I love modern art, even the most stereotypical, pretentious, self-indulgent, ridiculous pieces. I just hate hearing other fans talking about them.

I learnt something new today! Apparently, not only are pigeons able to recognise their reflections in the mirror as images of themselves, they are capable of abstract conceptualisation.

I think I will start writing that paper on pigeon-magpie relations after all.

A nice new review blog for the list: http://kinnareads.wordpress.com/Read more... )

Women's Rights in Afghanistan

... isn't it annoying when you read some new mathematical technique and you're all like "oh that makes sense" but then look at it five minutes later and you're all like "whoa -- wait, what?"

It seems working in a lab makes you an excellent blogger.
( Stuff wot we have found )

I am currently stuck in a computer lab again trying to figure out some new piece of code (not actually that difficult, but filling the right variables into the function is taking a very long time. Basically, the code calls for a set of data with a .tr_raw extension whereas the only data that we've got has a .tr or a .tr_lst. We've tried cheating ( ( Read more... )

This morning I killed the largest cockroach I have seen in this hemisphere and probably half-poisoned myself in the process. From the looks of it, it was an adult (and probably female so I had to disinfect the entire room in case the eggs had got spread around) which meant that the roach spray didn't have as much of an effect on it as just whapping ( Read more... )

Am I the only one who gets the sinking feeling that not only has the progress of Afghanistan been horribly stunted but that what we're going to see is a bloody retreat to square one?

So... the first week of my research placement is over!

So far I've had to do thankfully very little programming by myself and have just had to get used to MATLAB syntax (so much nicer for the inexperienced than C++) though the most difficult part of it was trying to find the right piece of code amongst all the junk of various Mphys/Masters and PhD ( Read more... )