Germany/Switzerland/France

I posted a while ago that I had applied for a few Summer jobs in Germany. Well I got one! I’ll be working in Göttingen in Germany for 6 weeks, then I’ll head to CERN in Switzerland for 5 weeks before heading off to visit family in Greece. What a delightfully eventful summer I’ll have. Thankfully I won’t be sitting around the house or working some mundane job as my brother travels across America.
The actual internship is helping a Ph.D student, Anna, from the University of Göttingen with her work. We’ve been e-mailing each other regularly and she seems very nice. She’s been extremely helpful too! Thanks to her I have accommodation in Göttingen sorted and also a flat in St. Genis, about 5 minutes from CERN.
The program is an academic exchange program called RISE. The organisers have also given me a free 5-journey rail pass for my time in Germany. Everything is all falling into place so well for this trip. I really can’t wait to go.
The only negative is the fact that the LHC, which was scheduled to be running and a major part of my project, won’t turn on until weeks after I’ve left. However I will get a feel for ’sitting in the control room’ according to Anna.
This trip will also give me an opportunity to visit relatives I have in Germany. They’re on my dad’s side so they’re all Greek. It’s going to be good seeing them. Also after I finish at CERN I’ll be heading up to Stuttgart to fly to Thessaloniki to visit my grandparents in Drama in Greece. The plan is to stay with a friend in Basel for a few nights between CERN and Stuttgart as well.
I’ll try and keep this blog updated but it’s going to be a busy summer so I can’t promise anything.
Unfortunately the excitement is very distracting from the very important exams I have in the next couple of weeks. I’ve really got to focus on working hard now.

Protest

Students protesting at the University of Liverpool

After writing before about not having anything to protest, the University of Liverpool gave me a chance.
The new Vice-Chancellor, Sir Howard Newby, has proposed the closure of some academic departments because of poor research ratings. Now I don’t really feel very strongly opposed to his plans per se, but the fact that there has been no consultation with students was quite irksome. The subjects under threat are Philosophy, Politics & Communications, and Statistics. Communications I’m not too bothered about but they and Politics are classed as a single school. I have lots of friends in Politics and a couple in Philosophy so I mainly went to support them and I don’t think there should be any question regarding Statistics.
At first, when we met in the guild (or student’s union), it seemed to be a disappointing turnout. However it just seemed that way because we were at the front. We marched to the Victoria Building, where the Senate meeting to discuss the proposal was being held. The crowd formed around the barriers and the chants began.
“S.O.S! SAVE OUR SUBJECTS!” “When they say ‘cut-back’, we say ‘fight back! Cut-back! Fight back!…” A boy strode into the space with a guitar and sang a song he’d written for the occasion. Spontaneous chants arose from everywhere, crude signs followed. Many were held by staff.
As the Senate members (a large number of whom appeared to be Physics lecturers) made their way through into the building, a man, an unnamed and seemingly knowledgeable Caesar became the arbiter of their reception. As they entered the space in the midst of the protest, he strode to confront them. Those that offered support were given a thumbs up, and the crowd cheered them through. Those that neglected to respond were booed. Loudly. I spoke to a friend who had classes in a building 500 yards away and he could hear the crowd.
It was said afterwards that within the Senate chamber, the V.C. expressed annoyance at the student response, and aimed his annoyance towards a politics lecturer on the Senate. The lecturer encouraged him to listen to the chants, and added that his response was the same.

Apparently the protest had a successful response. The majority of the Senate wanted to vote on the decision there and then, but Sir Howard overrode them, citing that some people had been caught up in the moment and the decision should not be made so rashly. The final vote will be in June, as was originally scheduled.
One of my lecturers today told us how the proposal has been altered now so as to imply that closures are highly unlikely. Unfortunately they will still be up for review, so the fight hasn’t been won, although there are whisperings which suggest that there will be student consultation on the final decision.

One thing that struck me about the protest was the unity between the staff and students in the protest. There were no negative incidents. Everyone supported everyone else and the banter was brilliant.
Happily, I have finally been given the chance to fight for something. It was an exhilarating experience and it felt like we were making a difference. I sort of hope they’ll do something else to rile the student body, if only to have another protest.

Some things that I have listened to recently.

Music is Beautiful!

I’ve been giving more and more of iTunes’ Free ‘Single of the Week’ tunes a chance recently. Back in May last year, one of the songs was Skinny Love by Bon Iver. On the back of that, (and many, many outstanding reviews), I bought the album, For Emma, Forever Ago. It really is terrific. Very folky and very indie while at the same time seeming to not fit exactly anywhere. Sometimes the tunes are rhythm led and other times it’s vocal, and many variations besides. Can’t recommend them enough.
Similary, having been recommended Broadcast 2000 by a friend who shares a similar taste in music to myself, I gave them a crack. The E.P. Building Blocks is delightfully quirky and upbeat. It just makes me smile. You may have heard Get Up And Go on an E-On advert a few months ago and now their tune Run is on the Apple MacBook advert.
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for this long and haven’t mentioned The Dodos. What a band! What an album! Very striking guitar and vocals. I discovered them after listening to some Daytrotter free download tracks and fell in love with Men, which does not appear on the album.
After seeing a friend lend another friend an album called Dear Science I had to hear it! However I forgot about it for about a month until a different friend recommended the opening track and linked the video to me on YouTube. It really is a brilliant record from TV on the Radio and reminds me somewhat of a much funkier Arcade Fire. The only issue is that the first track, (which I just mentioned), Halfway Home, is just simply too good. It sets a standard that the rest of the album can’t reach, though there are many valiant attempts. Still a fantastic album.
I’ve also been turned onto the talents of Belle and Sebastian. Initially by the friend who was being lent Dear Science, but subsequently by Juno, which I have mentioned previously. While I’ve yet to hear a tune to top Piazza, New York Catcher, everything else I’ve heard is not bad to say the least. Such a unique style, endearingly flawed and all the better for it.
Last Autumn, Bloc Party released their third album, Intimacy. Though it took a while to grow on me, I am starting to appreciate it more. It’s still not nearing the levels of their previous albums, but then again I didn’t fall in love with A Weekend In The City til about a year after its release, if not later, so there’s still time. Of course they can produce some outstanding tunes still. And they sound better live than ever!
While I don’t wish to force any of these songs and albums onto anyone, I really do want people to listen to them, because music is beautiful!

What’s been going on?

Well my life is starting to get back into a rhythm. Lectures have started again and I’m so far enjoying most of them. One of my modules is programming and so I’m getting to grips with Java. It’s really quite fun and when the code compiles and the program works, the satisfaction is immense. Speaking of academia, I spent £25 sending application forms off to Germany. What for you ask? Summer placements helping PhD students in various German institutions. I’ve applied to three, because that’s as many as you can. Two are particle physics projects based in Göttingen and one is more interesting, based in Wuppertal, but I’m less likely to get it. It’s “three-dimensional simulation of particle propagation through the Universe.” How cool does that sound? Good luck to me but I fear my lack of experience and keeping myself to myself these past few years will hinder my application.

Since reacquainting myself with Twitter over the Christmas break, I’ve been somewhat addicted to the site. Get involved! Seems pretty pointless I know but it’s also kind of fun. You pick up on trends and just learn many interesting things about many interesting people. Especially since the craze has taken off in the last couple of weeks.

As a relaxing distraction from the exams which I recently had to suffer, I began to rewatch the entire Planet Earth series, narrated by David Attenborough. It brings back just how much of a fantastic feat of film-making the series was. Years and years and years of planning and filming and production went into the final piece. I say piece because it is both a work of art and an exhibition of effort. The diaries segment at the end of each episode is fantastic. It demonstrates just how many people contributed to the series and each episode was like an entire film in itself with an individual cast of animals and places, crew and experts. Truly a remarkable show, and I just hope that in the future, we will see similar undertakings from production companies and particularly the BBC. Speaking of the BBC, I shall be writing my thoughts on this international behemoth of broadcasting soon.

I spent last Wednesday night in Manchester as I went to see Bloc Party playing at the Apollo. They were outstanding. My highlight was the double of Song for Clay and then Banquet, with a heavy wall of sound between them in the middle of the set. I also saw my first Atheist Bus! Woo for free speech!

Finally, my future plans. Being as it’s the majority year of graduation for my age group, most of my friends are finishing university this Summer. However as I have switched courses to the 4-year M.Phys course, I won’t graduate until next year. This had me somewhat in a pickle as there would obviously be a limited amount of people I know staying in Liverpool who I could live with. Luckily one of my closest friends has decided he’s just going to stay in the city and get a job next year, so we’ll be getting a flat in the city centre. Finally I can live my dream of being a true urbanite.

Crappic

I am an Apple fanboy, I’ll readily admit that. Since my mother brought home our first Classic we’ve been an Apple household. I can’t stand PCs but that argument is for another time. Here I’m venting my frustration at Apple, more specifically at an Apple product.
The iPod Classic.

Again my Apple devotion shows, my mother had what I believe was the first iPod on the Isle of Man way back when. A first generation. It had a proper spinning wheel and the controls were situated around the edge of the wheel. It was the size of a cigarette packet and barely had enough room for 1000 songs. I remember borrowing it and taking it into school.

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s an iPod.”

“…”

“It’s like a portable CD player, but the songs are all stored on it.”

“Whoa.” etc.

Various family members have had a slew of iPods since then and I got a lovely 4G one in 2004.  This lasted nearly 4 years before finally giving up the goat and tragically succumbing to an unrepairable sad-faced death just under a year ago. SO I decided to purchase me a shiny new iPod Classic, (hoo boy, 7 years old and already a line of classics). I went for the 80GB model due to my budget and I was duly impressed when it arrived. Slim, stylish, and most importantly functioning. The first thing I noticed when I’d loaded her up with my tunes and turned her on was the slow interface. “Oh well,” I thought, “I’ll get used to it.”
I’ve been using it steadily for nearly a year now and so far had no issues, just got a Bose Sound Dock and a stunning pair of Bose Headphones to enjoy it even more.
But I was using it today and trying to change some trivial setting, and the slow interface really got to me. HOW had I lasted this long without finding myself infuriated at the terrible UI of this thing?! Apple prides itself and its interfaces as simplicity defined. Simplicity doesn’t involve carefully calculating the correct amount of moisture and ensuring the exact angle of your thumb to select the next option down in the menu. Get it wrong, (and you will get it wrong), and you’re at the bottom of the screen – how did that happen? Too careful, or too dry, and nothing happens; the click-wheel hasn’t sensed your thumb. And don’t even get me started on the Cover Flow feature. I remember my initial feeling, had I got a dodgy piece of hardware? But no, a cursory Google search reveals countless instances of the same gripe.
I do hope Apple fixes this at some point, (though I think they will soon start to phase out the Classic iPods in favour of the iPod Touch). Surely a simple firmware update could improve the user experience?
If ever there was a case of form before function then the Classic is it – previously the two weren’t mutually exclusive.
I fear that as Apple grows more ubiquitous and gains market share in all areas, quality control will decline. In the personal computer stakes, they’re still producing absolute quality – my new MacBook is outstanding for example, but with the iPod they have the dominant market share. They don’t need to try so hard anymore, they don’t need to think different.
If this continues, the focus will no longer be on quality products designed with care, but on profits and turning a quick dime.
If ever this happens, I for one will mourn the loss of Apple: the idea.

Viva la Vida

 

How did I mention 2008 music without even a nod to Coldplay’s fantastic album, Viva la Vida (Or Death and all His Friends).

It was a bit of a surprise really, I found it to be rather different from their previous albums and the theme of the album was very noticeable. It did take a few listens to grow on me but after a while, I was hooked. A pseudo-instrumental opener (there was some background wailing) set the tone very well. The subsequent tracks did a brilliant job of showcasing the enormous talent that Coldplay have at their disposal. Vocally and musically this album has surpassed their back-catalogue. All in all very impressive I thought.

The top 20 albums of last year, as most played by me.

1 – Radiohead – In Rainbows
2 – Muse – Black Holes And Revelations
3 – Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
4 – Jamie T – Panic Prevention
5 – The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
6 – Muse – Absolution
7 – Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
8 – Bloc Party – A Weekend In the City
9 – Athlete – Vehicles & Animals
10 – Athlete – Tourist
11 – Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
12 – The Young Knives – Superabundance
13 – The Young Knives – Voices Of Animals & Men
14 – Kings of Leon – Because of the Times
15 – Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
16 – The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
17 – Muse – Origin of Symmetry
18 – Editors – An End Has A Start
19 – Radiohead – OK Computer
20 – Foals – Antidotes

Only one of these albums was actually released last year, but they’re just the ones I listened to most according to last.fm.  The album that was from 2008, The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow is outstanding.  I’d disregarded Elbow as fairly average having briefly heard their previous work.  However I accidentally caught a song from TSSK and was hooked.  I gave their back-catalogue another chance and I was very impressed.  Shame I wasn’t so open-minded in the first place.  Luckily I got to see them play live in October and they were superb.  Guy Garvey is excellent at crowd banter!

Decemberism

So for Christmas I was blown away by my family.  My mum got me a Bose speaker set for my iPod, my step-dad got me the expensive headphones I’ve wanted for a couple of years, and my dad gave me money.  Siblings bought me the trainers I asked for too.  However these were all overshadowed by my completely unexpected 21st birthday present.  It isn’t my birthday for another month, but I go back to university before then.  So we were sat at the dinner table and we’d just finished eating when my mum casually voices her disbelief that I will be 21 in no time at all.  She signals my brother innocuously to go get something but I don’t take much notice.  Then 30 seconds later she tells me that she wanted to give me my present now, while I was still home, and my brother hands me this package.  I start to open it and the first thing I see is the iLife logo. “Surely not”, I think, “she can’t have.” But there it is. A brand new MacBook. It was so out of the blue it’s unbelievable. My old Powerbook was dying yes but still, she really didn’t have to. I can’t thank her enough.

Onwards, tonight I watched Juno, a film I’d heard a lot about, mostly positive, with one exception. I have to say I thought it was brilliant. The dialogue was fantastic and the characters were tremendous, and very well-portrayed. Ellen Page was great as Juno and Michael Cera, he of such brilliance in Arrested Development, though limited in screen time, was outstanding as ever. There was also a supporting role for another of my favourite actors, also from Arrested Development: Jason Bateman. The film evoked quite a sense of nostalgia for me. In terms of setting, the film was quite alien to me, and yet it reminded me a lot of when I was younger, my friends and their influence on me around that age, the (relative) ease of school life, stuff you do when you’re 16. It might be because I still retrospectively view the year I was 16 as probably the best of my life so far, but I think it’s just the sense of heart that the film has.

Our great war.

Students and youth protesters in Greece have brought the country to a near standstill over the past couple of weeks.  They’re angry about a lot of things.  They’re angry about the killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos by police.  He was just 15 years old.  They’re angry about the government, they claim it’s corrupt, and it probably is.  They’re angry about the unemployment rate.  Like I say, they’re angry.  But these are further manifestations of a latent excitability within the Greek mindset.  There were violent demonstrations in 1973 which eventually led to the overthrow of the dictatorship in the country.  In 1985 a boy was shot.  This too led to rioting and general discontent.  It triggered a long-running schism between the police and the youth in Greece, the mistrust remains today.

I listened to a documentary today concerning the student uprising of May 1968 in Paris.  It told of the way students decided that they wanted something and they did something about it.  Something big enough to get noticed around the world.  The violence between the police and the students of Paris and the Sorbonne was witnessed across the globe.  Students all over Europe were quick to demonstrate solidarity, with strikes being held at universities throughout.  The narrator told how “the world looked on with a mixture of: incredulity; horror; but for some students, exhilaration, they knew whose side they were on.”

I understand what he means by exhilaration.  I find myself wishing I was in Athens so I could be at the heart of the excitement.  I find myself wishing I had a cause and I had a belief in something strong enough that I would be willing to risk my life for it.  In the words of Tyler Durden: “We have no Great War, no Great Depression.  Our great war is a spiritual war.  Our great depression is our lives.”  Everything’s pretty static in an established society.  I don’t vote because I don’t trust that my vote will change anything.  No matter who I vote for nothing that I believe in will change, nothing will be different that wouldn’t be different under the old government.  I’m looking forward to seeing the change brought on by the financial crisis merely because of that word, change.  Perhaps I just want that feeling of exhilaration, perhaps I’m bored so I want to see things differently, but I don’t think the system works, and I don’t think any system can work without change.  The protesters in Paris wanted Socialism and demanded it, and though I don’t share their ideals, I wish I had something I could get involved with; something I could fight for; something I could live for.

Essay, (Part One).

There is no greater virtue in life than love of knowledge, and there is no limit to knowledge.  One can be excused lack of insight or genius, one cannot find excuses for not wanting to know.  Albert Einstein was a genius because he had tremendous insight.  Isaac Newton was a genius because of his insight.  Obviously these men can be adored and one can dream to live up to them and perhaps even surpass them, but there is no shame in not, it is beyond most to be compared to these men.  The shame comes if you don’t try to understand them and understand their work.  But these are merely examples.  The point is that knowledge and genius are not the same thing.  Nor is knowledge a sign of genius or intelligence.  However with knowledge, one is equipped to make the step from ordinary to extraordinary, much as Newton and Einstein did.  Knowledge is power because knowledge is potential.