Author Archives: rpg

About rpg

Scientist, poet, gadfly

Yakety sax

Posted on 20 December 2013 by rpg

I made this a couple of years ago, but seeing as it’s almost Christmas I thought I should bring it out for another airing. Those of you who remember ‘Benny Hill’ should get a chuckle out of it; the rest … Continue reading →

Posted in Benny Hill, big angry macrophage, Silliness, video | Comments Off on Yakety sax

On the River

Posted on 7 December 2013 by rpg

Back in July I went, for one reason or another, on a meandering bike ride. I ended up here: My bike. And the Thames Barrier The Thames Barrier is apparently the world’s second largest movable flood barrier (I believe the … Continue reading →

Posted in Don't try this at home, flood, grateful, stormageddon, Thames barrier | Comments Off on On the River

On Social Media

Posted on 17 October 2013 by rpg

We are social creatures. No doubt there are evolutionary reasons why this is so and why it persists, although I’m not qualified to do more than speculate. However, it seems self evident that there are advantages to acting as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ill-considered rants, internet, twitter | Comments Off on On Social Media

Three Steps to Heaven, Mk II

Posted on 10 October 2013 by rpg

You may remember that two years ago, after much nudging, I created and published a guide for corporate twits. I haven’t tweeted in a corporate capacity since, although I have remained responsible for more ‘serious’ accounts than my personal one, … Continue reading →

Posted in internet, twitter, you | Comments Off on Three Steps to Heaven, Mk II

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho

Posted on 2 October 2013 by rpg

I am typing this slowly, with one hand. I do of course already have two lovely daughters, but welcoming Joshua—their half-brother—into the world wasn’t any less special. And the original Pawn, Rachel, seems equally thrilled.

Posted in Don't try this at home, Joshua, personal | Comments Off on Joshua fit the battle of Jericho

Road Rage

Posted on 14 August 2013 by rpg

One of things that annoy me—let me be honest, and say that along with pigeons, cycle helmets and Henry Gee, one of the many things that annoy me—is the inability of apparently otherwise intelligent folk to use a computer. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Ill-considered rants, internet, pigeons, somewhere on the autistic spectrum | Comments Off on Road Rage

On leakage

Posted on 19 June 2013 by rpg

Apparently there’s a word for it. I did it once, when I went to work at a small (and doomed) startup company in Cambridge, back in the tail end of 1997. I did it again four and a bit years … Continue reading →

Posted in academentia, BIS, careers, leakage, Science Is Vital, The stupid, it burns, work | Comments Off on On leakage

Keep on running

Posted on 21 April 2013 by rpg

What’s that bright light in the sky? We need Winter, because without it we would not appreciate Spring so much.

Posted in 2012, 2013, London, London Marathon, Mo Farah, mobot, photographs, Photography, Science-less Sunday, Spring, terrorism, XXX Olympiad | Comments Off on Keep on running

Broken Teeth

Posted on 7 April 2013 by rpg

M’good friend Dr Gee apparently has a thing about bones. Anything he can do, I can do better, so, in the absence of any biological modelling this week, here’s one for you paleontologists: To me, it looks like a fossilized … Continue reading →

Posted in fossils, Nonsense, stuff | Comments Off on Broken Teeth

Parklife

Posted on 28 March 2013 by rpg

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