Not only is January nearly over, but today is the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Elements.  Remember your Science lessons ( Read more... )

Something you get as you go along.  It is to be hoped that most of us will learn from our experiences.  Particularly the lesson that goes - you've tried doing it that way several times now.  Each time it's turned out badly.  So next time either do it differently, or try something else entirely ( Read more... )

Yesterday H had taken the day off specially.  We were both going up to London to see the 'Robots: The 500-year quest to make machines human' exhibition at the Science Museum.  Well, that was the main reason.  That and seeing BiL again ( Read more... )

The other evening I watched The Entire Universe in One Hour: the Musical with Professor Brian Cox providing the 'Science' and others, including Eric Idle, Noel Fielding and Professor Stephen Hawking (seriously, Dear Reader), providing the 'Musical' bits.

Alas this is but a trailer
   

Click to view

  The programme was broadcast on Boxing Day (26th December) ( Read more... )

The forecast for today is warm-ish, particularly compared with the middle of the week.  Tomorrow and next week are forecast to be positively pleasant - if you like temperatures around 20°C, which we do. So I'm getting the washing done today - forecast highs of 23°C, and hoping that the forecast thunderstorms either don't happen or wait until I've ( Read more... )

You know the way various Universities complain that they haven't enough money to work 'properly'?  Then someone goes and publishes 'research' like this about how the Borrowers* couldn't function - laws of physics and things**.  One wonders quite how the money is being distributed and what criteria are used to judge what constitutes 'proper' ( Read more... )

The washing - ended up drying around the dehumidifier.  It was dry yesterday.  It was also very still and cooler, so very little water actually evaporated.  Only H's polo shirt was anything like drier than when I'd pegged out, because poly-cotton.  Gah!  Today the wind is blowing, and I expect it will blow rain clouds our way ( Read more... )

I mentioned homelessness yesterday and the need to build more 'affordable' houses.  Turns out the ol' Alma Mater has been researching something along those lines.  You may, Dear Reader, have watched the series Grand Designs, where people built homes of their dreams, some of which are as eco-friendly and Green as they can possibly be.  At least one ( Read more... )

What is Truth?

Once upon a time there was such a thing as Truth.  The existence of Truth was generally agreed upon, as was, more or less, what was the nature of Truth.  There was also a general agreement that Truth was a Good Thing & UnTruth was Not.  Various things were either True, or UnTrue, and people were, generally, encouraged to ( Read more... )