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Name: Bill Hollenbach , Astronomer / Inventor / Researcher / Humanitarian Occupation: Retired from ESKOM to pursue Educating the Public, Families and Children, regarding Astronomy as a hobby and a profession. In the Platinum Age of Science, to stimulate an interest in the sciences. Our lack of technical people in this country is of great concern to all educational institutions and industries, and for the future of the Nation, it is imperative that something be done, as technical and scientific skills are scarce and on the decline. Career in Astronomy I started astronomy as a 7 year old child and I call myself a "Sputnik Astronomer". Made my first telescope as a grade 10 Science project at school and was later taught the finer details of telescope making by a Polish Astronomer Mr. Chjojnovski. The cost was to pay forward the knowledge gained. This I have done all my life. I have trained at least 50 people to make 12 "scopes as I personally feel a 6" takes just as much effort as a 12 to make, so do it once, and do it properly. Beyond 12 inch telescopes, things start changing drastically, and the effort goes up on a logarithmic slant as well as the construction problems and balancing hte scope.
An intense interest in the star Eta Carina, it's instability, luminosity, spectrum and mistique intrigued me to study this star, and for 7 years it occupied most of my time. My work kept interfering with my astronomy interest, so I rectified the matter and retired early. The research was ground breaking at the time, but with the technology of today, it is old hat. (CCD Cameras were just invented :-)
I served on the Cape Center of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa for three years and was elected to The Council of the Astronomical Society of South Africa for a full term. At this stage, the late Dr. Bob Stobie proposed to council, the need for a large telescope for Southern Africa, SALT. This was unanimous accepted by those who was serving on Council at the time. Chris Forder, Wayne Trow, Steve Kleyn, Cliff Turk, Martin Lyons and myself were the original founders of the Cederberg Observatory, presently, that came to reality in 1982. I was co-inventor, with Dr.Wallace Vosloo, of the highly successful CoronaCam, at Stellenbosch University HV Research Lab, that is presently being sold by the CSIR. I have been successful with other inventions in the field of radio, single transistorised linear amplifiers,Telecomms and Earth Potential Movement Research as well as other sensitive institutions and Scientific experiments and protection of Satellites against CME's. This information was only recently made public about a month ago. Work pressure of my workload and having a cardiac problem, Ventricular Tachycardia, caused to me suffer a massive heart attack which I was extremely fortunate to survive, by being in theatre for a Angiogram at the right time. This has changed my outlook and attitude towards life and others, tremendously. Live NOW !!!! tomorrow is too late. I have recently come out of retirement and I am presently involved with a new venture. This challenging new occupation takes a lot of my time and energy, therefore I took a Sabatical for at least a year or two. I will now still do talks and regular observing sessions on the farm where I live. Favourites: Lecturing Astronomy, Astro-Photography, NEO's and PHA's, CCD Imaging/Photography, Building and Equipping Observatories, Telescope Making and experimenting with optics. Research and Development. Personal Heroes: (Overcoming the affliction and achieving the impossible against all odds, e.g. Abraham Lincoln, the famous Albert Einstein, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Richard Branson, Tom Cruise, Thomas Edison, Nicholai Tesla, Tony Factor and the other 2 in 1000 people who suffer from this affliction.) If you struggle to read or write, ignorant people think you are stupid, but there is now help freely available through public attention being drawn to this problem. Personal Likes and Dislikes. Likes Food: I seriously love Spaghetti Bolognaise, by the mega-tons. Lamb Chops, Eggs and fresh fried chips, Russians, German Frankfurters (Smoked), Sauerkraut, Eisbein and a good braai. ( No wonder I had a heart attack !!!! ) People: Good, intelligent, mentally stimulating company, teaching children sciences and maths. Honest people, with integrity and genuine friends. People with a zest for life and a pretty girl. ;-) ( Old but, NOT dead, yet!!!) Books and General: Kalhil Ghibran, The Rhubainat of Omar Khayyam, Eastern Philosophies and spiritually elevating things. Painting, sketching, being creative and photography as well as outdoor life. Douglas Adams Trilogy.( Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy). Studying the world we live in, plants, insects, weather and Nature. A keen collector of oddities, minerals, rocks and Philately, QV till QE and South African. Some really rare stamps with spelling mistakes and symbols left out. The Africa Cup with a soccerball left off a stamp !!!!!! and a smudged 1/2c Kingfisher stamp. Sport. Having raced motorcycles, scuba diving, Sky Diving, played most sports, I can say the adrenaline apex of all sports is a HALO !!!! The last 500 meters comes at a tremendous speed, after spending a couple of minutes free falling. Try it, you will never regret it. DISLIKES: I intensely dislike obnoxious, spoilt children and parents controlled by their children. Narcistic, arrogant, abrasive, intimidating personalities, two-faced people, deceitful people, loud people, antagonistic characters, manipulative persons, " Woe is me's " (Jannie Jammergat) and liars are an absolute pain in the derriere and should be avoided at all costs. This includes most politicians and some lawyers, as they think they know the law, and therefore, are all powerful and untouchable by law , like fools, in their moronic paradise. In foods I dislike cheese, fish, all burny foods, Exotic Dishes, a bad hamburger ( It's blasphemous), sweets, spicey food, cold things. Theater, Bioscope, Television brainwashing by lying politicians and over dramatised racially inflammatory remarks by politicians on SABC TV. Great spirits have always experienced violent resistance from mediocre minds. Favourite expressions Larkhams Razor: When all seems impossible, the easiest and most logical, is always the answer. NIL CARBORUNDUM ILLIGITIMO Interests: Should you want to contact me, please don't hesitate No land line available for 4 years due to the perpetual thieving of telephone lines in the Graveyard of Inhumane Kind. cell: 083 227 3144 e-mail:wjh1@absamail.co.za
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