Antarctic Themed Bathroom

[RickieSalad]

Dave!

I was watching your LED bathroom light retrofit video and loved the Antarctic themed bathroom. It meant something to me because I was watching your video sitting in my room here at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.  So I thought I'd let you know that the EEVBlog has made it all the way down to the bottom of the world. 

I'll have to look for something interesting around here to send you so you can add something officially from Antarctica to the bathroom. It'll be a while because we won't see another airplane around here until June. So in the meantime I thought I'd send the pic. 

Love the videos! 

Rickie

[T3sl4co1l]

Do they have a gift shop down there?  Authentic continental mech?

Tim

[RickieSalad]

Do they have a gift shop down there?  Authentic continental mech?

Tim

There is a small store with some toiletry items, booze, junk food, and a bunch of different "Antarctica" schwag.

[chamod]

Wow. How do you get internet? Direct from a satellite?

[RickieSalad]

Wow. How do you get internet? Direct from a satellite?

Yep. The downlink is in Belrose Australia, not sure how far that is from the EEVBlog headquarters. 

[suicidaleggroll]

Wow. How do you get internet? Direct from a satellite?

McMurdo has a submerged cable run from Australia or NZ (I don't remember which).  Pretty decent speeds actually, 24/7 access, I was there a couple of years ago.  South Pole on the other hand is satellite only for internet and phone (local Denver, CO IP and phone number!).  It gets pretty quiet the ~20 hours a day that there's no satellite overhead.

Both sites have gift shops, McMurdo actually has a few bars too with pool, darts, etc.

[SeanB]

I think the best gift for Dave would be a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock, as that is the only thing there that is local, will not melt and which will be acceptable as an import to Australia ( no penguins or whales as they are organisms.......)

[pickle9000]

I think the best gift for Dave would be a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock, as that is the only thing there that is local, will not melt and which will be acceptable as an import to Australia ( no penguins or whales as they are organisms.......)

And a roll of Antarctic branded toilet paper (bog roll) for his lovely bathroom.

[CrashO]

a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock,
..
which will be acceptable as an import to Australia

Knowing Australia's almost paranoid policy on importing anything which may contain any traces of biological origin. I doubt that would work without nuking the rock with Gamma radiation to make sure there is no microbes living in it 

[RickieSalad]

Wow. How do you get internet? Direct from a satellite?

McMurdo has a submerged cable run from Australia or NZ (I don't remember which). 

You're right about Pole but McMurdo is also satellite also.  You might be thinking of how it gets back to the US? There is undersea fiber from Australia back to the US, but it's a satellite hop from here to Australia.

[RickieSalad]

I think the best gift for Dave would be a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock, as that is the only thing there that is local, will not melt and which will be acceptable as an import to Australia ( no penguins or whales as they are organisms.......)

And a roll of Antarctic branded toilet paper (bog roll) for his lovely bathroom.

You wouldn't want any TP from here. 1 ply all day long. 

[SeanB]

You wouldn't want any TP from here. 1 ply all day long. 

But perfect if you have had one of Ma Govender's famous 3 sting curries. Hot when you bite, hot when you swallow and the frozen paper perfect for the next morning. 

Just as long as it works, and you are not in need of a proctologist.

[IanB]

we won't see another airplane around here until June

Isn't that the middle of winter? Are there actually seasons there, or is the climate similar all year round?

[RickieSalad]

I think the best gift for Dave would be a genuine piece of Antarctic bedrock, as that is the only thing there that is local, will not melt and which will be acceptable as an import to Australia ( no penguins or whales as they are organisms.......)

Unfortunately you can't take or mail anything like that off the continent. As much as I like the EEVBlog, I wouldn't want to goto jail.  O0

[RickieSalad]

we won't see another airplane around here until June

Isn't that the middle of winter? Are there actually seasons there, or is the climate similar all year round?

Yes, that will be the middle of winter.  Starting this winter season things are a little different. In previous winters the last plane out would leave the last weeks of Feb or first week of March and we wouldn't see anyone again until the end of August.  Starting this winter they've added 3 flights about every 5-6 weeks.  So this time around we'll be able to order things to have them delivered, and send things out.

[SeanB]

Then pictures will have to do. Or place a video camera where it will not freeze up and send him a 12 hour video of the base with the sun in the sky. Good in the next summer when he is sweating in the mild heat there in Sydney.

[RickieSalad]

Then pictures will have to do. Or place a video camera where it will not freeze up and send him a 12 hour video of the base with the sun in the sky. Good in the next summer when he is sweating in the mild heat there in Sydney.

We do have a couple webcams setup actually.  Very little sun this time of year. It'll get a little brighter this afternoon but not for long. The sun is quickly running away from us.

http://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/mcmwebcam.cfm

[suicidaleggroll]

You're right about Pole but McMurdo is also satellite also.  You might be thinking of how it gets back to the US? There is undersea fiber from Australia back to the US, but it's a satellite hop from here to Australia.

I could have sworn the tech guys said it was a direct connection, which is why the speed was half decent and there was no down time.  That was in December 2012, maybe things have changed since then?  I could be wrong though, I didn't spend a lot of time in McMurdo, just a few days while we prepared to head to the pole and one day on the way back.

It's certainly an interesting place.

[RickieSalad]

You're right about Pole but McMurdo is also satellite also.  You might be thinking of how it gets back to the US? There is undersea fiber from Australia back to the US, but it's a satellite hop from here to Australia.

I could have sworn the tech guys said it was a direct connection, which is why the speed was half decent and there was no down time.  That was in December 2012, maybe things have changed since then?  I could be wrong though, I didn't spend a lot of time in McMurdo, just a few days while we prepared to head to the pole and one day on the way back.

It's certainly an interesting place.

I'm in IT so I've had a chance to talk to all the appropriate people about the setup. Its satellite for sure, just ask our satellite engineer. Our satellite is just above the horizon all the time so we get the 24/7 coverage, which is different from the Pole.  We have a microwave connection from McMurdo across the sea over to Black Island(about 20 miles from here), that is where the signal hops on the satellite uplink. Then down to Belrose, on to the undersea fiber to LA, then through the public networks over to Denver where HQ is. That's where the phones and internet come out, so that's why phone calls and internet from here appear like they're coming from Denver. 

It's still the same now and probably will be forever. As much as a direct connect would be nice there is too much glacier activity. When huge chunks of ice go floating out to the sea some of them scrap the sea floor, that would wreck havoc on fiber lines in the area.

You've got one up on me though because I've still never been to the Pole.

[kezat]

For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

[SeanB]

For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

That would be perfect!

[RickieSalad]

For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

That would be perfect! 

"Made in Antarctica, NOT Austria" Haha

Maybe I could make a little night light for the bathroom for Sagen.  I'm sure I could find a photo cell around here, not so sure about a nice bright white LED though. 

[CrashO]

For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

Would make a nice opening to receive anyting at all from antartica.
"Hi to all my, errrrrr. Antartican viewers!!" 

[pickle9000]

"Hi to all my, errrrrr. Antartican viewer!!" (not plural)

[RickieSalad]

For a item to send to Dave you could make a simple LED flasher circuit or something and slap a "Made in Antarctica" label on it

Would make a nice opening to receive anyting at all from antartica.
"Hi to all my, errrrrr. Antartican viewers!!" 

Yeah that would be funny.  There might be more than me across the continent somewhere.