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Richard Walker

Dad Joke

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I worked for a while designing cul-de-sacs. But then I realised it was a dead end job.
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Richard Walker

Modegreen

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I thought I was buying jellied eels but it turned out to be a special offers on selected jellies.

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Richard Walker

Tim's Drink

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Edited by Richard Walker, Tuesday, 10 Jan 2023, 01:29


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Richard Walker

Exlixir of Life

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At last! After decades of toil in my Alchemical Laboratory, I have found the Elixir of Life.

Turns out to be a thin watery soup, which I’ve named The Holy Gruel.

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Richard Walker

Vicious Circle

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Edited by Richard Walker, Thursday, 5 Jan 2023, 17:53


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Richard Walker

AI Generated Joke

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ChatGTP, an online AI engine, came up with this, which is not bad

Why did the cat join the Red Cross? Because she wanted to be a first-aid kit!

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Richard Walker

The Ice World

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Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.

Robert Frost, Fire and Ice
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44263/fire-and-ice

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Richard Walker

Some Anglo-Saxon Fruits

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Cirse

Peru

Plume

Winberge

Æppel

Blækberie

EhoÞberge



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Richard Walker

Relativity

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Edited by Richard Walker, Wednesday, 21 Dec 2022, 23:13
When you are very young, you change faster than in the world around you,
And for your, time passes slowly.
But when you grow old, the world charges faster than you do,
Now time passes quickly for you.
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Richard Walker

Knock Knock!

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Edited by Richard Walker, Wednesday, 21 Dec 2022, 22:49


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Richard Walker

Knock knock!

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Edited by Richard Walker, Wednesday, 21 Dec 2022, 22:08

Who’s there?

Lenny.

Lenny who?

Lenny snow, Lenny snow, Lenny snow!

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Richard Walker

Whiteout at Duxford Aerodrome

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Richard Walker

Simple Supper

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Smoked Salmon with Tarragon and Lemon Juice dressing.



Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Richard Walker, Wednesday, 21 Dec 2022, 00:19)
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Richard Walker

Ps

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Sorry, 2 got clipped

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Richard Walker

New blog post

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What interesting facts do you notice about how the corners of this cube are numbered?

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Richard Walker

The Explosive History of Hydrogen

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Edited by Richard Walker, Thursday, 15 Dec 2022, 22:16


I've just watched this marvellous lecture, given tonight at the Royal Institution. The speaker was Andrew Szydlo, who is an engaging mix of educator, scholar of the history of science, subject enthusiast, and showman.

The beautiful image above (flames not ghosts!) is one of the many demonstrations in the lecture. This one illustrates how compounds of different chemical elements produce characteristic colours in flames. The lecture made the point, which I'd never thought about before, that this must have been observed for possibly thousands of years, although the substances behind these colours were not understood in terms of elements in the modern sense. That idea has only been around for a couple of hundred years.

To give you an idea of the lecture's scope, it covered, amongst other things: the discovery and recognition of hydrogen as a gas, distinct from air; its connection with water, which gives it its name "Water producer"; ways of producing hydrogen; its use in ballooning and how then R101 disaster destroyed that dream; its use in rocketry that sends satellites up into orbit; its explosive properties when mix with oxygen; the discovery of gaseous diffusion; the role of hydrogen in the revelling of spectral lines; its seminal role in the beginning of quantum physics is; pH and acidity of fruits; and the fact that 78% of the universe is Hydrogen, first discovered by the brilliant Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.

To find the YouTube video, just Google The Explosive History of Hydrogen Royal Institution.

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Richard Walker

A sonnet on cheese

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I asked an AI Bot to write me a sonnet on cheese in the style of William Shakespeare and this is what I got.

Oh, cheese of creamy goodness, fair and fine Thou art the source of endless gustatory delight Thy savory flavor, a symphony divine Makes every taste bud dance with pure joy and excite

In thy texture, oh cheese, so rich and smooth Thou art the queen of all culinary arts Thy melted form, a culinary treasure to behold Thou bringest joy to the heart of cheese lovers and food connoisseurs alike

Thy variety, oh cheese, is truly staggering From cheddar to gorgonzola, brie to feta Thou art the star of many a fine dining And the perfect companion to a crisp glass of wine

Oh cheese, thou art the soul of many a dish

Thy flavour and texture, a culinary bliss.

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Richard Walker

F. D. C. Williard

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F. D. C. Williard was a cat whose scientific papers were published internationally. 

Williard was a Siamese  owned by Jack H. Hetherington. Hetherington wanted to publish some of his work, but discovered that his journal of choice had a policy that papers with single authors must write in the first person singular, "i" , and not research to the author as "we".

This was in 1975 and the task of retyping the manuscripts would have been formidable at that time.So Hetherington decided to add his cat Chester as co-author, under the nom de plume F. D. C. Williard. The paper was published and F. D. C. Williard became quite celebrated, publishing a paper as sole author, and often being mentioned by other scientists in footnote, where they thanked please invaluable contributions to the discussion etc etc.

You can read all about this notable cat here.

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Richard Walker

A Robin On My Doorstep

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Richard Walker

One of me poems

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In days long lost
I scorned the frost
Because I felt so hardy.

But now I’m old
I feel the cold
And huddle in my cardie.
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Richard Walker

A ruthless rhyme

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A ruthless rhyme by Harry Graham

Little Willie, full of glee,
Put radium in grandma’s tea.
Now he thinks it quite a lark
To see her shining in the dark.

More to follow

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Richard Walker

New blog post

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This is something I read a long time ago, I can’t remember where. Someone spotted a sign that read 

Loose Alsatians

and wondered did it mean

1. Alsatians roaming freely.

2. Sexually incontinent outstations.

3. Alsatians with poor bowel control.

4. A demand that Alsatians be released from captivity.

5. Alsatians for sale in arbitrary numbers, not pre-bagged.

And I suppose we might add

6. Floppy Alsatians.

Permalink 1 comment (latest comment by Darren Menachem Drapkin, Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022, 17:43)
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Richard Walker

Interview with the Adventurous Chicken

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Interviewer: Adventurous Chicken, why did you cross the road?

Adventurous Chicken: Because it was there. Plus, someone had to do it.

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Richard Walker

Mixed metaphor

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“That’s a whole Pandora’s box of worms you’ve opened up.”

Permalink 1 comment (latest comment by Richard Walker, Wednesday, 30 Nov 2022, 21:07)
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Richard Walker

New blog post

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Medieval glass surviving in the church at Wimpole Cambs.


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