A little story
I had once a little mirror, a magical one. When I starred at it I could see dark spots. There were my fears. There were my worries. There were my bad feelings. I just needed to wipe the mirror and all were gone. Life was so easy. But one day I dropped...
On writing this blog
Science news articles and blogs are about recent discoveries. The materials are available, being the press releases and the original articles. On the other hand, writing a blog about daily life makes that I have to be even more aware than usual of my...
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Edinburgh, a city that celebrates the artists, philosophers and scientists
Edinburgh is a town that celebrates its humanists, its writers, and its scientists instead of his kings, dictators, or war heroes. While visiting together the town, a visitor of mine from Germany pointed to a neo-gothic moment on Princes street, the main...
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Platform 9 ¾
Astronomers travel quite often, either for work or because of the two-body problem. Waiting hours at airports or train stations is pretty common. Most airports are utterly boring architecture-wise but a few old train stations are worth a visit. One day...
Why me? Experiencing discriminations
I am reviewing a book currently available in French only (“Pourquoi pas? L’expérience des discriminations” par François Dubet, Olivier Cousin, Eric Macé, et Sandrine Rui). It should not be too difficult for someone “trained” to review papers, observing...
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A mood for poems
I am a scientist, not at all a skilled writer or poete. When I am in the mood, I still like to give it a try with an astrophysicist's twist, off-course. At the telescope Oh mirror, powerful mirror, what will you let me stare at tonight? The youth of the...
Being a post-doc in a foreign country, the view of a “professional foreigner”
As a child you spend years mastering your language or grasping your culture. It is not surprising that the younger you move to a new country, the easier you can adapt. Children absorb new ideas or new ways of doing things with enthusiasm. They are open...
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What is the most "exclusive hotel” in the world?
My cousin works in luxurious hotels and once he showed me a book about what he thought should be the most exclusive hotels on Earth. Those hotels have incredible architectures, outstanding restaurants, and top-notch service. But still he changed in mind...
Scientific presentation and graphic design
Graphs are central in scientific communication but most scientists are not trained in graphic design. It is therefore not surprising to see a large scale in the quality of the figures and slides that are shown in papers and presentations. The same way...
Two-body, three-body, and N-body problem
I said that I will not talk about astronomical phenomena in this blog but I will do an exception about the so-called two-body problem in academia. Two-body problem exists outside academia and concerns couples with careers that require a physical separation....
