opal =

A microscopic superlattice arrangement of silica microspherulites, each with a small central nano-nucleus, followed by Bragg diffraction of white light, gives precious opal its pseudochromatic ‘fire’. Pre-sedimentation heterogeneous microspherulite growth within siliceous groundwater takes place on a central radioactive catalyst core. Neutron activation and secondary ion spectroscopy (SIMS) of precious opal reveals thorium, uranium, lead, and anomalous concentrations of daughter nuclides from natural uranium fission. Gamma-ray radioactive logging of drill holes and opencut mine walls demonstrates natural radioactivity surrounding opal deposits, increasing in intensity towards the central precious opal zone. Case histories of new gemstone discoveries are described, and the high intrinsic value of this unique technique confirmed.

http://www.australiangemmologist.com.au/

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moments of zen

The life of a freelancer

Despite not having any benefits or a paycheck that is directly deposited on a bi-weekly basis freelancing is a great way to live. My recent jobs have been regularly arriving in my email inbox with directions exhorting me to a street address typically in New Hampshire or Vermont. These "missions" are sent from 1402 miles north-west of Boston. There lays a town called Eden Prairie Minnesota. In this town a company called BHI Corp. is nestled in a very normal looking office building just a few hundred meters from route 5 which inconsequently happens to be very close to the Minnesota Vikings training camp. Micah Garneau (a close friend of mine) is in the employ of this company and very often gives me jobs related to BHI customers in NH and VT. Thank you Micah!

Typically jobs for BHI are related to setting up a router/firewall and unhooking their expensive local ISP connection and installing a cheaper verizon or Covad alternative. Whenever I set up one of these stores they also become a free wifi hotspot. Take that starbucks. ITS FREE. HA. The remote access abilities of network admins now is pretty amazing. After setting up each router and connecting to the broadband connection BHI techs link in and start configuring anything they didn't pre-program into the asus routers on location in HQ. It's a pretty neat operation and allows me to travel around and see some pretty spots especially in vermont. Nashua and Manchester are alright but if you know these places, you'd probably agree you would rather be in Brattleboro or Burlington VT. That is... if you are anything like me.

Aside from that I am spending alot of time with my lady Heather, on Beacon Hill or at her place of work MIT. Hanging out and exploring MIT has been a thing of fascination for me as its a very stimulating area. Very intl, sciency, and actually quite pretty campus on the memorial drive side. The Lewis music library is fantastic and so is the humanities and science library. Wifi blankets the entire campus as an added plus so I sometimes sit outside and bang off resumes while looking for a "real" job.

I've been at this point in my life before and it definitely feels like I am in some sort of a circular holding pattern. Getting re-lodged in a corporate job seems like the next logical step if I am indeed cycling.


If you know me and you need to hire a fantastic out of work tech support rep feel free to call me!

nicely written peice by david pearce

http://www.mdma.net/index.html

In Western culture, a capacity for reflective self-insight is not highly prized. Introspective genius and a talent for meditation aren't respected in either academia or business. Nothing in our education system is geared toward making young people feel that introspective self-analysis, enhanced self-awareness or personal growth matters in the slightest. How can they be tested, graded and quantified? What's their market value? Anyone in Western society with a tendency to quiet contemplation is likely to be stigmatised as lazy, feckless and unenterprising - unlike the sound and fury of the lionised Man Of Action, and his larger-than-life ego on whose life-energies lesser mortals may feed. In similar manner, our (limited) vision of future civilisations tends to focus on their technological marvels - and the supposed Darwinian dominance-battles of their science-fictional inhabitants - rather than on odysseys into the inner depths of their souls. Yet the design of long-acting entactogens - and their neurological analogues - should allow introspective depth and a capacity for higher-order self-reflection to be fabulously enriched as well. Tomorrow's counterparts of today's bunch of furtive adolescent introspectionists won't have to shuffle around faint little tickles of thought. Drugs to enrich self-insight and heighten self-reflection may eventually become commonplace. They may be distributed as freely as aspirin if not smarties; and prove safer in excess than either.

http://www.mdma.net/index.html