Coming up on Infra Red

I've got the best job in the world.

Yes, I'm still a student. So basically, it's a mere holidayjob. But yet, it's the best in the world.
What I get to do is drive around, set up a few camera's, record a few 10 seconds clips, drive somewhere else and do the same. That might not sound that fascinating, but for someone like me, who likes to drive and to set up camera's, it's the best job in the world.

It aren't ordinary camera's of course. It are infra-red camera's engineered and produced by XenICs N.V.. There are different kinds of infra-red camera's. You've got the long-wave camera's, that are used for thermal vision like in the movies, and the other camera I'm using is a near-infra-red camera, which makes it easier to detect different sorts of material. Next to these two camera's, I've got an ordinary visual camera to compare the images. So I just need to film a lot on different terrains in different conditions, to make a database of recordings. Today, I assisted one of XenICs' employees so I get to know things before I'm sent off alone.

While filming, there's also regular contact with the local population. Earlier today, at the railway station, an old women said "ooh, the first time I'm taking the train and it's being filmed!". So she then started to explain that she normally always goes to the coast by car, but for once, she's taking the train. She also told me her son is an engineer too, but one in informatics, rather than electronics (which I'm studying for).
A bit later, when we were filming elsewhere in the railway station, one of the railroad employees was interested in what we were doing. He informed us of the train that was about to arrive at platform 3 (which wasn't announced trough every single loudspeaker in the station, nor was our camera pointed at that track. Yes, that was sarcasm.). So we filmed a Thalis passing trough the station, which was nice.
In the afternoon, after I had filmed my rabbit and some parts of my backyard, me and the XenICs employee, who's name is Nick btw, went to some fields. More social interaction there! Some bloke came to see what we were doing. He looked like a typical 80's casino mobster. Tight black jeans, loose shirt with the top buttons opened, golden necklace, big cigar, green jaguar. He asked what we were doing. We said we were making recordings with infra-red camera's, including thermal vision. Then he asked wether we were here to check the level of the groundwater...
Yes, you've guessed it alright. He started talking about how the level of the groundwater dropped massively and how he blames a local factory for it. He already asked his 'friend with a high position at the water company' to check it out though. Then he went away. He passed by a few times and waved at us every time.
Next, the local farmer arrived. He was a bit suspicious about us and asked if we were there to film how he works. We won his trust by the joke "only if you want us to". Now we have recordings of his secret method to unload a wagon a manure, muahaha.

I must say, I appreciate these small interactions with people. Each person has their own life, own stories. It doesn't matter how funny they look, how boring their stories are or how intelligent they are. Funny how a bunch of random people can make the best job in the world even more interesting.

I was allowed to keep the camera's for tonight and tomorrow (which is a day off due to national holiday). So I'll be recording some stuff for work tonight. Should be interesting.

Pulverized

Last night, there was a moth flying around in my room. I smacked it with my bare hand, and it disappeared. It was simply gone. No trace to be found.
A few minutes ago, another moth entered my room. I swapped it out of the air and it disappeared. I found moth-blood on my closet, but no trace of the moth itself.
Conclusion? Moths are pulverized into molecules when hit in mid-flight.

It's been a while since I last posted, despite my promise to post on Wednesday, June 30th. I could make up tons of excuses for why I didn't, but the fact is, I just didn't feel like it. However, coincidence or not, it is Saturday today. So basically, I just shifted my original unintended posting schedule by one week. Not that anyone could possibly care about that.

Quite a few things happened in the mean while. I moved to a different room, I went to a festival, my computer broke, I repaired it, I completed my first week at my vacation job with success. All of these are things you by no doubt have boundless interest in, but I'm going to talk about something different. Or well, I was planning to talk about something. Now that I've set some sort of quality standard for this blog, I'd hate to ruin it by simply writing to write something. Last posts were written by simply writing down what I felt like writing down. Right now, I don't really feel like writing about anything.
It's not that I can't think of anything to share with you, but I'll share them at a time it feels suited to do so.

Goodnight.