Sarsen Technology Pumpkin Challenge 2015

This year we decided to celebrate Hallowe'en with a little bit of pumpkin carving. It turns out we all have hidden artistic talents. Some are just more deeply hidden than others!

The use of the Jack O'Lantern originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.”

As the story goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. 

Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.” 

The very nice people at the Food Gallery (a fabulous establishment in Marlborough for the most discerning of coffee drinkers) send two of their best and fairest to judge the competition. I think they picked a worthy winner. Well done Lynn!

Check out the rest of the pictures below, including some wonderful fancy dress!

It's the spookiest day of the year....

It’s officially the spookiest day of the year, and here at Sarsen we’ve had a bit of fun to mark the festivities!

A spooky edition of Sarsen's News Bytes was also issued today, if you're not on the mailing list you can sign up here. With no tricks, but plenty of treats, News Bytes features the latest product information, industry news and technical papers from our 12 franchised product lines.

We're off home to put on our fancy dress costumes, have a Happy Halloween!

Sarsen Technology gets it's Spook On.....

The nights are drawing in, the leaves are turning, and there is a chill in the air. Here at Sarsen some of us are looking forward to a weekend of festive frights and spooky sights! Others, not so much...

All Hallow's Eve falls next Thursday, but this weekend will be filled with fancy dress, apple bobbing and, of course, pumpkin carving.

Jack-o'-lanterns are traditionally carried on All Hallows' Eve in order to frighten evil spirits. There is a well known Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o'-lantern which, in lore, is said to represent a "soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell".

"On route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the Devil who tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest."

In Ireland and Scotland, the turnip has traditionally been carved during Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which is bigger and softer – making it easier to carve than a turnip.

We had a go at carving. Not bad, if we do say so ourselves!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Particle Accelleration Controls Ghostly Activity..... In Theory!?

As All Hallows Eve approaches, vampires, witches and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night are at the forefront of every kid's (and us bigger kids) imaginations.  A crucifix on the door and a garlic rosary might scare off old Dracula, but what about the ghosts and ghouls that aren't so frightened of a humble vegetable? Who ya gonna call? 

Ghostbusters use a specialized set of equipment to aid in the capture and containment of ghosts.

The Proton Pack, designed by Dr. Egon Spengler, is an unlicensed, man-portable, nuclear particle accelerator system, that is used to create a particle beam composed of protons which polarizes with the negatively charged energy of a ghost, allowing it to be held in the stream while active. The beam allows a Ghostbuster to contain and hold "negatively charged ectoplasmic entities". The stream "lassos" the entity until it can be contained in a trap. The trap is a box with a hinged lid, remote-controlled by a simple pedal switch, attached to the end of the box by a long cable. When a ghost is brought close to the trap in the particle beam, the ghost trap is activated, its lid opens, and a force field draws the ghost inside.

In order to understand the technology behind the proton pack, you need to understand the basics of quantum physics...... At its most basic (and let’s face it, that’s about our level) - all materials in the universe are composed of atoms, with each atom consisting of three individual subatomic particles: protons, (positive) neutrons, (neutral) and electrons (negative). It’s pretty tough to split an atom, but it can be done.....

As the proton pack is initially powered, the booster begins to provide heavily-charged power to the system; accentuators just below the booster cylinder provide amplification, and alignment of power for use in particle collision within the cyclotron. (FYI - A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator in which charged particles accelerate outwards from the centre along a spiral path. You probably knew that already…).

As particles are fed into the cyclotron, they are guided via alternating magnetic currents through the spiral, increasing particle speed exponentially. At the point of ideal speed, the atoms are ‘smashed’, breaking them down into their individual parts. As the loose particles are guided through an electromagnetic channel to the neutrona wand, they go through a filter, removing the negatively-charged electrons and neutrally charged neutrons. As the neutrona wand is fired, the stream of positively-charged protons is released from the wand tip, and the “negatively charged ectoplasmic entity”, more commonly called ‘a ghost’, is caught and trapped.

"Theres something very important I forgot to tell you! Don't cross the streams... It would be bad!"

Of course, this is all just theoretical. As are Ectoplasmic Entities. Or are they?

It doesn’t matter - I’m with Ray Parker Jr. on this one.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost!!