Tag Archives: Humour

On the Joys of vim-like Browsing

Reflections on Pointlessness

One of the great delights in this life is pointless optimisation. Point-ful optimisation has its place of course; it is right and proper and sensible, and, well, useful, and it also does, when first achieved, yield considerable satisfaction. But I have found I soon adjust to the newly more efficient (and equally drab) normality, and so the spell fades quickly.

Not so with pointless optimisation. Pointless optimisation, once attained, is a preternaturally persistent source of joy that keeps on giving indefinitely. Particularly if it involves acquiring a skill of some description; if the task optimised is frequent; and if the time so saved could not possibly compensate for the time and effort sunk into the optimisation process. Words cannot convey the triumph of completing a common task with hard-earned skill and effortless efficiency, knowing full-well it makes no difference whatsoever in the grand scheme of things.

Continue reading →

Cosmology via Structural Biology and Half-Lives of Teaspoons: Bizarre Papers from Around the Internet

I don’t know if anyone out there shares this peculiar hobby of mine (God, I hope not!), but I often find myself scouring the depths of the internet for some truly bizarre academic papers. Though there is an endless supply of such content to keep one entertained (read: distract yourself during those afternoons you planned to be productive but ended up succumbing to the lunch food coma), I’ve managed to compile a short list of the most fascinating ones for your enjoyment!

  • The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute (Lim et al, 2005, BMJ, doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1498)

This fantastic and robust study examines the enigmatic phenomenon of disappearing teaspoons in a shared kitchen—an issue of acute importance to all of us who rely on these tiny utensils. The authors reveal the shocking truth about teaspoons’ shockingly short half-life in research institutes. The question remains: does this phenomenon extend to other cutlery as well?

Continue reading →

Pigs in the Parks: OPIG Social 28JUL2020

Tuesday afternoon normally heralds Group Meeting, the precious hour of the week where we gather on Zoom to hear about recently published papers, dissect each other’s research and, most importantly, bicker about appropriate usage of the servers. Knowing that Fergus B was on holiday this week and that a Group Meeting devoid of SLURM-inspired ranting would have felt strangely empty, it was instead decided that now was the time for the first in-person group social since the lockdown began in March.

Struggling to adapt to not being able to turn off Mic and Webcam – how on earth did we manage like this all the time before?!
Continue reading →