Ok so a lot is changing with this blog at the moment as well all my website. I’ve moved to https and I’m ditching the resource hungry wordpress for good old fashioned html (and php). Currently there are 131 posts on here all imported from my wordpress site. Much of the formatting has gone astray and I am working on a new theme so please bear with me.
-
2017-04-11 - Stats, stats and more Stats
Over the past week or so I’ve been tweaking the OLXPortal source code. Now called just XRD Portal it is quite happily running our little... -
2017-03-29 - Guess who's back
Yes the melancholy scientist is back in town and blogging again. Technically I’ve never left town but I moved to a really cool gated community.... -
2014-03-12 - Future Learn – Week 8
Course Summary -
2014-03-09 - Future Learn – Week 7
This week it was all about “Solutions” there was a “show and tell” aspect as well….. -
2014-03-08 - Future Learn – Week 6
Future lean questions from week 6. Week 6 was about Impacts on human systems and including topics on how buildings and food production contribute to... -
2014-03-07 - Future Learn – Week 5
1. What are the most important themes you have learned this week? -
2014-03-06 - Future Learn - Week 4
1. What are the most important themes you have learned this week? -
2014-03-05 - Future Learn - Week 3
1. What are the most important themes you have learned this week? -
2014-03-04 - Future Learn - Week 2
Past climate change - was this weeks theme. How can looking backwards help us look forwards and understand climate change? Clearly understand the markers which... -
2014-03-03 - Future Learn - Week 1
To be honest I was not overly impressed with week one of the the Future learn course. It seemed to be focussed on trying to... -
2014-02-26 - Final Conclusion – The Twitter App Hunt Continues
What an epic adventure the last few weeks has been trying all these different twitter apps. Apart from discovering all the random files being left... -
2014-02-19 - TweetCaster – The Twitter App Hunt Continues
TweetCaster I thought that perhaps I had found something useful, something better than Hootsuite and Echofon. But I rapidly realised I had not and the... -
2014-02-19 - Echofon - The Twitter App Hunt Continues
Echofon the app is made by UberMedia the same people who produce Ubersocial and Plume so you could imagine I was not really looking forward... -
2014-02-12 - UberSocial – The Twitter App Hunt Continues
According to Google Play Store I’ve installed and rated UberSocial already - but for a different version. My review was not glowing but neither was... -
2014-02-05 - Plume - The Twitter App Hunt Continues
Again, another rocky start to using the app. I suspect this is going to be a continuing theme over the next few weeks. This time... -
2014-01-29 - HootSuite - The Twitter App Hunt Continues
Hmmm, things did not get off to a good start with this app. It is Sunday morning, I am coffee loaded and working on pretty... -
2014-01-26 - Future Learn and a Blogging Dilemma
The problem is I am currently taking a Future Learn course online. The course is ok, I keep forgetting to read the questions or answers... -
2014-01-22 - The Hunt For a New Twitter App
-
2014-01-15 - Remote Islands, Remote Controls and Remote Viewing
Gosh it feels an awful long time ago now, but back in bleak short days of December 2013 I attended another one of the excellent... -
2014-01-12 - Remote Islands, Remote Controls and Remote Viewing - warning
Yes I know over the past month or so my blogging dropped to zero output - well my blogging on this site did. Anyhow I... -
2014-01-12 - The Electron Bites Back - Final Verdict
I am concious this is a very long series of blogs with only few images. So I will try and keep it short and sweet.... -
2014-01-12 - The Electron Bites Back - Open Energy Monitor
Being rather jealous of the energy monitoring capability that my parents now have I went online to order my own Open Energy Monitoring (OEM) system.... -
2014-01-12 - The Electron Bites Back - LightwaveRF
I penned a blog post a few weeks ago now about energy monitoring (Energy Monitoring – Time to bite the electron) where I described my... -
2013-12-11 - Energy Monitoring - Time to bite the electron
Over the past few years I have been more and more interested in getting some kind of electricity monitoring system. Ideally one that does electricity,... -
2013-12-04 - Science Communication
I had originally set out to write two blogs from last weeks antics but then the crystallisation of a idea happened. Why not write one... -
2013-11-27 - BCA CCG Autumn Meeting: "Increasing Complexity in Crystal Engineering of Materials"
This year the British Crystallographic Association (BCA), Chemical Crystallography Group (CCG) autumn meeting was co-hosted with the Directed Assembly Grand Challenge or the Directed Assembly... -
2013-11-20 - Sharing Your Contacts
I have in general always disliked websites or apps that insist on “sharing my contacts”. In principal I have no objection to using that information... -
2013-11-13 - Flash Bang #MSF13
Another Saturday has passed and another great Manchester Science Festival (MSF) event has been assisted. Yes I was turning the lights on and off again... -
2013-11-06 - A Perfect Storm
For a while now I’ve been trying to reduce my impact on the world. I’ve blogged already about saving water. So it probably does not... -
2013-10-30 - Outreach - We all should do more
Hopefully followers of this blog will have seen how I am trying to engage more in public outreach from posts such as “Beijing Science Festival... -
2013-10-28 - Chroma: Art Meets Science #MSF13
This weekend I had the great privilege of being able to help out with a 2013 Manchester Science Festival Event (MSF). Now by help out... -
2013-10-16 - O'no Transport Evolved I miss the "Liveness"
The peeps over at Transport Evolved have been working very hard to make a new “product”. They have taken the old Transport Evolved updated the... -
2013-10-09 - How Science Lectures Have Changed
Last week I got the opportunity, more by fluke than by judgement and planning, to sit in on a chemistry lecture course at the University... -
2013-10-09 - Beijing Science Festival 2013 – Update
So people read my recent post about the how brilliant the Beijing Science Festival 2013 was. I got a few bits of feedback some of... -
2013-10-02 - Beijing Science Festival 2013 - Just a brilliant event
During my recent trip to China I got the unique opportunity as an RSC member to help out on the RSC stand at the Beijing... -
2013-09-28 - Return to Blogging - Blog Legend Robert Llewellyn @bobbyllew
So it has been some months or at least weeks since I last penned a blog post. It therefore seems fitting that this blog post... -
2013-08-22 - Sorry No Blog
Sorry I won’t be blogging for the next few weeks - got some stuff to sort out. -
2013-08-14 - Goodbye Google Latitude - Hang ON WHAT?
I was gobsmacked to find that Google is now launching this service: "Android Device Manager"! -
2013-08-07 - Collaboration and Document Sharing Which is Best?
In academia you are constantly sharing information and working on manuscripts. This often requires you to read, refine, edit, update and send back. This was... -
2013-07-31 - Goodbye Google Analytics
Will my traffic go up or down - who knows? But frankly at this stage I'm not really bothered. -
2013-07-24 - Goodbye Google Latitude - I will miss you
In short I don't really have an answer. -
2013-07-10 - Porous Materials Database
And perhaps whilst I am building the planet MOF or PMD or whatever you want to call it website. I could finally get around to... -
2013-07-03 - Linux and the fabled shift away from windows for science still fable, still struggling...
So when you have tried many packages and you are just not feeling the love you try and go back to something that you are... -
2013-06-26 - What to do with your email when you leave your job?
I know this is not a very informative post it is more a thank you to Ozawa-san for his great code. -
2013-06-18 - Ok I think that is enough time don't you?
When you eyes go you stop painting, when your knees go you stop dancing and when you can not get the job you think you... -
2013-06-12 - When Did I Become Scared of the Internet?
Not that I am implying that twitter sold my details to a marketing firm or anything I am not. But it was annoying. -
2013-06-05 - Olex2 Three Years On
Sheldrick brought out a new shelx and the price of crude oil has risen a lot - I don't think there is a correlation there.... -
2013-05-29 - Why Hydrogen Has to Be the Short Term Solution
Again another energy related posting but I’ve been sat in traffic jams and thinking. What I came up with is nothing new it the obvious... -
2013-05-22 - Did I Mention the Problem with EVs?
We all know by now that the world is not getting any healthier by which I mean that we continue to pump crap into our... -
2013-05-15 - Hidden in Plain "Site"
I guess the take home message is that the internet is only as good as the index used to find things in/on it. Which means... -
2013-05-08 - Shakespeare's Sonnets
Good excuse, perhaps? Perhaps or perhaps it was because I kept falling asleep. Now, now, not because they are dull and boring no the opposite.... -
2013-05-01 - Where is the fire?
I can't even think of a great paragraph or line to turn into my excerpt. -
2013-04-24 - Saving Water is this Wrong or Right?
That is not the whole story? I also, when required, use this water from the shower to water my plants by leaving them in the... -
2013-04-17 - Hunger for Knowledge - but via Webinar & Podcast?
There is one downside to this I keep falling asleep listening to podcasts and then not knowing if I listened to the end or not.... -
2013-04-10 - TaskWarrior, Taskjuggler, Planner and Well Planning Things Part 2
Arrrrrrgh I had installed KDE rubbish for no reason - well so I thought. -
2013-04-03 - TaskWarrior, Taskjuggler, Planner and Well Planning Things Part 1
But there is a drawback you can't really take them home with you and people sometimes write messages for you on them and that ruins... -
2013-04-02 - Why Can't I Have Hydrogen Powered Car?
It is a 'H' or aitch as we say back home - that is cool - I should clarify it is cool because well it... -
2013-03-30 - GELT that is Pronounce GeeeeLT as in BLT but where you say Geeeeee like the B
Hangon is a clove the whole thing. No that is a bulb - nuts - I meant bulb of free garlic and use two cloves.... -
2013-03-20 - Did I Mention I am A Racist?
And this is where we get to the racism part? Yes! -
2013-03-13 - Sore Elbow, Cold Feet and an Aching Neck
What else can I do to ease the aching neck and stiff back? How about long looks to the left and right until my head... -
2013-03-06 - CMS that is Content Management System to you and Me
For the record there are now 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 CMS agents out there. That is a lot and in the para-words of Prof. Brian Cox "if you... -
2013-03-02 - EDF - how can I use any less?
Today (not actually today but it was today when I got the letter but to you it is also today and to me it is... -
2013-02-27 - How Do You See Science?
I must admit as I put pen to paper (I know it is not a pen it is many a finger typing on a keyboard,... -
2013-02-24 - Direct Assembly, or Directed Assembly or The Direction of Assembly - What?
University of Brunel as part of the "How DO We Direct Assembly?" meeting. Now this may come as a surprise to you, well it was... -
2013-02-20 - Fedora 17 Repo Crazy, Networkmanager, ResearcherID - I give UP, I really do
Networkmanager you are all good now? No you are a very very very naughty boy. -
2013-02-13 - A Client for Blogging?
Why? Well I can blog offline of course. Now you are going to say well then use a word processor and well you'd be correct... -
2013-02-06 - One day to wash, one day to clean, one day to blog, which day shall that be?
This is an über short post today. Well that is the problem what day should I blog on? I mean I should have some structure... -
2012-11-22 - Goodbye Aunty Joan
Today I got the rather sad news that my Aunty Joan had passed away. It is sad that I received this in the unceremonious manner of tex message. But... -
2012-06-02 - What happened on 24/05/2012?
99 hits? -
2012-06-02 - The day after tomorrow before yesterday
Well I didn't say it was going to be a funny joke did I? O'shit I did say humour - whatever! -
2012-05-01 - It shouldn't be this hard - really it shouldn't
Well after a good 8 hours sleep off shift I started my shift 20 minutes early at 07:40. I was as always under the false... -
2012-04-29 - Really!
I’ve just been rung by my mum - no concept of international time! But I’ve been told that the garage wrote down the wrong window... -
2012-04-29 - Shifts, well they do make sense but someone has to be the "grown-up"
Over the years working on beamlines on different facilities watching other people working on beamlines at erm different facilities I’ve built an astute knowledge that... -
2012-04-28 - Did you know you can flattr Olex2?
By now you probably know I have a love hate relationship with Olex2. I really want it to be the best thing ever, I want... -
2012-04-28 - Sleepy right now....
Something very odd happened on this beamtime. I don’t think I can remember it happening to me before but well I slept-in. And I went... -
2012-04-25 - Back at Berkeley part 2
Ok showered shaven (badly) and now sat looking at the breath taking view of the bay from the coffee area. Whilst enjoying a coffee in... -
2012-04-25 - Back in Berkeley
It is very early in the morning here. Of course my body clock won’t let me sleep and hasn’t done so for about 2 hours... -
2012-04-04 - Well now it is a tinkle, I hate IROBOT electronics and DLS (but that is a given)
.......I got a nice sounding Dutch gentlemen tell me I should ring the technical support line. "Erm I did" I replied and another 2 minutes... -
2012-03-28 - There is no silence anymore
.... it could be a calibration issue and had I calibrated my phone and pad. Are you fucking kidding me do I look like a... -
2012-03-24 - Quick One
I am about to head out for my first ever beer festival. Yes I’ve seen them on TV but saying that I’ve also seen erm... -
2012-03-21 - For the love of GOD that was NOT Ginger beer!
I guess in short: Always read the label? -
2012-03-14 - Xplain it's like xprep but with a GUI
Then I was introduced to X-seed by Len Barbour. I just love that name – Len, no I mean Barbour it reminds me of elephants... -
2012-03-05 - There is just TOO much STUFF in my pockets
I must differentiate this as Americans get confused by the word pants - in all of the civilised world pants are the external clothing worn... -
2012-02-27 - The Emperor's New Clothes
If you need 6 months down time with no users to get your shit together then we can give you it if you promise that... -
2012-02-26 - Shit - there are a lot of unfinished posts in here....
In short I was looking and a lot of posts I’ve written and well not finished and or posted are in here. So I will... -
2012-02-21 - Please JUST work
I find it odd that I am here again blogging about a Google product. This time not egooglebooks but evideomoviegoogle. What is perhaps worse is... -
2012-02-18 - Why can't things just be how I want them?
You know I am pretty much convinced that at some point not too long ago I accidently ticked a box on a webpage that said... -
2012-02-18 - Its not a strike it is a protest?
So the strangest thing happened today. Sat watching TV in a language I did not understand suddenly the TV turned off. Arrgh I guess need... -
2012-02-18 - Another book read
Ok another trip to China and in my usual manner I need to take a book written by one of the Top Gear top three... -
2011-11-08 - Too much John will Kill YOU!
You may or may not be aware of the fact that at this present moment in time I am on beamtime and this means that... -
2011-11-06 - Round 3 and it is a knock-out to BLGH
The lack of liquid soap, the gapeing cassem of shampowless showering, the scratchy rubbing of hard animal fat on skin - said the timid and... -
2011-10-13 - Lunch Time
Now then, this is interesting, three paragraphs in and I seem to have found out that 1) in my head I am typing in the... -
2011-10-05 - OMG - I am blogging again!
Can you believe it? No I can not believe it but yes I am blogging again. -
2010-09-22 - Again with the not starting
This morning against my personal preference I was forced on to public transport again. My car knowing full well it was a program grant meeting... -
2010-09-17 - Am I famous?
I loved going to conferences. I loved meeting all those people but secretly I also dreaded it. I mean I would see four different people... -
2010-09-15 - Public, science, communication
So, I own the domain, I host the site and now I populate it in my own time to make sure that when those conversations... -
2010-09-14 - Blogging too much, time to do something else?
I think that perhaps my venom is somewhat being exhausted by the knowledge that it will be used daily. Or at least it will appear... -
2010-09-13 - My car will not start
But my IWIN is controlled when it comes to things like buying a new fucking car rather than replacing a bulb or a fuse or... -
2010-09-12 - I should of been a banker
Actually thinking about it whilst you are at it you may as well get rid of the army, police, fire, nurses actually I have a... -
2010-09-11 - Peace in my life time
On my way to work the other morning in my car and as usual listening to radio 4. I like radio 4 not for the... -
2010-09-10 - small straw
No this is not another comment about the size or scale of my man hood but just a general observation. When I am given my... -
2010-09-09 - I am the Stig
So now Stiggy, Stig Stig what have you done to deserve all this media kerfuffle?....And really I know the Stig is, has been and always... -
2010-09-08 - Air France not KLM; and all that is wrong with the world part drie
I should give a summary of what I've posted already. I won't as it will make this even longer and if you are that bloody... -
2010-09-05 - Interupt my usual blog-cast
We all know that David Cameron was killed by Nick Clegg in the famous battle for power at Number 10 whilst the green women danced... -
2010-09-04 - Voice from the dead
I will be dead. Shit what if by some freak of luck that it happens to be this post that is being erm posted? -
2010-09-03 - Air France not KLM; and all that is wrong with the world part deux
…..continued ….__. -
2010-09-02 - Air France not KLM; and all that is wrong with the world part 1
I actually love fish but not in a plane, not when I have to breath it for the next 11 hours. -
2010-09-01 - Is my laptop too big?
This is all rather embarrassing and somewhat personal so I would appreciate keeping it between you me and Clarkson, ok? -
2010-08-31 - San Francisco airport hates me
It all became clear as to why San Francisco airport hates me when I remembered that it is also called SFO. No shit, I shit... -
2010-08-30 - One last guest house post
I could not leave Berkeley this time without writing one last Berkeley Lab Guest House (BLGH) blog posting. One which was not cajoled from my... -
2010-08-29 - On ye' bike
I have no kids, no offspring no progeny to whom to fear for. No change of understanding of the rules nor did I have a... -
2010-08-28 - Call the health and safety executive
How many times can a grown man headbutt his shower before the HSE get involved? And contradictory to popular belief putting stuff up your nose... -
2010-08-27 - Socks and shift work
No body ever told me that working shifts would be so complicated. Hmm, that is a lie they did when I was a printer but... -
2010-08-27 - Berkeley Lab Guest House – Phzwart and all
Yes I know in America you get petrol free with your coffee as oppose to the - wait for it - £4.54 or $7.04 per... -
2010-08-27 - Why don't I dream anymore?
When I was a boy I walked as a boy, talked as a boy and dreamt as a boy. Now I am a man (questionable)... -
2010-08-26 - One night in Vacaville
................like an evil drug dealer Simon cut me a free score of unrestricted track. Yes track-cocaine............. -
2010-08-25 - I'm a dick
When I was a kid I would sit in a big box and pretend it was a car, the day would be gone and time... -
2010-08-25 - In my head
.... this blog, that I am typing right now I wrote in my head lastnight it was brilliant witty and just bloody funny. Now as... -
2010-08-23 - Should I worry about Olex2?
Since I started out in crystallography I’ve always been on the provincial (that is a nice way of saying poor) side of software. At UMIST... -
2010-08-23 - Is my science suffering because my room is too nice?
So yes I am getting soft, and yes my science is suffering for it. But it is not me I feel sorry for. It is... -
2010-08-23 - Shift work - How the hell?
So in short, yes I know why I need to work shifts, yes working 16 hours in every 24 solid makes perfect sense (does it)... -
2010-08-23 - Melancholy scientist
Melancholy scientist I guess that is apt? -
2010-08-19 - Showers – I understand but why?
My bathroom is brilliant it is so big I need GPS to get from my toilet to my sink and I catch a small bus... -
2010-08-19 - Berkeley Laboratory Guest House – Round II
A year on and my brain has decayed my eye site worsen and different parts of my body have started to fail or cause me... -
2010-06-25 - 4 km high and no plane
Ok so when I went to China I knew I was going to be in an high altitude environment. Basically Xining is high up on... -
2010-03-24 - You never forget a good teacher
They say you never forget a good teacher but to be honest this is somewhat, erm, crap, you never forget a bad teacher either. So... -
2009-10-23 - When I was at Daresbury we'd have called that a near miss
On returning to my adopted home of Manchester (Yorkshire man by birth and blood) I was surprised by the sudden inversion in direction of my... -
2009-10-20 - Berkeley Laboratory Guest House – Wasted on PhD students
Berkeley Laboratory Guest House - Wasted on PhD students - too comfortable to be true -
2009-10-18 - Beamline 11.3.1, ALS, LBNL, San Francisco
Beamline 11.3.1, what, why aren't we all using it? -
2009-09-26 - Slappa
Yes, I did mean that, I’m in the process of reviewing my new Slappa rucksack. Lets see how it does. I’ll post more information when... -
2008-04-14 - New Blog
Inspired by Pascal I’m putting a blog page together, although it is doubtful I’ll actually use it at the moment! I think the intention is...