Word of the day
scheepsbouwkunde ship building studies (aka maritime engineering). De scheepbouwkunde is niet net als zo de schaapsbouwkunde.
Showing posts with label academia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label academia. Show all posts
10 March 2009
Lecture series fin
Our long international nightmare is over
The lecture series at the VU wrapped up monday. I think it went well. We wound up with 7 students and three faculty. I got through diffraction tomography and the ISAM stuff and have at least one active collaboration now and possibly a second.
19 February 2009
Thank you Georgia
Yee-haw!
I would like to thank the people of Georgia,and the CSA more broadly, for making my point from the last post about sex education and crazy Americans.
Please let me stay
Gads I love it here.
Last night, somewhere around Leidshendam, as I was heading home at a medium-to-brisk-level effort of about 27 kph, I picked up a drafter. Now, it's not like in a car where a tailgater is an annoyance, having someone draft helps both parties and without a real change in effort I was rolling along at 29 kph. We went for a couple of km and then the guy pulled out and passed... on a mountain bike, wearing a pair of jeans and a bulky winter coat. He said something to me like "I'm late," and gave me the universally understood head nod that I should drop in behind him. Then he picks it up to 32kph and we go for another couple of km. Then he starts to fall off a bit and I pull out and pass and start really flying (ok, flying for a fully loaded commuter and a mountain bike) at 33-34 kph. We held it there, trading pulls, all the way to Leiden. Just before he pealed off, the other rider pulled up next to me, clearly spent, said he was home and we thanked each other for the help.
This might have been unusual, but it's nice to think that I'm living somewhere that an ordinary civilian would understand how to run a two-man breakaway and, when running late, would look out on the path for a quick moving rider to partner up with and simply expect that a quick nod of the head would bring everyone into agreement that, ok, it's time to haul ass. Wow.
I would like to thank the people of Georgia,and the CSA more broadly, for making my point from the last post about sex education and crazy Americans.
Please let me stay
Gads I love it here.
Last night, somewhere around Leidshendam, as I was heading home at a medium-to-brisk-level effort of about 27 kph, I picked up a drafter. Now, it's not like in a car where a tailgater is an annoyance, having someone draft helps both parties and without a real change in effort I was rolling along at 29 kph. We went for a couple of km and then the guy pulled out and passed... on a mountain bike, wearing a pair of jeans and a bulky winter coat. He said something to me like "I'm late," and gave me the universally understood head nod that I should drop in behind him. Then he picks it up to 32kph and we go for another couple of km. Then he starts to fall off a bit and I pull out and pass and start really flying (ok, flying for a fully loaded commuter and a mountain bike) at 33-34 kph. We held it there, trading pulls, all the way to Leiden. Just before he pealed off, the other rider pulled up next to me, clearly spent, said he was home and we thanked each other for the help.
This might have been unusual, but it's nice to think that I'm living somewhere that an ordinary civilian would understand how to run a two-man breakaway and, when running late, would look out on the path for a quick moving rider to partner up with and simply expect that a quick nod of the head would bring everyone into agreement that, ok, it's time to haul ass. Wow.
30 January 2009
Another inauguration
A bell rang and a professor got his puffy hat
Today I went to the inauguration of a friend of a friend. This inauguration was for a professorship. Here making full professor is a much bigger thing than in the States. It is comparable to getting an endowed chair in the US.
So Franz, a boyhood friend of my friend Taco, today gave his inaugural address for his professorship in the history of science at the University of Leiden. It was lovely and I even understood about a third of the talk. Unfortunately it was not a continuous third, but more like every third word. There was a nice party after the talk.
Today I went to the inauguration of a friend of a friend. This inauguration was for a professorship. Here making full professor is a much bigger thing than in the States. It is comparable to getting an endowed chair in the US.
So Franz, a boyhood friend of my friend Taco, today gave his inaugural address for his professorship in the history of science at the University of Leiden. It was lovely and I even understood about a third of the talk. Unfortunately it was not a continuous third, but more like every third word. There was a nice party after the talk.
Killer ducks update
So the killer ducks from the last post are coots. Thanks Linda! A collection of coots, when u spreekt Amerikaanse, is a cover. Beware the cover of coots.
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