Monthly Archives: January 2006

Poignant Portrait

Posted on January 20, 2006 by

Dr. Charles posts a poignant portrait of one of his patients. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of Martin’s pupils who share the same chromasomal history. It is indeed bittersweet that their candle of optimistic light is snuffed out … Continue reading →

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B&B for Bigots

Posted on January 20, 2006 by

The highlands of Scotland has glorious scenery – and some Bed & Breakfast establishments that Martin and I clearly won’t be welcome at (scroll down on the link). Well, at least we know which places to avoid (…here be bigots). … Continue reading →

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Night Follows Day

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

While some Nigerians show themselves to be humans with their brains turned on, others reveal themselves as sound arguments as to why cockroaches should inherit the earth.

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Teju Cole

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

A blog with wonderful writing that takes you into new ways of seeing people and culture.

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Menagerie

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

25 years ago, an artist by the name of Kit Williams created a puzzle in book form named Masquerade. Now, to mark the 25th anniversary, Dillon Waugh has created an homage in the form of a web site puzzle named … Continue reading →

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How Free Is Your Free Will?

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

I’ve mentioned Carl Zimmer’s fascinating book Parasite Rex before. He’s returned to one of its themes (that viruses alter host behaviour) in his blog. In "The Return of the Puppet Masters" he leads off with the rather startling question: are … Continue reading →

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Turning The Pages

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

If you have a broadband connection to the Internet, then check out the British Library’s Turning the Pages online gallery. I hope that the content of more books is made available over the web in this way.

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In The Thick Of It

Posted on January 19, 2006 by

Life imitates Art. Although real life politics seems even more morally bankrupt than that portrayed in the TV satire. Why am I not surprised?

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So, How Did You Do?

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

I see that the answers to the King William’s College quiz have now been published. As expected, I did miserably, and am kicking myself that I did not get more, particularly in the Grimm’s section. I should have just slowed … Continue reading →

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Gaia’s Not a Well Woman

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

Is James Lovelock over-egging the pudding, or is he right to give his warning? The cynic in me sees a connection between the article and the fact that his new book is due. Still, part of me thinks that all … Continue reading →

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Transmutation

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

There’s an increasing use of digital techniques to encode analogue signals all around us. Despite what I wrote about Digital Radio, it doesn’t necessarily have to be worse than the analogue FM broadcasts – it all depends on what the … Continue reading →

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Ambient Intelligence

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

Philips Research is experimenting with something it calls Ambient Intelligence. It’s where you are surrounded in your home by a network of devices (lights, air-conditioners, entertainment systems, curtains, chairs, etc.) that all communicate with each other and are aware of … Continue reading →

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Digital Radio Worse Than FM

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

I see the dirty little secret of Digital Radio has been let out of the box – its quality is usually worse than that of FM Radio. The digital radio industry is hastily backpedalling – "Mandy Green, of the Digital … Continue reading →

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huey – Calibrate Your Monitors

Posted on January 16, 2006 by

Here’s another gadget that, if I had the money, I would definitely get. It is huey, manufactured by Pantone, a device that will help calibrate your computer display(s) for proper colour balance. If you’re serious about your photography and use … Continue reading →

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Erwin Olaf

Posted on January 14, 2006 by

Erwin Olaf has a new exhibition of photographs showing in New York. They are redolent of the US of the 1950s. You can see them on his site; click through to his portfolio pages via the Art link. The series have … Continue reading →

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Butterfly Cakes

Posted on January 14, 2006 by

Squeezeweasel, over at the Gastronmy Domine blog, publishes the recipe for butterfly cakes. My mother used to make these by the dozens. I must have a go myself to stem the pangs of nostalgia.

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Noooooo…..

Posted on January 14, 2006 by

Please tell me that this won’t happen…

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Falling Behind…

Posted on January 13, 2006 by

Damn, I’m no longer in the top 50 largest libraries catalogued in LibraryThing. I’m currently at joint 51st with junglemom (waves). I wish Amazon would hurry up and deliver the books I ordered before Christmas, then I might have a … Continue reading →

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Transgenic Pigs That Glow

Posted on January 13, 2006 by

Fascinating story, although doubtless ammunition for those who think that scientists are either a) mad, b) have far too much time on their hands to be able to think up bizarre experiments or c) both of the above.   (hat … Continue reading →

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Another Book Review

Posted on January 13, 2006 by

But clearly, not a recommendation. Just to be sure, I used Amazon’s nifty "Look Inside" feature to read an excerpt. Yep, it’s every bit as bad as the recommendation says. Thanks for the tip, I won’t be adding Moral Armor to … Continue reading →

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