Author Archives: Stephen

Can scientific productivity be optimized?

Posted on 26 September 2024 by Stephen

  This is a repost of an article that was originally published on the Research on Research Institute website. Comments welcome!  It is a truth universally acknowledged that scientists who take greater risks are more likely to make important discoveries. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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On the Freedom of Misunderstanding of Speech

Posted on 31 January 2024 by Stephen

“The Ruffian” is great title for Ian Leslie’s Substack given his predilection for roughing up lazy thinking. I first came across him as the author of “Conflicted”, an excellent book about how to disagree constructively, a practice he frequently deploys … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Equality Diversity & Inclusion, Science & Art, Science Culture, Scientific Life | Comments Off on On the Freedom of Misunderstanding of Speech

Books of 2023

Posted on 1 January 2024 by Stephen

A combination of life’s distractions, ill discipline and slow reading mean that I have only managed to finish 11 books this year. I am almost embarrassed to admit to such a paltry tally. There are people who can rip through … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Photos of 2023

Posted on 30 December 2023 by Stephen

I took over 2800 photos in 2023. Actually, I took a lot more because we went on safari in the summer and I have worked hard to cull as many shots that I could from that trip. Even so, that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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