Merry Solstice and a Happy New Year

So, I'm celebrating Christmas in Cambodia this year. I'm having a pretty good time because the only people around be celebrating it are family or friends of family. I'm not exchanging gifts (that is I'm not giving any, I might receive some, but I don't know) and the whole affair is pretty relaxed. I''m staying with my uncle and aunt in their mansion in the capital Phnom Penh. Along with four cousins, another uncle, my Dad and some friend of my cousins, there will be 11 of us. These conditions should make for a nice quiet celebration, which I will enjoy immensely.

In other news, a beat my cousin Nick at eating chillies in a contest at a Khmer (Cambodian) restaurant (I ate three).

Finally, it occured to me that electrons can't be moving because they would give of EMR whenever they changed direction. This means that they must be getting from one place to another without actually moving. Spooky eh?

Danger: High Voltage

Stupid signs, they're everywhere: near power stations, on the transformers inside microwaves, neon signs, even the power distribution systems at Thornbury station. 'Danger' they say. 'High Voltage' they say. Honestly, whoever came up with that as a warning was a fool. I have personally had 15000v of alternating current passed through me at no personal damage. The first rule of designing transformers is... well its n1/n2=v1/v2, but one of the rules is that current kills, voltage arcs. Provided the current is non lethal, the main problem with increasing the voltage is that is able to 'jump' further. This means that running a system of electrical wires with different voltages across them can be difficult, but this should not harm anyone unless they are standing between them. There is always a chance that an exposed wire will arc to an actual person, as a path to the Earth, but even this isn't necessarily very dangerous. Also, there is no way this would occur when the high voltage circuit was intact because the human body is a much worse conductor than electrical wires. Unless it goes through your heart the arc is unlikely to cause any serious damage. Because of the human anatomy, if you are standing on the ground (not an unlikely hypothetical), the only real way the current might pass through your heart is if the arc is to your head. This is made even less likely by the tendency for people these days to wear shoes with rubber soles. As such I have designed my own warning sign which I will apply to any high voltage devices I have. It says (in pictorial format) 'Warning! Do not aproach head first after removing shoes when damaged'.

Good to get that out, I feel relieved.

I can also anounce that a new group blog has been started up. Non linear thinking, a blog about philosophy, religion, life, magic and (if they'll let me) science. I will be a regular contributer, so if you enjoy what I write then have a look. If you don't like what I write then you'll probably like the what someone else writes, so have a look anyway.

Finally I'm heading off to Thailand and Cambodia for christmas, so I may have limited access to the internet in the next few weeks. If I have access then I'll make a few posts from those countries about what I'm doing.
Oskar, signing out.

Photographs of the past couple of weeks.

A few photos from the graduatioin and formal. Not much has gone on since these events, except that I've been working on my tesla coil which is currently not working, but I know why.


















The posse Y'all.






















Outside before the formal



















Me and Ms Hutchins. Go team physics!


















Me and grandparents. My opa holding the piece of bamboo I gave them to thank them for being supportive during my study intensive last couple of years of schooling.

So that's those. I should have some more information RE: Tesla Coil in a few days time.
Also, my birthday is comming up, so if you would like to come to it then please let me know. I've given out a few invitations, but if I don't have your email adress then I probably haven't given you one (I won't give you one if I don't know you).