Monthly Archives: March 2013

Are scientists becoming an endangered species? The way we live–now

What spurred me to put pen-to-paper, if that phrase has any remaining meaning, was reading about the recent proposals at the US National Institutes of Health to again revamp the grant review system. The previous revamp, just several years ago, … Continue reading

Posted in endangered species, grant review, grants, peer review, Research, reviews, science, scientists, survival, the way we live now | Comments Off on Are scientists becoming an endangered species? The way we live–now

Very Quick Book Advert , Pass It On

Just a quick note from Eastercon, the British SF Con currently taking place in Bradford. I’m doing a promotion of my SF trilogy THE SIGIL. you can download Book 1, SIEGE OF STARS for FREE this weekend only from Reanimus … Continue reading

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Parklife

If you’ve ever seen my Flickr stream you might realize I’m quite fond of birds. Even here in Zone 2 there are a lot of birds around—especially in our garden. Blue tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, robins, dunnocks, goldfinches, wrens, … Continue reading

Posted in birds, bloody pigeons, feeder, flying rats, hellraiser, it's a war zone, London, personal, pigeon, pigeon-proof, plague, sleepy tits, tits | Comments Off on Parklife

Plagues

Now, bear with me, I shan’t be long. You see, the mispoche are coming round later and I’ll have to get started slow-cooking a large leg of lamb for our seder. I’ll be leading it, which means that I’ll be … Continue reading

Posted in eldritch, Passover, Pesach, pharaoh, plagues, release of calcium from intracellular stores, rpg couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, seven transmembrane helix G-protein coupled receptors, Silliness | Comments Off on Plagues

Trying to Get Away from It All

I’ve been away briefly this week, to an extremely cold and windy Suffolk coast.  Not the kind of break one comes back from tanned – other than with wind-burn – or with skiing fractures, but remembering there is a world … Continue reading

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Seems legit

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Posted without comment

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Boris

Both of you will know by now that in my humble opinion, posterity will view Boris Johnson, the current Mayor of London, as the greatest statesman of this or any other age. Such reaffirmation comes in the wake of a … Continue reading

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Let My People Go!

This evening being Passover, and me being an admitted anti-socialite Israelite who eschews any connection with organized religion–I find it necessary to search for my own unique way to celebrate. This year, the onset of this holiday, the celebration of … Continue reading

Posted in epicurus, lab lit, Let My People Go, literary fiction, mystery, Passover, religion, Research, science | Comments Off on Let My People Go!

On the Evolution of Camouflage in Urban Environments

One of my offices is in the Geozentrum in the Goethe University here in Frankfurt. This morning this was on the side of the building: I only saw it because it was flapping about a bit in the wind. If … Continue reading

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