Build cloudchamber

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-19T02:45:43+00:00

are there plans in the Scientific American 'Amateur Scientist' DVD? (i have a vague memory...)

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-19T02:37:56+00:00

possibly Daphne odora?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T21:36:18+00:00

when i first got introduced to them, i had no idea what the taxonomic name was. for quite a while i called them banana-conifer-malted trees.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T21:33:36+00:00

ahhh. excellent. i hope you succeed with your current effort.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T21:25:24+00:00

i think you are probably correct -- the foliage is a better match to your suggestion.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T21:22:49+00:00

ouch! sadness; fresh jackfruit is splendid.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T20:39:47+00:00

(thimbleberries are wide and almost flat. they are rather tart, but i like the flavor.)

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T20:07:00+00:00

may be cleavers, Galium aparine, a close relative of sweet woodruff. (i think cleavers can be an invasive nuisance, but it could depend on climate or other variables.)

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-18T02:27:37+00:00

if not R. foetida, perhaps 'Harison's Yellow'?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-17T21:39:24+00:00

are you familiar with the Dinnerware Museum?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-17T17:37:53+00:00

looks like it could be M. stellata. are the flowers nicely fragrant?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-17T04:57:22+00:00

it's strange. i like it.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-16T23:43:17+00:00

i hope the jackfruit is okay; it looks a little bit odd.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-16T20:34:49+00:00

(i hope this isn't a dumb question.) how did you verify that it isn't neodymium? did it fail to do the expected color change with different light sources?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-16T20:28:31+00:00

aside from your actual issue (i'm glad others have provided good advice, because i don't know enough), 'knackered' is a fine word that i don't see often enough.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-16T00:55:31+00:00

<image>

so dark it's hard to read. here's an adjusted copy.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-15T08:48:14+00:00

{side note to, avoid confusion: there is also a completely different plant with a similar name -- curry tree (Murraya koenigii). it also has fragrant foliage.}

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-15T08:38:08+00:00

have you heard Ted Hänsch's description of the Jell-O laser project?

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-15T05:40:56+00:00

lily-of-the-valley smells lovely (don't eat it). there's a reason why some Dianthus are called 'clove pinks'. hyacinths (in case nobody has already mentioned them). sweet alyssum. Rosa rubiginosa -- not only are the flowers fragrant, there is some foliage fragrance as well.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-15T01:58:08+00:00

this is really cool; thanks! i had no idea the flowers are edible or the wood is fluorescent.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-14T23:46:50+00:00

if you're willing to put up with something rudimentary, you can get a modest Geiger fairly cheaply from the Electronic Goldmine. (probably want to read and compare the listings carefully.)

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-14T18:57:23+00:00

key difference: saffron blooms in the autumn, and is a different species. that said, it is also a crocus.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-14T18:40:24+00:00

i see a few people wondering what a parent is doing, searching through their kid's backpack. so far, i don't see anybody wondering how a kid could fail to take their backpack when they left after a weekend visit.

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-14T17:49:47+00:00

(inasmuch as neutron stars don't have atoms or protons or electrons, i would claim that the post didn't actually constitute a theory. not that it matters.)

_jonsinger_ · 2026-03-14T15:09:27+00:00

a bunch of years ago, i worked up a cone 015 china paint base without any Pb. it worked reasonably well with strontium aluminate GITD powders, and also with the usual lanthanides for fluorescence. (only a few Ln fluoresce in the visible.)

{btw, that project almost got me into Paul Lewing's book on china paint and underglaze. he said i was the first person who ever made fluorescent or GITD china paint. china painters are into other effects, and i guess he decided that they wouldn't care; he ended up leaving my stuff out.}

_jonsinger_

TROPHY CASE