Carbon vs Silicon

Last week I wrote about my exciting new computer. The truth is, though, that I needed a new computer some time ago. However, I realized that I could either buy a computer or something else. I decided to go with the something else:

(It's not the greatest picture, but it'll do)

I'm taking a solid state physics course this semester. We spent the first to lectures discussing crystal structure. While silicon has a boring crystal structure (Face-centered cubic), diamond has a really cool crystal structure (which kinda starts as a face-centered cubic):

In related news, I found out that a guy called Marcel Tolkowsky actually calculated the best way to cut a diamond using optical principles.

And the new computer has successfully made it from Earth City, MO and now decorates our dining room.

And since I think I'm still, still within the statute of limitations for Argentina, here's one last picture from an elevator in the university in Mar del Plata:
Unfortunately, I was not in the elevator with any overly fat people, so none of the lights lit up.

Many, many times better

As many regular readers may recall, some time ago my ancient (now approaching 9 years old) computer nearly died, but was saved when I took out a broken RAM stick. Well, recently I decided it was time to purchase a new computer. So, I figure a comparison is in order:
400 MHz --> 1.86 GHz dual core (that means 2 x 1.86, bare minimum...) = 9.3 times better
512 KB L2 cache --> 2 MB L2 cache = 4 times better
192 MB of 100 MHz RAM (after upgrades and removal of bad chip) --> 2 GB of 667 MHz ECC RAM = 10.67 times better in terms of storage, over 6.67 times better in terms of speed
Pseudo-surround sound --> 7.1 Channel full surround sound = Wow times better.
While the new hard drive is smaller than my current (heavily upgraded) storage on my old computer, it is WAY faster, and 5 times larger than the original hard drive.
Oh, and the new chip is a 64 bit chip, and I'm getting a 64 bit OS. And Mathematica (ver. 5.2), one of the greatest programs ever written, supports 64 operations. And due to recent developments which I may write about another time, I get a free copy of Mathematica 5.2 from Yeshiva University.

However, the one benefit that the old computer has over the new one, is that it is chugging away happily in my apartment, while the new one is somewhere between Earth City, MO and New York City, NY.

In other, not computer-geek related news, I've decided that I'm still within the statute of limitations of our Argentina trip. So, here's an amusing picture from a park near the hotel we were staying at in Mar del Plata.

High Stakes Chicken

Argentina allegedly has driving laws, but it seems that most people happily ignore them. People regularly cut each other off in traffic (I even saw someone cut off a cop!), and speed limit signs and lane markings seems to be used primarily for decorative purposes. Occasionally you'll see someone pulled over, and I can't imagine what they must have done!
Also, there also seems to be a national shortage of stop signs. As such, at an intersection, people just drive through, hoping that they'll miss the other cars (and pedestrians). It essentially is a game of chicken. Check out this video I took. It's not the worst I saw it, but it's when I had my camera.

Kosher Beef

Argentina is known for its beef. Fortunately, there is also really good Kosher beef. There is also Kosher McDonald's.

Although Kosher McDonald's is exciting, we also went to the best (according to everyone in shul) kosher steak restaurant in Buenos Aires. We ordered appetizers, tons of steak and ribs, drinks, and just about every dessert on the menu. As you can see from the third photo, the total bill was $170.
The thing is, the $ sign means "Argentine Pesos" in Argentina. That means, that for a very large meal, at the best kosher steakhouse in Argentina, it costs around 14 US Dollars a person. Also, you may notice in the pictures that there are no steak knives. That's because the steak was so soft that the standard issue restaurant knives were perfectly suited to cutting.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... this is the purpose of the mysterious bathroom implement:
Aryeh was almost right. It is a sort of soap dispenser. Except that it holds a blob of hard soap that everyone shares.

Mystery Bathroom Implement

Am really tired. Have been traveling by bus, plane, car, foot for way too long. But I'm back in the good ol' Estados Unidos. Firstly, I fixed the pictures from last week's post.
I'll have a more comprehensive post next week, but for now, can anyone guess what the purpose of this mysterious bathroom implement is?
Answers next week.

Los Lobos y Los Autos

I am currently in Mar Del Plata, Argentina attending a physics conference (if you are just joining our story in progress, see previous blog posts). Among the various attractions here are the sea lions which live in an area near the docks. There is a special sea lion wildlife preserve there. Or something. Here are some pictures of the sea lions:

This one was roaring.

Dweeee.....

After seeing them in the wild I understand why they're called "lions."
The thing is, that when I said "near the docks" I actually meant "in the middle of the docks." Although the previous pictures made the lobos look all natural, they were on a teeny bit of rocks surrounded by concrete, rusting metal, and other natural niceties. Here is the second half of the colony of sea lions, sitting on a rusting half-sunk ship:

And here are some sea lions inside a large industrial area in the docks. This was a few meters away from the other sea lion area. (Yes, the ones in the picture are alive.)


Here are a few assorted pictures of functioning cars that people drive around here.

Check out the high-tech parking brake:

Do your balls cubes hang low?

Over the course of last year I was doing a rather cool experiment in YU for an Experimental Physics course. I built a macroscopic tool for one-dimensional phonon simulation. This involved hanging lots of (23) steel cubes (in prototypes they were balls) from long strings, vibrating them at different frequencies, and then measuring the amplitude and phase of the vibration of the final block.
I will be presenting the results of this experiment (in the form of a poster) at the PASI conference that I'll be attending next week in Argentina.

You can download a (113kb) PDF of this poster here [pdf], if you want to be able to actually read what's there.

Also, check out this writeup on the conference from YU's webpage [link].

Don't cry for me

ARGENTINA!!!
Three YU physics professors, with the help of the National Science Foundation (NSF), are organizing an international conference on complex systems in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Part of their grant proposal was to bring a few YU students along to the conference. I am one of the three physics students invited to attend, so Stacy and I will be going to Argentina this December! And note, that since they're upside-down there on the southern hemisphere, not only do I get a chance to see an entirely different night sky, it will be warm in December.