Author Archives: Stephen

An open letter on EDI matters to the Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

Posted on 10 November 2023 by Stephen

The letter below started out as a ‘closed’ communication sent to DSIT on 11th October but in the absence of any response, despite two reminders, and the revelation in the meantime that the Secretary of State herself sometimes has  occasion … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Equality Diversity & Inclusion, Science & Politics | Leave a comment

Kenya: Where the Wild Things Are

Posted on 3 September 2023 by Stephen

Everyone we knew who had been on safari told us they’d had such an amazing experience that I was worried our expectations for our trip to Kenya were being set too high. I needn’t have been concerned. For six days … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Why Succession failed me – just

Posted on 8 July 2023 by Stephen

I have been trying to put my finger on why I have found Succession — HBO’s must-see series about fictional US media mogul Logan Roy and his dysfunctional family — to be at once utterly compelling and annoyingly dissatisfying. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV review | Comments Off on Why Succession failed me – just

A day in Auschwitz

Posted on 8 May 2023 by Stephen

Last week I visited Auschwitz. I find myself hesitating to write or say anything because I can’t find the words to convey the horror of the place and, in any case, so much has already been written and said far … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science | Comments Off on A day in Auschwitz

The separation of life and death

Posted on 15 April 2023 by Stephen

Who is that stranger in my father’s bed? Those sunken eyes The concave cheeks Salted with stubble The thinned grey hair Plastered to a narrow skull. I have lost the man I loved. In truth it had been a long … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy | Comments Off on The separation of life and death

What’s the easiest way to become a less lazy photographer?

Posted on 18 March 2023 by Stephen

I’m thinking of becoming a less lazy photography. Can you help? Long-time readers of this blog will know that I enjoy a bit of photography from time to time, since I have an annual tradition of posting my favourite photographs … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Books of 2022

Posted on 30 December 2022 by Stephen

Another year, another tweet thread of the books I read these past twelvemonth. Click on the images to access higher resolution versions which are just about legible, or better still, read the thread on Twitter. In 2022 I managed just … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Photos of 2022

Posted on 28 December 2022 by Stephen

Another year, another two thousand or more photographs, some of which I thought were quite good. There’s a little taster below but if you want to see the full set of 55 pictures that were my favourites from this year, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Science & Art, travel | Comments Off on Photos of 2022

Intelligent life: Isaiah Berlin

Posted on 18 November 2022 by Stephen

Thanks to the paucity of my education and cultural life I have come late to Isaiah Berlin, the noted philosopher and historian of ideas whose thinking provided such a guiding light to the 20th Century. But I’m definitely a fan … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Part-time talking

Posted on 26 October 2022 by Stephen

Things have come to a pretty pass when the UK can churn out Prime Ministers more frequently that I post to my blog. It might be taken as a sign of the times if the times weren’t so damned confusing. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in science | Comments Off on Part-time talking

Passing the Baton

Posted on 18 September 2022 by Stephen

“The Queen is dead; long live the King!” is such a cliché of stories and films that it was surprising to hear it for real. Not that we did hear it for real. The secrecy surrounding the Queen’s final hours … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Life | Comments Off on Passing the Baton

A Declaration on Bicycle Assessment – the Decision

Posted on 31 August 2022 by Stephen

Reader, I bought a Brompton. After all my research – and a considerable amount of humming and haa-ing – I finally took Henry’s advice and went to my local bike shop to test-ride a couple of different eBike models. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Life, travel | Comments Off on A Declaration on Bicycle Assessment – the Decision

A Declaration on Bicycle Assessment

Posted on 31 July 2022 by Stephen

You’d think assessing bicycles would be a lot easier than assessing researchers, but I’m not so sure. Though I spend quite a bit of time as chair of the DORA steering committee pondering how best to evaluate research and researchers, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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To the sea

Posted on 18 July 2022 by Stephen

With emails running alongside for the first part, barking for attention, we beat a retreat from London. The clamour of work was soon swamped by the heat and light and sights and sounds and smells of Barcelona, and by the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Life, Spain, travel | Comments Off on To the sea

Message for my reader

Posted on 10 July 2022 by Stephen

For the longest time I have been meaning to get back to—ugh!—blogging. Regular readers, should any remain, will see that this is the first post of 2022. I haven’t broken any promises with the hiatus and have no excuses to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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