In 2008 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will arrange an symposium dedicated to Bengt Strömgren’s one-hundredth anniversary. Via my job at the Dark Cosmology Centre I was hired to do some work on the web-site of the event. My biggest assignment was to create a script to handle grant applications. The script gathers information about the applicant from a simple html form and creates a pdf-file which is both shown in the browser, e-mailed to the applicant and saved on the server. I have never worked with the pdf-functions in php before, but I think it turned out all right. So did the people in IAU. In fact, they asked me if I would give them the code behind the script along with a manual so that they could use it for all their future meetings! I happily did, of course. My work is now being used by a cool, international organisation – whoa! 
Archive for 2007
International work
Friday, November 9th, 2007License to test
Friday, October 26th, 2007Wednesday evening Mensa was testing eight potential members. And I was being tested as a potential tester.
Prior to this double test I had observed a couple of other tests to learn the procedure and this was to be my final exam. Two other testers were present to watch me carry the whole thing out and judge if I did a satisfactory job. It went well, I didn’t screw up too much and now I am officially a tester for Mensa Denmark!
So what is being a tester all about? Well, you set up dates and places. People come, get an introduction to Mensa and instructions regarding the test. Then you give them the test and keep an eye on them while they take it. Afterwards you answer all their questions. When they have left you mail the tests to the psychologist who analyses them. That is basically it. I bring people to Mensa! 
Sleeping with bacon
Monday, October 8th, 2007Yesterday I had one of my life’s most horrible headaches. It was so bad that I couldn’t sleep even though I was very tired. After several hours of torture I went to the kitchen to find something cold in the freezer. I ended up with a pack of frozen bacon which I loosely wrapped in a dish towel and brought back to the bed. It actually helped lying there with a cold pack of bacon on my forehead and eventually I fell asleep.
This morning I woke up well rested and feeling good. In my arms I found the defrosted pack of bacon. I can’t even begin to describe the weird mix of feelings that stirred up.
Keyboard reading
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007I decided to clean my keyboard today, and guess what I noticed: the two most dirty (and thus the two most used) buttons are “)” and “?”. Apparently I write a lot of happy smilies, and ask a lot of questions. Funny, eh?
New job
Thursday, June 7th, 2007About a couple of months ago I was hanging around at the Niels Bohr Institute and I accidentally heard a rumour that The Dark Cosmology Centre might soon be looking for a student helper. Without hesitation I hurried upstairs to the office of the centre’s head of communication, and five minutes later I found myself in the middle of a job interview. Apparently they would soon be needing someone to help them with their web pages, so I tried to convince them that I was their girl. I think I did it pretty good. Well, today they called me in to tell me I got the job. Hurray!
I will be making web pages for special occasions (yearly events, anniversaries, conferences, etc.). I will start by making a page for The Internal Year of Astronomy 2009. I don’t really know any details about the work I’ll be doing yet, but I am so looking forward to be working with something relevant to my studies. Also, I will be getting my own (shared) office with a desk and computer and everything. In one of the university’s buildings, mark you. I am so happy!
