Contemplations by Thor /tɔː(r)/

As a scientist, I work with the characterisation of gases. For this purpose, I use professional analysers of various types: fourier transform infrared spectrometers, mass spectrometers, gas chromatographs with a plethora of detectors and tunable diode lasers. These instruments are expensive, typically in the range between 15-150 k€ and the number of instruments available to me is limited. The instruments performance are well established: accuracy and precision, sensitivity and selectivity. Most of the instruments I work with are multicomponent analysers; the ability to deconvolute interference from gas species has been vastly improved over the years by signal resolution and multivariate calibration. While industrial process monitoring normally are discrete measurements, fugitive emissions and environmental monitoring generally improve with spatial resolution. This has been an important driving force for the development of low cost gas sensors. While the analytical performance ofte...

I've long since given upon any professional use of the 4G-AC55U: when disconnecting, the unit would not reconnected. Totally unsatisfactory for control of field instrumentation. When we bought the cabin in Tynset, I installed the router there to have internet access for our Netatmo weather station . Since I am logging the data from the weather station, I found it mildly annoying that the connection was dropped: I would loose all data until we visited the cabin next time. Then I started looking for a solution on the net. From gundersen.net I found that others was experiencing the same problem as me. On guy had solved this by having a WIFI power switch that would toggle the power supply to the router when the connection was dropped. He controlled the power switch from a Raspberry pi that would check for internet connection. I did not find this solution elegant, so I kept looking for a way to reset the connection without having to power cycle the router.  I found a command for co...

Since my GT Zaskar 9r was stolen last winter, I've been using my GT Zaskar Carbon Pro as a winter bike. This bike is very fast and aggressive, but it does not give you any confidence to ride on snow. I think it's the small 26" wheels. I just don't like it for technical riding anymore. On my way back from work one day, the front derailleur sucked up the chain for a full stop. I was not quick enough to release the shoes from the pedals, and down I went. Embarrassing. The chain suck I blame the salting of the roads for. Well, I should have lubricated the chain that morning also, but it should really not be necessary to lubricate every day. I've always enjoyed riding on snow and ice. As I did not look forward to using the Zaskar, I played with the idea of using a fat bike for winter. Well, that was before I tried one. I tested a second hand bike for sale with 4.0" spiked tires. I chose the old Selbu road from Hommelvik and pedaled to the top. And I've neve...

New Zealand is awfully far away from Norway. You spend more than 24 hours flying there, which is tough if you, like me, don't sleep on airplanes. Finally there, you still have to adjust your internal clock 12 hours. It takes some effort, so it'd better be worth it. Motivation and preparation Like most of my travels, the motivation for going to Queenstown was a scientific conference, the Australasian Aluminium Smelting Technology Conference. Since my travel to Hawaii in 2006, I've been reluctant to travel to the opposite side of the world, in both directions. New Zealand has always intrigued me since reading about trout fishing in gorgeous rivers. I was a fan of Peter Jackson well before Lord of the rings, but his movies of Tolkien's universe made traveling to New Zealand even more attractive. It was pretty clear to me from the start that if I were to go to New Zealand, it would not be just for one week. The minimum time for a visit would have to be two weeks. Luck...

Summer vacation 2016: East Coast road trip   July 20: New York, Manhattan Our flight from Oslo was delayed 5 hours from Oslo, so we arrived very late at Newark International Airport. The taxi to the hotel was stuck in traffic so we only had time for dinner before going to bed that night. We found a Mexican restaurant near the hotel that turned out to be really good. Our hotel, ROW NYC was nicely situated near Times Square. It is modern, and stylish as far as the reception goes. The rooms are upgraded, but they are still worn with respect to bathroom, air condition etc. As we got good value for money, I kind of accepted the stay as good. July 21: New York, Manhattan With no breakfast included at The Row, we started the breakfast just across the street. The Carve Cafe offered excellent sandwiches according to Tripadvisor, so we decided to follow this recommendation. We were not disappointed. Then we took the subway just North of Central Park. We walked through the gorge...