Tag Archives: Howard Bailen

Ruby Payne-Scott: a pioneer in radio astronomy

(Source: New York Times via Howard Bailen)

Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have been dominated by white men. With Overlooked, we’re adding the stories of remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in The Times.

By Rebecca Halleck
Every so often our sun emits an invisible burst of energy.

This energy ripples through space as electromagnetic waves and then crashes into planets and meteors and space debris and one another, causing a great cacophony above and around us.

A cacophony that was inaudible, until Ruby Payne-Scott entered a laboratory.

In the 1940s, Payne-Scott helped lay the foundation for a new field of science called radio astronomy. Her work led to the discovery of deep-space phenomena like black holes and pulsars and later helped astronauts understand how solar storms disrupt weather in space and electrical grids on Earth.

Yet as a married woman she was denied equal employment status and compensation. She challenged the scientific establishment in her native Australia and fought for the rights of women in the workplace, but ultimately left science to raise her children full time.

World War II opened the door to Payne-Scott’s scientific career. The Australian armed forces needed physicists, and men were joining the military to fight instead.[…]

Continue reading the full article at the NY Times.

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Howard’s Sony ICF-2010: “Alive, Dead, and Alive Again”

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Howard Bailen, who shares this story and tip for other Sony ICF-2010 owners:

I had a few minutes of panic earlier today thinking my ever-loving SONY 2010 had given up the ghost.

Turned it on with the electric cord….and nothing.

Put in fresh batteries…and nothing.

I started planning a brief memorial service. After all, it’s been a faithful companion since 1986.

(Very few other entities or people have been around that long!)

Then I tried replacing only the two Double A batteries, left out all the big D batteries and re-plugged the electric into the wall.

Voila!

Back from the dead.

Still the faithful companion with great sound.

The 2010 was years ahead of its time. And its time is – thankfully – still NOW!.

Brilliant, Howard! I’m happy to hear your ICF-2010 fix was so easy. I hope other ‘2010 owners may benefit from this simple tip. You’re right: this radio is a keeper and a benchmark! Thank you for sharing.

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