While I'm on the eurail my computational access will be limited. So I've set up the system to be as quick and easy for me to use as I can. Pictures will be available when I get back...

To keep you happy until some of you may enjoy this rare footage of Matt Okaty.

It is possible to survive in the city of München (aka Munich) for very little money. (Note that this doesn't consider lodging, but its feasible to stay with some friend of a friend for free.)There are two basic things that one needs to provide themselves in a cost efficient manner: food and entertainment.

The first of these, food, has a quite simple solution, stealing. Just simply take food form markets or people with out asking or paying, you spend zero euros. Okay, okay so you have some moral code which keeps you from stealing or your afraid to get caught. Well, thats fine there exist a second solution that is not quite illegal, probably. Find cheap lodging that offers free breakfast and every morning go in for breakfast, filling up on eggs and sausage etc. Then about midway into your first plate pull a paper bag out of your pocket and start filling it with fruit and bread, pretzels are good too. Keep doing this until you think you've got enough food or the day. If anyone looks at you weird just give them a look like your willing to kill for the bread. And if the waitress says anything act really stupid.

Next is entertainment, during the day go on walks. Walk as far as you can. There's plenty to be seen the public gardens, the city center, the market is entertaining. Art galeries are free to look at, and a few museums as well. While walking an time you see a crowd of people join it. This will sometimes be a guy playing violin or on the luckiest times you'll find an english tour. Just follow the tour close enough to hear them. Read, go to the garden at the palace and sit and read. You'll actually blend right in. Germans love to sit in the sun. I guess cause they don't get much of it the rest of the year, but every park bench in the garden is full of people.

Night time is alittle tougher. Unfortunatly after dark München streets are too cold for you because you didn't bring a coat. Thats what the €4 is for. Your can easily get buy at lots of events on this amount of money. And if you really lucky you'll find some Americans who are lost, and due to your walking you've become quite familiar with the city streets. So if you show them where to go they'll often buy you a meal or something.

So I've spent the past week couped up with some of the best minds in my field. I am easily and sometimes obviously the least educated. It was interesting and sometimes star striking. But at times it was worthless... whatever this sounds crappy. What can I say... Boxy Bulges.

Boxy Bulges are objects who have a box shape. They are related to bars of galaxies as well as peanut bulges. They alos seem to muddy the waters of pseudobulge description terribly. James Binney would argue that they are indeed holding us back and tell us really nothing (as it is quite easy to make a boxy object through completely different means), and Ralf Bender would say that photometric detection alone gives us no information on boxy bulges. Kinematic studies are required to determine what they are currently doing, and as of now that information has been sparse. This needs to be resolved and perhaps its is up to me (and collaborators) to do it. A good fraction of this week was spent argueing over these objects.

If you are up right now I'll add more in a couple hours, I have to catch a cab.
David <twitch@astro.as.utexas.edu>
Ringberg Castle, Germany - Friday, May 21, 2004 at 06:51:08 (CDT)

This week I have learned vast ammounts about astronomy, I have also learned a lot about the scientific process. Apparently it involves a lot of bickering, and argueing because two people call the same phenomenons different words. Also, it has a lot to do with people harboring grudges. And those grudges being passed down to a second generation. The scientific process is extremely dependent on the ability of someone to let themselves look like a fool because of their tremendous ego. It also seems that alcohol has a lot to do with science. The scientific process hionges on outlandish and undefendable statements which allow for the eruption of atleast 20 minutes of most of what I've described above. The statement,"I am not a theorist..." is a large part of getting science done.

This week I have lost innosence as a scientist. I am seeing science, this romantic establishment to which I have now committed my life much like a young priest, being held up and slowed because people can't get over old disagreements. I used to believe that people argued sceintific points because they believe in their results and want to get the right answer. And that does happen, sometimes. I think other times, and I've seen it happen at this workshop, people make an arguement because it is the opposite side as person X.

So as I was witnessing today, a scientist argue, because that is the only way this person seems to know how to communicate. I began thinking about the unimportance of astronomy. The triviality our results have for the rest of society. I've allways liked this reality somewhat. But today it made me disgusted at the lack of understanding many people had for this reality.

I hope this didn't imply to anyone that I want to leave this field, because I don't. I just don't want to grow up into these people whose personal sense of worth is based upon how much they have changed a field that has no application to society, other than soem aspect of academic entertainment.


David
Ringberg Castle, Germany - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 08:18:26 (CDT)

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