craven.fr (.ox.ac.uk)

When I was a kid, during summer vacation, I often went to these "Mini-courses" that the Des Moines Public Schools put on. Unlike regular classes in "boring" subjects like Math and English, these were a lot more diverse and interesting, with subjects like rocketry and aviation. The one I found the most interesting though is one I had always meant to get back into: microbiology. This was such a fun hobby that I have continually been amazed that it doesn't seem to be that popular (so far as puttering around on the net and Amazon.com seems to indicate). But at long last I have decided to forge ahead despite the lack of the handy field guides that spoil the ornithologists and minerologists, and just get back into it anyway. Wikipedia now seems to have enough information about kingdom Protista that I should be able to classify and understand what I see reasonably well, even if left to my own means.

The mini-course in question, like my intended hobbyist activity now, was basically formed around the following: we would hike out to a pond, collect a sample of pond water (there is a technique for doing this to get the best concentration of amœbids), and then observing drops of the sample under the microscope and cataloguing the unicellular organisms we found. At the same time, to get the most out of the viewing, one learns about the various traits and species of amœbids, flagellates, and ciliates, as well as the parts of their cells, and how they live, eat, and reproduce. So it amount to an activity similar to bird watching, except that it is done in a microscope and the species observed are a lot wierder. And, phagocytosis is somehow more interesting to watch than pecking worms :-) In addition, I find that the study of unicellular organisms leads to much more thought-provoking introspection on the nature of life and the universe. In this the rewards of the hobby closely parallel those of amateur astronomy.

My reasons for renewing my interest in the hobby after such a long hiatus are pretty easy to explain: In Montreal I didn't have any easy access to ponds that might harbour any interesting unicellular organisms, and in Natick the conditions were good for astronomy, so I gave more of my time to that. But now in Valenciennes I find myself unable to use my telescope conveniently (even though at long last I finally have it with me), yet I could easily put a microscope to good use. So if I can't study and contemplate the astoundingly big, I might as well explore the astoundingly small.

I am so happy about the microscope I purchased that it will certainly deserve an article of its own as soon as I have the time to write one; I cannot remember the last time I bought something that so surpassed my expectations. It is a really, really good microscope!

The first fruits are already available with this post, however: the scope came with a USB webcam attachment, which means on the one hand that I can view images on my computer screen instead of squinting through an eyepiece if I so choose, and on the other I can capture images and movies to publish on my blog (caveat lector :-)). The very fact that I am able to post this with images of my own creation so quickly is very rewarding. Yes, the images accompanying this first article were taken by yours truly, using one of the prepared slides the microscope was delivered with, displaying the cellular wonders inherent in a microscopic bit of pine wood. And given that these photos were captured in the first 10 minutes of me using my new microscope, I think this is an auspicious beginning, and I hope there will be many more and more interesting images to come.