To those arriving in Chicago...

...over the next couple of days. Dress warm.

Chemical Safety

Safety is taken very seriously here and all experiments are checked carefully. An easy solution is to only use small quantities - much less than could be dangerous. Take this "nano" gas cylinder for example.

Chocolate &Toothpaste

My brother Ben is on his way to Chicago to visit his favourite sister. (While he's happens to be in the US he's going to try to fit in some piano stuff too). Of course in exchange for free accommodation he gets to courier my essential Aussie groceries -chocolate & toothpaste (a combination any dentist would be proud of).

Shopping Spree

A successful trip to the mall.

Torlon 4503

Our latest scientific contribution has been published online J. Appl. Cryst. 40, 196---198. Its always nice to get that first paper of the year on the books early. And for those without personal subscriptions to IUCr journals... its open access.

Afternoon Conference Session

GRCs are very civilised, with conference sessions in the morning and evening, and the afternoons free to relax. This afternoon's relaxation involved heading up one of the many mountains formed around the San Andreas fault. We wanted to climb these mountains before they get decimated in a really big earthquake which is apparently well overdue.

Gordon Conference, Ventura, CA

This week I'm on the west coast for a Gordon Research Conference (Hydrocarbon Resources). Looking out over the Pacific from my room, you can almost make out Australia on the horizon - almost.

Rocky Mountains High

Flying west over the Rockies. They've had 3 huge snow storms in this area over the last few weeks with snow drifts up to ~10m. Imagine coming back from holidays and trying to find the front door.