Monthly Archives: May 2013

In which the data get an outing

For the past few weeks I’ve been traveling the globe at back-to-back conferences – hence the silence here. The conference universe has its own natural laws, and time flows differently as its strict routines overwrite all of your own normal … Continue reading

Posted in careers, Scientific method, Scientific thinking, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which the data get an outing

Advice from the Great and Good

Not so long ago I stumbled across a very enthusiastic review of a new book by the renowned entomologist EO Wilson. The book was not about ants as such, his speciality, but its content can be deduced from the title: … Continue reading

Posted in advice, book review, career progression, EO Wilson, Peter Medawar, Science Culture | Comments Off on Advice from the Great and Good

Alfred Russel Wallace – the forgotten man of evolution?

Following on from Sylvia McLain’s recent post on Richard Dawkins, here is more on evolution. My piece concerns Alfred Russel Wallace, who was intimately involved in the early thinking on this topic. The timing of the two pieces is entirely … Continue reading

Posted in alfred russel wallace, Bill Bailey, centenary, Charles Darwin, dorset, evolution, Guest posts, natural selection, wallace 100 | Comments Off on Alfred Russel Wallace – the forgotten man of evolution?

A few weeks in May (condensed version)

Gosh, it’s been a while. Things have been happening, but blogging has not been one of them. In recent memory, I’ve said I intend to post about more of my recent film camera acquisitions, and additional delving into local history. … Continue reading

Posted in Blogging, cemetery, Doon, drivers, Hobbies, Honda Indy Toronto, IndyCar, King City, media, Photography, racing, travel | Comments Off on A few weeks in May (condensed version)

Tsundoku II

For some reason a post I did a while back on tsundoku seems to be attracting some attention, so I thought I’d cash in expand on this after a recent trip to one of my favourite secondhand book stores. Tsun-do-ku (n.) … Continue reading

Posted in Blickling, Science-fiction, sf, tsundoku, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Tsundoku II

The week in review

I just returned home from a 2 h walk, using my new pedometer app on the iPhone: in all 1:55 minutes with an average pace of 4.7 mph and a total of about 8.7 miles. What I forgot to do … Continue reading

Posted in dehydration, dissertation, excercise, graduation, papers, Ph.D., Research, science, walk | Comments Off on The week in review

Richard Dawkins – man of literacy (you only need the special key)

I try to ignore Richard Dawkins, I really do. I think his stance on religion vs. science is a misinterpretation of how science works – apples and oranges and all that. This week on Twitter, the man had some sort … Continue reading

Posted in evolution, Evolutionary theory, richard dawkins, Stephen J Gould | Comments Off on Richard Dawkins – man of literacy (you only need the special key)

The Hunters

I had never heard of James Salter till I read a profile of him in the Observer a couple of weeks ago, on the occasion of the publication of his latest book, his first in a long time. Salter is … Continue reading

Posted in book review, Scientific Life | Comments Off on The Hunters

Impact for Women

Next week I am due to share a platform with Dave Delpy, CEO of the EPSRC amongst others, discussing the ‘Impact of Impact’. This is an event organised by a new student body, the Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange. … Continue reading

Posted in career progression, child care, Equality, promotion, Science Funding, Women in science | Comments Off on Impact for Women

Gothick Gratitude

Phew! Five days ago I started a promotion in which I gave away, free, gratis and for nothing, the Kindle version of my gothick horror detective novel By The Sea to coincide with the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster … Continue reading

Posted in Amazon, Blog Norfolk!, by the sea, cromer and sheringham crab and lobster festival, FREE, kindle, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Gothick Gratitude