SYNCHROTRON SUCCESSFUL

More than 40 scientists have lodged research proposals for the first round of synchrotron use which begins next month. These applications are higher than expected and at least 30 of the proposals will go ahead with some being directed to overseas synchrotrons.

One of those experiments will be seeing how algae performs under starvation conditions and I thought to myself that this would be a good time to tell you about acoustic levitation which is how the scientists handle microscopic living cells using synchrotron light. My notes are on the desk behind me, yes, right, okay, I'm in trouble now.

I am talking about a very large desk, a very old large desk which I bought in a sale of very old office furniture for $25. It's so big that the twice it's been moved, it had to go out through the window and in the other window. I might add it's never being moved again.

So, my notes are on/in/over/around about that desk. If the thing was a black hole, the event horizon of paper is expanding. The tower of wood pulp has reached critical mass. Why haven't I noticed this every time I come in the door? I'm going to have to sort, catalogue and chuck papers for the next week before I even see the surface. I will be alert and not a little alarmed at what or who I find hiding under there but I will have those levitation notes for you soon. Don't go away, I'll be baaaack!

Damn, I just noticed the layer on dust on the book shelf and there's a spider web over my rock collection. Have a holiday, this could take longer than I thought.