Previously The Scientist has written about his offspring and how proud he is of them. He’s also mentioned, inter alia, slight concerns about their geekiness; that is, he’s a tad worried it might be genetically inherited and that if they ever find out Social Services might start paying too close attention.
The Younger Pawn
Younger Pawn, last year
said goodbye to her mother at school this morning with the words
Bye mum, don’t let the lab rats bite!
The Scientist is beginning to wonder if he’s taking this communicating science thing a little too far.
Sorry about the third person schtick. Jetlag does weird things like that.
I can tell you that if you leave that photo up for a couple of years, your intelligent offspring will chide you with a “but dad, I look like such a child!” (But she’s awfully cute.)
“You were a child, sweetheart. Now you’re just a sponging student.”
When I was a PhD student in Seattle, I had a female colleague whose offspring became steadily geekier with time. One day her eldest daughter, age 7, came into the lab and declared proudly to us all:
“Mom is growing great big purple viruses in the back yard.”
Clearly takes after her Mum. Nothing to do with cuteness, everything to do with the lack of a pint shaped proboscis.
Jenny, I wonder if they were related to
which is nearly purple.
I could also link to this fellow but Steel might bite me.
Not just pints, Mike. Not just pints.
Ahhh, the next step in human evolution. A finger with a martini sized conical hollow in it. Delicious. I’m hoping mine will be more tumbler sized.
I’d rather evolve an attached receptacle for cheesy snacks and assorted other American style Cheese Food products.
hmm. I spy a research proposal.
Steel has just bitten Grant.
must…resist…mooing…
Richard, you’re not paranoid. They really are out to get you.
I know a song about that.
She is adorable and very considerate in her advice
must…resist…mooing…
Hhmm, Steel moves these to square C 6
Ooh, shinies.
Did I tell you my sister can get her hands on serious projectile weaponry?
Did they miss you while you were away, Richard? That’s what I want to know.
“Get out of the cross-fire, Maxine”
F 1, and E 5 to the rescue with some of these:-
Your move Grant (Note to self, I must learn how to play Chess)
Maxine,
they did miss me, and were very sweet about it.
This is for Graham. I’m not about to post the picture of my sister, for OpSec, but this is close enough.
Rumble, rumble (apple crumble)…
Taps
Steady on Dear…
It’s in the blood, Steel.
Guys, please! I’m at a conference where Timo Hannay just told everyone how lovely Nature Network is, and people behind me are probably wondering why I am scrolling past PICTURES OF WEAPONS!!! And was that a tank? I’m not scrolling back up to look!
….boys….
(There is a joke here about certain other scientific publishing companies and weapons, but I’m not going there)
C’mon, chaps, let’s settle this honourably, man to man.
Otherwise I might have to wheel in the Quantum Defibrillator.
Or even
(has it been switched on yet?)
But, if all else fails, there is, of course – and only as a matter of last resort – the ULTIMATE DETERRENT …
Pray that it never needs to be deployed in anger.
From my top pocket, I’ve produced a couple of coloured cards recently. On this occasion however, in the name of World
PeasPeace ‘n all that, Steel waves one of these :-—
Re. Eva’s second comment, agreed, lets not go there.
Similar elucidation but this time, in a harmonious format
Typical Gee, late to the party.
Sorry Eva. He started it.
[resolutely steers thread back to topic].
I’ve recently had a broad insight into science as seen by eight-year-olds, reported to me by Gee Minima.
Apparently, one of her friends was distressed to the point of tears, yesterday, to learn that the world was going to explode in two million years. On questioning, Gee Minima was unsure whether the interval discussed was two million rather than just two. No wonder the little girl was distressed.
Then another small boy chipped in to say that in the future, all the different countries will become separate islands.
Today there was much more talk of the end of the world, which was certainly related to this …
When I collected them from school, Gee Minor (she of the unicycling girrafes) and Gee Minima wanted to learn all about the LHC, but mainly to be reassured that the world wasn’t going to end.
I told them all about protons and antiprotons, but none of it sunk in until I said that if the two of them were to start arguing (which they usually do after school), I’d do a demonstration of the LHC in which Gee Minor’s head was a proton, and Gee Minima’s head was an anti-proton …