Tom Roper's Weblog

Chemistry at the University of Sussex

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee discussed the future of chemistry at the University of Sussex last night. No transcript yet, though the Guardian did run a report.

Lincoln at Redcar

The start of the flat season is marked by the Lincoln, moved to Redcar this year while Doncaster has the builders in.
Navan 300: Hi Cloy
Redcar 315: Cesare
Newbury 320: Sunley Shines
As for Dubai, I leave well alone.

Free Our Data

The Free Our Data campaign launched by the Guardian is mentioned in this month's Library and Information Update
There's to be a seminar on it at the Library & Information Show, though it's unclear whether this is in support of the campaign or something to do with a publisher called Latitude who presumably resell OS data.
I remember a database programme I had a while back that gave tide times for more or less all the whole world except Britain, the reason being that the Hydrographic Office who own the data wouldn't allow its use. This was crazy then...now in the world of Google maps, it is certifiable.

Blogs and Social Media Forum

I have had another e-mail from these characters (the ones who want £350 for a day's conference). "Dear Dear Mr Roper" they write, obviously trying to butter me up. Double endearments will not touch my flinty heart, I'm afraid.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath A Blog

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath A Blog cast in the form of an advice column. I discovered this by way of languagehat

Irresponsible brilliance

If anyone has not yet discovered the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, yesterday's Today's life gives reason enough. On George Digby (1612-1677), second Earl of Bristol, it concludes as follows:

"George Digby remains one of the foremost English examples of irresponsible brilliance. He possessed apparent exceptional talent as a politician, administrator, courtier, soldier, and scholar, and failed as all of those, a pattern which may be related to three defects. One was an inability to keep friends: during the civil war he already saw himself as 'single against all the world' (PRO, SP 16/510/74). Another was his constant tendency to choose the most flamboyant, sensational, and risky course out of every political and military problem, without the skills needed to steer such courses to success. The third was an ingrained carelessness in planning actions and observing discretion. He was and remained remorselessly self-destructive, with a proportionate tendency to destroy all those, including monarchs, whom he carried along with him. In this sense, he was one of English history's most dangerous men."

I hope they write something similar about me one day. The online DNB is among the resources to be made available to public libraries through the Reference Online service

Vicarious conference experiences number 2

And as well as HC2006 in Harrogate, in Washington DC there's Computers in Libraries 2006
Technorati searches for them here:

HC2006
Computers in Libraries

Beach huts: I speak out

True to the great tradition of citizen journalism that fuels blogs the world over, I shall not be silenced on the matter of Seaford's new beach huts.
Here they are, photographed in yesterday afternoon's sun:

Personally, I think they look quite nice. I hope the kiosk comes back though.

HC2006 blog

HC2006, the conference of the British Computer Society Health Informatics Forum, have set up a conference blog run by, inter alia, Rob Ward of Informaticopia.
The conference starts tomorrow.

Intellectual property explained in a comic

Tales from the Public Domain: Bound by Law? is an explanation of intellectual property and fair dealing in the form of a comic book, produced by Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain.

It's an interesting way of trying to tackle complicated issues; I wonder if it will reach audiences who  resist more traditional methods.  I'm afraid I was never a comic fan and still find it hard to understand the claims some make for them as an art form.