RT-PCR -- Still no software upgrade available

Our rep emailed me a few weeks ago that the software upgrade would be available today, but it wasn't on the site for me to download. I booked some time on Thursday afternoon in hopes that it will be available by then.

Confocal -- focus motor back, appears to be working

The focus motor arrived this morning and I promptly installed and tested it. It appears to be working alright now, but I didn't test it rigorously, i.e. I didn't attempt to replicate the subtle problems we were having. Please let me know right away if there are any issues or concerns with it.

Confocal - Focus motor repaired and on its way back

The focus motor is en route from Oregon after being repaired by the manufacturer. I should have it in my hands on Tuesday morning and will get it on the scope right away when I have it. I'll send out an email to confirm that it is on and working properly. Thanks for your patience.

Confocal -- Focus motor partially removed

I was able to partially remove the remote focus controller from the confocal, but am waiting for our rep to come finish removing it for shipping to Oregon. The manufacturer will repair it and ship it back as quickly as possible.

Z-stacks will not be possible until it's back, but capturing single images, including channel series (frame lambda) should be fine. I have a few sessions booked this week, and will let people know if there seem to be any problems. I would expect us to be up and running again for z-stacks by around the 21st or so (of May), but will update the blog as I hear back about it.

Calendars -- Event privacy considered

At the monthly CMN Core meeting, I raised the issue of event privacy on the CMN Core calendars. Thus far, I have been making sure all events are public, meaning anyone can see your name and timeslot. I've gotten the sense that some users would prefer not to have their names quite so public and would prefer privacy. From my end, the problem is that I definitely need to know who's signed up for which timeslot, and I think it benefits other users to be able to see who's before or after them in case of schedule changes at the last minute.

If we designate an event to be private, then all those authorized to self-schedule on the calendar can see the details, but not the general public. They can see the details when logged into Google, though when viewing the calendar via the CMN Core web pages, one often needs to click reload to get the details to appear. The general public and anyone not logged into their authorized Google account for viewing the calendars simply sees the word "busy" for each private event.

I've recommended that we increase privacy by having reservations be private on CMN Core calendars. So, I'll send out an email about this when I'm ready to implement it, then will consistently make sure events are made private, except for service events. Those who consistently use Google and are frequently logged in may not notice much, but others will see the word "busy" instead of names. Let me know if there are questions or concerns.

Confocal -- focus motor to be sent for repair

I got information from our Nikon rep and then the manufacturer of our focus motor as to the best way to get it repaired. We'll be sending it out next Friday, May 9, for repairs and should have it back by the end of the following week. As far as I know, we should still be able to capture images just fine, but not z-stacks.