Dr David Mills

Great Science Done Cheap
#Bones #Teeth #Heritage #XRays #Tea
#DailyTeddy #z80
He/Him/Dr/Oi You.
Author
Astrophotographer
Sleep enjoyer.
Yak Shaver.
Occasional pearl barley influencer.
Powered by the transperambulation of pseudocosmic antimatter & Tea.

Tech Tinkering: http://webshed.org
Other Writing: http://affable-lurking.org
Photos: https://flickr.com/photos/dtl/
Me: http://davidmills.doctor/

Public Key

npub16j6h9s9rav3cmkyw4gf4xp8s4urhf66ulpdtwujw7k2dg0qa308qr2hwxh

NIP-05 Address

dtl_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsdfdtjcz37kgudmz825y6nqnc27pm5adw0sk4hwf80t9x58swchnspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsdrav9a

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub16j6h9s9rav3cmkyw4gf4xp8s4urhf66ulpdtwujw7k2dg0qa308qr2hwxh

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Last Notes

2024-09-04 08:41:35

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I've had power to the shed for decades (not entirely sure where the cable runs now).

2024-09-04 08:21:15

@rc2014 How goes the fibre to the shed project?

2024-08-11 08:46:02

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I didn't see one, but the pigeons probably ate it.

2024-08-11 07:18:14

#SilentSunday The morning after the night before.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/942/159/823/321/469/original/0cd30dcf842e3b3d.jpg

2024-08-10 19:02:53

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is making batteries from rust. Non toxic, non flammable, rechargeable and dirt cheap.

2024-08-07 08:24:19

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What happens then?

2024-08-07 07:33:47

An unknown number has called me at 8am every work day since last Tuesday. I don't answer, what am I? Someone that answers the phone?
They don't leave voicemail.
Yesterday I replied by text, "The game is up! Flee!"
They haven't called today.

2024-08-06 09:22:20

It looks like I'm not going to be eligible for a free covid booster, so how do I go about getting a paid for one in the UK? Anyone done it recently?

2024-08-05 12:34:02

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No C8, so I checked C3 - it was fine 🙂

2024-08-05 12:13:36

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The fault is almost certainly on this board. Or the power supply to it.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/348/796/489/489/original/110462ee25551f03.jpg

2024-08-05 12:00:45

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No obvious smoking craters where there should be a component. This is good, but it does make diagnosis a bit harder.

2024-08-05 11:54:25

Nowhere in my job spec does it mention repair of high voltage power supplies, and yet ...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/276/445/823/100/original/74d7a4f7b730d48d.jpg

2024-08-04 10:14:23

#SilentSunday Thistle down.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/903/218/898/282/231/original/aa439536d7f148c7.jpg

2024-08-03 07:22:06

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Yay!
Say hello to her from me (an internet random she'll probably never meet) some time.

2024-08-03 07:18:22

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that's terrible. What did your mum do?

2024-08-02 11:55:27

Is there a multiplatform (win / mac / linux) C++ serial class that does the work of figuring out what devices are available, and giving you a list to choose from then opening the one you chose?
Needs to be C++ no other language.
#programming

2024-08-01 07:05:55

It's a sycamore tree, it's a charasmatic weed, have you ever tried to stop one growing?
They literally grow again from the stump after being cut down, poisoned with salt and burned. The one behind my shed is still putting out shoots 5 years after it should have died.
Felled Sycamore Gap tree may live on after green shoots appear on stump https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/01/felled-sycamore-gap-tree-stump-green-shoots-stump

2024-07-30 07:42:21

I've just seen the unpossible. A broken #nokia phone. I think I understand how Cockcroft and Walton felt when they split the indivisible atom.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/874/296/352/945/552/original/51edc48079d7f288.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/874/302/347/246/584/original/65bd6b76b998f8f3.jpg

2024-07-29 07:03:17

Teddy is upset, not for the usual reason (rain) but because the squirrel in the garden ran away before he got to woof at it. It's most unfair on a little dog. #DailyTeddy #ReasonsMyDogIsSad
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/868/488/602/085/536/original/6d1f4de2170e56bf.jpg

2024-07-28 10:41:36

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Found the thyrotron.
It's basically a big vacuum tube with a bit of hydrogen in it (probably leaked out now).
It can stand off high voltages, until a trigger pulse is given, then it conducts stupidly high currents briefly, then returns to being an open circuit. Very useful for making short pulses of current for lasers and nuclear weapons.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/863/682/844/103/865/original/1c02aea488d6cd3d.jpg

2024-07-28 10:34:36

Not what I was looking for when I came down to the shed, but I just found my box of laser capacitors.
These were from a superradient nitrogen laser I built years ago. The laser cavity is long since gone, but the capacitors remain. There should be a hydrogen thyrotron switch around here somewhere too. #lasers #physics
Might repurpose these capacitors to make some sparks and arcs.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/863/653/162/846/533/original/2c22b27c57c40693.jpg

2024-07-25 12:52:36

On the bench today, a one of a kind microscope controller that's been modified and for which there's no documentation.
#electronics
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/847/214/959/500/918/original/638f2ee4b7ad1341.jpg

2024-07-24 06:19:59

Good morning!
A photo I took yesterday of a small snail working its way across a rain soaked spider web.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/840/004/754/556/818/original/24cd41d171370569.jpg

2024-07-23 15:53:56

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It's animal (I hope). Picked it from the Thames a couple of years ago. It's probably been washing around in there for decades.
Just making a few <100um sections for optical microscopy.

2024-07-23 15:35:20

Chopping up bones with my tooth chopping saw.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/836/529/986/415/121/original/1bdac9a881325a50.jpg

2024-07-20 16:34:30

An initial write-up and some images & data from the #cycling pollution experiment.
https://affable-lurking.org/2024/07/20/a-finger-full-of-blood-for-science/

2024-07-20 11:07:24

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https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/818/496/647/537/956/original/5577118a5915c4b0.jpg

2024-07-19 10:51:45

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The IT meltdown hasn't stopped me giving an armful today. #platelets #GiveBloodNHS
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/812/765/773/662/155/original/0a941e518a8ddc51.jpg

2024-07-19 08:49:23

The IT issues don't seem to have affected the NHS yet, my appointment this morning is still going ahead. #crowdstrike

2024-07-10 19:01:09

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it's laser physics (not entirely wrong!).

2024-07-10 18:53:11

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I can't say for that one, but Real Genius is a fun watch.

2024-07-10 15:18:08

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if you visit the UK, let me know. We'll have a cuppa together!

2024-07-10 14:58:38

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I love a good stout Assam blend or something smokey.

2024-07-10 14:52:13

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Right to that's the Tea drinking machinery primed. Now for some decent quantities of Tea.

2024-07-10 14:27:00

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Tea has been acquired. Only seems to come 300ml at a time, so I'll be making several trips to the Teabar.

2024-07-10 14:15:48

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I should have brought some #joinmastodon stickers as this still to still be a twitter heavy conference.

2024-07-10 14:14:40

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Arrived. Time for a cuppa. #BRS2024
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/762/608/998/732/843/original/a0b600a9649ce5c4.jpg

2024-07-10 09:26:37

Off to the Bone Research Society meeting in Sheffield to talk about phossy jaw. #BRS2024

2024-05-22 16:52:20

Stephen Hawking asking Sir Clive Sinclair for some QL computers. #retrocomputing
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/485/760/005/838/455/original/3d5f61b6f2c951d0.jpg

2024-04-13 12:13:07

Got to love an important notice that has become a chromatography experiment instead. #chemistry #science.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/263/839/241/370/966/original/8f4ee65e3ae85a5a.jpg

2024-04-09 15:39:50

It finally arrived. I got one of the plessy amplifier chips with a bolt stuck to the top.
I'll see if I can x-ray it tomorrow. [@philpem](https://digipres.club/@philpem) I think you were interested in this.
Edit to add - the bolt is to attach a heatsink.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/242/006/731/395/867/original/084a3d29fc4517cd.jpg