While the title of this post might be applicable to me in a way, the reference to old age in fact is not to do with me but my dear old friend the Philips SEM505. I had a session this morning on the SEM505 at the EMU to look at some rubber samples to do with the cable insulation project. After they had been coated last week (once I had been taught how to use the new auto-coater) we got a booking today on what was a rather empty calendar for this machine. I don't know exactly how old it is, but I think it may be one of the original SEM's in the unit and it dates back at least significantly far back into the unit's 50 year celebrations this year from the photographs that I have seen around the place, which means it is the same, if not older age than I am. Hmmm ~googles~ Apparently it was released in 1980, making it a year older than I am.
I have spent many hours at the console with its push buttons, clicky dials and push-pull knobs, green static screens and noisy hissing vacuum pumps. The machine has had many deaths but only to be revived by the talented Toshi Arakawa whose experience no doubt is also probably older than I am. But, like many things in this day and age, technology is out-stripping the usefulness of this gentle beast. The buttons are beginning to fail, to be stuck or come off. The vacuum seals are wearing considerbly and knowledge, experience and jiggling is required to ensure your vacuum will pump the chamber down. The hands on dexterity to operate three, four even five knobs by hand while staring into the static to visualise something is now being lost to a two button mouse, keystrokes on a keyboard or even in some cases (such as on the Quanta microscope) a modified PS2 (Playstation 2) controller. I don't know how long they will keep the 505 running, but its days are running out. The new Zeiss SEM that has replaced the old FEGSEM (which was sold second-hand to the CSIRO funnily enough lol, government research laboratories having to purchase old second hand machines from universities shows you the level of funding and priorities we have in this country ~sad shake of the head~) is apparently a brilliant machine and even trained monkies could use it with a quick training session on using it.
As I jokingly said to Toshi once, if only I had space at home for the 505, I would take it hime. After all, it does run on mains power straight from the wall without problems. But it would take up half my room alone without the vacuum pumps of the EDS controller box. Not to mention once it died, it would be a permanent death at my place. One thing though for sure, it is at least easier for us, the older and what I like to think, the more skilled SEM users, to obtain a booking with people scrambling for time on the XL30, Quanta and Zeiss machines since the younger generations only learn how to push a mouse around.
Once that was finished, I ducked over to Broadway to process some photographs for my sister-in-law since they required passport photos for their U.S. visa applications. The U.S. passport photos are square shaped in a 2x2 inch format, which is different to the Australian rectangle format. I had already aligned and sized the pictures accordinly at home, and ordered the 6x4 print through a Kodak Kiosk in K-Mart. They printed out easily enough and while it was just shy of 2x2 inch in size, I think it is close enough for their needs. The woman behind the desk asked how I did them since she thought I had use a singluar photograph and selected a passport pre-set option. I had to explain that I did it elsewhere and just printed a standard picture instead of using pre-sets.... I think that sometimes, people who sell technology and work in technology retails should have a better understanding of what they peddle since the two older ladies behind the counter are a few years behind....
Once that was finished and I stopped by the bank to do some banking, I went Pawn Shop hunting. Since I am still in the market for a decent 50mm EF EOS mount lens, I figured that there might be some in the pawn shops in the city. I have often walked past their barred windows and seen miscellaneous camera goods on the shelves so it was a potential avenue for cheaper goods hopefully in reasonable condition. Alas, to no avail. I went to four of them, all along George Street in the city. Two on each side along the same strip. Two of them had no SLR lenses at all, one had two but were not 50mm, and the last one had several lenses but they were mainly Minolta mounts, and while they had some Canon lenses, they were either what I already had (18-55, 75-300) or they were the old FD mounts and completely useless to me without adaption and even then, they were still not 50mm (nor would they be with an adaptor mind you) in size. A fruitless result of walking downtown.
It was really hot today, and well it still is being 31°C in my room right now, and summer only started yesterday officially. I bought an EasyWay on the way to the station, and I must say, customer service sometimes really must be a shocking job for the grumpiness that you see in staff around. The woman was very dour and reluctant to serve me, and make my drink as if it owed her something big.... Strange way to be I guess, though if you are stuck making drinks in a small shopfront as a career I guess you could start to hold a grudge against the dead-end bringing of the drinks in your life....
On the train home I started reading a book, the book which the movie Catch Me If You Can is based off. I will write more about it later I hope once I've finished it but so far, four chapters in, it is quite a interesting and enjoyable read. I picked it up free at uni because people often just donate their old books for people to read and pass around.
Oh, State Championships for Kendo are on this Saturday. A friend of mine who is in training to be a physiotherapist has said that they will also examine my wrist for me after her matches are over for the day to see how bad it is and if she can recommend anything to assist the situation. According to her:
I have spent many hours at the console with its push buttons, clicky dials and push-pull knobs, green static screens and noisy hissing vacuum pumps. The machine has had many deaths but only to be revived by the talented Toshi Arakawa whose experience no doubt is also probably older than I am. But, like many things in this day and age, technology is out-stripping the usefulness of this gentle beast. The buttons are beginning to fail, to be stuck or come off. The vacuum seals are wearing considerbly and knowledge, experience and jiggling is required to ensure your vacuum will pump the chamber down. The hands on dexterity to operate three, four even five knobs by hand while staring into the static to visualise something is now being lost to a two button mouse, keystrokes on a keyboard or even in some cases (such as on the Quanta microscope) a modified PS2 (Playstation 2) controller. I don't know how long they will keep the 505 running, but its days are running out. The new Zeiss SEM that has replaced the old FEGSEM (which was sold second-hand to the CSIRO funnily enough lol, government research laboratories having to purchase old second hand machines from universities shows you the level of funding and priorities we have in this country ~sad shake of the head~) is apparently a brilliant machine and even trained monkies could use it with a quick training session on using it.
As I jokingly said to Toshi once, if only I had space at home for the 505, I would take it hime. After all, it does run on mains power straight from the wall without problems. But it would take up half my room alone without the vacuum pumps of the EDS controller box. Not to mention once it died, it would be a permanent death at my place. One thing though for sure, it is at least easier for us, the older and what I like to think, the more skilled SEM users, to obtain a booking with people scrambling for time on the XL30, Quanta and Zeiss machines since the younger generations only learn how to push a mouse around.
Once that was finished, I ducked over to Broadway to process some photographs for my sister-in-law since they required passport photos for their U.S. visa applications. The U.S. passport photos are square shaped in a 2x2 inch format, which is different to the Australian rectangle format. I had already aligned and sized the pictures accordinly at home, and ordered the 6x4 print through a Kodak Kiosk in K-Mart. They printed out easily enough and while it was just shy of 2x2 inch in size, I think it is close enough for their needs. The woman behind the desk asked how I did them since she thought I had use a singluar photograph and selected a passport pre-set option. I had to explain that I did it elsewhere and just printed a standard picture instead of using pre-sets.... I think that sometimes, people who sell technology and work in technology retails should have a better understanding of what they peddle since the two older ladies behind the counter are a few years behind....
Once that was finished and I stopped by the bank to do some banking, I went Pawn Shop hunting. Since I am still in the market for a decent 50mm EF EOS mount lens, I figured that there might be some in the pawn shops in the city. I have often walked past their barred windows and seen miscellaneous camera goods on the shelves so it was a potential avenue for cheaper goods hopefully in reasonable condition. Alas, to no avail. I went to four of them, all along George Street in the city. Two on each side along the same strip. Two of them had no SLR lenses at all, one had two but were not 50mm, and the last one had several lenses but they were mainly Minolta mounts, and while they had some Canon lenses, they were either what I already had (18-55, 75-300) or they were the old FD mounts and completely useless to me without adaption and even then, they were still not 50mm (nor would they be with an adaptor mind you) in size. A fruitless result of walking downtown.
It was really hot today, and well it still is being 31°C in my room right now, and summer only started yesterday officially. I bought an EasyWay on the way to the station, and I must say, customer service sometimes really must be a shocking job for the grumpiness that you see in staff around. The woman was very dour and reluctant to serve me, and make my drink as if it owed her something big.... Strange way to be I guess, though if you are stuck making drinks in a small shopfront as a career I guess you could start to hold a grudge against the dead-end bringing of the drinks in your life....
On the train home I started reading a book, the book which the movie Catch Me If You Can is based off. I will write more about it later I hope once I've finished it but so far, four chapters in, it is quite a interesting and enjoyable read. I picked it up free at uni because people often just donate their old books for people to read and pass around.
Oh, State Championships for Kendo are on this Saturday. A friend of mine who is in training to be a physiotherapist has said that they will also examine my wrist for me after her matches are over for the day to see how bad it is and if she can recommend anything to assist the situation. According to her:
I guess you were not seeing sports physician, because they probably won't give you rest instruction for so long, unless you have fractured bones. Rest for the first 2-3 days after acute injury is fine. But it is not good to keep resting for so long, especially when your doctor says one month. That's WAY too long. Even the other good muscles in your wrist will become de-conditioned, and then you will have even less strength to control wrist movement, which then makes you even more susceptible to injury. And so the vicious cycle goes on.
If it is muscle strain, you should be starting to do range of motion exercise, and strength building exercise to regain the lost wrist function.
Well, I know for sure that the local GP (General Practitioner, i.e. medical doctor) that I went to (who also treats my parents too) isn't a sports physician, and well I wasn't too impressed with how the session went. So hopefully my friend might be able to offer something more helpful.
Sunday is a wedding that I will be attending up northish of where I live, so that should be an interesting day/event too. A busy weekend. It would be nice if I had a good 50mm lens by then for photos on the Saturday though I probably won't bring my camera for the wedding.
Oh and finally, I did book the tickets to Brisbane for my best friends engagement party in January. I'll be departing Sydney in the afternoon on the Friday as I have been requested to help out set up on the Saturday, and I will be flying home on the Sunday afternoon. While it might have been nice to stay for longer, I don't want to be a bother on my friends for accomodation and transport and I know some of them no doubt will be quite busy since the normal 'holidays' end that weekend for those who work. So, for that weekend, I will be out of town. Incidentally (I keep remembering all these new bits of stuff LOL) I've been asked to house sit again, but I will have to consider it depending on the dates and the state of my finances and things to do while I'm at the house.
And voila, I am done for this mega marathon post today~!
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