Monthly Archives: June 2011

Suburban Garden: Inflatable Rattlesnake

Posted on 14 June 2011 by KristiV

It’s as hot as a defective MacBook battery here, and about as pleasant as residing in a camel’s rectum. Not that I have ever lived in a camel’s rectum, but I imagine that it’s pretty fetid and sweltering. And windy … Continue reading →

Posted in animal control, fluff, Gardening, Texas birds | Comments Off on Suburban Garden: Inflatable Rattlesnake

Elsevier and the executable paper

Posted on 13 June 2011 by Frank Norman

Have you ever wanted to make your paper come alive with data? The results of a recent competition may help that to become a reality. Elsevier are fond of tapping into the scientific community’s ideas on the future of publishing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Journal publishing, Research data | Comments Off on Elsevier and the executable paper

It’s the xkcd Wikipedia meme!

Posted on 13 June 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(via DrugMonkey, who got it from WhizBANG). “Click on the first link not in parentheses  in any Wikipedia entry. Keep doing this and eventually, you end up at Philosophy”.

Posted in food glorious food, meme, science, Silliness, sport, technology | Comments Off on It’s the xkcd Wikipedia meme!

Out of this World in the Library

Posted on 12 June 2011 by Stephen

Yesterday, in four brief photo-posts on my Posterous account I highlighted snapshots — literally — from the British Library’s current exhibition on science fiction. I’m more of a fan of the genre in movies than in books but I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Science-fiction | Comments Off on Out of this World in the Library

Workspace

Posted on 12 June 2011 by Henry Gee

The Great Build at the Maison Des Girrafes is descending asymptotically to a close. Today I cleaned out the final remains of the old kitchen, using the most amazing industrial steam cleaning device given to me by the Croxfather. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Cromer, Domesticrox, epson printers are rubbish, orifice, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Workspace

Putting Together and Taking Apart

Posted on 12 June 2011 by Athene Donald

A couple of my recent posts have looked at the needs of postdocs, their training (or lack thereof), aspirations and the need for them to take control of their lives. So it seems appropriate to spare a thought – or … Continue reading →

Posted in conference, graduate student, Interdisciplinary Science, nanotechnology, Research, Science Culture, training | Comments Off on Putting Together and Taking Apart

Transport of Delight

Posted on 12 June 2011 by Stephen

I spent most of last weekend and all of yesterday finalising a chapter I had been asked to contribute to an upcoming monograph on human serum albumin. Monograph is a fancy word for book in academia. And academia is a … Continue reading →

Posted in albumin, Protein Crystallography, science, science communication | Comments Off on Transport of Delight

Birds of a feather

Posted on 10 June 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

If I’d been born in the Middle Ages, I would have been lucky to reach adulthood. If I had made it that far, I’d almost certainly have promptly died in childbirth, or from bubonic plague, or something of that nature. … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, embarrassing fan girl, exercise, family, furry friends, nature, personal, photos, sport, travel, UK, videos | Comments Off on Birds of a feather

It Has Not Escaped Our Notice #151

Posted on 9 June 2011 by Henry Gee

This example kindly sent in by Dr M.-T. H. of London, who found it in the lucre-driven, full-on, high-energy, 24-hour bagel-fuelled city that is New York. So exhausting they named it twice.

Posted in excuse me madam but does this bus go to the station, Ham and High, release of calcium from intracellular stores, Silliness, thinking about thinking | Comments Off on It Has Not Escaped Our Notice #151

In which my vibration woes deepen

Posted on 8 June 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

The plot thickens. For those of you who have been dangling in urgent uncertainty, I can report that the vibration problem in our incubator has not gone away. I thought I’d get around it by using smaller, non-round vessels, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which my vibration woes deepen