More Bits and Bobs

More B&B1: Thank you for all your laptop condolences.  The patient is in queue for surgery (after all, we are in England and under the NHS), procedure expected in 5-7 days and, as is true for all modern patients, will be discharged immediately afterwards for recovery at home.  The bill? £515.50 which is, of course, just a bit less than replacement.  Them Apple dudes sure are crafty. And sma-rrt.

For those of you needing a visual:

More B&B2: On Friday, I accompanied Phil Smith on the TSN Wheat Seed Tour through Norfolk.  The challenge presented to over 400 schools was to grow the tallest wheat plant by 12 May 2012. The winners get a trip to the JIC -- John Innes Centre Norwich -- for the Fascination of Plants Day on 18 May 2012.  Among many other activities, microphones will be hooked up to a giant old tree just outside reception at the JIC to listen to the water movement in the phloem and xlyem.   A tree whisperer perhaps?

We hit 11 schools in 7 hours, drove 130 miles, and made contact with over 500 students. We visited an A-levels chemistry class, where the best question was asked: what is the purpose of the task of growing the tallest wheat class?  Ah, the practicality of youth these days...

At a tiny school, 16 students and 2 were absent that day, just outside Sandringham, we saw the best greenhouse ever.

Over 1000 plastic bottles were collected by the students and families to make this greenhouse.
The two vertical green stripes mark the door, on the right side above. The inside is coated in bubble wrap. 

The construction is really quite clever.

The rods are bamboo and screwed into the frame.  The bottoms are cut off the bottles
and they are placed inside each other to create a continuous tube. 

The Norfolk countryside is full of surprises.

An event for the diary.

Normal small english country road. Here I was able to take a picture because of the relatively far line-of-sight.
When we hit the curves, I was too busy shaking and preparing for impact to photograph.
For Phil, this was all in a days' work.

The true meaning of pork.

One school was in a house, kitchen, bedrooms and all, with 52 students from (the equivalent of) K-8. 

Made when the school had 39 students.

More B&B3: Sunday was UK Mother's Day.  Rainy, gray and cold. In honor we walked across town (yes, Alice too wonders why) to see 21 Jump Street.   Alice's favorite movie these days is Moneyball (as in "can we watch Moneyball again?) and 21 is also written by Douglas Young so we were able to convince her to make the trip.

Did not disappoint.  The scene of the two cops entering the high school parking lot undercover and finding that all they knew about HS has changed -- from how backpacks are carried to who is now the cool group -- is priceless. 

Ice Tea is bad ass and John Burroughs alum Ellie Kemper has a delightful comedic word-slip style.


More B&B4:

Today is the spring equinox.  Here it was at 0514 UTC.  Due to drunk enthusiastic man wearing his neon green biking vest singing happily outside the flat, I was awake for this celestial phenomenon.   No, today is not equal day and night.  Quiz later.


More B&BLast:   Anagram for today

I think therefore I am = I fear to think I’m here

Onwards.