Mike White

Real Victorian Pubs

If you’re inspired by our recent renovations here, check out the Campaign for Real Ale’s historic pub interiors.

Just looking at the photos has me craving a drink.

If I read the words ’emergent properties’ one more time today…

… in a developmental biology paper, I’m going to have to start breaking things.

This is almost as bad as referring to the collection of genomic data as the “canonical ensemble” approach. (FYI, Wikipedia: “canonical ensemble”)

I would like to know, when is a response to a morphogen gradient not considered an emergent property?

Neanderthals, extinction, the apocalypse

After a lengthy hiatus, I’m about to kick my survey of post-apocalyptic science fiction into gear again. Before I do so, I’m reposting my original rationale for reading post-apocalyptic sci-fi:

What does the Neanderthal genome have to with post-apocalyptic science fiction? It may seem like odd inspiration, but Neanderthals have aroused my interest in one of the most venerable genres of science fiction. Last summer I was awaiting the release of The Road movie, reading a piece of classic post-nuclear sci-fi (John Wyndham’s 1955 The Chrysalids), and thinking about some recent news stories on the (then) forthcoming Neanderthal genome sequence. Continue reading “Neanderthals, extinction, the apocalypse”

David Brin: read these to have sci-fi bragging rights

I’m a sucker for lists of good sci-fi. David Brin puts out a big one, with categories:

But now let’s try something much more ambitious — a bigger, broader reading compilation. This is still just a sampler – for something comprehensive, see the Science Fiction Encyclopedia or the user-friendly Worlds Without End. But any person who has read all the books and stories and authors noted here (and I admit they are heavy on “classics”) can come away with bragging rights to say: “I know something about science fiction.”

For this list I divide the novels authors and stories in my own quirky manner , according to categories…

Of the books on the list, I’ve read ~25, and I have a roughly equal number of unread ones piling up on my bookshelf.

I have to object to his recommendation to read “anything at all by Poul Anderson.” Having read three, Vault of the Ages, Twilight World, and The Winter of the World, I’m not impressed.