Discovery

Even today, amazing discoveries can come from seemingly simple experiments:

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Graphene discovery may lead to faster computers

Electronic devices, from mobile phones to computers, could work much faster if they were made from the thinnest substance in the world, scientists from Manchester University have discovered.

Studies on graphene, a revolutionary material made of a single layer of carbon atoms, have revealed that electrons – subatomic particles that result in electricity – travel many times faster than in silicon, the basis of all modern computer chips.

Professor Kostya Novoselov of Manchester University, who shared last year's Nobel prize in physics with colleague Andre Geim for their work on graphene, said research on layers of the material held in a vacuum has shown that electrons behave very differently when travelling through graphene.

Professor Geim and Professor Novolosev discovered graphene by using Scotch tape to peel away layers of carbon from a piece of graphite (pencil lead).

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/graphene-discovery-may-lead-to-faster-computers-2319914.html

Working on the book...

“What is today a matter of academic speculation begins tomorrow to move armies and pull down empires.”
J. Gresham Machen

More from The Secret Garden

Another spectacular day-- currently 70F and sunny. We bought badminton racquets and an Aerobie soft frisbee and played at Inverleith Park for a couple hours. On the whole the kids are still out of sorts, in my opinion. Both seem tired, cranky, and both are having difficulty getting on a normal eating schedule. Neither ate much all day and then they basically had three meals in three hours in the evening.

We've ordered a DSi (used) for Taran. He saved up about half the money for it, and we decided that it made sense to get it for him. We'll see how that goes. I half expect him to break it in a fit of picque if he doesn't win a game.

'Of course, there must be lots of Magic in the world... but people don't know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen." - Colin Craven.

More from The Secret Garden

Another spectacular day-- currently 70F and sunny. We bought badminton racquets and an Aerobie soft frisbee and played at Inverleith Park for a couple hours. On the whole the kids are still out of sorts, in my opinion. Both seem tired, cranky, and both are having difficulty getting on a normal eating schedule. Neither ate much all day and then they basically had three meals in three hours in the evening.

We've ordered a DSi (used) for Taran. He saved up about half the money for it, and we decided that it made sense to get it for him. We'll see how that goes. I half expect him to break it in a fit of picque if he doesn't win a game.

'Of course, there must be lots of Magic in the world... but people don't know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen." - Colin Craven.

Beautiful summer

Well, so much for regular blogging. It's 23-Jul, a full 5 months since the last posting. I'd say we'll try to do better, but there's just no guarantee of that, apparently.

Today was a beautiful day in Dunedin: sunny and 60-65F all day. We made the most of it:
- Walked to Holyrood Park
- Hiked up the Salisbury Crags
- Tea at Pizza Express
- Shopping (Taran and Lynn) and Princes Gardens & Trainspotting (Adam and Kenna)

We'll post some photos, or a link to photos soon.

Here's a good quote from "The Secret Garden," relevant both for my recent thinking about sustainable entrepreneurship and hiking up the Crags:

"'When I was at school my jography told as th' world was shaped like a orange an' I found out before I was ten that th' whole orange doesn't belong to nobody. No one owns more than his bit of a quarter an' there's times it seems like there' not enow quarters to go round. But don't you - none o' you - think as you on th' whole orange or you'll find out you're mistaken, an' you won't find it out without hard knocks... What children learns from children is that there's no sense in grabbin' at th' whole orange - peel an' all. If you do, you'll likely not get even th' pips, an' them's too bitter to eat." - Susan Sowerby