THE PSYCHOPATH TEST
The Psychopath Test is one of my favourite Popular Science books. Jon Ronson’s writing style is interesting and accessible; he covers unusual topics and brings them to an audience who might otherwise
Category Archives: Science Lady
NEW IMMIGRATION RULES FOR NON-EU CITIZENS
NEW IMMIGRATION RULES FOR NON-EU CITIZENS
It’s been a week in which I’ve wanted to write on lots of topics that have been reported in the media – and I don’t have time to do it all. But there are a few things that are
YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG
YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG
I have received this piece of feedback a number of times in the past, along with variations on the same theme: “you’re not doing anything wrong”. This is often followed by “but….”
500 WORDS OR DIE
500 WORDS OR DIE
I’ve recently had a lull in output, and so I’ve set myself a target to deal with it. Some of the Ph.D-ers I follow on Twitter set themselves goals of a certain number of words per day, and
9/11 CONSPIRACIST DEBATE
9/11 CONSPIRACIST DEBATE
Recently I attended the type of event that I wouldn’t usually go to – but I heard about it from a friend of a friend, and it sounded interesting (more on this shortly), and it got me out
WOMEN ASKING QUESTIONS
WOMEN ASKING QUESTIONS
I attend a lot of public talks (usually of a scientific and skeptical nature), and frequently most of the audience questions come from men. It’s been noted that more women attend the talks in
SMILING
SMILING
This is a difficult topic to write authoritatively on, because it’s not my area of expertise, and the only knowledge I have of it is a few pop sci articles and my own experience. So this should
ENCOURAGING WOMEN INTO ENGINEERING
MALE & FEMALE BRAINS
MALE & FEMALE BRAINS
One of the things I got to do during my solitary Christmas was watch a lot of videos on YouTube. A favourite channel of mine is TEDx Talks, partly because I’d really like to do one myself one
BEING BUSY VS. BEING CHALLENGED
BEING BUSY VS. BEING CHALLENGED
I’ve had the unfortunate experience of working on a team that’s understaffed. The company was taking on more work than we had people to perform it, and we were all stretched way beyond the
ART & ENGINEERING
ART & ENGINEERING
Recently, there were calls for engineers to consider the arts in their work. I think this is great, as it forces us to consider the wider implications of our work and introduces the public to the beauty
MANCHESTER ARMCHAIR PHILOSOPHERS – WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?
MANCHESTER ARMCHAIR PHILOSOPHERS – WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?
I previously posted about one of my trips to Chorlton to engage the locals in debate at the Manchester Armchair Philosophers group.The group is set up for people to discuss topical (or not) matters,
KARMA
KARMA
The recent comments by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on women’s ‘superpowers’ remind me of being taken on for my last engineering role. With great expectations of managing my own team
CLIMATE CHANGE & POPULATION GROWTH
CLIMATE CHANGE & POPULATION GROWTH
I receive updates from ASHRAE regularly, and I noticed a link to an interesting article in the New York Times – Reducing Carbon by Curbing Population. The article rightly points out that much
MANCHESTER ARMCHAIR PHILOSOPHERS – CENSORSHIP
MANCHESTER ARMCHAIR PHILOSOPHERS – CENSORSHIP
I attend the Manchester Armchair Philosophers group, and we meet once a month at the Royal Oak in Chorlton to discuss a preselected topic. The topics are varied, and often unconventional. This month’s