A few photos from Founder’s Feast …

Heading off to my Viva ...

Yesterday was one of the last steps on my journey to earn my doctorate!  I had my viva and it went well.  I have two weeks to make my minor corrections and return the finalized document.  So, I am that much closer to be done!

Before the Viva …

After the Viva …

Just wanted to update quickly … it has been a busy last week or so. I have been working hard at College to get all of the new students settled. Plus, we are trying to sell as much stuff as possible before our vacation.

Too much to do … too little time!

Behind the scenes with Leno:

I have to say that it was great to see Leno on Top Gear because he is one of the world’s greatest motorheads and, as I have written before, his garage is simply amazing.  To the amazement of the British audience, Jeremy Clarkson read out a portion of Leno’s collection … Read more »

As of about 1p today, when I handed the copies into the Exam Schools, I officially finished with the writing part … all this is left now is to have my viva and make any needed corrections.  For those who are interested, here is the title and official abstract:

Science collection, exhibition, and display in public museums in Britain from World War Two through the 1960s

Science and technology is regularly featured on radio, in newspapers, and on television, but most people only get firsthand exposure to ‘cutting-edge’ technologies in museums and other exhibitions.  During this period, the Science Museum was the only permanent national presentation of science and technology.  Thus, it is important to acknowledge the Museum’s history and the socio-political framework in which it operated.  Understanding the delays in the Museum’s physical development is critical, as is understanding the gradual changes in the Museum’s educational provision, audience, and purpose.  While the Museum was the main national exhibition space, the Festival of Britain in 1951 also provided a platform for the presentation of science and technology and was a statement of Britain’s place within the new post-War world.  Specifically, within its narrative, the Festival addressed the relationship between the arts and the sciences and the influence of science and technology on daily life.  Another example of the presentation of science was the quest for a planetarium in London – a story that involves the Science Museum, entrepreneurs, and Madame Tussauds.  Comparing the Museum’s efforts with successful planetarium schemes isolates several of the Museum’s weaknesses – for example, the lack of consistent leadership and the lack of administrative and financial freedom – that are touched on throughout the work.  Since most of this history is unknown, this work provides a fundamental basis for understanding the Museum’s current position, for making connections and comparisons that can apply to similar problems at other institutions, and for learning lessons from the struggles that can, in turn, be applied to other institutions.

Also, for those who care, I am posting PDFs … the Short Abstract and Table of Contents and the Long Abstract.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is suing Denny’s for the amount of salt in its food … so, here some of are the numbers:

• Clam Chowder: 1,822 mg
• Smokin’ Q Three Pack appetizer: 3,520 mg
• Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt with regular fries: 4,120 mg (with seasoned fries: 4,880 mg)
• Moons Over My Hammy (ham, egg, and cheese sandwich) – no sides: 2,580 mg (+650 mg for hash browns or +840 mg for grits)
• Super Bird sandwich with regular fries: 2,610 mg
• Meat Lover’s Scramble: 5,690 mg

(Btw, the CDC says that you should not eat more than 1,700 mg of sodium per day.) Read more »

This is a great clip … quite hilarious!

Joyce’s Ulysses was set 105 years ago today!

Happy Bloomsday!

According to some recent news, wine has outperformed the stock market over the last decade – to the tune of an 11% average annual return.  Additionally, the market has matured greatly over the last few years and it has its own index, the Liv-Ex 100.  Unfortunately, despite the claims of the Liv-Ex, it is heavily biased towards French wine (in Jan ‘09 – Bordeaux – Red = 91.33%; Bordeaux – White = 1.04%; Burgundy = 3.49%; Champagne = 3.32%; Rhone = 0.19%; and Italy = 0.63%) and does not deal with en primeur prices.  Therefore, it only includes the most expensive and widely held wines (plus, the focus on France means that it deals mainly with established wineries that have established followings of dealers and collectors).  Finally, to access the data, you have to pay and it is not cheap … lowest level of membership for management of a cellar is £49.95 per year.

Then again, investing in liquid assets (not just wine, but also whisky) is not as easy as investing in many other forms.  It has some drawbacks: Read more »

Martha Mason, who was one of our neighbors while we lived in Lattimore, has recently passed away.  She was the only person in the Southeastern USA that still lived in an iron lung and a world-record holder, having survived in the iron lung for 60 years.

She had been in the machine since she was 11 because of polio.  While in it, she graduated from high school and went to college – all from inside the 800-pound machine.  She graduated from Wake Forest University with Phi Beta Kappa honors and wrote her memoirs, “Breath, Life in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung”, using a voice-activated computer.

Throughout her whole life, she worked with Rotary to eradicate polio and how to live above the disease – the goal of her life!