Category Archives: blog buddies

2011 in books

Well, my attempts to form good habits related to my specific 2012 resolutions – plus my ongoing exercise and healthy eating goals – have already been derailed, although the goals themselves are still very achievable. I blame (in chronological order): … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, book review, family, grant wrangling, medicine | 33 Comments

And the readers’ choice favourite comment of 2011 is:

(Drumroll) Eva for “I’ve dated someone who showed me a powerpoint presentation about his work on the first date. That should have been a sign, but the topic was actually interesting, so it didn’t put me off right there and … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, competition, meta | 20 Comments

Occam’s Birthday!

Happy First Birthday to Occam’s Typewriter! And what a great first year it’s been! Having left Nature Network in July 2010, I was delighted when the December 9th, 2010 birth of our very own blogging network reunited me with my … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, meta, photos | 33 Comments

Frittering

Friday Twittering – is there anything finer? In other news, while tidying my desk today I found a new and miraculously untouched science puzzle from last year’s desk calendar. I’ll post it tomorrow (or possibly on Sunday) for your geeky … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, Canada, competition, family, meta, silliness | 6 Comments

Geek tourism

I’m back, and ready to lightly and cheerily distract people from their woes! We had a great time in England – in fact, it was our most fun visit EVAH! I’m not quite sure why it was better than previous … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, book review, drunkenness, embarrassing fan girl, family, food glorious food, medicine, nature, personal, photos, science, silliness, travel, UK | 21 Comments

Are left-wingers more creative? Are multi-party systems superior to two-party systems? Do provocative titles attract more readers and comments?

Let’s see: a Canadian federal election, an electoral reform referendum in the UK, a new opposition leader and talk of an early provincial election in British Columbia, and lots of coverage of the likely US Republican party presidential candidates, all … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, Canada, current affairs, politics, silliness, UK | 48 Comments

Captcha *this*, sucker!

If you read a lot of blogs, you’ve probably seen something like this: This is the reCAPTCHA version of the spam test that some blogs require commenters to pass before commenting; typing the correct word into the box proves that … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, meta, silliness, technology | 27 Comments

Productivity? There’s an app for that

(Two, actually). Busy busy busy. Grants, conference abstracts, project management. All to be completed without (completely) neglecting household chores, exercise, and fun. I’ve recently started using a couple of iPhone apps that I’ve found very helpful, and that I’m reviewing … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, career, grant wrangling, silliness, technology | 13 Comments

In teh Grauniad

When I was about 15, our local paper ran a special schools edition. They approached English teachers around the city, asking them to contribute pieces written by local students, and my teacher picked an essay I’d written. The essay was … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, education, family, original research, personal, publishing, science, the media, UK | 13 Comments

BC rocks! (And trees!)

I like rain. I need rain. During my first summer in Vancouver, there was a dry spell that lasted for five or six weeks. By the third week I started to feel a bit weird, but couldn’t work out why. … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, nature, personal, photos, Vancouver, whining | 19 Comments