Saturday, January 23, 2016
A Little Light Housekeeping
If you look to the left-hand side of the blog you will see a column with various links and apps in it. Scroll down and you will come to a section labelled Posts By Theme.
I have rearranged this so that 2016 astronomical events is at the top, followed by links to the categories Weekly Sky and Southern Skywatch (so event information is easy to find). Then observing basics and unaided eye observations, followed by hints on using Celestia, Stellarium and a bunch of other useful astronomical things.
Hopefully that will help people to navigate around the site more easily.
I have rearranged this so that 2016 astronomical events is at the top, followed by links to the categories Weekly Sky and Southern Skywatch (so event information is easy to find). Then observing basics and unaided eye observations, followed by hints on using Celestia, Stellarium and a bunch of other useful astronomical things.
Hopefully that will help people to navigate around the site more easily.
Labels: housekeeping
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Leaving on a Jet Plane part 2
The Bettdeckererschnappender Weisle is off to the USA for a fortnight for conferences and work stuff. Blogging may be a little thin over the next week or so.
Labels: home life, housekeeping
Sunday, March 25, 2012
I'm an iTelescope Science Advisor
Most of you know I blog at the iTelescope site (Sky Alerts), well, you should because it's in the info bar to the left.
Anyway, the good folk at iTelescope have made me a Science Advisor to them. I am very chuffed, it's an honour to work with the iTelescope crew, and very humbling to know they find my contributions valuable.
And it sounds cool: Ian Musgrave, Science Advisor to the STARS!
Anyway, the good folk at iTelescope have made me a Science Advisor to them. I am very chuffed, it's an honour to work with the iTelescope crew, and very humbling to know they find my contributions valuable.
And it sounds cool: Ian Musgrave, Science Advisor to the STARS!
Labels: housekeeping, iTelescope, miscelaneous
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
So About the Silence
On Friday evening, shortly after I did Skype Interview with Leslie Hayes, my internet connection crashed. It feebly revived itself once or twice, but basically, while Comet Al has recovered comet C/2003 T12 and aurora roared across the sky, I've been right out of it.
Not that I haven't been busy. I have an article up at The Conversation, I've been the expert adviser for an article in Cosmos, I have an article coming out in next months Australian Sky&Telescope.
And now that the internet is back, I've done a Skype Interview with Francis Walsh and I can at last download all the pictures I've taken with iTelescope.
Of course, now we have EldestOne's birthday to contend with, so don't expect a blizzard of posts.
Not that I haven't been busy. I have an article up at The Conversation, I've been the expert adviser for an article in Cosmos, I have an article coming out in next months Australian Sky&Telescope.
And now that the internet is back, I've done a Skype Interview with Francis Walsh and I can at last download all the pictures I've taken with iTelescope.
Of course, now we have EldestOne's birthday to contend with, so don't expect a blizzard of posts.
Labels: housekeeping, miscelaneous
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Vale Laptop
My trusty laptop finally died today after limping along for a while. This means blogging will be somewhat slower, as my posts are often composed on the train to and from work.
Now I have to compete with the Bettdeckererschnappender Weisle, EldestOne (whose assignments somehow involve downloading lots of YouTube videos) and SmallestOne (reading and maths programs) for use of the home computer.
Now I have to compete with the Bettdeckererschnappender Weisle, EldestOne (whose assignments somehow involve downloading lots of YouTube videos) and SmallestOne (reading and maths programs) for use of the home computer.
Labels: housekeeping
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
I've Added a Calendar
You may have noticed the calendar to one side, this is an Astronomical events calendar I've set up. It's a bit rubbish as it is hard to see the actual events, but if you click on them the event and it's associated time band will come up. I'll populate the claendar more fully when this week is over (birthdays, visitors, heatwaves, more worrying about QLD relatives from this blinking gigantic cyclone)
Labels: housekeeping
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thinking of all in Queensland.
With the devastating floods in Queensland our thoughts are with all those people who have lost loved ones or homes, and those facing the flood peak in Brisbane tonight. While I am fortunate in that most of my family and are out of the flood zones (except John, who have have a wet floor tomorrow), many people are not so lucky. You might like to help out with a donation via the Premier's Flood Relief fund or the Red Cross.
Labels: housekeeping
Friday, December 03, 2010
So I'm sitting in an airport lounge ....
.. about to head into internet free land for the next 4 nights. I haven't finished uploading Southern Skywatch, comet 103P is in amazing territory and there are bugs using arsenic for their DNA backbone instead of phosphorous.
At least my exam results are in. Now I get to see my mum be presented an award for years of volunteer service for sport. See you all on Tuesday.
At least my exam results are in. Now I get to see my mum be presented an award for years of volunteer service for sport. See you all on Tuesday.
Labels: home life, housekeeping
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I have Been Neglecting My Comets Lately...
...and just about everything else blog wise, work and family stuff have been fairly busy over the past week, so I'm way behind on lots of cool comet stuff and Carnival of Space, but Ill fix that up.
Labels: housekeeping
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Yes, You Can Follow Me on Twiltter
Not that it's particularly exciting, I usually tweet new posts, which, if you have subscribed to the RSS feed you know about anyway, but it might be helpful for late breaking news. Twitter link is here and down the side bar in webloggy badges.
Labels: housekeeping, twitter
Monday, May 10, 2010
Now I have the Flu
...so not much activity here, Southern Skywatch still delayed.
Labels: housekeeping, miscelaneous
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Little Light Housekeeping
I have a cold, yet EldestOne needs transporting to his debate competition. Iron Chef has a new postdoc over at the RAH, Selenium Gal has won a prestigious award for her honours project, and is now doing a PhD, Frog Lady is also doing a PhD. The Masters Student has yet to start his work. The distant Uni wants it's eagl releases on intellectual property signed before I can start on the joint project. I have to help turn a research cluster into a research centre, and this week the Uni wants all us academics to keep a log of our research hours. Nothing but boredom here :-)
Sooo, posts may not be as regular as before.
Sooo, posts may not be as regular as before.
Labels: housekeeping, miscelaneous
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Some Light Housekeeping
Over the years I have developed a vision for this blog, every week at least one "look up it's purty" post, one substantial post on soemthing of note, acouple of nice astrophotos and on Sundays a wildlife photo of the gad-zillions lurking on my hard drive or a guide to a neat family friendly bushwalk. I've managed the "look up" posts okay, but Sundays have been a bit of a flop.
So starting next Sunday, I'll be posting weekly instalments of MiddleOnes webcomic, Spleen Guy.
That should get the hits rolling in :-)
So starting next Sunday, I'll be posting weekly instalments of MiddleOnes webcomic, Spleen Guy.
That should get the hits rolling in :-)
Labels: home life, housekeeping, kids
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Yeah, so not much is happening here.
Things are still quiet here. EldestOne is in hospital for minor surgey to his foot. nonetheless this involves lots of car shuffling on the part of the Bettdeckererschnappender weisle and I to get kids to and from school, and have someone staying with him in the hospital. All this while juggling assessment marking, getting exams ready and so on. So while there is a hack of a lot happening out there, it will be a little while until I get back to it.
Labels: housekeeping, miscelaneous
Sunday, August 02, 2009
A Missed Anniversary and A Tale of Server Statistics
I'm not very good at following my blog stats, I missed my 5 year bloggaversary in June. True, I was pretty rubbish at updating and stuff, and really didn't get a solid presence until late 2005, but June 2004 was my start in the blogging medium.I passed 250,000 page views back a month or so ago. I was planning on doing something special then, but then I had to do grant responses, finalize the new course I'm making and prepare for exams. So 250,000 passed by. Maybe I can do something at 300,000.
I finally got around to having a look at my recent traffic stats, and had a bit of a surprise. The peak at the 20-23 represents my critique of "Unscientific American", most people came for Pluto though, rather than science communication. On the 27-28th I wrote a critique of Bill Dembski's Science Envy, but most people were visiting to learn about the Mars Hoax. And on the 7th and 8th, where visits soar to an astronomical hight? I have no idea what that is about. No interesting posts and of course I wasn't paying attention at the time.
Still, it's an interesting exercise in seeing what I think is important, and what other people think is important.
Labels: housekeeping, miscelaneous
Monday, January 19, 2009
Talk amongst yourselves (one more time)
There's comets a popping over in the SECCHI images, and the stereohunter folks are very busy, but my internet access is limited, so I can follow it, or post much. I should be more communicative next week.
Labels: housekeeping
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Well, Okay, so that didn't work.
So much for "posting on the weekend. Work, kids, stuff....basic life. I should be back now though.
Labels: housekeeping
Friday, October 10, 2008
Quiet in here, isn't it?
I've been occupied with Secret Family Business, and have had no internet access. I've missed so much (like the Mercury flyby and occultations) during this time. I'll start posting again on the weekend.
Labels: housekeeping
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A little light housekeeping, again
I've added links to the books I've been published in, and added woefully overdue links to other blogs (sorry Comet Al, that it has taken so long). Check out the sidebar for the updated links.
Labels: housekeeping
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Shelter from the Storm
Well, I am finally back from my Secret Family Business (actually, I was back a few days ago, but running assessment tests, setting up exams and consulting with students filled up all the spare time both day and night...I've just finished reading a student essay before this post). Everybody is as hale and hearty under the circumstances as they could be, so we've come back in a positive frame of mind.Even though I haven't lived in Queensland for over 20 years, every time I go there it is just like coming home. Sitting on my friends veranda, bathed in warm humid air, watching the lightning storms sweep over the landscape, listening to the geckos, it just reeked of topicality and it was as if I had never left.
Except for the geckos. Queensland did (and still does) have native geckos. But they were ill suited to the urban environment of Brisbane. I lived for 30 years next to a huge expanse of bushland, and I never once heard (nor saw) a native gecko (green tree frogs in the toilet, green tree snakes in the garden, but not geckos).
The geckos we were hearing, and seeing crawling up the wall, are invaders, Asian geckos. They arrived shortly before I left Queensland for southern climes, and have colonised the urban environment. They may possibly be a threat to the native geckos as well. It was a little disturbing that the "tropical" feel to Brisbane is now due to alien invaders.
Labels: housekeeping
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