Introduction . . .

This is a brand new blog, by a brand new blogger. However, some readers may recognize this blog's title, taken from a series of books of the same name. Unfortunately, time has a way of gradually making printed material all too quickly outdated -- especially these days -- and so, this blog was created partly as an attempt to address that issue.

As we move forward from here on-going efforts will be made to transfer selected content from the Better Microscopy books series into this new format, not only to provide to provide more effective distribution, but also as a means for making timely additions and overdue updates to that material. In addition, much previously unpublished material is now planned to be released, including high-resolution color images.

The current plan is to aim for a content mix that is both interesting and educational -- perhaps even inspiring -- and which will address the needs and interests of a wide range of user levels, from beginner to semi-professional. With more decades of Microscopy experience than I care to admit, I hope I will be able to contribute something to others in terms of both knowledge and enjoyment.

I hope you find something of interest in new undertaking as it takes shape and gain much from its content, now and well into the future!

Just beware of the occasional attempts at humor...

Thanks for visiting!


Saturday, November 2, 2019

Lost Secrets, continued — Ideal Magnification

This post extends the prior discussion into the realm of the User's Vision, showing how a proper choice of Eyepiece Magnification is necessary for optimum visual performance:


I hope you find this bit helpful...

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

A New Direction — Lost Secrets of Microscopy!

With this post we shift this Blog into a new dieection – a series examining "lost" historical concepts ("secrets") in the light of modern microscopy needs and practice...

This first posting of this new series covers the "Sharpness Index" — a simple means for comparing the relative performance potential for objectives of differing Magnification and NA.

The method presented is more inclusive of important optical parameters (e.g: both Magnifiction and NA) and is thus potentially more useful than the simpler "Rayleigh criterion," which has become so over-used and mis-applied these days. ("Rayleigh," and more modern alternatives, will be covered in a future post.)

As before, the document itself is presented as a .pdf file, to facilitate downloading, printing and off-line archiving.

I hope you enjoy this information and benefit from it...



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Monday, August 26, 2019

Finally — New Book Downloads (Free!)

The popular Better Microscopy Compendium Edition is now available for download as a set of .pdf files.

Previously, this book was an aggregation of four separate volumes, merged to maximize publishing economy for a printed format. However, at well over 300 pages (total) it seemed best to split the complete book into the original separate volumes, for easier downloading and/or online reading. 

Consequenlty, the downloads offered below (.pdf files) have been orgainzed as follows:

    Compendium Edition (Intro.) — F/R covers (art), basic Table of Contents... (6pp.)

    Volume I: Transmitted Light Microscopy — Full text with Combined Index. (104pp.)

    Volume II: Optical Contrast Techniques — Full text, with Index. (44pp.)

    The Practical Guide to Microscopes — Full text with tables. (98pp.)

    Notes on Microscopy — Original Notes collection and graphics. (56pp.)

    (Total of above downloads = 308pp.Just click the individual links to the .pdf files!

Note that since the download text retains the formatting for the original book page size (~7.5 x 9.6 in.) you may wish to adjust your printer settings to achieve a printed page output format most appropriate to your needs.

Also, note that while original page numbering has been retained, a few extraneous (blank/'filler') pages have been deleted, resulting in some numbering "gaps" within the separate volumes. If this bothers you, please feel free to restore these blank pages in your printouts. . . (lol)

Thank you!
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