Carmen Gets Around

Good morning all, I trust you had a lovely weekend?

Yesterday, I attended the Science Online Conference at the Royal Institution. It was a proper bo blast. For up-to-date info, and other people’s take on it, please visit #solo09. I also recommend Eva’s blog on it here, where she also has links to some photo’s on Flickr (you’ll find one of me if you look carefully!)

More blogs keep popping up, please check out the following links:
>>Cotch.net – also has loads of great photo’s
>>Martin Fenner’s Gobbledygook on Nature Network – he has actually listed loads of great blogs on #solo09 so do tak a ganders!
>>Dr Jim has written a very decent write up of his day out. It’s a shame we did not meet at the event!

[I will gradually add to this list over the next few days as more people publish their blogs!]

Jackofkent and Petra Boynton kicked off the day with a fantastic talk on the ethical and legal aspects of blogging. For legal reasons, there was no Second Life or live blogging permitted, but it was useful and informative. I believe they will be posting the powerpoint presentation at some point, I’ll enclose it as soon as they do.

Ed Yong, Henry Scowcroft, Paolo Viscardi and Simon Frantz led an excellent discussion on using blogs via science institutions and organisations.

Arfon Smith and Mike Peel also gave a wonderful talk on getting the public involved in updating science websites, click on their names for details of what they do. It was bloody exciting.

My only gripe about the day was the lack of air conditioning.

I got to meet the same great bloggers that attend Skeptics in the Pub, as well as some new ones, including the mysterious “Gimpy”…

Gimpy – natural or supernatural? ***EXPOSED***

Below is a photo I took of Gimpy with his arm around my friend, Edd. Edd is on the right. If you look carefully, you can see that there is a floating orb where Gimpy should be. This kept happening all day, only my camera has now apparently been completely wiped, spooky eh? Luckily, I managed to upload this image onto Twitter straight away.

Gimpy's image appears to have been replaced with a glowing orb...

I’ve had a look online and it seems that I am not the only one who has noticed this. Here is an artists interpretation of the Luminiferous Ether that we have come to know as “Gimpy”:

Is this Gimpy?

I’m a sensible person, but isn’t it funny how no-one’s ever seen Gimpy and Count Dracula in the same room at the same time???

I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

The truth is out there.