I've had my M6 now for a couple of weeks, coinciding with some time I had out of the hospital, so I've had the chance to put a couple of rolls through it and I'm really starting to get the hang of using it. I've not had anything developed yet, but I'll have a Peak order form printed out for me in the next couple of days, get the stuff I've taken on the Leica processed plus some older stuff (some quite old stuff!) from my EOS5. =trailstar organised a "sorry you've got cancer" whipround for me amongst some of our internet friends, so I'll buy a film scanner out of that — I've actually got quite a lot of negs need scanning, what with stuff I've been developing at home and everything.

Anyway, I've been feeling pretty rubbish with the cancer lately. I developed an infection on Thursday, the first I've taken since starting treatment, and they put me on the high-dose antibiotics straight away. Talk about a cure being as bad as the disease. They'll start me on something to manage the side-effects of the antibiotics just as soon as they make sure I don't have a superbug, which would complicate matters, so I'm waiting on the lab for that. For the while, I'm biding my time. I have plenty to bide, I'll be in hospital until mid-january, in this block of treatment. Three weeks to go.

Enough self-pity stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to get this scanner gig up and running soon, and start submitting stuff again. It's been a while since my last wee set of uploads.

My parents okayed me to buy a Leica as a 21st birthday plus Christmas present, and I managed to win an auction for a M6TTL, Summi 35/2 and flash. Assuming all goes well, that should be winging its way up to me inside of a week

In slightly more rubbish news, though I'm sure most of the people who'll read this know already, I was diagnosed at the start of the month with leukaemia. I'm keeping a blog, if anyone's interested in knowing how I'm getting on, though I must warn you that it's getting a little boring now that the treatment has got into its routine. The excellent treatment; the doctors couldn't be happier with how I'm responding.

Uhm, other than that... nothing else journal-worthy has been going on. I'd post some photos from Amsterdam, but I'm in isolation right now. Maybe I'll do that when I get out. Stay tuned for photos and boring cancer updates!

I made a little website yesterday, with the goal of determining what the best swear word in the world is. As it turns out, 24h later, it's pretty much completely failed at that; the list of the 50 best swear words is more like a wander through the mind of the worst sort of sex offender.

Other than ("because of", maybe) the whole thing has worked out quite amusing. You ought to check it out: The Great Internet Swear Word Project.

There are a few bugs left to be ironed out, and it is pretty fucking ugly, but it by and large works. Enjoy

Edit: Woohoo! DYKYMWTM featured in this week's b3ta newsletter

My server almost melted under the initial load (~3500 visitors in the first six hours), but I managed to just about keep it up. I am pretty sure I now count as an internet celebrity, albeit perhaps only a minor one. So far this week, I think this has been seen by more people than the sum of everyone who's ever seen anything else that I've done in my whole life. Not sure how to feel about that.

Anyway, I think I'll go into town and grab a bottle of HC-110. And maybe a neg scanner too.

Edit 2: Haha, some guy with an internet TV show invited me to speak about my swear words site in front of about 50,000 people. Last Monday. I only just got around to checking my email yesterday afternoon. So yeah, I sent off a reply as soon as I'd collected my brain off of the floor. I don't normally do "grovel", but I don't usually have an audience. Stay tuned!

Edit 3: Wooh! Infected@revision3 will be showing my internet telly debut tonight, at midnight-ish. Internet fame here I come!

This science stuff is turning out to be a pretty sweet deal. My supervisor has been away for half of last week and until Wednesday this week, so I've been pretty much left up to my own devices apart from a list of about a half a dozen to-dos. I've got most of them done or at least done-ish; there's the ususal couple of bugs here and there, but I did only just start using this language a fortnight ago.

Actually there's a pretty huge bug, but I'll ignore that for the time being.

The important thing is: I've finally figured out what the point of my project is. I'm basically evaluating two approaches to part of the analysis of accelerator data, an old method which is tried and trusted but which has a bug which could theoretically cause some weird results in the new equipment, and a new method which is immune to this. My task is to figure out whether the effect of the bug (known to the cool kids as infrared-instability) is actually visible in simulations of the accelerator. If it is, they swap out the old code for new at (presumably) some expense; if it isn't, they just keep the current system -- maybe the new algorithm will help the guys building accelerators next decade.

Anyway, I've also bought a bunch of kit for developing film. Only just had the chance to pick up the actual developer (I went for Ilford Ilfosol S on account of it was the first bottle I saw and I was already late coming back from lunch) earlier today, so I've not had a chance to actually try it out. I don't know if I'll have time/energy tonight, either.

Oh, and I think my Yashica has probably arrived by now, assuming my useless brother woke up in time to take the delivery. \o/

So, yeah, I've started at my first job doing actual science. It's pretty cool. A bit cool anyway. The bit I'm involved in (as far as I can tell) is some analysis software for the ATLAS experiment they'll be bringing online in the Autumn.

Basically what they'll be doing there is slamming protons together are near enough the speed of light, to make tiny little huge explosions; the hope is that some new particles will sort of appear out of the mess we've made.

My bit, if I ever make sense of it, will be to work out a number which should be helpful in setting up the detectors. You know, like if I ever figure out exactly what it is I'm meant to be doing.

Anyway, here's a video to keep you kids entertained while I'm out at work: WoW player scolded by parents over teamspeak..

I better go to bed, so I can get up at 6am. Take care.

(Also if anything goes wrong with ATLAS and they end up making a black hole or something, you've totally not seen me -- I was never here. Got it?)