NIST

I was going to post on Sunday, and the post was going to begin thus:

I write as the USA shocks the world. Nebyu just showed up. “I just came over to taunt Habib. I mean this is so beautiful, a week ago, we are nothing, now we are making an international appearance, a Confederation Cup championship. And we have a black president.” DUNGA!

So much for that.

ANYWAY

Last week we had our first Office of the General Counsel legal intern excursion, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The 45 minute van ride out to the 300 acre facility in Maryland was a welcome break, and the place itself is pretty fucking awesome. They do a lot of things there, including employing several Nobel Prize physicists and a couple of MacArthur Genius Grant recipients. They support US industry technological development and also do lots of their own science. They also set standards for weights, etc. For example you can buy a $400 dollar can of tuna from NIST, and that you can use to make sure your Tuna weighs the right amount. Amusingly enough NIST is never wrong… they are always right, by statute. Yes, our guide did make the joke. “Too bad that doesn’t work with my wife.” Rim Shot.

We got to go through a few labs, and the people that talked to us could hardly contain their excitement. Enthusiastic geeks with almost no constraints on access to time and equipment that could not stop talking about their research. The best one was the guy who is working on creating a quantum computer. Umh, a QUANTUM computer. We are standing there and he is explaining how they slow down particles using lasers and work towards creating a processor that doesnt work on a binary 0/1 system. And its going on right there in what looks like a microwave with tin-foil on it. In a building that is completely underground so that they can control vibration and temperature more exactly. It was also interesting to see that there are a couple hundred deer on the campus. I had a great conversation about their population control approach, but ill spare you the details. Other highlights included a VERY graphic x-Ray of some sort of prostate cancer treatment and glass door with a very intricate etching that said “TWEEZERS.”