A praise for The Weepies #theweepies

Travelling back from a great status symposium in Hannover I am tired, tired, tired. The last two days have been very intense and the nights rather short: drinking late, starting early. Talks were very interesting and I spoke to many great colleagues. Although it was quite a small meeting I met one colleague I hadn't chatted with at all, only when boarding the train. It is rather unfortunate that after two long days with a lot of science the brain is so flooded with impressions. One can hardly find words to chat.

Having spent the first half of the train journey working on my thesis and a paper I am finding myself so tired by now, that the only thing I really can do is write a praise on The Weepies. Recently I discovered this band and their 2006 album 'say i am you' through this video http://vimeo.com/14803194, which was mentioned on #Diaspora I think. Anyway, this is such a beautiful music, especially 'World Spins Madly Round' and 'Living In Twilight'. Well actually most of the album is just great, moving, thoughtful. Highly recommend it.

Although I am surely not one of these "Kölle is dä beste Ort üverhauopt" guys, I must admit that there is something to it when you cross the Rhein at night and see the Dom coming up in front of you. Even more so when listening to Dire Straits and their 'Going Home' on Alchemy.

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Mad travel frenzy

Thus it begins, 6 cities in 9 days:

Cologne - Hannover - Cologne - Edinburgh (yai!) - London - Hamburg - Ploen (Kiel) - Cologne - puuuuhh, sleep.

Two talks, many chats, some wine (I hope).

 

 

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The Selfish Gene #Nei on #Dawkins in Mutation-Driven Evolution

This is one of the best things read in quite a while. Nei explains why the theory of the #selfishgene is not a scientific theory. He goes as far as to explain that it is in a way equal to #creationism, which of course is not a valid theory as well.

 

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#coffee #wine dangerous love #japan and #spies

For the last 2.5 months of the year we are now stocked up with coffee at the office. 200 shots:

No sleep no more.

On Thursday I read about Haruki Murakami, because he was one of the candidates for the Nobel this year. They wrote about a new translation of one of one of his books and I decided to buy it. It is, I guess, about life in general and a love that might be imagined, or not.

I hope to learn more about Japan from this, which has always been fascinating to me. Today I also read this article http://goo.gl/4P23pd about Japan's ageing community and the future. Kiki and Kikai, crisis and opportunity.

With a good book a good glass of wine is always a good thing. ;)

 

The Lehmann wines are usually quite good. This one needs to breath for a while, because it is a bit sour, or sharp in the beginning, but the I rather liked it.

Also today (when do I even work, huh?) I read about #GCHQ and the #Snowdon files in this article in the Guardian http://goo.gl/9JI9V7

It gives a different view on the story, mostly a British and why Brits. did not have such an outcry about the story, as everybody else had. But the most interesting thought, which I fully agree with, is that we of course want to have spies, people that protect our democracies. Only there has to be a clear cut of what they are allowed to do and what not.

Finally something else from the Guardian:

Rugger!

 

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A storm is coming

To finish the autumn series. Strong winds yesterday 

brought a lot of clouds this morning, 

but also a magnificent light.

So it seems a storm is coming and as usual nobody knows what it will bring. I liked the freshness in the air though.

Working on my Prezi for a symposium in two weeks

and my visit to Ploen, I am going back to something I already previously used to explain parthenogenesis, apples and worms:

Will link the Prezi once it is done....

#Edinburgh here I come

Will be going back to Edinburgh for a short 3 day visit in a couple of weeks. Though it will, I guess, be a bit darker than on the photos from last year I am really looking forward to it. Apart from where the summer is (Melbourne?) it is the #place2be. Also I can #haveadrink with my good mate who works there and on the way back - I am invited to Ploen to give a talk at the MPI - crash at the couch of another good friend in Hamburg. #goodtrip

Der Herbst ist da and do we stop it with #China's science industry?

#Autumn has arrived in Cologne. It is considerably colder now in the mornings when riding to work, but one gets some really nice scenes like this mist in Gründgürtel.

Soon it will be riding there and back again in the dark, but there is still some sun in the evenings.

Including some majestic scenery.

Finally #Köln from the 30th floor with the #Rhein

The #Dom.

The sky was so clear this Sunday that one could see right to the #Siebengebirge. A brilliant day.

Quite unrelated. Last week I read an article about a man in #China who was sentenced to death and apparently now executed http://goo.gl/23PFYA. From what was in the article the man was guilty of killing two, but it was self defence, maybe manslaughter. In western European legal systems he might have had to serve several years (or not, who knows). So, this wont even be about #capitalpunishment, which is wrong, but more about the injust juridical system in China and the constant ignorance of #humanrights. Reading the article I started thinking again of China's recent move into #bigdata #science in #Biology through the #BGI. Actually I also don't want to judge on BGI and scientists there, I guess these are great people and scientists. Earlier this year I even had been in contact with some of there representatives, when considering to run a project with them. Well, in the end they re-acted a bit odd when I told them that our core-facility would be much cheaper for me, but I guess that is just cultural differences.

Anyhow, what I have been thinking during the last couple of days and what I'd like to hear opinions on is this: The way big science in China is run is mirroring how people are treated there. It is mass production, exploitation of every opportunity and indifferent to individual beings. Instead of putting money to better the standard of living for every citizen and - from a science view - support individual scientists, money is used to generate high impact publications on a high throughput level.

Should western scientists really collaborate with them?

Or would it not make sense to boycott large scale co-ops, while still collaborating on the personal or group level. This, I think, could generate a lot of leverage, because what the government there is looking for with big science, is of course reputation. It is all about reputation.
Please comment...


Meanwhile in preparation for season 3, Carrie is back with season 1...

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