• Who am I?

    I am Qrystal; or at least, that's my dot-name! Har har. (My name is really Crystal, but that's not as internet-searchable; hence, switching the C for the little-used letter Q.)

    I am here because I enjoy writing. I do this mostly for myself, but I also have a passion for helping others learn things from the things I write. Now that I am done my Ph.D. in Physics, I am stepping away from academic research so that I can indulge in some creative ways to share my knowledge and inspire the appreciation of scientific thinking in others. I am also working as a tutor, which is one of the jobs I've most enjoyed doing in my life so far.


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  • Tweets from Another Planet

    Posted by Qrystal on May 29, 2008 at 10:55.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: astronomy, twitter.

    I find it absolutely delightful that someone is twittering as @MarsPhoenix, giving “live” updates about the happenings on Mars and the research going on.

    I can’t help but wonder who is actually doing the twittering though!! Is it someone from NASA? An interested fan? Someone like @BadAstronomer [...] Continue Reading…

    No Comments »

    Cloud Computing, with Sun

    Posted by Qrystal on May 22, 2008 at 21:33.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: computing, humour.

    Geek And Poke: Simply Explained – Part 17

    Beautiful! And someone on the comments had another great one to add:
    Does cloud times sun make a galaxy?
    I’d say that it does! :D

    No Comments »

    An unlikely pianist

    Posted by Qrystal on May 22, 2008 at 12:08.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: cat, humour, music.

    This cat seems genuinely fascinated by the fact that her paws are affecting the sound, and she seems to really truly love what she’s doing:

    Awesome! :D

    No Comments »

    The Flash of a Supernova

    Posted by Qrystal on May 21, 2008 at 17:48.
    Category: Concepts. Tags: astronomy, supernova.

    “…[T]he X-ray flash from the supernova only lasted about five minutes. If Swift had not been looking right at the spot at right at that moment, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would have been lost.

    That’s how cool this is.”
    Bad Astronomy Blog » Birth cry of a supernova

    I, personally, have been rooting for [...] Continue Reading…

    No Comments »

    Northern Ontario haiku

    Posted by Qrystal on May 21, 2008 at 13:20.
    Category: Poetry. Tags: camping.

    Daydreaming about
    Northern Ontario camping.
    So close, yet so far…

    — It’s haiku, if you smear the “io” into “yo” :P

    No Comments »

    Tick-tock audio clip

    Posted by Qrystal on May 19, 2008 at 13:36.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: productivity.

    Audio

    The sound of ticking
    reminds that time is passing.
    Make it meaningful!

    One of the things that saps my productivity is the amount of time wasted in random meandering before I start work for the day. Today, I’ve set up this ticking clock sound to remind me not to let that [...] Continue Reading…

    No Comments »

    Logarithmic Spirals

    Posted by Qrystal on May 17, 2008 at 17:25.
    Category: Concepts. Tags: beauty, math.

    Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day – Logarithmic Spirals

    Breathtaking, isn’t it?  And mathematically fascinating.

    No Comments »

    Begin Anywhere

    Posted by Qrystal on May 17, 2008 at 16:04.
    Category: Advice. Tags: inspiration, procrastination.

    “It’s like when people say ‘I don’t know where to begin’ – the answer is ‘Begin anywhere – wherever you begin is the beginning’.”
    — Suw Charman
    from her article Procrastination, thief of… ooh! wanna watch a movie?
    at Strange Attractor: Picking out patterns in the chaos

    No Comments »

    Ode to the Great Masterpiece

    Posted by Qrystal on May 15, 2008 at 20:39.
    Category: Poetry. Tags: thesis.

    Link: Ode to the Great Masterpiece
    Remember how good it felt
    to finally be feeling good about
    the progress in creating
    the Great Masterpiece of Thesis?

    Remember how great it felt
    to really USE that analytic mind
    melding ideas and knowledge
    for the Great Masterpiece of Thesis?

    Remember how guilty you felt
    realizing the hours frittered away
    added to days [...] Continue Reading…

    No Comments »

    What Do I Want, Again?

    Posted by Qrystal on May 15, 2008 at 13:27.
    Category: Life. Tags: direction, future, goals, planning.

    I’ve been pondering my life lately (..again….) and in order to help me get my thoughts straight, I took a look at this mindmap that I made in October of 2007. It’s all still very relevant, as it shows what I think I need in order to fulfil [...] Continue Reading…

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