Aug
16
2011
If it’s daylight look around you, at everything illuminated by the sun. If it’s during the night look out at the starlight, filtering down from so far away. If you’re indoors look at the light bulbs and monitor screens as they pour light out into the room. Now for a moment think about light, …
Mar
14
2011
Between October 2005 and April 2009 I ran 3119 miles. This is an average of about 17 miles each week, with a maximum of 54.6 and a minimum of zero. I know this because I am not just a geek but a thorough geek. Every time I ran I would record the distance and …
Aug
30
2010
So I’m off to Nepal in a few days. The excitement has been building ever since I got my tickets. I’ve never been to that corner of the world before. Having read a fair bit about Nepal now, I know it’s going to be like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Sure going to France or …
Jul
07
2010
The most surprising number I’ve seen in mathematics is deeply connected with the notions of randomness and dimensionality. The first two numbers in the series that lead to this number are: 1, 1. So far so easy, one is a pretty straightforward number. To begin, I’ll reveal where these two ones come from. Imagine a …
Jun
22
2010
I woke up before my Alarm sounded, about 4:50am. Despite the very warm day ahead, it was quite cold in the early morning. I managed to get myself a cup of tea and a granola bar for my breakfast. Doesn’t seem like much but I knew my stomach would be unhappy during the swim if …
Apr
24
2010
The final publication of my PhD was accepted into Nature Physics and was also selected as the front cover article. My contribution to this publication was in setting up and running the experiment alongside optimising the experiment parameters and processing the data. In a nutshell, the result of the paper is the first demonstration of …
Nov
03
2009
Just came across this whilst looking through some old photos. It’s an image from my undergraduate project. It was made using a Spatial Light Modulator – a device which is essentially a programmable hologram. By using a computer I could make laser light reflecting from it form whatever shapes I wanted. As you can see …
Aug
18
2007
Losing a day today. Normally I would get out in the rain no matter what. Wanted to get a long cycle in but it’s been raining non-stop all day. Managed to get out last week for a three hour ride (~75km) despite the rain. It was my first wet weather road cycling experience. I can’t …
Aug
06
2007
What a bike! I hear you all cry. Yes, I now have a lovely new road bike. It took it to Arran with Alan for its first ride. An undulating 100km in 4 hours isn’t bad for a first ride. Although my backside paid the price. I couldn’t sit in the saddle for a few …
Aug
06
2007
Through various parties pulling out, the team that eventually took part was “Norfolk & Chance”, consisting of Anne, David and myself. Another great weekend this year (with weather to match). Norfolk & Chance made their way around the entire course in 11 hours. We covered most of Edinburgh and some of the Pentlands with kayaking, …