Introducing myself

Antarctica sounds pretty cool.....

(so to speak.....)

:-)  It was, spent most of my time on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, but also travelled down the Antarctic Peninsula.  Not bad for my first job out of college.

Brit_Magyar wrote:

:-)  It was, spent most of my time on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, but also travelled down the Antarctic Peninsula.  Not bad for my first job out of college.

That's really even more cool.  Penguin cool.

I was reading recently about the power station installed there. Quite a job installing a hydro system in the back of beyond within a small time window.  Probably makes for quite a comfortable existence with almost (I suppose) close unlimited power available.  At least it's not diesel (except maybe a backup).   I've always wanted to visit the Falklands, St Helena and Tristan.  I've heard that it gets fairly busy there now with cruise ships dropping by very regularly.

Hi,

That's a very interesting life you have lead and are continuing to lead! May I ask if you had to get
any qualification, to teach conversational English and where you teach it? I was thinking of doing
this myself in a few years down the line!

Hi Klara14, I don't have a formal qualification to teach conversational English.  I fell into it by accident, and have picked up people mainly by word of mouth.  My experience of working in the international environment where English was the working language, but a second language to many colleagues, gave me the ability to work at the pace of the different levels of knowledge.  If you wish I could talk to you separately outside this forum as it would be easier than a succession of messages.  I am on FB, Jon Ainge.

I hadn't heard about the new hydro power station, but there are still the remains (I believe) of one that was used to provide power to the old whaling station of Grytviken, 'fuelled' by water from Gull Lake and that has to date back to the first half of the 20th Century as Grytviken closed down as a whaling station in 1964.  As for the cruise ships, there were just 3 in the year I was there (79-80), but that has indeed gone up substantially.  There are strict controls over where the ships can go and land, and a fee per passenger for doing so.  One good thing is that the island has recently been declared rat free after an intense eradication programme.  Rats were accidentally introduced to the island by the sealing and whaling ships and over the years decimated some of the bird populations.

Brit_Magyar wrote:

I hadn't heard about the new hydro power station, but there are still the remains (I believe) of one that was used to provide power to the old whaling station of Grytviken, 'fuelled' by water from Gull Lake and that has to date back to the first half of the 20th Century as Grytviken closed down as a whaling station in 1964.  ....

Your time there was a long time ago.   

The new Hydro station was installed in 2009 I believe and used the old whaling station dam.  Took them 2 years to install it.

It's not that easy to find information but there was detail on the station in an environmental report - showed some photos and the plans of the equipment if I remember correctly. 

Worth Googling for it, if of interest.

Here is a starting point for you  http://www.gov.gs/  I'll do some googling when I have a moment :-)

....and here is a very informative article http://en.mercopress.com/2009/01/29/sou … dro-energy

Brit_Magyar wrote:

Here is a starting point for you  http://www.gov.gs/  I'll do some googling when I have a moment :-)

Yes, I know about that link and I also know a link to pictures and details of the power station.  I've been looking at South Georgia for years because of a South Atlantic/Falkland Islands interest.

But there's a recurrent theme which frustrates many in these forums is that some people assume others don't know how to use Google. 

I was trying not to be guilty of exactly that - e.g being a serial cut and paster of links to other stuff found through Google.  If it's an obscure link found through a lot of research, then maybe.  My general view now is to not be a research assistant. People can Google for themselves if interested enough.

Hi Jon,

Thanks very much for your reply.
I will look out for you on facebook!

Kind regards,
Klara Vargha

Hi Klára,

Happy Name Day :-)  Boldog Névnapot :-)  Where are you based right now as I have found more than one with your name.

interoducing myself MY NAME IS  SIMON TREW AND I HAE LIVED IN HUNGARY FOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS, IT IS FUN, EH. II AM ENGLISH BUT SWITCH, FORDIT, ENGLISH AND HUNGARIAN

WELCOME TO HUNGARY'

I DO NOT SEE SO WELL SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY BAD TYPING.

Brit_Magyar wrote:

....and here is a very informative article http://en.mercopress.com/2009/01/29/sou … dro-energy

Yes, that's one link I've read before but not enough pictures and not enough details.

There's an environmental assessment here.  Lots of details there and more photos.

SimonTrew wrote:

I DO NOT SEE SO WELL SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY BAD TYPING.

Its called old age, time to get some glasses?

SimCityAT wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

I DO NOT SEE SO WELL SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY BAD TYPING.

Its called old age, time to get some glasses?

When it's time for trifocals, it just gets you down.
I give up reading tiny little city maps, used to be the navigator on road trips but these days I have better luck looking at the heavens for directions then seeing the tiny print.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

I DO NOT SEE SO WELL SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY BAD TYPING.

Its called old age, time to get some glasses?

When it's time for trifocals, it just gets you down.
I give up reading tiny little city maps, used to be the navigator on road trips but these days I have better luck looking at the heavens for directions then seeing the tiny print.

Get varifocals*.  I have these so you don't have little windows at the bottom with bifocals.  It's just graduated.

I'm late 50s and I don't actually need glasses for reading so my varifocals have zero magnification.  I usually take my glasses off when doing close work or I have them around my neck on a glasses string thing.

The optician said my eyes were better than last time they were checked but she did say that I am at a sort of hump where my eyes are optimally balanced for reading and the distance I can see now (which is not good anyway).  Apparently they will get worse as I pass the hump.

*edit: also called progressive lenses

I can actually type this at a normal distance without using readers but for tiny print like a map or reading a book in a dim room, I can't always make up every letter.
See 20/20 at a distance.
Just more comfy to wear readers on the computer.
I actually learned that using sunshades actually makes your vision worst. Suppose to let the sun shine into your eyeballs to improve your sight.
Too bad, not willing to give up my shades but am keeping them in my bag most of the time and not using them, little enough sunshine here during these fall/winter months.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I can actually type this at a normal distance without using readers but for tiny print like a map or reading a book in a dim room, I can't always make up every letter.
See 20/20 at a distance.
Just more comfy to wear readers on the computer.
I actually learned that using sunshades actually makes your vision worst. Suppose to let the sun shine into your eyeballs to improve your sight.
Too bad, not willing to give up my shades but am keeping them in my bag most of the time and not using them, little enough sunshine here during these fall/winter months.

Sunshades will definitely make your vision worse at that moment but not necessarily over time.

Good illumination of the object to read properly.   Higher light levels will give you a better depth of focusbecause your pupils will be smaller. 

Same principle as a pinhole camera.   Try it out. Get a piece of paper, make a small (pin) hole in it, make it a bit darker in the room, hold it to your eye and try and read something through the pinhole without using glasses.   You should be able to read it no problem where you couldn't before.  Another way is to make your hand (thumb/forefinger) into a small circle (small as possible) and look through it.  I do this if I don't have my glasses on and I need to see something.  It's usually just enough to see.

For distance vision, it's not so important to have pinhole pupils. 

'tis but Physics....

fluffy2560 wrote:

Sunshades will definitely make your vision worse at that moment but not necessarily over time.

Wearing shades actually help to prevent cataracts. Wear the shades.

Having difficulty focusing on near objects is simply part of the normal aging process. The eye lens become less elastic and can not focus on near objects. Solution is corrective lenses, glasses, or a stylish necklaces with a lens:




For reading, e-solutions are idea. With a tablet or e-book one can enlarge the text to what is readable.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Sunshades will definitely make your vision worse at that moment but not necessarily over time.

Wearing shades actually help to prevent cataracts. Wear the shades.

For reading, e-solutions are idea. With a tablet or e-book one can enlarge the text to what is readable.

Surely in Europe the sunshine isn't really strong enough to be a serious problem unless one works outside all the time in the high summer?

Tablets need batteries. 

Might be an option to get a Fresnel lens.

No batteries, no wires!

fluffy2560 wrote:

Tablets need batteries. 

Might be an option to get a Fresnel lens.

No batteries, no wires!

Brilliant. A man after my post-tech heart. 

P.S. Side note, I actually really like my e-reader and the access it gives me to out of print material from archive.org and gutenberg.org. Bad me. Will need to saw and cut firewood with manual tools for 5 hours as penance.