Antarctic Themed Bathroom - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 01:21:49 am
content: Dave!I was watching your LED bathroom light retrofit video and loved the Antarctic themed bathroom. It meant something to me because I was watching your video sitting in my room here at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. So I thought I'd let you know that the EEVBlog has made it all the way down to the bottom of the world.I'll have to look for something interesting around here to send you so you can add something officially from Antarctica to the bathroom. It'll be a while because we won't see another airplane around here until June. So in the meantime I thought I'd send the pic.Love the videos!Rickie

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 07:19:12 am
content: Do they have a gift shop down there? Authentic continental mech?Tim

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:12:03 am
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on April 13, 2015, 07:19:12 amThere is a small store with some toiletry items, booze, junk food, and a bunch of different "Antarctica" schwag.

author: chamod
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:26:26 am
content: Wow. How do you get internet? Direct from a satellite?

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:32:55 am
content: Quote from: chamod on April 13, 2015, 08:26:26 amYep. The downlink is in Belrose Australia, not sure how far that is from the EEVBlog headquarters.

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 03:21:30 pm
content: Quote from: chamod on April 13, 2015, 08:26:26 amMcMurdo has a submerged cable run from Australia or NZ (I don't remember which). Pretty decent speeds actually, 24/7 access, I was there a couple of years ago. South Pole on the other hand is satellite only for internet and phone (local Denver, CO IP and phone number!). It gets pretty quiet the ~20 hours a day that there's no satellite overhead.Both sites have gift shops, McMurdo actually has a few bars too with pool, darts, etc.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 03:46:40 pm
content: I think the best gift for Dave would be a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock, as that is the only thing there that is local, will not melt and which will be acceptable as an import to Australia ( no penguins or whales as they are organisms.......)

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 03:48:26 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 13, 2015, 03:46:40 pmAnd a roll of Antarctic branded toilet paper (bog roll) for his lovely bathroom.

author: CrashO
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 03:57:20 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 13, 2015, 03:46:40 pmKnowing Australia's almost paranoid policy on importing anything which may contain any traces of biological origin. I doubt that would work without nuking the rock with Gamma radiation to make sure there is no microbes living in it

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 07:25:25 pm
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on April 13, 2015, 03:21:30 pmYou're right about Pole but McMurdo is also satellite also. You might be thinking of how it gets back to the US? There is undersea fiber from Australia back to the US, but it's a satellite hop from here to Australia.

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 07:36:28 pm
content: Quote from: pickle9000 on April 13, 2015, 03:48:26 pmYou wouldn't want any TP from here. 1 ply all day long.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:05:39 pm
content: Quote from: RickieSalad on April 13, 2015, 07:36:28 pmBut perfect if you have had one of Ma Govender's famous 3 sting curries. Hot when you bite, hot when you swallow and the frozen paper perfect for the next morning.Just as long as it works, and you are not in need of a proctologist.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:09:48 pm
content: Quote from: RickieSalad on April 13, 2015, 01:21:49 amIsn't that the middle of winter? Are there actually seasons there, or is the climate similar all year round?

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:23:26 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 13, 2015, 03:46:40 pmUnfortunately you can't take or mail anything like that off the continent. As much as I like the EEVBlog, I wouldn't want to goto jail. O0

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:28:13 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on April 13, 2015, 08:09:48 pmYes, that will be the middle of winter. Starting this winter season things are a little different. In previous winters the last plane out would leave the last weeks of Feb or first week of March and we wouldn't see anyone again until the end of August. Starting this winter they've added 3 flights about every 5-6 weeks. So this time around we'll be able to order things to have them delivered, and send things out.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:33:49 pm
content: Then pictures will have to do. Or place a video camera where it will not freeze up and send him a 12 hour video of the base with the sun in the sky. Good in the next summer when he is sweating in the mild heat there in Sydney.

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:38:51 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 13, 2015, 08:33:49 pmWe do have a couple webcams setup actually. Very little sun this time of year. It'll get a little brighter this afternoon but not for long. The sun is quickly running away from us.http://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/mcmwebcam.cfm

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 08:56:23 pm
content: Quote from: RickieSalad on April 13, 2015, 07:25:25 pmI could have sworn the tech guys said it was a direct connection, which is why the speed was half decent and there was no down time. That was in December 2012, maybe things have changed since then? I could be wrong though, I didn't spend a lot of time in McMurdo, just a few days while we prepared to head to the pole and one day on the way back.It's certainly an interesting place.

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 09:16:19 pm
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on April 13, 2015, 08:56:23 pmI'm in IT so I've had a chance to talk to all the appropriate people about the setup. Its satellite for sure, just ask our satellite engineer.Our satellite is just above the horizon all the time so we get the 24/7 coverage, which is different from the Pole. We have a microwave connection from McMurdo across the sea over to Black Island(about 20 miles from here), that is where the signal hops on the satellite uplink. Then down to Belrose, on to the undersea fiber to LA, then through the public networks over to Denver where HQ is. That's where the phones and internet come out, so that's why phone calls and internet from here appear like they're coming from Denver.It's still the same now and probably will be forever. As much as a direct connect would be nice there is too much glacier activity. When huge chunks of ice go floating out to the sea some of them scrap the sea floor, that would wreck havoc on fiber lines in the area.You've got one up on me though because I've still never been to the Pole.

author: kezat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 05:08:41 pm
content: For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 06:40:58 pm
content: Quote from: kezat on April 14, 2015, 05:08:41 pmThat would be perfect!

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 07:24:16 pm
content: Quote from: kezat on April 14, 2015, 05:08:41 pmThat would be perfect!"Made in Antarctica, NOT Austria" HahaMaybe I could make a little night light for the bathroom for Sagen. I'm sure I could find a photo cell around here, not so sure about a nice bright white LED though.

author: CrashO
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 08:57:49 pm
content: Quote from: kezat on April 14, 2015, 05:08:41 pmWould make a nice opening to receive anyting at all from antartica."Hi to all my, errrrrr. Antartican viewers!!"

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 09:56:52 pm
content: "Hi to all my, errrrrr. Antartican viewer!!" (not plural)

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2015, 12:08:27 am
content: Quote from: CrashO on April 14, 2015, 08:57:49 pmYeah that would be funny. There might be more than me across the continent somewhere.

author: RickieSalad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2015, 04:00:27 pm
content: I can't believe I didn't realize this before but I actually have a piece of EEVBlog memorabilia with me here.When I came down this season I brought a bunch of random discrete components so I could "play" with them. I thought I'd take the time to try and intimately learn the in's and out's of transistors, MOSFET's, etc, etc. When I was packing I saw my nifty new(gently used) ChronoVu Logic Analyzer that I won in an EEVBlog contest (maybe 2 years ago?). So I threw it in the box of stuff I sent myself down here. I didn't think that I'd actually use it but it's small, light, and I had room so I figured, why not?What an interesting journey for this logic analyzer... Wherever is came from, to Dave in Australia, then to me in the US, then shipped(probably back through Australia on it's way) to Antarctica, then eventually back to the US. Weird how things happen sometimes.