CC is back

CC is back from the north country, and has lived to tell the tale, despite having just skied her first black diamond.

Her van has been cleaned up (inside, anyway), and she's anxious to head out to Hannaford's this noon-time.

Let's all welcome her back!

Pie Day Preview

Today marked a definite swing back to traditional birthday fare, with PM getting some rather hefty apple and cherry pies to celebrate his latest.

JT, you're next. When you least expect it, expect it!

Only 15 days until Pi day oh-seven!

A new thing under the sun

Thanks to WL for surreptitiously introducing me to the concept of raspberry creme savers in my morning mocha. Raspberry goes very well with chocolate. I guess I can be thankful that Peeps bunnies float in coffee!

Lenten Tea

Ah the season of Lent. That subdued season of the liturgical year when Christians look inward, ponder their sinfulness, and fast. The color most associated with the Lenten season is purple, the color of penitence.

As a public service to those celebrating lent, the committee has decided that today's tea will be designed to inspire a suitable lenten attitude.

Vacations are too short

It's too bad that RD couldn't extend his time in the Bahamas. I'm sure that he'd like to pay his respects to Anna Nicole. We all know how attached he was to her.

Let's get this straight

TREE squirrels do not hibernate.

GROUND squirrels (such as the Red Squirrel) hibernate.

Ash Wednesday

This year's Ash Wednesday celebration is also AO's birthday. Following TB's unusual b-day celebration yesterday, AO's doesn't seem so strange. For him, we had bagels.

If this is Ash Wednesday, then Mardi Gras must be over - AZ should be back tomorrow. Hopefully there will be stories.

Oh, by the way

That's not JU at his desk today. That's Jim, in to take care of a little Windows Vista problem with his software.

Not to worry, JU will be back soon.

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras, and this week is school vacation week in some parts, so normal is not what this week is going to be. (Although hopefully posting here will return to at least its pre-Stanford level).

JT and JU are off to the great newly-white north, and AZ has absconded to nawlins for Fat Tuesday. She just might be on one of the New Orleans web cams later today. RD is off to the Bahamas. We're sure we've missed a few others, too.

NR is observing Lent in the Russian way, so Tea may be at least slightly subdued this Friday.

Stamford is a city in Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Connecticut

Just a note to clear up any confusion, Stanford is a world-class University located in Palo Alto, CA.

Stamford is a city in Connecticut, just this side of New York state.

Off to Stanford

How do you get to Stanford? As WL reminds us:

STUDY

Well, RA, LL, and BK must have been hitting the books, because they're all off to Palo Alto (Which was apparently named for this tree), for a whirlwind tour of one of Stanford's labs, and perhaps some sightseeing around San Francisco.

We'll be sure to bring back our hearts...

Manhattans at 4?

It seems that AO has decided to provide certain supplies. Supplies which might come in handy tomorrow at 4:00, if you catch our drift...

AG - still interested in meeting the troops? (We know it's not a martini, but we don't know when that might happen again - though it could at any time).

UPDATE: And speaking of bourbon, Mardi Gras is coming, and AZ recommends this bourbon cam for regarding the festivities.

Another successful software summit

We're just brimming with news today.

SR drove down yesterday, and we had a software summit. Very low-key, but also very productive. WL didn't even have to referee, much. (Except for that unfortunate dilution incident. Very ugly).

We're well prepped for Mad River - coming up in only three weeks!

The long ride home

Tonight WL and SM are traveling back to home base, having deposited Cathy at camp for a few weeks. Hopefully she won't be too homesick. Unfortunately, we hear that there's not much to do in Pennsylvania in the winter. We hope that the counselors will keep her busy so that she doesn't get too bored.

Hurry back, Cath.

2 dB is 2 dB

And with this pronouncement, JT broadcast to a waiting world the news. We have passed EMI with flying colors... (Not that there weren't dangerous shoals - particularly at 150 kHz, but if you limbo under the bar, you've limboed well).

Congrats JT - here's to not having to go through it again!

(Oh, and could we help out with flammability testing? I love using a flamethrower).

Road Trip!

WL and SM are off with Cleo (and Bandit!) to the great state of Pennsylvania for the day!

We hope that the tunes are loud, the food fast, the service stations clean, and the locals friendly!

Don't forget to send a postcard!

Ice Facts

Here are some ice facts, in celebration of the weather we've been having, global warming not withstanding.

Ice is about 8% less dense than water. Ice floats.

When Ice melts, it absorbs as much heat as it would were an equivalent amount of water's temperature increased 80 degrees Celsius.

Ice is considered to be a mineral.

There are 11 types of crystalline ice, and 3 types of amorphous ice. Everyday snow and ice are Type I hexagonal ice. Cubic ice forms at temperatures between 130 and 150 Kelvin, and is stable to 200 degrees Kelvin.

Ice III, a tetragonal crystalline ice, is formed by cooling water down to 250 K at 300 MPa. Least dense of the high-pressure phases, it is denser than water.

Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of a glacier that winds its way toward a body of water (river, lake, ocean, etc.). During its travels, all of the air bubbles that are trapped in the ice are squeezed out, and the size of the ice crystals increases, making it clear.

In 400 BC Iran, Persian engineers had already mastered the technique of storing ice in the middle of summer in the desert. In this way, the royalty was kept cool, and were provided with cold treats.

For more Ice Facts, check out the wikipedia, from which much of this was purloined.

Early Spring!

CBS News is reporting that Punxutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning, so we're in for an early Spring!

It's a great way to start our Friday, the day of our Winter Social. It's rumored that attendance will be lower, percentage-wise, than last year's extravaganza in Northboro. Perhaps it'd be wise to seriously consider White Cliffs for next year's bash?

Weigh-in

Tomorrow's the day of the great 2007 starve-it-all-away weigh-in. NT, JT and AO stand to win the prize of $ 150.00 shortly after 10:00. Smart money's on AO.

AZ will be bringing in a total body-fat scale, should anyone else wish to depress their moods.

Updates as conditions warrant.