Caution: laws of physics may apply.

No longer posting here. Find me at https://ceb.dreamwidth.org/ instead.

I will be reading stuff people post here, at least for the moment, and OpenID means you can log in to DW with your LJ account if you want to comment and haven't moved.

* new keyboard stickers
* assorted bistromathics
* catalogued some books

Worldcon
* message thread re at-con staff

BSFA:
* another presenter attempt
* emailed re spare copies
* expenses
* velcro 7&8 sew & glue

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Bookings are open for the new University Library room escape game running over the summer: "Solomon Schechter & the Chamber of Secrets" http://bit.ly/schechterescape

I've been to two games by these people before and they're very fun and well-balanced (we won the last one by 15 seconds).

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I constructed this for a Jómsborg the New society dinner some years ago (2008) and I'm still pleased with it.


Daffowocky

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Daffodils, my son!
The stems that bite, the leaves that catch!
Beware the Jasmine plant, and shun
The frumious Buttercup!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the floral foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
All at once he saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw he at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left them dead, and with their heads
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Daffodils?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!"
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

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This weekend I have made a thing! Which is neither for Worldcon nor the BSFA, unlike everything else I've been doing in the past 6 months.



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FLOATING PENNYWORT WORKING PARTY ON THE UPPER CAM, SATURDAY 1ST APRIL
2017

The invasive Floating Pennywort has in recent years colonised the lower
Bourn Brook, the River Cam and some of its minor tributaries, and is
affecting an SSSI near Wicken. It is also spreading down river on the
River Ouse and has been found as far down river as the Denver Sluice.
Since 1990, when it was first found in the wild on the River Chelmer in
Essex, it has spread rapidly and each year the number of affected sites
is expanding exponentially. In high season there are long stretches of
the Cam where dense mats reach out towards the centre of the river, and
in one part it has grown from bank to bank. It is a threat to
bio-diversity, a nuisance to river users and could increase the risk of
flooding.

This week contractors for the Cam Conservators have been removing as
much as they can from the upper Cam by mechanized means, but inevitably
this will leave floating remnants and inaccessible patches. If left,
these remnants will soon grow. The Cam Valley Forum and associates are
organising a major volunteer punt day on SATURDAY 1ST APRIL ON THE UPPER
CAM, and we are inviting you to join us. The target is to remove as much
as possible on the day, from Byron’s Pool to Scudamores boat station.
Scudamores are kindly giving us ten punts for the task, which will need
a minimum crew of one experienced poler, a raker and a netter. And just
as important, we also need people on the bank to rake out easy-to-reach
Pennywort and to help with lifting out filled bins from the punts and to
dispose of the material on the bank. Not everyone feels comfortable on
a punt in which case a bank job would be ideal. Up to forty people may
be required to take this project forward and we hope that you have the
enthusiasm and time to be part of this unique experience.

If you would like to take part, or have any queries please contact Mike
Foley (Cam Valley Forum) on mfpfoley@gmail.com

We envisage a early start time between 9 – 10 am and those punts that
go the furthest (Byron’s Pool) will not necessarily be out for longer
as there is much to do in the Grantchester Meadows area. It would be
very useful if you could supply details of your experience, how long you
want to be involved, and whether your role would be on land or on water.
An indication of whether you possess a long handled rake and are
prepared to bring it would also be useful.

More detailed information will be available to those who express an
interest.

Mike Foley

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Things I might go to at the science festival, feel free to join me! (Not all of these, obviously, as some of them overlap.)

Main programme at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events

Mon 13 Mar, 7:30-8:30 How to feel safe - which infectious diseases are going to kill you. Talk, pre-book, Mill Lane. (BOOKED)

Tues 14 Mar, 7:30-8:30 Sensing the season. Talk, pre-book, Sainsbury Lab. (BOOKED)

Wed 15 Mar, 5-6 Reanimating the nameless dead - encountering the people of mediaeval Cambridge. Talk, pre-book, old divinity school. (BOOKED)

Thurs 16 Mar, noon-1pm The bone collectors. Talk, Whipple. (no booking needed)
6:30-7:30 Getting up close and personal in Herculaneum - a story of sewers and corpses. Talk, pre-book, Mus Classic Arch.
7:45-8:45 Ask an archaeologist. Comedy, pre-book, CB2.
9-10 Will Seward has a really good go at alchemy. Comedy, pre-book, CB2. (BOOKED)

Fri 17 Mar, 5:30-6:30 The first night of television. Talk, pre-book, Babbage. (BOOKED)
6-7 Erebus volcano in the footsteps of Shackleton and Scott. Talk, pre-book, Mill Lane.
4/5/6/7/8 Build a neural knitwork. Workshop, pre-book, Mill Lane. (BOOKED for 8pm)

Sat 18 Mar 6-10 Family retro-gaming evening. Pre-book, computer museum.

Mon 20 Mar, 5:30-6:30 Experiments in photography - Cambridge in the 30s. Talk, pre-book, UL. (sold out, curses!)

Tues 21 Mar, 7:30-8:30 Morphing structures. Talk, pre-book, Mill Lane. (BOOKED)

Wed 22 Mar, 5-8 Why is this here? Whipple museum drop-in. (no booking needed)
6-7 Looking beneath the soil. Talk, pre-book, Mill Lane.

Fri 24 Mar, 5-6 The skull, a multitude of forms. Talk, pre-book, Chemistry. (BOOKED)
6-7 The maths of everyday objects. Talk, pre-book, UTC.
7-9:30 An evening of unnecessary detail. Comedy/entertainment, pre-book, Union. (BOOKED)

Sat 25 Mar, 11-noon Where maths collides with holograms and special effects. Talk, pre-book, Isaac Newton.
2-3 Maths vs disease. Talk, pre-book, CMS.
noon-4 The science of jewellery. Drop-in, Betty & Barney Rubble, CMS. (no booking needed)

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Electricity at the Wellcome Collection (on now, to 25th June):
https://wellcomecollection.org/electricity

Robots at the Science Museum (on now, to 3rd Sept):
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sitecore/content/scim/visitmuseum/plan_your_visit/exhibitions/robots

Science Fiction at the Barbican (3 Jun - 1 Sep):
https://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=19875

Les Miserables 1925 silent film with live accompaniment from Neil Brand (23 Apr):
http://www.barbican.org.uk/film/event-detail.asp?ID=20944

Tesla vs Edison in dance format (18 Apr - 7 May):
https://hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/mayumana-presents-currents-uk-premiere/

Russian revolutionary art at the Royal Academy (on now, to 17th Apr):
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/revolution-russian-art

Russian revolution at the British Library (28 Apr - 29 Aug):
https://www.bl.uk/events/russian-revolution-hope-tragedy-myths

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Writing to peers is a bit of a faff. Well, the writing bit less so, working out who to write to is the faff.

http://www.stilleu.uk/lobby-lords-brexit-bill/ is the best source of suggestions for what to write. It also has information on how to choose who to write to.

Write to a specific lord (search by name) here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/peers/
Or use https://www.writetothem.com/lords to search by other factors - e.g. words they have mentioned in debate, or connections to a location. The other benefit of this is that you can check whether a given peer is someone who turns up to debates or not.
These both limit you to 6 emails a day (the rationale being that above that, messages will be dismissed as spam). Many peers use the general House of Commons email address and this is a convenient way to email them. The form will put in the correct form of address for you.

However, using https://www.theyworkforyou.com/peers/ you can look up email addresses, and if you find peers listing a different address, not just the HoL one, you can email them separately at that address.
http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/how-to-address-a-lord/ for how to get the form of address right (NB that's Dear Lady Mobarik, frex, not Dear Lady Baroness Mobarik, not completely clear from that article).

In addition, the following are members of the government so subject to whip, and so may be less useful to write to:
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Treasury), Baroness Williams of Trafford (HO), Baroness Joanna Shields (HO), Baroness Anelay of St Johns (FCO), Lord Keen of Elie (MoJ), Lord Nash (Education), Lord Bridges of Headley (ExEU), Lord Prior of Brampton (BIS), Lord O'Shaughnessy (Health), Lord Henley (DWP), Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Transport), Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (DCLG), Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, Lord Dunlop (Scotland), Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Biosecurity), Lord Bates (int dev), Lord Ashton of Hyde (cult), Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Earl of Courtown, Baroness Mobarik, Viscount Younger of Leckie, Lord Young of Cookham, Baroness Goldie, Baroness Buscombe, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Lord O'Shaughnessy (all whips)

Other useful links:
https://www.crowdjustice.org/case/parliament-take-control/ "Case updates" has ideas and material they've sent to all the Lords and previous stuff they sent to MPs
https://www.bindmans.com/uploads/files/documents/UK_Parliament_EU_Citizenship_rights_booklet.pdf
http://www.crossbenchpeers.org.uk/interests.html
http://lordsoftheblog.net/

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I need to get round to some letter-writing activism. If you need to also, then you are welcome at my house (in Cambridge) this evening to do so, from 8:30ish. DM me if you need the address.

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