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

Democracy in the UK

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Me: “So what are you going to do today?” Dad: “Stay here and watch the election coverage on the internet” Yup, it’s election time in the UK! I’m not voting, because I don’t think it’s fair for people to influence … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, current affairs, family, politics, rants, UK | 9 Comments

Wren and Stumped-y

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Damnit, Microsoft! Why? Just… why? I mistype “were” all the freaking time.  The title of this blog post is the first time I’ve deliberately typed “wren” in… years? decades? ever? So why is it the first option on the suggestions … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, rants, technology | 7 Comments

Just desserts

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

One of my molecular pathologist colleagues just came up with a beautiful little phrase that has made me re-think my prior criticism of his field’s terminology. “We’ve got some soufflé data”, he said. “It looks incredibly promising if you peek … Continue reading →

Posted in fun with language, science, silliness | 6 Comments

Farewell, giant marshmallow

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Before: (photo credit) During: (photo by me) After: (photo by me) The Vancouver skyline will never be the same again. But at least we won’t have to queue for up to an hour to get out of the stadium at … Continue reading →

Posted in current affairs, photos, Vancouver | 4 Comments

Scottish tree hybridisers

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My parents are here! They arrived on Saturday, on the same flight as my boss’s inlaws1 and the woman who Gordon Brown called a bigot2. And now I have five weeks of chatting to my Dad about football  before work! … Continue reading →

Posted in current affairs, family, furry friends, music, photos, politics, silliness, travel, Vancouver | 10 Comments

Poor choice of words

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’ve been working with molecular pathologists for more than two years now, and one piece of their terminology still throws me every time I hear it. When told that a protein has been found to be a “poor prognostic marker”, … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer research, science, things I'm not really qualified to write about | 5 Comments

"Is this normal?"

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Have you ever had a conversation that began with the above words, progressed to a friend bending their elbow the wrong way or turning their nostril inside out, and ended with everyone else saying “NO! That’s not normal, you freak!”? … Continue reading →

Posted in freakishness, personal, silliness | 6 Comments

"Doctor Doctor! I need glasses!"

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

“You certainly do. This is a fish and chip shop.” BOOM BOOM! You know what’s even funnier than really cheesy old jokes? This:

Posted in silliness | 3 Comments

Science Idol

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The BBC’s “Science and Environment” RSS feed included a real gem today: news of a competition in which members of the public were asked to submit ideas for research projects. The four winners will be mentored by experts in their … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer research, genomics, science, Things I read on the BBC website, things I'm not really qualified to write about | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Defeating perfect enemies

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Here is the single most useful piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard, and I apologise for not thinking of posting it sooner. It came from my PhD supervisor, lo these many years ago, and it really helped me to … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, meta | 14 Comments