London
lborkowski | December 29, 2015During the holiday season, Kim, Liz and I are taking a short break from blogging. We are posting some of our favorite posts from the past year. Here’s one of them, originally posted on March 16, 2015:
by Liz Borkowski, MPH
In 2003, the city of London took a dramatic step in the battle against traffic congestion: It implemented a congestion charge of £5 for those driving private vehicles into an eight-square-mile central congestion zone on weekdays between 7am and 6:30pm. The fees were increased twice, and since 2011 have stood at £10. Drivers purchase day passes online, and a camera network…
oracknows | September 6, 2015This is a public service announcement—with skepticism. Orac needs a recharge:
Some of you might have seen it alluded to in the comments that I am on vacation this week. It is true, although it's not entirely a vacation. Basically, I was invited by a collaborator to give a talk at a two-day conference at Imperial College London, and my wife and I decided to make a vacation of it. What this means is that, depending upon my mood and the amount of time I have, there might or might not be new material this week. Worst case scenario, there will be reruns. Of course, if you're relatively new to…
aardvarchaeology | April 4, 2015Got back last night from a six-day stay in London with wife & daughter. YuSie had rented a flat in Southwark for us via Air BnB, so we had a good base of operations. I fell ill with a bad cold halfway through our stay, which explains the complete lack of museum visits and rock gigs, but I still managed to do some fun stuff. (Left to their own devices, it turns out, the ladies will sleep late, eat big meals, shop for clothes and ride buses for fun.)
Outsiders in London portrait photo exhibition in the crypt of St Martin in the Fields. Lovely work, interesting subjects, and I had a long…
lborkowski | March 16, 2015In 2003, the city of London took a dramatic step in the battle against traffic congestion: It implemented a congestion charge of £5 for those driving private vehicles into an eight-square-mile central congestion zone on weekdays between 7am and 6:30pm. The fees were increased twice, and since 2011 have stood at £10. Drivers purchase day passes online, and a camera network and a license-plate-recognition system allow for enforcement and penalty collection. Motorcycles, bicycles, taxis, and buses are exempt from the charges.
An essential aspect of London's system is that it invests the revenue…
pgleick | March 11, 2013In a previous post here, I discussed the scourge of cholera – a waterborne disease largely vanquished in the wealthier nations by our water and wastewater treatment systems. Unfortunately, it remains widespread and lethal. Cholera is perhaps the most common and serious water-related disease, directly associated with the failure to provide safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to billions of people. Millions – mostly young children – die unnecessary deaths each year from these diseases.
This week is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the man who would help settle, once and for all,…
ddobbs | June 11, 2010Â
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A clever fellow named Eric Fischer tapped Flickr geotag data to map where locals and tourists take photos in major cities. Above -- the wiggly Thames declares it instantly to lovers of this city -- is London, where I'm moving (for a time, anyway) in just a few weeks. Blue denotes photos taken by locals, red by tourists. H/t Ferris Jabr, BoingoBoingo, and Kottke
laelaps | April 21, 2010
In a clip from the recent BBC program Museum of Life, visitors to London's Natural History Museum try to identify what kind of animal Megatherium was. Paleo fans will know it as one of the largest ground sloths to have ever lived (as well as one of the first to be described), but if I didn't know that and had no background in paleo, I might think it was a dinosaur, too!
grrlscientist | February 27, 2010tags: comedy, humor, funny, fucking hilarious, birds, streaming video
This particular exhibit is a living art piece made up of 40 zebra finches jamming on electric guitars and cymbals at the Barbican, in London. The artist, Boursier-Mougenot creates a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other musical instruments. As the birds go about their routine activities, perching on or feeding from the various pieces of equipment, they create a captivating, live soundscape.
This video is cute, because it shows a female zebra finch, building a nest on the…
bioephemera | May 10, 2009
We all know some cities "feel" smaller than others. But this set of subway maps presented at the same scale makes the differences obvious.
Just for fun, I made this image layering four of maps from major world cities in red, black, gold, and blue. Recognize the cities? Answer after the fold. . .
Sizewise, the winner here is London, shown in red. New York, in black, is a close second. The much less complex gold-green pattern is Washington, DC - note that it only approaches the size of New York and London because of the long spindly commuter line reaching north into Maryland. And that dense…
grrlscientist | October 23, 2008tags: London England, London Zoo, sciblog, zoological gardens, travel
Entrance, London Zoo.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view].
After a leisurely morning walk through part of London's Regents Park, Bob O'Hara and I then spent the rest of the day at the London Zoo.
The London Zoo is quite proud of their environmentally-friendly facilities, and they have a sign near the main entrance that describes their water conservation project;
Sign near zoo entrance describing the zoo's water conservation project.
London Zoo.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view…
grrlscientist | October 22, 2008tags: London England, London's Regents Park, sciblog, performing arts, travel
Water Fountain in London's Regents Park.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view].
The next morning, it was cool and cloudy -- a nice break from the heat and humidity of the previous few days. So my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll through London's Regents Park on our way to the London Zoo.
We spent the early morning hours at a McDonald's near the hostel where we were staying, drinking coffee and using their free wifi to check email and publish essays on our blogs.…
grrlscientist | October 21, 2008tags: London England, London's Globe Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, performing arts, travel
A duel of the drummers at London's Globe Theatre.
Image: GrrlScientist, 1 September 2008 [larger view].
The day after Nature's European ScienceBlogging Conference had concluded, I set out to photograph the city with my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara, and then to attend a play at the Globe Shakespeare Theatre. This photoessay details our Globe Theatre experience.
After roaming around London, taking photographs and drinking beers at a variety of historical pubs, Bob and I walked across…
grrlscientist | October 20, 2008tags: London England, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Dickens, photoessay, travel
Entrance to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of the oldest pubs in London.
There is a sign to the right of the entrance that names all the kings and
queens who reigned during this pub's existence.
Image: GrrlScientist, 1 September 2008 [larger view].
The day after Nature's European ScienceBlogging Conference had ended (I am still working on those photoessays and blog entries), I set out with my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara, to photograph London and then to attend a play at the Globe Shakespeare Theatre. This…
grrlscientist | February 29, 2008tags: Frozen Trafalgar Square, streaming video
Do you remember how I posted a streaming video Frozen in Time at Grand Central Station? Well, apparently, another volunteer improv squad has done the same thing in London. Inspired by improv everywhere and made a reality by 100's of volunteers. At exactly 3:30pm on a secret cue, almost everyone in Trafalgar Square froze. The few bewildered tourists didn't know what was happening. For 5 minutes the participants held their positions, and then magically everyone unfroze. [2:37]
oracknows | August 31, 2007Sadly, I won't be in London for 10 more days. Consequently, I'll be missing something really cool that'll be happening a mere couple of blocks down the street where I'm staying now:
I did, however, purchase a nice cast metal replica of the TARDIS at this shop, the Stamp Centre, which seems to carry a lot of science fiction stuff (particularly Doctor Who paraphernalia) as well as stamps. It's a bit of an odd combination, but it works. In any case, the TARDIS will grace either my desk or my bookshelf.
For those of you who live in London or who will be in London on September 10, though, you…