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Happy birthday to us!

Posted on 9 December 2011 by rpg

We’re 1 today!

Sid, birthday, party

Image by Eva Amsen

Posted in Meta | Tagged | 5 Comments

The sun ain’t gonna shine any more [8]

Posted on 7 December 2011 by rpg

Giant Rabbit Eats Northern UK

Posted in met office, rabbit, Science-less Sunday | Comments Off on The sun ain’t gonna shine any more [8]

Third Annual VWXYNot? Readers’ Choice Comment of the Year Award!

Posted on 7 December 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

So as regular readers know, every Friday, more or less, I choose my favourite comments from this blog (and my favourite posts I’ve read on other blogs), and list them in the sidebar under the title Bragging Rights Central. In December I go through the archives, tally the wins (congratulations again to Ricardipus (most mentions for best comment) plu Continue reading →

Posted in competition, Meta | Comments Off on Third Annual VWXYNot? Readers’ Choice Comment of the Year Award!

Fountainous

Posted on 7 December 2011 by Henry Gee

While we’re on the subject of holiday reading, I am informed by one Ian Whates, scholar, gentleman, SF author and, notwithstanding inasmuch as which, publisher of the SF anthology Fables from the Fountain, that sales so far have raised a few pence short of £520 to endow the Arthur C. Clarke Award. This award is given annually to the best Brit Continue reading →

Posted in Apparitions, arthur c clarke, chthonic, eldritch, erumpent, fables from the fountain, hieronymous bosch, ian whates, lobsterpots, Science-fiction, z-radiation | Comments Off on Fountainous

Don’t look now, but…

Posted on 7 December 2011 by Richard Wintle

… I won something!

Clearly those allegedly inherited behavioural traits that lead to my questionable sense of humour have paid off.

By way of celebration, here’s a picture of a grinny alien, who looks almost as happy as I am. Continue reading →

Posted in Bragging Rights Central, Cath, Fun, Ricardipus be teh WIN!, VWXYnot, w00t | Comments Off on Don’t look now, but…

Patterns

Posted on 6 December 2011 by Henry Gee

Being another excerpt from my gestating tome The Beowulf Effect, written today between Liverpool Street and Colchester, after which I played several rounds of Angry Birds.

We human beings have at least two remarkable abilities. One of them is pattern recognition.

Continue reading →
Posted in big boots would have been better than crox, chthonic, David Berreby, eldritch, pattern recognition, Science-fiction, stories, syllabub, the beowulf effect, thinking about thinking, Us and Them, Welles, Wells, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Patterns

2011 Bragging Rights

Posted on 5 December 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

HURRAH!

It’s that time of year when I start going through the Bragging Rights Central archives of my favourite comment(s) from this blog and post(s) from other blogs – see the sidebar for details – trying to pick my favourite 12 comments for the annual reader vote. Expect the list of finalists and the reader poll some time next we Continue reading →

Posted in competition, Meta | Comments Off on 2011 Bragging Rights

In which I long to curl up with a good book [23]

Posted on 5 December 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

‘Tis the season when colleagues start discreetly disappearing from the lab, only to return a few hours later laden with shopping bags from Oxford Street. There is a run on discarded boxes and packing peanuts in the store room, and colorful envelopes from biological supply companies begin to clutter up the pigeon-holes. Starting from this week, alco Continue reading →

Posted in Lablit, Writing | Comments Off on In which I long to curl up with a good book [23]

C’mon kids play nice [12]

Posted on 4 December 2011 by Sylvia McLain

or how to politely (if strongly) disagree

so I read the Womanspace article that has raised a furror on the blogosphere lately…

I didn’t like it, it does seem to rely on the standard gender stereotypes that have been going on since the 1950′s. I can understand why people are up in arms. I can understand the annoyance at the mess Continue reading →

Posted in Womanspace | Comments Off on C’mon kids play nice [12]

Lecture Theatre Habits

Posted on 4 December 2011 by Athene Donald

Last week I attended Anniversary Day at the Royal Society, during which there was a discussion meeting for Fellows, as well as the President’s Annual Address given in an open forum. This venerable body is 351 years old now, and Anniversary Day always falls on November 30th. The discussion was held in the Society’s Wellcome Lecture Theat Continue reading →

Posted in bad habits, education, questionnaires, undergraduate | Comments Off on Lecture Theatre Habits