martes, 12 de febrero de 2008
Santa Barbara
Sunday, I went with José to Santa Barbara, thirty minutes outside the city. There we had an 'asado' (the famous Argentine style of BBQ) and relaxed for the day at the [amazing] house of a family friend.
Sao Paulo
What fruit is this? What time is it? Where am I?
Janet uses tarot cards to conclude that I am tall.
THE BEST COFFEE
Janet uses tarot cards to conclude that I am tall.
THE BEST COFFEE
miércoles, 5 de diciembre de 2007
Mas Observatorio
Can you guess which one is the astrophysicist?
6.5m mirror
mechanism for aiming the mirror
the "instrument" (a spectrograph developed by my cousin Gus); it collects light and separates it into different wavlengths
the man and his machine
the control room (there are a total of twenty monitors in the room, some of which are used for data analysis, but most of which are used to control the telescope itself; the large mirror has a honeycomb structure, beneath each section of which is an adjustable support system used to adjust the shape of the mirror to focus the light accurately)
6.5m mirror
mechanism for aiming the mirror
the "instrument" (a spectrograph developed by my cousin Gus); it collects light and separates it into different wavlengths
the man and his machine
the control room (there are a total of twenty monitors in the room, some of which are used for data analysis, but most of which are used to control the telescope itself; the large mirror has a honeycomb structure, beneath each section of which is an adjustable support system used to adjust the shape of the mirror to focus the light accurately)
martes, 6 de noviembre de 2007
Mendoza—Santiago—La Serena/Las Campanas
In Mendoza, on my way to Chile, I took a wine tour.
First stop, industrial-size winery with impossibly small doors.
A distillery—last stop on the Mendoza wine tour. Unremarkable except for the building.
This lunch was amazing. First time I've felt *full* since childhood.
People of various European nations, feasting after the wine tour.
Mendoza City.
Approaching the Andes.
Waiting at the Chilean border, on the icy upper shelf of the world.
From the La Serena airport to the observatory at Las Campanas, my driver (a friendly mechanic named Juan) and I spoke Spanish for two hours while driving in a brand-new, bright-red pickup truck along the coast (of course, in Chile, no matter where you are, you're probably near the coast). Juan's view was that life is all about going to the beach and drinking Pisco and having "sexo," as the act of love is called in Spanish. I considered his claims thoughtfully and found them hard to disagree with. Juan's children are (1) an electrical engineer and (2) an international business major. He has been working at the observatory for fifteen years. Charming fellow. We had a great time. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of him.
After a while, the way from La Serena to Las Campanas turns into a Martian wasteland. Tierra sin vida. Rocks everywhere.
One of the large, twin telescopes.
The other one (plus connective tissue).
First stop, industrial-size winery with impossibly small doors.
A distillery—last stop on the Mendoza wine tour. Unremarkable except for the building.
This lunch was amazing. First time I've felt *full* since childhood.
People of various European nations, feasting after the wine tour.
Mendoza City.
Approaching the Andes.
Waiting at the Chilean border, on the icy upper shelf of the world.
From the La Serena airport to the observatory at Las Campanas, my driver (a friendly mechanic named Juan) and I spoke Spanish for two hours while driving in a brand-new, bright-red pickup truck along the coast (of course, in Chile, no matter where you are, you're probably near the coast). Juan's view was that life is all about going to the beach and drinking Pisco and having "sexo," as the act of love is called in Spanish. I considered his claims thoughtfully and found them hard to disagree with. Juan's children are (1) an electrical engineer and (2) an international business major. He has been working at the observatory for fifteen years. Charming fellow. We had a great time. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of him.
After a while, the way from La Serena to Las Campanas turns into a Martian wasteland. Tierra sin vida. Rocks everywhere.
One of the large, twin telescopes.
The other one (plus connective tissue).
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