When I was 10 I received a microscope as a gift. Whether it was for my birthday or another occassion I don't recall. But I was taking samples of everything and putting them under the lens for close-up views. A few months ago, I pulled out the scope again and the Wookie and I were contemplating a camera for it to take pictures of stuff REALLY up close. He had given me a digital camera last year because of my blog and I've gotten a lot of use out of it; the natural progression would be to a microscope camera.
So the Wookie managed to find the niftiest, coolest, most amazing thing EVER for me this year. A microscope with a camera for stills and video that connects to your computer. You hook it up and whatever you put under the lens appears on your computer monitor at 10, 60 or 200 times magnification. Oh....my....freakin'....God!!!
Last night after we came back from Mom and Dad's, the Wookie set it up and I began to look at stuff. Butterfly wings, a beetle, paper, and my still living warehouse beetle larva. I do have to experiment with light settings, but it's an absolutely thrilling experience. I feel like Sir Alexander Flemming, Marie Curie, and Einstein all rolled into one.
Pictures of Bee Wear, my warehouse beetle larva:
To put these shots into perspective, the larva itself is less than a centimetre long...maybe 8 millimetres (10 mm to a cm, 2.5 cm to an inch) so to see the actual individual hairs or specks of dust on this creature is nothing short of a miracle in my book.
The other exciting thing is that I'll be able to examine living creatures. Instead of putting them in the freezer to put them to sleep permanently, I can put them in the fridge (for about 15 minutes) to put them to sleep for a nap, look at them under the microscope and take pictures, then let them go. For this, the Wookie gets a Superhero Bug Saving Award.
Back to the lab!
S.
Coincidentally, the larva was on a piece of paper with the End MS logo on it. Even insects are getting into the campaign.
6 comments:
WAY freakin' cool!!! When I was a kid, I got TWO chemistry sets one year...what an exciting thing...and even now as an adult, I STILL have a fantasy I could cure MS if I had one of those darned sets again. LOL
Bug away, dearest...continue to enjoy the view.
Linda D. in Seattle
Nice pics. It looks and sounds like you're having fun.
That is so cool!!! Wow, you're going to have so much fun. And we're going to have fun watching what you find. Good job, Wookie!!
Wookie Rules! You have one really good man! Can he help out my new hubby with paying attention to such important details?! LOL
I look forward to seeing life through your microscope in the future!
OOHHH Man! Is that ever the coolest present! I look forward to see some more pictures from that. You have a really sweet Santa up there.
Everybody,
My friend suggested I look into the Wookie's eyes with this device....see if I can check out his retina. But I should really clear that with the opthamologist first....
S.
Post a Comment