Latest posts

Gothick Gratitude

Posted on 22 May 2013 by Henry Gee

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 Festival. Five days later, as a result of relentless social meeja advertising,  the Festival and many other people for Facebook s 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

Trees do the darndest things! (Part IV)

Posted on 21 May 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

“OK folks, I’ve been DJ Treebeard and it has been my pleasure to man the decks at the 3,457th annual Ent Ball! Time for one last song – everyone on the dance floor, line up, you all know this one!”

(singing)

‘There’s no need to be unhappy,
(dunh dunh dunh dunh dunh),
It’s fun to stay at the’

Continue reading →
Posted in nature, photos, Silliness | Comments Off on Trees do the darndest things! (Part IV)

Am I having impact?

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Sylvia McLain

For the last few days there has been some buzz around the non-use of Impact Factors as a criteria for the UK’s Research Excellent Framework. Richard Catlow (head of the Chemistry REF panel) put it in writing here in an article in the RSC’s Chemistry World. This is a nice thing to know as an academic, your work should be judged on its Continue reading →

Posted in impact factor, science writing, scientific publishing | Comments Off on Am I having impact?

Dogsplaining #3

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Henry Gee

Using only her eyebrows, Heidi the Golden Retriever explains the intriguing excess of high-energy neutrinos detected by the ICE CUBE neutrino detector.
IMG_6965

Posted in dogsplaining, heidi the golden retriever, ICE CUBE, neutrino, Science Is Vital, Silliness | Comments Off on Dogsplaining #3

Muddled Mess or Merely Work in Progress?

Posted on 19 May 2013 by Athene Donald

What do our surroundings say about us? If we choose to work in an office strewn with bits of paper, open files, journals and other debris, is this a testament to the fact our minds are on higher things and we are misunderstood geniuses? Or does it simply indicate that our parents didn’t berate us enough as children to keep our rooms tidy? Here I’m Continue reading →

Posted in desks, offices, REF, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Muddled Mess or Merely Work in Progress?

The Sunday Sci-Fi

Posted on 19 May 2013 by Henry Gee

Every so often someone on this site or elsewhere asks for recommendations for good science fiction to read. I’ve read several wonderful SF books recently, so as a public service I’d like to recommend them here. I’ve based this post on reviews I’ve written in Goodreads, which is a social networking site for bibliomanes.

First Continue reading →

Posted in across the event horizon, alastair reynolds, chris beckett, dark eden, goodreads, growing pains, ian whates, mercurio d rivera, Science-fiction, terminal world, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on The Sunday Sci-Fi

Crabs

Posted on 17 May 2013 by Henry Gee

North Norfolk this weekend will witness the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival, a grand jamboree of fun and frolics, not all of which are connected with our crustaceous compadres. crabfestAll three of you will be aware by now that I’ve written – and am indeed the author of – a novel that falls into the sub-genre of what one l Continue reading →

Posted in by the sea, Cromer, cromer and sheringham crab and lobster festival, Domesticrox, fiction lab, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Crabs

After the storm

Posted on 17 May 2013 by Steve Caplan

So it’s after the storm. I don’t mean a physical storm–of course I am referring to my recent experience in posting some thoughts on Prof. Stephen Hawking’s decision to join the boycott of Israel. From threatening personal emails to being called a racist bigot (and worse), I’ve been somewhat peaked piqued at the the res Continue reading →

Posted in art, BDS, boycott, Israel, Lauritzen Gardens, lego, omaha, Palestine, Palestinians, peace, Research, science, Stephen Hawking, West Bank | Comments Off on After the storm

Impact factors declared unfit for duty

Posted on 16 May 2013 by Stephen

Regulars at this blog will be familiar with the dim view that I have of impact factors, in particular their mis-appropriation for the evaluation of individual researchers and their work. I have argued for their elimination, in part because they act as a brake on the roll-out of open access publishing but mostly because of the corrosive effect they Continue reading →

Posted in Impact Factors, Open Access, reform, science | Comments Off on Impact factors declared unfit for duty

Dogsplaining #4

Posted on 14 May 2013 by Henry Gee

Heidi the Golden Retriever explains the slight excess in the expected number of gamma rays in the Higgs experiments, using only her eyebrows.
IMG_6965

Posted in Domesticrox, gamma rays, heidi the dog, Higgs, Silliness | Comments Off on Dogsplaining #4