Gábor Dénes, Father of Holography

Hungarian Gábor Dénes (Dennis Gabor) was born June 5th 1900. An electrical engineer and inventor, he received the Nobel Prize for Physics for his greatest invention - holography.

Whenever people think of turn-of-the-century Eastern European mad scientists, everybody thinks of Nikola Tesla and his coils and death rays. Yet without this gentleman, you would not have those shiny authenticity decals on bank cards and the covers of Blu Ray disks and DVDs, and Star Trek would never have had the holodeck.

I think that the advanced study of optics - lasers, holograms - turned me onto physics most of all. I could never get enough of optics. If I'd gone down the physics road instead of organic chemistry or down the IT path, I'd have gone into holography, big time.

Dr Gábor Dénes died in 1979, the year I left school. He was alive for most of my school years. Had email been available to the general public back then, in his last few days I would have loved to have corresponded with this Scientist. Anyway, if you look on the Google search page today you will see a link to his Wikipedia entry.

Speaking of scientists, I received my invitation to attend the lecture by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell at Glyndwr College on the 29th of June, titled "You Are Made Of Star Stuff." Come on. The discoverer of pulsars? Talking about the stuff that we are made of? Who could resist?

I so desperately need a plus one to go with me. Casting starts today.

"Now, our operation is small, but there's a lot of potential for aggressive expansion. So, which one of you fine gentlemen would like to join our team? Oh, there's only one spot open right now, so we're gonna have ..."
[breaks pool cue over knee]
"Tryouts."
[throws broken pool cue on floor]
"Make it fast."
-- The Joker, The Dark Knight

"In Hoc Signum Vinces."

Still catching up from Wednesday.

Okay, Wednesday morning I was in Glyndwr Uni, doing my usual thing. The clouds overhead have had this kind of a fluffy, high altitude appearance like the underside of a peach cobbler, all the little fluffy lumps thrown together to form a thin layer miles up. Lovely.

I found myself looking up at the sky, and noticed something beautiful. It was as if somebody had gouged out a shape out of the clouds with a stick. All lines and blobs at the ends, forming this shape.



I honestly saw this old school Hunter: the Reckoning Messenger hunter code for "imbued." It was only there for a moment, and then it was gone.

I don't know if it means I'm a bystander or something, because I didn't see anything walking dead going past. It almost seemed as if Something was just reminding me that WE ARE STILL HERE or something. A moment later, it was gone, swept away and replaced with more clouds.

Is that what Constantine saw, I wonder, when fighting his campaign? The legend says that he saw a cross in the sky, and a Message, "IN HOC SIGNUM VINCES" ("By This Sign, You Shall Conquer.")

So maybe no monsters, then, but something else. Anyone want to join me in my march upon Rome to convert them to atheism? :)

Bad Weather

I think I saw lightning flash outside. Signing off so I can go and enjoy it.