How to make your speech longer

From time to time astronomy students have to give a lecture (Students' Seminary). In many cases it is based on some very serious and boring article from some well known scientific journals. In such case it is very probable that You won't find any sense in the article, so even thinking out of seminary idea is hard. So when Your seminary plan made in pain makes some sense, but You know that it will be too short, You can use some tips made in this

"tutorial on prolonging seminars"

1. make Your Power Point (can be Open Office) presentation BIG. Copying it to seminary computer will give you 2-3 minutes.
   
   
2. Preset Yourself despite the fact that everyone perfectly know you. Can give You up to 1 minute.
   
   
3. Try to pretend to be nervous and hobble. You can your statements build in fancy grammatic, and then them rebuild to be correct. Can double Your presentation time.
   
   
4. You can try to mix previous method with making long pauses in statements. BUT: during pause utter some noises and gesticulate intensively, it will make You looking focused. Can give you 10% of the base presentation time.
   
   
5. Change title of your speech. You will have to explain why You did it. Can give you 2-3 minutes.
   
   
6. In Your presentaion use some animations. Changing slides and showing groups of text/pictures will give 2-3 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have and how many pictures You copied from base publication.
   
   
7. NEVER add subtitles under graphs and axes labels. You will have to criticize this habit and explain what is on the graph. Can give 1-3 minutes on each graph.
   
   
8. Make random mistake in some equation. You will make 1 minute pause of complete silence thinking about it. Then You will say that there is an error an explain it. You can also write correct version on a blackboard. Listeners will think that You're perfectly prepared. Can give 2-4 minutes.
   
   
9. If You want to change slide wait few seconds gazing at the screen and thinking whether You have to say something more about this slide. Can give 2-3 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have.
   
   
10. When You are talking about some slide slowly go away from the computer. Don't mix it with point 9. Can give you 1-2 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have.
    
    
11. If You can use projectors' remote controler - use it. Very often they have some fancy system of changing slides (in wrong directory). Don't try to remember how to change to a next slide, make it to the previous and then nerviously press correct button more than one time and then return to correct slide. Don't use it too often. Can give up to 1 minute.
    
    
12. At the beginning make a slide with a plan of Your seminary, and say most of things You have to say. On every slide recall what was on the previos slide, and mention somethong about next slide. In the middle of presentation make a summary of the first part and plan of the next part. At the end make a summary and say the same things fourth time. Can give you even 15 minutes.
    

Using this tutor You can make Your 15 minutes presentation to last for 1 hour, but it needs some practice to make it correctly and unnoticed.
If You know of some prolonging trick please write it here, generations of young astronomers will be thankful.

Mr. R.

Beacause Mr. R. some time ago wrote a post about me, I couldn't leave it without a reply.

So, this is how exactly Mr. R. looks.

Black Hole?

Few nights ago we (me and Mr. R) have been in Las Ostrowik observatory to observe our object.
Because it was monday we were at the place late.
So: we turned on all that mystical devices, boxes et ceterea, to begin observations. You must know that it's not very hard work - we have script which do most of the job about taking pictures. After running this script we have 1 hour free time, then dome of the telescope needs to be moved. So we ran our script, and wanted to go get some dinner. Mr. R wanted also to wait a minute until the first pictures downloads and check if everything is all right. It was, so we went to the other building, to eat.

Next day, when I wanted to skim through images taken last night I saw what You can see here. It is animation made from 15 following pictures taken that night.

THE GRAPH

Maybe you have seen the post about our first outputs of OCO project.

There is a mention about something misticcally called "the graph". It's not there by accident. When You work with a Professor, it's very probable that you have to meet Him, from time to time, with some findings. It is also very probable that you have no any findings...

So what to do then? Try to plot some graph, "The graph", there is great chance that it will do it's job.


Obviously not always.



graphic comes from
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=41

OSSA V - part 2

And some personal memorings from OSSA V.


Mr. Gorzelnia and Mariusz playing and singing - in a little unique style.


This is party cavalry... when party is going to end, they arrive and all starts again :D


If You ever see this - DON'T DRINK IT!!!!!


Macarena during that night was most tranquil dance :)


and we had other activities than simple drinking and dancing :D
During that night it was decided that next year there will be a huge international students conference in Poland!


So, we bless YOU, organizers of OSSA V in Poznan!

OSSA V - part 1.

After two weeks, something about OSSA, National Astronomy Students Conference, this time it took place in Poznan. It's my favourite conference, why?


First - because high didactic level. You can hear about really interesting stuff, and what is more important - discuss about it.


second... high party level - it's very important to meat your friends from other institutes, which are working on similar subjects. Here You can see our friends from Szczecin - very good team to party!


But we meat to learn... so another day is for next talks...


very interesting talks... probably...


There is no time to rest, another day is another party...

Observatory car

Today with Mr. Gorzelnia we had to check if everything is all right with observatory car - which is used to travel to Ostrowik Observatory Station.


So check-list: head lights - ok, tail lights - perfect , tire pressure - probably ok, wipers - almost god. Now engine, oil - ok but mice are dead - WHAT THE...?!?!?


I even didn't know that mice are used for something in car engines!


... and, what is worst, I don't know, if the car will work with dead mice. Anyway we will never open the trunk...