It’s Alive!

Apparently the US presidential candidates have better and more important things to discuss then the future of Science in the US. (HT to Kiwiblog for the vid)

*disillusioned sigh*

Hadn’t seen this for ages and ages, hat tip to Chocolate Bobka for the trip down memory lane…

This is effective teaching at its best. Complete with the catchy tunes, bright colours, and general epilepsy-inducing flashiness that only someone on a lot of drugs could come up with. Sigh, those were the days.

Some poor kid back in NZ became the latest victim of video game imitation violence as some joker, possibly trying to recreate the popular Sega game Sonic The Hedgehog, hurled a live hedgehog at him. This from the BBC:

“It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks,” said Senior Sgt Bruce Jenkins, in the North Island town of Whakatane.

And you gotta love this quote from the same copper:

The police spokesman said the suspect was arrested “for assault with a weapon, namely the hedgehog.”

Tragically the poor, defenceless (well…) hedgehog did not survive the ordeal. God speed little guy.

Like most sciency types I know, I love talking about my research. The slightest provocation can launch me into a coma inducing rant about the minutia of my field (which has successfully terminated my chances of picking up non-sciency girls on a number of occasions). The normal responses to this rant (when the listener is still conscious) can be grouped into two categories.

The first response is the good one. It’s the one where my head grows to about 10 times its size as the listener goes on to commend the noble nature of my research and how the world needs more people like me interested in making a difference and not caring about money (one of which is true, one of which is not. I’ll leave you to decide). This comment is especially good to receive in front of any girls I may be trying to impress because then I can start acting all modest, yet still maintaining an air of selflessness about what I do. Chicks love that stuff.

Unfortunately, this response is usually followed by a second. The “I feel your work is important because my mum/dad/brother/sister/best-friend-forever died of cancer recently” response. I’ve had this said to me a number of times and never know how to reply, so an excruciatingly awkward moment of silence always ensues. This one is particularly bad to receive in front of any girls I may be trying to impress because it shows how I am both insensitive and slightly awkward.

I’m one of the fortunate few who hasn’t had cancer affect anybody I’m particularly close with (knock on wood) and thus haven’t had to deal with the raft of emotions that people go through when the disease makes an appearance in their or their loved one’s lives. Aside from my general awkwardness, I think the fact that I haven’t had intimate dealings with cancer is partly responsible for my inability to talk about it at a personal or caring-and-sharing level. But it’s not the only reason.

This is exemplified by something that happened to me yesterday. A colleague from uni back in NZ was recently diagnosed with cancer, so myself and another expat living here in the UK decided to send her a card, and this is where I hit a brick wall. What do you actually say to someone who has cancer?

Sorry you’re dying? Get well soon? Hope you like wearing hats?

Turns out I’m not alone here. Talking about cancer, even for doctors who have been doing it for longer than they care to remember, is not easy. At the end of the day, I think this really comes down to confidence and sensitivity. Talking about death is something people usually tip-toe around, and is definitely the sort of thing I try to avoid, but in order to get at the crux of why I research what I research I think I need to pluck up the courage to change this. While the charities that fund cancer research publicise the importance of this research at length, I think it is much more important for the people like me who actually do the research are able to discuss its practical and individual relevance.

Free wireless rocks. Am sitting here on the train typing away as the dull and dreary british countryside speeds past. Have just spent the last 4 nights down in London visiting friends, catching some live music, being a touristy geek, and generally taking a break from working for a few days.

Arrived on Saturday evening to attend a kiwi mate’s going away party which ended with me getting lost at around 5am after a warehouse party somewhere in Hackney Wick. If you’re from London then you’ll know that Hackney is not the sort of area you want to be wandering around lost in. Especially at the end of a very big night out. Although it only took an outrageously expensive taxi ride to get me back to the safety of my mate’s comfy sofa.

After spending most of sunday recovering, the next few days were a whirlwind of museums, galleries, flat whites, catching up on the old days, and sleeping on a very flat inflatable mattress. A particular highlight was the Imperial War Museum. It’s an exceptionally well laid out and informative series of exhibits that cover a number of international conflicts (although mostly dedicated to WWI and II) in objective detail. Plus there are a bunch of big tanks and guns and planes in the main entrance.

I Ended my stay by catching one of my favourite New Zealand bands, The Brunettes (who I have mentioned previously), play a Not In Kansas Anymore night. The gig was at Under The West Way, which is definitely an interesting place. It’s a tres trendy music and design studio building with a cosy bar on the ground floor that has a very homely atmosphere reminiscent of certain bars I frequented back in Dunedin.

The gig, as with every Brunettes gig I’ve been to, was quite simply brilliant. While playing to a british audience is an endless battle for home-famous kiwi artists touring over this side of the world, it’s clear the delightful mix of angst, pop, and candyfloss that The Brunettes are renowned for had won the small crowd over from the second song. Despite having just come off an exhausting tour of the US, they managed to play an exceptionally tight set bursting with energy and enthusiasm. And I swayed along with the rest of the crowd in a constant state of awe at the unfaltering beauty of Heather, the lead singer. They head off now for a lengthy European tour finishing back up in London in a months time.