In this page I hope to put more information on my postdoc travels. (For more information on me, go to tahan.com/charlie.) It would also be nice to be able to put some (extremely limited) advice in writing for potential future physicists, as well as some fun stuff. For now, I hope you'll settle for some pictures and brief comments.
About my job. I'm doing an unusual postdoc. I have a NSF fellowship (Fall 2005 - Fall 2007) to do research in theoretical physics around the world, specifically at the University of Cambridge, University of Melbourne, and University of Tokyo. I'm presently writing a short series of articles based on my experiences for the jobs section of Nature. I will post the articles here as they become available:
- A Physics Walkabout (PDF here). Background information and what four months doing research in Australia was like. (Go to the Australia page.)
- coming soon?... Article on Japan
- coming soon?... Article on the UK
Where does "Kung Physics" come from? When I was growing up, there was a corny TV show called Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, the sequel to the classic seventies series Kung Fu. Both star David Carradine, aka Caine, who "walks the earth" doing good. His tagline was: "I am Caine. I will help you". Hence the running joke: "I am Charlie. I will help you (do good physics.)" What's life without corny jokes?
Acknowledgements. Doing something crazy like what I'm doing can only happen with the support and accomodation of wonderful people. I would sincerely like to thank all those people who have helped me along the way: my parents (it would be impossible to be so detached from the world without a base somewhere and people looking out for you); my hosts: Peter Littlewood, Lloyd Hollenberg, Seigo Tarucha, who have been unbelievably accomodating of my changing schedules and many distractions; all the secretaries around the world who have helped me so much with visas, housing, etc - Tracey, Yasuko, and Sayoko; and my past advisors and colleagues including especially Bob Joynt and Mark Friesen.
Last Update: June 5, 2006 |
University of Melbourne, AU: November 2005 - February 2006 |
Go to the Australia page.
University of Tokyo, Japan: July 10 - September 10 |
- I visited the group of Seigo Tarucha at the University of Tokyo (Applied Physics Dept.) nand NTT.
- More text coming!!!
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Skyliner train from Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan. Empty airport for some reason.
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Everything seems a bit different.
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I have arrived.
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Outside of Ueno station. Remember this: TAXI DRIVERS DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. One simple word could have saved me an hour: Todai (Japanese for the University of Tokyo).
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Street from Ookayama Station to the International House at ToKoDai (Tokyo Insitute of Technology) where I stayed.
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Opposite direction.
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The local grocery store. Very nice and big.
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Ookayama station.
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Ookayama station.
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Ooooookayama. Oooooookayama. So said the sultry metro girl voice.
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Reading Tokyo metro maps. And this is one line, of many. |
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Waiting for the train to downtown in Oookayama.
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I love the differences in metro systems around the world. Tokyo moves A LOT of people, on time.
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Kayaking in Sydney. I spent Christmas and New Years in Sydney. Like I said, the Aussies know how to live.
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Every kind of drink you can imagine, but no food.
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One of the main gates to Todai, Hongo campus.
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View from a bridge connecting two blocks on the Todai Hongo Campus.
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The bridge to lunch.
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Walking out of the main door of the Applied Physics building at Todai (Hongo).
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Red gate at Todai. These fancy gates make me feel important. The bowing from the security guards helps.
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Street outside Todai.
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Another gate.
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Same street.
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Entering Todai. Green, Trees, Life!
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Entering Todai. Green, Trees, Life!
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Out with the Tarucha group to a party for a visiting professor.
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Yup, that's a roller coaster in the middle of the city.
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The baseball stadium (Tokyo Dome) is HUGE.
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Bar across from Tokyo Dome.
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Bar across from Tokyo Dome.
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Bar across from Tokyo Dome.
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View.
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Ambiance
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The group.
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Happy hour, baby.
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Cheers.
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Tarucha-sensei, far right.
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Buff.
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I like experimental groups.
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Beer.
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It's pretty hilarious going home at night on the metro with all the drunk Japanese.
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Just one more.
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Good night.
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Another view of street to Tokodai.
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An atypical ride to work, the train is empty! |
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These 4 kids were real cute. Very mischievous on their way to school.
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Tarucha office at Todai.
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My desk.
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This is Japan. There are little baggies everywhere you go to put your wet umbrella.
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Todai has some really beautiful architecture.
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Todai at daytime.
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Todai.
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Todai.
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Todai.
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Group outing - western pub.
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Two of those guys are in the Tarucha group. Some serious talent on the left.
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Oiwa-san et al.
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Imported talent.
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Off the bus at the NTT-Atsugi stop with Teraoka-san.
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NTT gate. NTT is the AT&T of Japan. Except they still do basic research.
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NTT.
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NTT.
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NTT's cafeteria is amazing. In fact all Japanese cafeteria's are amazingly good, for food and price.
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Special machines detect what you ate. It's like living in the future.
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No human interaction necessary.
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You can see the mountains from NTT!
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Another view from NTT building.
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View from NTT.
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Sparkling and cleaner than a hospital and NTT...and oh so new.
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Another view.
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Industrial basic research, America used to do that.
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Classy.
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Hallway at NTT.
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Cubicles have spread throughout the world like a disease.
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Another avenue in the Todai Hongo campus.
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Woman painting.
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Kayaking in Sydney. I spent Christmas and New Years in Sydney. Like I said, the Aussies know how to live.
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Kayaking in Sydney. I spent Christmas and New Years in Sydney. Like I said, the Aussies know how to live.
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Akihabara - electric town! I've heard about this!
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Akihabara...crowded.
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Akihabara.
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Akihabara.
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Akihabara.
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Akihabara.
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Go colonel.
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What is with KFC? It was really popular in Australia too.
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Akihabara...kind of a let down honestly.
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Childhood memories.
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The walk from Wakoshi station to RIKEN.
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One of many RIKEN buildings.
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Sahel and Koji in Franco Nori's group at RIKEN.
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Hey, that's me!
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Visiting RIKEN - the Japanese uper-research agency.
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Long walk to RIKEN.
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Japan.
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I don't remember when or why I was here.
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Michel-san and his wife (from Canada).
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Christo-san (the Netherlands), Alessandro-san (Zurich), and Taruacha-sensei
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Stopa-san and Oiwa-san.
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Riken.
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Path to Riken.
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More Riken.
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Waiting for a train with Alessandro-san, on the way to NTT, Japan's equal to AT&T Bell Labs (but still going strong). |
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Train platform.
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It's a 2 hour trip to NTT.
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If you look closely you will see the "Hyper-Photonic Component Laboratory". These kind of crazy translation mistakes are common all over Japan, even in really professional settings. I wished I remembered what they said it actually meant!
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Overview picture of NTT.
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Going to my going away party.
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Nice restaurant!
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Tarucha-san et al. admire to shoe storage facilities.
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Japanese...
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Yes we sit on the floor.
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Great guys...
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all of them...
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This is part of the Tokyo train map.
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The street by Tokodai (Tokyo Institute of Technology), where I stayed.
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Streets of Oookayama.
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Off the street lies a path...
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To an almost mythical lake surrounded by ancient trees.
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Supposedly, it's the "pond" where the samurai washed their feet before entering the Emperor's territory.
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It took 2 months to find this place! Then I had to go!
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Wow.
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Stairs back to busy Tokyo.
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coming soon... Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge: Permanent home, Sept. 2005 - present |
- Peter Littlewood is my host in the Theory of Condensed Matter group.
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