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Being Scientifically Literate April 30, 2007

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , 1 comment so far

Seed magazine is running an essay competition with the topic ‘What does it mean to be scientifically literate?’ and as I’m planning on starting a part-time journalism course in September, I think it will be good practice, so expect a few blogs around the subject as I get my thoughts together.

I think I’m scientifically literate with a BSc in Maths and Computing, and a Diploma in Earth Science, bolstered by reading the occasional science magazine and popular science books.  But what does it take to make that claim?

First of all, there should be an understanding of the basic workings of science.  The scientific method of formulating a hypothesis, then experiments to test that hypothesis, predicting the outcome that would prove the hypothesis and then discarding it if the experiment doesn’t provide that proof is important, along with an idea of how the ‘conversation’ which runs through scientific journals works, and the need for results to be reproducible.  How might experiments be biased?  The way science tends to build up piece by piece, and often to dismantle a few pieces too, as well as how hard it is for science to be absolutely certain of anything.  There are really only more or less likely theories, and more or less reliable sources of information. 

Mathematics and statistics provide the language of science, and without a reasonable feel for number and an understanding of basic statistical concepts, it is very hard to come to grips with any science and harder still to understand when the wool is being pulled over your eyes.

And then there are fundamental scientific ideas which shape our view of the world today and which any well educated person should be able to describe, at least in general terms.  This is the stuff of pub debates, but my top ten would be:

  1. Plate tectonics, including the major plates and what is happening around formations such as the Andes mountains, the Great Rift Valley, the Himalayas and (if you’re British) the terranes of Scotland and how and when they were formed.
  2. Newtonian mechanics, the stuff of billiard balls and endless school physics experiments.  Why is a headon collision so much worse than a nose-to-tail?  Why does the earth orbit the sun?
  3. Basic circuit theory, and the relationship between watts, volts and amps.  Why does electrical resistance happen and how is it measured?
  4. The properties of water, the stuff of life.  How does the polarised nature of the H2O molecule influence the way it behaves in the presence of other elements?  What happens as water cools and heats, and where are the critical points?
  5. Evolution and basic genetics.  How are characteristics passed from parent to child and, if a mutation occurs, how might it become prevalent in a population?  How do species differentiate?
  6. How the greenhouse effect works and why an increase in greenhouse gases leads to a temperature increase in the atmosphere
  7. Why is the periodic table organised the way it is, and what are the properties of the various groups within it?  Why do the elements in those groups have those properties?
  8. The structure of cells and the functions and origins of components such as mitochondria and cell walls.  How do these vary between animals and plants?
  9. The structure of the atom.
  10. The major biomes, where they occur and why, what species characterise them and how they may change.  Ecological succession.

I suspect this list may show my bias towards earth sciences, and the fact that my biology is limited to one first-year university course.  Should optics or general relativity come in here?  What don’t I know I don’t know?

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Sunday, a day for gluttony April 29, 2007

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Cafes & Restaurants, London , 2 comments

Off I wandered, down through the Bloomsbury Squares to parts south of the river and the rather wonderful Anchor and Hope, to meet up with Leanne, Crg, Aboodi and Dom for another Sunday lunch of far too much food, good wine and excellent company.

The meal started with wee nibbles - pate on bread, beautiful sweet small tomatos, a classy version of bubble and squeak and jamon - which started arriving at about 1.30, so it pays to be early.  I ordered a bottle of Txacoli, in honour of a holiday I’m planning in Pais Vasco in June, and found an excellent summer wine, light, crisp and slightly crackling.   Dom tells me it should be poured from a great height to aerate it, but the glasses were small and the threat of it ending up all over the tablecloth too great. 

The first course was a leek and crab vinaigrette, with soft, succulent leeks and slightly tangy crab which went well with the wine.

To go with the roast, we moved onto a rich, velvety Douro to complement the rare beef and dripping potatoes.  The only nod to getting our five a day was ‘grass’, a warm salad of lettuce and mint which tasted a lot better than it sounds.  The food is served in big dishes on the table, for guests to help themselves, and more comes round as the plates empty.  Its the kind of place where you leave just knowing you’ll have to eat again in a day or two.

We then moved on to cheese, which isn’t really my thing, and a lemon pudding which is.   A small bottle of Manzillac pleased my sweet tooth, and then coffee with Armagnac finished it all off well.

This place at least ties with the Norfolk Arms as the best Sunday lunch around.  The only downside was the way they were emphatic about turning up at 1.30 or else we’d lose the table, but the hors d’oeuvre were good reward for punctuality.  Ignore the negative reviews in the link above.  It’s just regulars trying to keep a good thing to themselves.  I may have to post one myself.

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Gordon Square is back April 17, 2007

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden , 2 comments

Like a good-looking but slightly vague academic who has just had his favourite, well-worn, well-tailored suit dry-cleaned, Gordon Square has reopened after nearly a year of renovation.  This was always one of the more haphazard of the Bloomsbury squares, never open at weekends and rather overgrown.  Unlike the manicured precision of Russell Square or the spiritually uplifting memorial garden that is Tavistock Square, Gordon Square has always felt a bit like the rambling garden of someone who enjoys their space but can’t quite be bothered weeding.
Its tidier now, the paths have been relaid with gravel and there’s a kiosk at one end which purports to be open from 0800-1600 during the week, but it still feels its old self.  The lawn is more meadow than cricket pitch, and bluebells are everywhere.  The ancient limes tower over the blossom and spring growth which is abundant right now.  Its a perfect urban garden.

If summer lives up to the promise of the last week or so, I’ll be spending a lot of time there this year.

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Greek cruise ship sinking - a different view April 15, 2007

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Travel , add a comment

It sounds like the Greek government’s press releases and the reports in the British papers about the Sea Diamond sinking last week may be rather wide of the mark, if this is anything to go by.  Greek ferrys and tourist shipping don’t have a pretty record, and it seems openness isn’t a strong point either.

All the best to this poor woman, and the other passengers.

An Acquired Taste - Phillip Glass’ Satyagraha

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , 1 comment so far

I was first introduced to Phillip Glass about twenty years ago, by the boyfriend at the time who was a fan, and saw his Ensemble perform at the Wellington Arts Festival in the late eighties.  It took a while, but slowly his music grew on me.  The distance between sublime subtlety and boring self-indulgence is a short one though, and he will never be an easy, mainstream composer.

Having persuaded friends to come with me to see Satyagraha, his opera about the life of Gandhi at the Coliseum last night, I was a little worried.  The reaction was mixed, as you’d expect for 3.5 hours of very different music, with a libretto in Sanskrit and no surtitles, but for me, it was fantastic.

The music was typical Glass - subtle, sublime and at times intensely meditative.  The voices became another instrument in the symphony, supporting the Indian idea of the sound of words having significance in their own right. 

Visually it was spectacular.  Huge puppets and stiltwalkers of Hindu gods and people; use of english translations from the Bhagavad Gita beamed onto the backdrop; each act represented by a mime figure of another advocate of non-violent resistance - Tolstoy, Tagore, King;  layers of symbolism, some obvious, some obscure.

To me, the last scene of the last act was transcendent, in almost the same way that sitting in a meditation hall listening to Tibetan monks chanting is transcendent.  Gandhi wanders around the stage, praying, while Martin Luther King stands on his high podium silently orating.  Very little happens, but it brings the whole piece together and left this listener refreshed and somehow hopeful. 

For a different view to mine, see Peter Conrad’s article in the New Statesman a couple of weeks ago.  I think he’s unfair though to say that the music has ‘a sensuous enchantment that precludes any profounder meaning’, as last night seemed rather more than enchanting to me.  However, that last scene was also the part that one of our party found rather self-indulgent. 
Classical music often needs an educated ear, and mine is not great, but
I wonder if this also needs an ear aware of the philosophical and
cultural background as well.

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Bookshops are back (fingers crossed) April 14, 2007

Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden , add a comment

Over the last few years, the story has been of independents closing and, more recently, that even the large chains are under threat with Ottakers being taken over by Waterstones, and Waterstones then deciding to close 30 stores. The woes of Bloomsbury gay bookstore Gays the Word, or the long-ago demise Compendium and others suggest that all is not well.

But there is some good news in the gloom, with heartening piece in this morning’s Guardian, talking about the return of the independent bookseller and the changing landscape of the bookselling world.

Skoob is back, in a huge new store under the Brunswick Centre. The area’s shops and pubs have headed seriously upmarket, but that may mean that there is more money around in a place that’s always been keen on interesting bookstores. Chatting to the bookseller there the other day was a lesson in economics. The rents in the Brunswick Centre, even for the basement, are such that the space one book uses for a year costs £1.50, and the average time a book stays on the shelf is about 3 years. Before salaries or power bills are paid, that book has cost £4.50. It is extremely difficult to compete with the pile ‘em high and sell ‘em quick philosophy of Waterstones under those circumstances.

But perhaps rather than disaster we are seeing change. The strongest bookshops around here seem to be the independents - Foyles, the London Review of Books Bookshop, and numerous others. They all have characteristics that differentiate them from the mass of Waterstones and Borders. Staff are dedicated and know a lot about books, their wellchosen stocks appeal to book lovers and they haven’t fallen into the trap of discounting to beat the big boys at an unwinnable game. Foyles has its incredible number of titles, the London Review of Books its draw in from the magazine and displays of the unusual.

Buying books is a form of entertainment, and the best shops recognise that. Huge tables of 3 for 2 offers aren’t much fun when they’re full of books you’ve already read or seen dozens of times before. Far better is someone who knows what you mean when you ask for something obscure without being exactly sure of title and author, and to spend a happy hour or two, then walk out with a bag of books you’d never expected to buy.