ya_frosia: A bundle of scrap, generally, sinks 
alexei: ya_frosia: But floats fine in mercury 
zoogenic: alexei: But if the scrap is uranic, it sinks in mercury too 
alexei: zoogenic: you go sink uranic scrap in mercury yourself 

 (From an ancient insane dialogue on dirty.ru)

Autumn 2017. Clear understanding that it won’t get better anymore, that there is decay and emptiness ahead, I’m sick of all, and, all in all, - it’s time. And the wife says: “Did you see these courses on Udacity?”.  All, without exception, important and fateful events in my life have always taken place in autumn. So, now also… 

— So, how is your health?
— Don’t get your hopes up!

(old parable)

There was just a certain sense of...incompleteness after our last conversation. After all, it's incredibly interesting: have they asked me to pack up and leave or not? Did I screw up production, or not yet?  Am I still working for food, or …? Sensing these questions, I decided that my turning from a duckling into an (arguably) beautiful swan deserved at least a continuation, if not a conclusion.

“…Lenin chimes into an argument: It’s better to have both a wife and a mistress. Tell the wife you’re with the mistress, tell the mistress you’re with the wife, meanwhile you go to the attic – and work, work, work!”

(From an ancient Soviet joke)

Hard to believe that almost two months have passed! Then again, seven weeks are a good occasion to look back and talk about work at IPR and how an intern (me) sees it.

Five weeks of my new life have passed. The New Year is approaching like a sweeping jack-screw, and it is clear that I haven’t merely survived at Idea Port Riga but am starting to settle in.  I’m coming to work with pleasure, I like everything, I am successful at everything, I am satisfied with everything, BUT… that “but” is exactly what I’m going to talk about today.

— What do you do for work?
— I solve problems whose existence I did not know about using methods I do not understand.

(From an eavesdropped conversation)

Oh, my! Has it really been two weeks already? Honestly speaking, it’s a little hard to believe, but it’s even harder to argue with my calendar. Last time I promised to report if I would still be alive. As you are reading these lines, you can probably guess – I am! Still alive and kicking… that is, clicking. At my new metal computer. Good morning!