You know how it is, you read someone’s writings on the web, a few blog posts and comments, and then when you meet them in the flesh, they are totally different from how you imagine them. Well, meeting Prof. Steve Steve was exactly like that. I have read and admired his work, exposing the vacuousness of creationists, and supplying us with entertaining descriptions of the different parts of the world he has visited. But he is actually very different to the persona he portrays. In reality, he possesses all the decorum of a student in a room full of free food: Prof. Steve has been indulging in licentious behaviour. Not just like getting, but ending up laid nose first on the table. Or dragging innocent Grrlscientists into the toilets of distinguished societies, just so he can show off how high he can pee. To be honest, it’s a good job he’s a panda, otherwise we might have spent half our time looking for him in the red light district.
Aside from having to endure Prof. Steve’s behaviour, the science blogging conference was great fun. Many stories have appeared and will appear on the web about the meeting, some of which may even be true. I only felt like falling asleep during one session, unfortunately the one during which I was sat at the front, facing the audience at the time. The thing, though, was to meet other people. I won’t mention anyone in particular (for fear of offending the rest), but for several of you, I am one of the 15 for whom you are famous. It was also nice to see three science blogging sub-communities come together: Nature Network, Science Blogs and the more amorphous Bad Science group
On Sunday some of the other science bloggers went to Down House, to see the residence of the famous barnacle biologist. I didn’t join them, instead I went to Slough
I have uploaded some photos from the Friday trip: when I get the chance and battery power, Saturday’s will appear. But that will not be immediate: : Wifi connections are less important than practicing my impression of a dumb tourist (I have a great teacher to guide me). Today we do The Harry Potter Experience!
I am sure Slough isn’t as bad as people paint it, but that could be a reflection of naive optimism rather than reality. If nowhere is there to see the pantechnicon reversing into the loading dock, do either really exist?
If only people would paint Slough.