Next trip: Chicago

My next trip begins today; once again we are off to Chicago for some x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectivity experiments on Langmuir monolayer films. The aim of the experiments is to gain understanding into the biomineralisation process, by which our bodies produce bone.

Last time we were here, I was coping with a broken collarbone. Thankfully I don't have that to contend with this time. However the weather is supposed to be cold - chance of snow and all that. It feels really strange to be packing a thick winter jacket, gloves, and woolly hat, while wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

This week Mike has been staying at my place. Originally it was only meant to be for 2 days while he visited IRL, then we were going to drive up to Whakapapa to do the Tongariro northern circuit. But a nasty weather system decided to come across from Queensland and muck up our plans, so we ended up just doing a few easy day walks around the Wellington region (Orongorongo valley and Kaitoke). We had wondered about heading up to Lake Waikaremoana instead of Tongariro, but decided against it. In hindsight, it has worked out for the best. The timing was always going to be tight as far as driving back today, washing and drying all the clothes, then packing and getting to the airport by 2:30. And it just needed one of us to slip on a rock to completely mess everything up. The experiments in Chicago are too important to risk it in marginal conditions. Mike will just have to make another trip down under!


Mike and I getting blown off Marchant Ridge, Tararua ranges

Top Gear Live = awesome

So last weekend Stu, one of his mates Lee, and I flew up to Auckland for the day to go to Top Gear Live. We booked the tickets and flights about 3 months ago and to tell you the truth, with everything going on with the conference last week and hosting Mike this week, I'd almost forgotten about it.

The show was, to use a favourite word of Jeremy Clarkson, 'Brilliant!'

And they say a picture says a thousand words so here's eight thousand words for you. Enjoy.


Before the show.


Mini car race between Hammond, Murph and Clarkson.
Clarkson + mini car + jet engines = loud x fast.

{{ Video of a stunt comprising Clarkson, Murph, a shopping trolley, and skittles. }}


Audience participation = Clarkson rightly calling people idiots.


Doing the 'Cool Wall'.


Car soccer = cool!
And video = 2 x cool!


Car soccer injuries = not cool...


After the show... Lamborghini = NIIICE.


The proof I was there. QED.

When scientists are clueless

I got back today from a conference down in Dunedin. Overall it was ok; my talk went ok and I made contact with a bunch of colleagues I don't get to see much.

I had an interesting conversation with somebody I don't normally agree with, when he noted that people who've won the Nobel prize in physics or chemistry tend to develop an arrogance (if they didn't have it already). Somehow receiving that makes one infallible. And no less so than the Nobel prize winner who spoke at our conference.

As usual (he was invited to a different conference here 2 years ago) his talk was entertaining. This time it was basically a story of his life and research over the years. His interest, he said, was studing the vibrations of molecules that exist in stars. Which was fine, except at one point in his presentation he pointed to a picture of a star and said, 'This is Mummy. This is where you came from.' Grr.

As if that wasn't bad enough, at some unrelated point further in the point he said, '29% of British school teachers want creationism to be taught alongside Darwinian evolution in the classrooms. That should scare you. Think about the implications.'

Excuse me? Saying a star is 'mummy' is less ridiculous than believing that God is able to create the world in seven days? Yeah right.

That wasn't the only slur I heard during the week against people holding Christian beliefs.
(The reason is clear: people don't want to believe in God because they don't want to be accountable to Him.)

I can't help but feel the time is soon coming when I'm going to be dragged onto the carpet for believing what I do. Rationally, it doesn't make sense, because in a way my faith doesn't impact on my job at all. Yet for some people, they see it as a threat to the scientific culture. Still, I am a Christian first and scientist second and the first is non-negotiable. I don't have to think twice about that.