bath, I would then get in <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> cold bath for a few minutes to bring my body temperature back down before I shower. Somehow standing in the cold wind isn't the same - it stings all the time instead of just the beginning! So in this respect, Europeans have a lot to learn. I couldn't even get the shower to give cold water.<br /><br />So after dressing (which isn't fun when you're really hot) I started looking for a water fountain. Oh yeah, I'm in <span style="font-style: italic;">Europe</span>. They don't believe in drinking fountains here! (Or so I've heard.) So I had to settle with buying a soda for 200 isk. But wait, Europeans don't believe in ice either! Nooooo! So here I was standing in the driving Icelandic rain drinking a warm soda trying desperately to cool down. Iceland: Plus 10 points for the beautiful warm water, minus 1 for no ice! So much for the name.Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406893520185718207.post-89136839491981375442010-04-22T02:56:00.004-06:002010-08-05T02:26:43.495-06:00Urban Dictionary: Dinosaur KissI'm the proud author of an Urban Dictionary entry! When I learned that the definition of "dinosaur kiss" on urbandictionary.com was horrible, I submitted my own and here it is in all its glory:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://dinosaur-kiss.urbanup.com/4876346">Dinosaur Kiss</a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11px;" ><div class="definition">To lick another person's face from the tip of the nose to the hairline. A particularly good way to end a first date.</div><div class="example" style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt;">Brad: Oh man, dude, Melanie totally gave me a dinosaur kiss after our date last night. Score!</div></span></div>Nickolas Pickolashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16207920799694101650noreply@blogger.com3