Author Archives: Cath@VWXYNot?

About Cath@VWXYNot?

"one of the sillier science bloggers [...] I thought I should give a warning to the more staid members of the community." - Bob O'Hara, December 2010

Storage space

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I found myself waiting alone outside a meeting room at work the other day, while the people in there wrapped up and packed away and the person I was meeting with was fetching a laptop. Looking around me, I noticed … Continue reading →

Posted in photos, technology, the wonders of technology | 14 Comments

Puerto Rico, my heart’s devotion

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

While helping Mr E Man book the final leg of our upcoming vacation yesterday, I realised that it’s been almost a whole year since we went to Puerto Rico and I still haven’t blogged about it. BAD blogger! We flew … Continue reading →

Posted in drunkenness, family, fun with language, personal, photos, travel | 4 Comments

Back by popular demand: Hockey Pool 2013-2014

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I just sent out a Rando that may be of interest to some of you: Yup, it’s that time of year again, and Twitter is abuzz with talk of a new #VWXPool! We’re using the same pool as last time, … Continue reading →

Posted in hockey pool | 5 Comments

Quaestio numeralis

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(Title translation provided by Google Translate, so please don’t moan at me! It’s not my fault I didn’t have a Classical education ;-p) I heard a nice little riddle while catching up on NPR’s Sunday Puzzle podcast this morning, and … Continue reading →

Posted in competition | 11 Comments

Red Flags in the Dragons’ Den

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

It’s a well-known fact that watching certain films and TV shows with a scientist is no fun at all – in fact, it’s almost as bad as trying to watch ER with three medical student flatmates, as I did every … Continue reading →

Posted in bad people, genomics, idiocy, rants, science, television, videos | 6 Comments

Cath, 2038

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

It was her toenails I noticed first, as I bent over to push my bag under my chair in a restaurant a few days ago; they were painted the same colour as mine, a funky metallic turquoise. “Ooh, nice sandals”, … Continue reading →

Posted in family, personal | 8 Comments

Tuesday pet peeve: people who don’t know what agnostic means

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The increasing frequency with which I hear scientists misuse the word “agnostic” is starting to annoy me. It’s usually used to mean “I don’t have a strong preference”: for example, “I’m agnostic as to protocol – I could go either … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, plagues, science | 16 Comments

Rando

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Those of you who’ve read some of my recent posts, or who follow me on Twitter, might have noticed that many of the photos I post are now circular. No-one? Really? Anyway… this is because for the last few months … Continue reading →

Posted in photos, screenshots, technology, the wonders of technology, Vancouver | 10 Comments

Happy Canada Day!

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I hope all my Canadian readers are having an awesome long weekend! (And that everyone else had an awesome normal weekend!) Ours has involved spending time with various friends on patios, roller coasters, log flumes, beaches, ocean swims, picnics in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, drunkenness, family, silliness, sport, travel, UK, videos | 5 Comments

In a twist

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

About ten years ago, a Dutch friend told me one of the most epic “lost in translation” stories I’ve ever heard. I re-told the story many times over the next couple of years, but hadn’t thought about it for a … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, English language, silliness, snow | 20 Comments