randform

A reader called baxter asked about my current stove.

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A reader called Hein Kleist wrote:

I find it a little dangerous that you suggest to let problematic banks go bankrupt! Don’t you know that the collapse of Lehman Brothers almost destroyed the world financial system? There could be a chain reaktion of an unknown size!

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The media over here didnt like the fact that the Oscar Academy Awards organizers tried to hide the glamour before the show. Well I dont know how much glamour there is in LA, but on randform there is today!

We usually try to avoid promotions on this blog, however there are exceptions! Annette Dasch – a former school mate from Tim (they actually went together to China with their school orchester) is a new great talented soprano singer, some call her Berlin’s Anna Netrebko. Berliners may also know her from Annettes DaschSalon. She was recently here in munich for promoting her new CD. She even performed some songs together with pianist Martin Stadtfeld, who was also promoting. Here some images from the event in a munich store, which was quite funny.
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Most of scientists will meanwhile probably already know about the current uproar in the french science community. However just in case someone missed it, this blog post here.

The french uproar was not only but partially triggered by a speech by french president Sarkozy, which used not so nice descriptions of scientists. From a nature report:

In a speech on 22 January, as he set out his plans for a national strategy on science and innovation, French president Nicolas Sarkozy lambasted the country’s university system as “infantilizing” and “paralysing for creativity and innovation”. Sarkozy implied that French researchers were fainéants (layabouts) with cushy jobs, and no match for their supposedly more industrious British counterparts.

His speech made even a french fields medallist(website) (the fields medal is a mathematical analogue of the nobel prize) write an open letter in response (Read open letter by Wendelin Werner in Le Monde).

Merci A Elsa pour l’information.

One of my current bosses Jan von Delft sent around an info about – what looks like a top recruiting event for young women in technology. That is top employers like Daimler, Deutsche Bank, Exxon Mobil, Procter & Gamble, Shell, Terex will be waiting for you.

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Recently I had the chance to take part at three workshops. One in London at Imperial College, then a workshop in Goettingen and then a workshop on the island of Langeoog. I don’t know wether I find the time to report about the workshops. At least on my last day in London I made a visit to icy horniman park and some pictures which you may find behind the link.

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A reader called Eve asked:

Hi Nad! You seem to be interested in economy, what do you think about bad banks?

Here my answer.

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In a previous post/comment I suggested that the genetic information about nowadays people and animals may be an important information to store on a long term basis.

In the comment I gave a rough estimation on how much computers would cost to capture DNA sequences, I did not include maintanance etc., i.e. the computation was only intended to give an faint idea about the costs. And of course one could also think about storing e.g. bones or the easy available hair, from which the DNA can be recovered.

The option should be voluntarily, but easily accessible to everyone, so that diversity is maintained. it should contain extra information, like geographical and birth/death-date and so on.

I put the suggestion here in a blog post in case people want to discuss.

All issues of Concrete Quarterly. (from 1949 up to 2008) as PDFs.

(via the cartoonist)

A reader called Ingeborg was asking

>>>”Do you think that teaching did impair your research?”

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