What haven't you seen or done that seems so common?

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Bubr

#15412 Tue, 09 Dec 03 12:27 PM

I was at a seashore military town recently with my friends and we saw a submarine. It doesn't sound too exciting - everyone knows about subs, we see them in the news, etc. But it was the FIRST TIME for most of us that we SAW one. We went further to inversigate the simple things that we had not seen/done despite of their simplicity. Parachuting, going hunting, sea diving and all other adventures that a man can dream about were NOT our subjects - we were talking about things that everyone know about but somewhy have never seen or done. That is an approximate list:

What I had not done/seen but want to:
1) Be on top of scyscraper
2) See the an aurora (or Polar Shining, as we in Russia call it)
3) See a microorganism in a microscope (not pictures!)
3) See geysers

What I had done that some of my friends had not
1) Watched stars in a telescope (not pictures, not amateur 3-cm instruments, but real telescope, real stars. Quite disappointing experience Smile [:)]

)
2) Rided on a camel (it was long ago!)
3) Experienced an earthquake (it is common at the place where I was born)

Is it all too odd that I am talking about?

Bubr

Joined on Mon, Nov 10 2003

Full Member (437)

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Woodward

#15561 Thu, 11 Dec 03 02:47 AM

An interesting question yet difficult to answer.
I haven't been to Australia. Considering that I am from New Zealand and that our closest neighbouring country is Australia and that every Tom, Dick and Harry from NZ has been there, I haven't.
Earthquakes are common both here in Chile and in New Zealand so all of my friends either here or there have experienced one at some time or other.
I rode a camel once which is not something that my friends normally do.

Woodward

Joined on Tue, Jun 24 2003

A New Zealander in Chile

Senior Member (2,807)

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Bubr

#15638 Thu, 11 Dec 03 06:59 PM

Funny to know that having been to Australia is normal for someone Smile [:)]

By the way, can you explain me one thing about Australian english (I guess it refers to New Zealand as well). I recently had a talk with two Australians. They said all native English speakers are usually eager to speak with them 'To hear Australian English. It is considered a bad English'. That's what they said. Although their speech sounded quite fine to me, even more comprehensible than one of the Brittish of American speakers (perhaps, they were just making efforts to be sure that I understand them), I wonder what it is - Australian english - and in why it is considered 'bad'.

Ah, forgot to add: they were white, not aboriginals.

Bubr

Woodward

#15644 Thu, 11 Dec 03 08:50 PM

It is fairly normal for someone from New Zealand ot go to OZ.
Australian English is similar to NZ (or kiwi) English. I wouldn't consider it bad English. It just has a lot of local slang much like every country has. Sometimes Aussie (and NZ) English can sound a little nasal (or squeaky?) with most sentences ending at a slightly higher pitch than the rest of it.

Woodward

deepa

#15735 Fri, 12 Dec 03 09:01 PM

bubr, its nice to know what you always wished to do and things you did!
if you ask me... my to do list would definitly have
1)scuba diving!sky diving and parachuting(must be uncommon)
2)skiing (must be funny but i never saw snow in my life!)
3)river rafting (all sorts of adventure!)
4)watching stars through telescope( i always wished!) lucky you! but why disappointing?
5)watch a football match live in a stadium!
6)travell in a ship

the things what i did that you didnt is : watch microorganisms through microscope! i am a microbiologist after all! lol.

deepa

Joined on Tue, Nov 18 2003

Pondicherry ,India

Regular Member (848)

Football

Bubr

#15770 Sat, 13 Dec 03 11:47 AM

Nice to get to know you, scientist colleague. Smile [:)]

I am a would-be astrophysicist. As about watching stars, it's disappointing because there are no colors. Not just because color is nonsence to most astronomical objects (almost all of them are either too cold or too hot to have color other than dazzling white), but also because the fluxes of radiation are almost always too faint to deliver color to the eye. And as for stars - they are points in the sky, and so they are in a telescope. Hardly any star can be viewed as a disk with an Earth-based optical telescope. But the Moon is worth gazing in a telescope, really!

As for the microscope - tell me, is it worth it? Smile [:)]

And - to the snow - that's great you have it ahead!

Bubr

deepa

#15774 Sat, 13 Dec 03 02:13 PM

yep bubr, theres a lot more to come in life...
watching microorganisms through a microscope is awesome, its like something you cant see but still can see, hehe! ok being a microbiologist is the one thing i love in my life! it has become a passion for me now...i always was fascinated by stars, good to hear you are aspiring for astrophysicist , tell me more about it!

deepa

Bubr

#15818 Sun, 14 Dec 03 11:41 AM

According to my experience, every person doing an interesting or worth boasting job tells you: 'Never try to do it. It is difficult and boring'. That's what I heard from my senior astro colleagues, for instance. Especially instrumental observationists, but they can be understood - sitting all night doing sophisticated tuning of an instrument which is about to get some odd spectra from some boring object is not too romantic if done throughout years. But theorists - the people I had the fortune to start working with - what are they complaining about? The job is interesting, mentally demanding, beautiful. Still some of them keep telling me: 'Think twice if you need it'. In the end, I made my ears shut and applied for graduate study starting next year Smile [:)]

Hope it works.

If you are interested in astrophysics, I should have recommended you some good sites to go to, but - sorry - I really know none Smile [:)]

. However, there are some great books to read about it. There is a professor named Stephen Hawking in the UK, he is a disabled person but a brilliant scientist and writer. You can check his site (try 'Stephen Hawking' with Google, he has a site run by one of his assistants), there must be some interesting links. And he is a person to get acquainted with, really! I respect him a lot.

Bubr

deepa

#15831 Sun, 14 Dec 03 01:28 PM

hey bubr, of course it will work out, if you have interest in the subject and confidence then you are the master! the world needs genious people, and i think you are one of them. i wish you all the best! i hope you will go for NASA! people always are there to discourage you, but obstacles do come in life, just have faith in you!
and i too respect stephan hawking, i will check it out in the google. thanks! Smile [:)]

deepa

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