Cyber Commuters Attend Conference with a Click

Teleconference equipment in the Kavli 3rd Floor Conference Room enables GLAST KIPAC researchers to interact with colleagues in Bari, Italy.

by Matt Cunningham

Thirteen Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) collaboration members attended a workshop in Bari, Italy, earlier this month—despite the fact that only three of the researchers actually traveled to Europe. Multimedia and teleconference tools erased travel burdens and expenses by allowing researchers to attend via cyberspace.

Even though they never set foot on an airplane, the cyber commuters still had to endure jetlag. Professor Elliott Bloom participated in instrument analysis and data-collection talks from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m., Pacific time. But in comparison to travel, the adjustment was easy he said.

"Getting to Bari can be difficult. First you fly to New York, then across the Atlantic, then to Rome and then finally you fly to Bari," Bloom said. "We saved ourselves a lot of energy and time." Read more...

Stranger than Fiction

by Matt Cunningham

Ginger O'Reilly and her husband camping in the Sahara Desert.

Reading thrillers by Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum, SLAC Contract Administrator Ginger O'Reilly often fantasized about adventures and exotic landscapes. When she married a real-estate attorney whose passion for travel rivaled her own, her life began to imitate the pages of her favorite fiction.

Over the past 12 years, O'Reilly has visited 65 countries. Last year alone she visited Namibia, Victoria Falls (between Zambia and Zimbabwe), China, Tibet, Romania, Croatia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro and five of the Canary Islands.

"It makes me feel so lucky to be an American when I come home," she said. "We take so many things for granted here."

O'Reilly has seen and experienced things that Fleming and Ludlum couldn't prepare her for. She compared the "treasure trove of cultural wonders" in Burma to stepping back in time.

Tribes, largely untouched by outside influence, populate the hills there, and the chiming of bells from Buddhist temples, or pagodas, ring throughout the day, O'Reilly said. During her visit, women and children were amazed by her white skin tone and brushed their hands against her cheeks and arms.

O'Reilly and her husband are sometimes required to solicit government guides during their travels, including their recent trips to Burma and Libya. In Burma, the guides made it a point to let them know that they risked imprisonment if they were overhead saying anything negative about the government. The guides thought anyone could be a spy, O'Reilly said.

Reminder:
LCLS Construction Site Remains Off Limits

by Kelen Tuttle

The LCLS webcams and online construction dashboard make it possible to track construction progress without actually entering the job site. Above, the view from webcam "Bird 2."

Tunneling activities may have ended last week, but construction on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is still in full swing. The site along PEP Ring Road continues to be very active with heavy equipment, and remains off limits to everyone not directly involved in the construction activities. This site represents an extreme danger to anyone who is not properly trained for area-specific hazards.

Unauthorized SLAC employees must also refrain from driving through the construction site—Interaction Region 2 and the BaBar control room continue to be accessible only from the Gate 17 side of PEP Ring Road.

Safety is always SLAC's top priority, and reinforcing this during LCLS construction is imperative.

Conservation Tip of the Week

by John Steward

Learn ways to cut your energy use by tracking your energy costs with a home energy audit. An energy audit will show you which areas of your home use the most energy and help you decide the most effective way to reduce energy costs. You can conduct a simple audit yourself, contact your local utility, or call an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive examination. Check your home's insulation levels and check for open fireplace dampers. Look for holes or cracks around doors, light and plumbing fixtures, and other places where air may leak into or out of your home. Make sure your appliances, furnace and A/C systems are properly maintained, and study your family's lighting needs and use patterns.

Events

February 20: (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Brian Lantz - Advanced LIGO: the Next Gravitational Wave Observatory
February 21: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Search for Large CP Violation in Bs Decays

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Learning & Development Class Offerings - Stanford Campus

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The God Particle National Geographic
Long Nights, 90 Below. What More Could Astronomers Want? NY Times
Astronomy Technology Brings Nanoparticle Probes into Sharper Focus Georgia Tech

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

Cyber Commuters Attend Conference with a Click Teleconference equipment in the Kavli 3rd Floor Conference Room enables GLAST KIPAC researchers to interact with colleagues in Bari, Italy. by Matt Cunningham Thirteen Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) collaboration members attended a workshop in Bari, Italy, earlier this month—despite the fact that only three of the researchers actually traveled to Europe. Multimedia and teleconference tools erased travel burdens and expenses by allowing researchers to attend via cyberspace. Even though they never set foot on an airplane, the cyber commuters still had to endure jetlag. Professor Elliott Bloom participated in instrument analysis and data-collection talks from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m., Pacific time. But in comparison to travel, the adjustment was easy he said. "Getting to Bari can be difficult. First you fly to New York, then across the Atlantic, then to Rome and then finally you fly to Bari," Bloom said. "We saved ourselves a lot of energy and time." Read more...

Stranger than Fiction by Matt Cunningham Ginger O'Reilly and her husband camping in the Sahara Desert. Reading thrillers by Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum, SLAC Contract Administrator Ginger O'Reilly often fantasized about adventures and exotic landscapes. When she married a real-estate attorney whose passion for travel rivaled her own, her life began to imitate the pages of her favorite fiction. Over the past 12 years, O'Reilly has visited 65 countries. Last year alone she visited Namibia, Victoria Falls (between Zambia and Zimbabwe), China, Tibet, Romania, Croatia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro and five of the Canary Islands. "It makes me feel so lucky to be an American when I come home," she said. "We take so many things for granted here." O'Reilly has seen and experienced things that Fleming and Ludlum couldn't prepare her for. She compared the "treasure trove of cultural wonders" in Burma to stepping back in time. Tribes, largely untouched by outside influence, populate the hills there, and the chiming of bells from Buddhist temples, or pagodas, ring throughout the day, O'Reilly said. During her visit, women and children were amazed by her white skin tone and brushed their hands against her cheeks and arms. O'Reilly and her husband are sometimes required to solicit government guides during their travels, including their recent trips to Burma and Libya. In Burma, the guides made it a point to let them know that they risked imprisonment if they were overhead saying anything negative about the government. The guides thought anyone could be a spy, O'Reilly said. Read more...	Reminder: LCLS Construction Site Remains Off Limits by Kelen Tuttle The LCLS webcams and online construction dashboard make it possible to track construction progress without actually entering the job site. Above, the view from webcam "Bird 2." Tunneling activities may have ended last week, but construction on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is still in full swing. The site along PEP Ring Road continues to be very active with heavy equipment, and remains off limits to everyone not directly involved in the construction activities. This site represents an extreme danger to anyone who is not properly trained for area-specific hazards. Unauthorized SLAC employees must also refrain from driving through the construction site—Interaction Region 2 and the BaBar control room continue to be accessible only from the Gate 17 side of PEP Ring Road. Safety is always SLAC's top priority, and reinforcing this during LCLS construction is imperative. Conservation Tip of the Week by John Steward Learn ways to cut your energy use by tracking your energy costs with a home energy audit. An energy audit will show you which areas of your home use the most energy and help you decide the most effective way to reduce energy costs. You can conduct a simple audit yourself, contact your local utility, or call an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive examination. Check your home's insulation levels and check for open fireplace dampers. Look for holes or cracks around doors, light and plumbing fixtures, and other places where air may leak into or out of your home. Make sure your appliances, furnace and A/C systems are properly maintained, and study your family's lighting needs and use patterns.	Events February 20: (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Brian Lantz - Advanced LIGO: the Next Gravitational Wave Observatory February 21: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Search for Large CP Violation in Bs Decays Access (see all) Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7 Research Yard bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements Learning & Development Class Offerings - Stanford Campus Community Bulletin Board Stanford University Faculty and Staff Help Center Free tax planning workshops Total eclipse of the moon tonight News (see all \| submit) The God Particle National Geographic Long Nights, 90 Below. What More Could Astronomers Want? NY Times Astronomy Technology Brings Nanoparticle Probes into Sharper Focus Georgia Tech
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