Alun Rees

World class?

Use of the term world-class. Usually means one of the following: you are lazy, corrupt, or deluded. Rarely, it means something else that in almost all instances does not need saying. from reestheskin

The Monday Morning Quote #390

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” William Arthur Ward

The Monday Morning Quote #389

“We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness.” Daniel Kahneman, Thinking fast and Slow

The former UK chancellor of the exchequer writing in the FT in a patronising piece about Brexit. (Sept 3rd) “I was a member of the Thatcher government of the 1980s that transformed the British economy, an achievement acknowledged throughout the world at the time.” Like many I acknowledge that the economy was transformed. Like manyContinue reading “Nigel Lawson and hubris”

The Monday Morning Quote #388

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determineContinue reading “The Monday Morning Quote #388”

I am not a physicist but I know one…

The news that three British physicists have been awarded the Nobel prize gives me some pride by distant association, my son is a physicist and understands the field infinitely (though he would probably dispute my use of that word) better than I do. I am trying to reacquaint myself with the subject that I studiedContinue reading “I am not a physicist but I know one…”

Today’s Twitter Rules by Bob Lefsetz

Bob Lefsetz writes the Lefsetz Lettter (compulsive reading for we ageing music fans). Famous for being beholden to no one and speaking the truth, Lefsetz addresses the issues that are at the core of the music business: downloading, copy protection, pricing and the music itself.Never boring, always entertaining, Bob’s insights are fueled by his stintContinue reading “Today’s Twitter Rules by Bob Lefsetz”

The Monday Morning Quote #387

Those who think that just enough is good enough will never fully deliver for themselves nor the team. They must step beyond the comfortable. Frank Dick (via Richard Welbury)

Tales from Phoenix #1 – Orthodontics

Last week I spent two days in Phoenix Arizona at the excellent ConationNation conference organised by Kolbe Corp. The conference was as inspiring and educational as usual and, as ever with these things, one learns much during the breaks. One of the great conversations was with someone who works for a brokerage that sells orthodonticContinue reading “Tales from Phoenix #1 – Orthodontics”

White House Report Concludes That Bite-Mark Analysis Is Junk Science

Don’t shoot the messenger.. THE PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL of Advisors on Science and Technology has concluded that forensic bite-mark evidence is not scientifically valid and is unlikely ever to be validated, according to a draft report obtained by The Intercept. The report, titled “Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods,” is markedContinue reading “White House Report Concludes That Bite-Mark Analysis Is Junk Science”