Posted in 2012
My dean, my department head and me (2012)
came together for an evaluation meeting. I like so much to compare such meetings with a dental check. The densists are there to find holes in your performance and sometimes are trying to provide an on-spot treatment.
Since I have just recently came to a glorious status of the group leader, my performance in two related aspects was automatically set to a default low value to provide me with more motivation. Anyway, they did not want to sack me right away and we have made several useful appointments.
Fourth Lecture Quantum Transport 2012
should have been the third in fact. I still keep the delay for a bit more a half of the lecture. I could have enjoyed a bigger audience today… Anyway, I should not complain since the intereaction with the audience was quite good despite my somehow hasty style.
International Women’s Day
is taking place today. It is an official holiday in Afganistan and several other countries. Congratulations, my reader!
Fourth Lecture Advanced Statistical Mechanics 2012
has taken place today. Finally we are through the basis of statistical mechanics (with one lecture delay) and can do more challenging things. The attention of the audience is fading, that can be after-the-break effect. I have to wait for a minute before I get the answer on a rather simple question about dimensions. Still we can keep some interaction…
An invariant reference frame
can be introduced as follows (Herbrews 1:10-12)And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
While observing waist and decay, waisting and decaying myself, doing lots of unsensibilities and not doing any good, it is importrant to have a proper reference.
Let it be
This is what is read in the church today: (Isaiah 2:4)
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
The message is clear: at least at the surface level. Make love no war. A detail: let’s beat the swords into plowshares was one of the heavily-used slogans of leftish peace movements in the second half of twentieth century. Being mostly atheistic, they never gave ref to the source. I know for a fact that many people of my cultural background regard the phrase as a stamp of communistic propaganda being unaware of its true origin.
Forgiveness Sunday 2012
Forgiveness Sunday, the gate to Great Lent, has taken place today. I have previously described the rite here
and here, I do not want to repeat myself since it went the same way. You can also see this here.
This time many people I love are ill or hit otherwise with no apparent reason, and/or unhappy. I feel confused and anxious. I shall pray.
Please forgive me my wrogdoings, dear reader.
Another Jubilee perfomance
There has been yet another pleasant diversion of usual course of my life. Our small amateur theatre collective has performed in Amsterdam today. This was in coffie-room of our parish. We did our usual hit Jubilee and scenes from An Ordinary Miracle by Evgeny Shvarts. The church is old and well-built, this means good acoustics not only in the hull but also in the coffie-room. Actually, we were first scared by our voices…
There was a warm reception with snacks afwerwards. It is pancake time now, last days before the Great Lent.
Third Lecture Quantum Transport 2012
has hardly started yet, I have shown only 3-4 transparencies of this. The audience this year is very much listening, and posing interesting questions. I still have to learn how to respond to this without ruining the time schedule.
To give an example: we have been talking about the Aharonov-Bohm effect, quantum interference of an electron about a magnetic coil. That provoked a question: “Is the interference affected by the measurement of magnetic field in the coil?”. This is a splendid question that reflects most of physics like a water droplet reflects most of the Universe. I enjoyed answering, yet 20 minutes have gone…
Third Lecture Advanced Statistical Mechanics 2012
This was more or less ok. The topic was important, this was the core of the course. We have discussed how to build up statististical mechanics, and this really resembled discussion. So we moved forward rather slowly. I have shown only the first two transparencies of the third lecture.
I was exhausted close to the end and began to mix up plus and minus signs. Need to take vitamines…