As I was getting all the pieces of paperwork together for my up-coming trip to Blighty, I (re-)discovered a well-thumbed Tube map in my briefcase. And it occurred to me that given the nature (har har) of certain members of this network, we should organize a photo-shoot somewhere dear to all our hearts:
Mornington Crescent is a reasonable hike from the RI, but very, very close to where we’ll be having our Friday night bloggers’ bash.
What say all y’all?
Mornington Crescent, a month ago
Buries head in hands and weeps.
No flash photography on tube platforms. In case you were thinking of instigating any civil disobedience.
High ISO, slow shutter then.
OK Richard, it’s just you and me, then.
It occurs to me that Morning Crescent is more readily understood than the Madison) in the Olympics (uderway as we speak). Dr Grant, I hope you are wearing the British team’s sporting success lightly over there. I understand the Australian broacasters are speaking chough and giving wry looks to the BBC over the cycing team’s remarkable form.
…Mornington…
…underway…
…broadcaster…
…cycling…
My dear Charles
I am wearing our cyclists’ successes as only a Brit can.
Rumours that someone looking like me used the words “shackle-draggers”, “stuffing”, “it” and “to the” are unfounded.
Great idea, but will we be able to go inside the station? I thought it was closed by someone with an over-developed sense of irony.
I’m guessing Matt won’t be volunteering to check for us.
I understood it was open now, which is why I suggested it.
Can you let this uninformed non-UK person in on the discussion? I don’t know what the significance of Mornington Crescent is.
It is the title of a talking game on Radio 4. I don’t know the rules exactly but I don’t think anyone does (I think that’s one of the points).
Others will know better than me, but Mornington Crescent signified you had lost. Or won. Or something.
We need Annie Mole to tell us if the station is still closed (as I’d thought) or if Richard is ahead of the game and it has now been reopened.
I am delighted. Victoria Pendleton has just added another to the pile, beating an Australian. My lip reading is rusty, but I think she sang ‘God save your gracious Queen.’
Mornington Crescent has been open for 10 years.
A quick google says it’s been open since April ’98.
Can you let this uninformed non-UK person in on the discussion? I don’t know what the significance of Mornington Crescent is.
If you don’t know, man, you weren’t there.
Who, exactly, was singing that, Charles?
Charmingly enough, the game comes before any other entry on a google search
If you hunt about here you might be lucky enough to find an old wax disc recording of it. Be sure and ask Humphrey to be careful where he’s tooting his trumpet these days.
Humphrey, alas, has tooted his last mortal trumpet.
Gone, but thanks to the wonder of the web, not forgotten.
Youtube has a few “I’m sorry I haven’t a clue” clips – sound quality highly variable, but I think there should be some Mornington Crescent in there for the uninitiated.
I think, rather, that we should create a new Mornington Crescent-like game but with a scientific theme. Perhaps instead of station names the game could consist of scientific funders’ names. And the winner would be the first to say “European Research Council” or “Human Frontier Science Program”.
Or perhaps a game called “Crinnan Street” would be appropriate.
Frank, I think protein names/enzymes in pathways would be more appropriate.
We could call it ‘Ubiquitin Ligase’.
Nice idea, Richard, but it kind of disenfranchises all those physical scientists and earth scientists out there. We need a more inclusive kind of obscurity.
Good point, Frank, well made.
How about calling it “Intelligent Design”
Anyone who ends up there is obviously the loser.
Ms. Pendleton, at the Australian lady whom she beat into second place.
Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase.
A special prize might go to any amphibian that can pronounce Batrachochrytium dendrobatidis without spontanseously becoming extinct.
Charles,
I had cause to go to an event in town this evening. As I walked with my companions—an expat Brit of 20 years’ Australian experience and an Australian lady of Dutch descent—across Pyrmont Bridge, we heard a strange
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-type humming noise.
A cove passed us, on a bicycle powered by an electric motor.
Perhaps a true gentleman would not have cupped his hands to his mouth and called after him,
“You’re not going to win many gold medals like that!”
Perhaps not. What do you think?
I am so confused now.
I had heard of the game, but I couldn’t figure out from anything here (except Maxine’s comment) that that was actually what was being talked about.