Physics 
and re
lated
meanderings coincident with my
adventures as a graduate student--and beyond--at NCSU
Home of Grace and Kulchur
I defended my
thesis on March 23, 2010; passed! The thesis is posted below. I
graduate May 15. On July 1 I start as a Lecturer here in the NCSU
physics department.
Video interview
explaining my work in general terms, April 13 2009
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Spherical Microwave Confinement and Ball Lightning
PhD dissertation
Dr. David Aspnes, committee chair and faculty advisor
Dr.
Stephen Reynolds, Dr. Dean Lee,
Dr. Mohamed Bourham, committee members
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PowerPoint used March 24,
2010
in the oral defense of
my dissertation
Spherical Microwave Confinement and Ball Lightning
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Galleries of lab photos 2006-2009
Beginnings: August & Sept. '06
Construction: Oct. & November '06
All Wired Up: Dec. thru March '07
End of the Year: to Christmas '07
Antenna tests: to mid-Aug. '08
Making Mark II Antennas: Sept. '08
Finishing Mark II, BN ceramic, to Jan. '09
Moving to TUNL, to March 1 '09
Improvements at TUNL, to June 1 '09
Return to NCSU, to Sept. 1 '09
VIDEOS: (best played a frame at a time)
FIRST VIDEO! September 2007
Trial
of
new
antenna August 12, '08
Evidence
of
confinement Nov. 24, '08
(shows
central glow using magnetrons and grid, 550 mTorr in air)
Grid only in
hydrogen July 17, '09
(powered by capacitor
bank, 375 mTorr)
My other stuff
From 1985 to 1990 I worked on an experiment in the very strange field of Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), which is an attempt to bridge the gap between the physical and other planes by means of material devices. The project failed, but in time this kind of work could become significant. Here are some pictures from those years. (Also listed on the Spirituality page.)
A research paper in antiquarian verse concerning the Cyclic Universe (Duelling Branes) cosmology of Steinhardt and Turok (Best to be up on your Alexander Pope; Fools Rush In where Angels Fear to Read) written and performed for PY 528 (Astrophysics) class, Spring 2004.
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Other
folks'
work
On the Effectiveness of Aluminum Foil Helmets:
An Empirical Study
An important MIT study dealing
with matters critical to
microwave research, heretical mind-sets, resistance to group-think, and
keeping your gray matter at least medium rare
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McGuire Family
History
a video
from 2003 featuring my completely tasteless Stephen Hawking parody...
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A musical
interlude
I'm a
Physicist and That's Just Fine
for Bass-Baritone and Piano MP3 Score
I'm
a
Physicist
and
that's
just fine-
It's
much
better
than
a
life of crime.
If
you
really
want
to
see me sneer,
Just
imply
I'm
an
engineer.
I
fuss
with
numbers
transcendental;
When
I
was
young
they
called me mental.
If
it
can't
be
measured,
it don't exist-
In
this
here
science,
that's
the gist.
We
need
evidence,
with
fame
for finders.
For
spooky
things,
we've
got
on blinders-
UFOs
and
ghosts
and
prayer,
Hippies,
preachers,
tall
blue
hair.
I'm
a
skeptic,
tried
and
true;
My
origin
is
Cosmic
Goo.
I
can
calculate
the
odds,
Which,
though
Zero,
admit
no
Gods.
I
sit
inside
and
study
all day;
My
eyes
are
dim,
my
skin is gray.
My
way
with
women
is
legen-dary-
I'll
meet
one
someday,
don't
mean maybe!
I'm
a
Physicist
and
that's
just fine-
It's
much
better
than
a
life of crime.
From
Giga
to
Femto,
from
Cosmos to Quark,
One
man's
Genius
is
another
man's Dork.
If
Dork
I
must
be,
then Dork I must be;
The
Answer
to
Everything
is--
Twenty-three!
Bill Robinson January 2004 (music composed Nov. 28-Dec. 7 2004)
For more science songs, check out http://www.science-groove.org/MASSIVE/
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