AntarcticDoctor

Very brief post – I have created a page for the SANAE 47 Newsletters, so that they are easily accessible.  Click on the link to the right, or here.  You’ll note that not all of the newsletters appear – I’m in the process of converting them all into PDF files under 2MB to allow for ease of download.

The November 2007 newsletter is the first to have had the treatment, and features some great stories about the pre-departure team training in Cape Town, way back when this blog was just a twinkle in my eye…

Twelve o’clock midday in May – with the sun just below the horizon, the landscape is bathed in beautiful purple and blue light.  A full moon watches as we throw fresh snow down the hatch of the snow-smelter, to make water for the base.

Second photo – just for fun – is me out getting some exercise, skiing across to the winter container depot and back.  With low ambient temperature and a frigid wind from the southern polar plateau, my eyelashes froze within seconds of removing my goggles.  Over my left shoulder, snow-snakes consisting of fine ice and snow particles blown by the wind streak northwards towards the horizon, where sunlight reflects off small wisps of cloud.  Wind-chill tables vary significantly, but the official Canadian tables put the perceived temperature today at -55°C.  Brrr!  Those lovely long lashes make me look like a chilly camel.

Every Monday I get a clever little automatic email from the blog, which contains a PDF with data about the performance of this website over the last 7 days. It contains helpful info, such as how often certain pages are bouncing (fortunately almost never) and which pages generated the most traffic. For instance, I can see that over the last week there were 258 unique individuals who visited AntarcticDoctor 950 times, and about a quarter of those downloaded the April SANAE 47 newsletter. It helps me get an idea of the impact of the blog, and also insight into what technical features work, as I get a breakdown by browser type, connection speed, etc.

One thing I really enjoy is the map page, that shows visually where all you readers are located. As you can see above, even over the space of only one week, all seven continents are covered (well, I’m in Antarctica, aren’t I?) and apart from the obvious quantity of traffic from SA, there is also significant interest from many other corners of the globe. So, while you’re all out there looking down here at us, here’s looking at you!