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

Smart phonies

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The BBC have a great article today about a new craze in Japan: “therapeutic” ring tones. And what, pray, is a therapeutic ring tone? Well, for starters, there’s the ring tone that relieves hay fever caused by the famous cherry … Continue reading →

Posted in quacks, silliness, Things I read on the BBC website | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Fun with patents

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

One of my automated PubMed searches just brought up a paper that’s well outside the scope of my usual reading material. I’m glad I persevered with it, though, because this is a very important paper that highlights the dangers inherent … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

“Cancer is our teacher”

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

How do you feel about this poster? How do you feel about it being posted right outside a major cancer clinic? It was the title that caught my eye as I walked past said cancer clinic on my way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 25 Comments

Personal genethics

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

A long time ago, on a blog platform far, far away, Richard Grant blogged about his delirious experience with some hard-core drugs given to him by some shady Dutch-Canadian drug dealer Eva Amsen. In the comments, Austin Elliott suggested that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Happy birthday to me!

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

33 is a nice friendly, symmetrical number; can I stop here, please? To celebrate, I am launching my big 2010 fundraising campaign! In June, I’m going to spend a weekend cycling from Vancouver to Seattle to raise money for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments

Unexpected benefits of the Olympics

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Winter Olympics is a mere 49 hours away, and (except for the trifling matter of a shortage of snow at some venues and the developing hula-hoop crisis), we are ready! Let The Games … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Pimp my ride

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

There’s been a sudden proliferation of car flags in the last few days, and I was feeling a bit left out. Duct tape FTW! People are also displaying flags in their windows and front gardens – mostly maple leafs, but … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 Olympics, cycling, photos, silliness, Vancouver | 9 Comments

Hockey pool, week 19

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

This week’s points: Overall standings: ScientistMother and That Damn Alyssa had a stellar week, with the former reclaiming third place from Chall and the latter consolidating her lead at the top. The rest of us? Well, let’s just say that … Continue reading →

Posted in hockey pool 2009-2010 | 6 Comments

One week to go!

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Excitement is building in the lead-up to the Olympics. I don’t want to bore those readers with no interest in winter sports, but inevitably I am going to be blogging about the Games a LOT. I’ll be focusing on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 Olympics, competition, meta, sport, Vancouver | 23 Comments

Friday fun: recombinant words

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My sister-in-law got me a puzzle of the day desk calendar for Christmas. She apologised for not giving me something “better” (i.e. more expensive), but in all honesty it was one of the best presents I got this year. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 36 Comments