A very busy week at work coming off a week of vacation and winding rapidly toward the Easter nearly-a-week University shutdown was capped by the complete failure of a cryocompressor supporting the Bruker superconducting magnet. These would be a great idea to slow the boiloff of liquid Helium except that when they fail — frequently — there is no liquid Nitrogen jacket so the boiloff runs away which could lead to a quench (and, possibly, an explosion). Plus, the cost savings are eaten entirely — and then some — by the £40K per year ‘service contract’ that only the most well-heeled academics can afford. As I say for Thermo, “Fuck Bruker.” No response to my frantic request for help (which I am certain I would be billed a few thousand pounds for had they felt obliged), I found the problem to be a blown fuse which may well be a planned failure a la Samsung video devices…especially since the replacement was mounted right next to it, hidden where only the Field Service Engineer would find it. Bastard capitalists.
Movie of the week was a documentary, White Riot, which chronicles Rock Against Racism (I’m stalled halfway through Inherent Vice). Bastard skinheads. And, stinky hippies.
And, don’t get me started on (literal) bastard Harry and Meghan calling out the bastard racists in his mother’s husband’s bastard family. I think that’s accurate but, even if I cared about accuracy here, I really don’t give a fuck about any bastard Royal family.
Fines and fees: £28, with Sunday estimated to land at 1/2 bottle of wine and 5 large whiskies. Low this week due to the utter lack of fines which doesn’t reflect good behaviour so much as losing a couple of days to the vaccine’s side effects. Bastard AstraZeneca.
Spring has sprung. Bastard daffodills:
Endless British Pub Crawl (Part 3) 