Surreal Cambridge

Listening to: 'Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)' by Alicia Keys [The Element of Freedom]

Last evening was, in a word, bizarre. First, I went for a lecture on the role of science in policy-making. The actual lecture was ok (the bits I was awake for anyway), but for me the most interesting part came afterwards. It had been mentioned earlier how civil servants have to consider natural science, social science and economics when forming policies. What came out during the post-lecture Q&A session was that when implementing these policies, politicians also have to take moral implications into account. This made a lot of sense to me, especially with regards to controversial policies such as the (re-)classification of cannabis.

I blogged about the Nutt fiasco last year, and in that post, I questioned the role of science in politics. Armed with the knowledge I acquired yesterday, I think public perception and societal morality play a much bigger role than facts and figures. For instance, I could not be a proponent of capital punishment, even if all the facts and figures in the world told me I should be. It just doesn't sit well with my conscience.

Which brings about an interesting situation. We trust doctors with our lives, because they will prescribe treatment for our ailments based on diagnostic evidence. We trust engineers and social scientists with our infrastructure, because they will design these things based on established principles. On the flip side, we trust politicians with the laws of our land, because they will define these based on what they think we consider to be just?!?! Hmm. I guess it does reinforce one thing I've touched on before though: progress in society is affected not so much by legislature, but by the mindset of the people.

So now I bet you're wondering how this constitutes a 'bizarre' evening, right? Well after that lecture, I met up with some friends for dinner, and then we went to Cindies. For the uninitiated amongst you, Cindies is one of the few clubs here...

Ze shoe. Didn't hurt as much as I expected!

known for its cheap drinks, sticky floors and cheesy music (you know it's a good night when they play the Baywatch theme). It's a lot less cheesy on Fridays than it is on Tuesdays (the student night), but also infinitely more chavvy. Some of the guys were fairly easy on the eye, but seriously...Homer Simpson has more brain cells. The girls weren't much better. I did my best to compete, with my new pair of 3.5" heels, but I think I would've had to get shit-faced and start yelling in a slurred Fenland accent to really fit in. Thanks, but I think I'll pass.

So anyway, while we were dancing we noticed a crowd was forming near the DJ booth. I initially thought it might be a fight, or the guys dressed as Captain America and Batman showing off their moves...but I was wrong. Turns out we were about to witness a live set by a certain Mr Hudson. Now I know who Mr Hudson is. Supposedly he's so tight with Kanye West that the dude named a pair of shoes after him. And we've all heard the duet with Jay-Z. To see such a high-profile up and coming artist singing in a dingy club surrounded by chavs was a little weird, to put it mildly. I always thought people who did the club appearance thing were has-beens from marginally successful 90s boy bands? I guess not.

So yeah. Bit of a random post, I'll admit. But I found it quite surreal that in the space of about 5 hours, I went from listening to the nuances of public policy making, to watching a somewhat famous popstar standing on the DJ's workstation and singing to a bunch of chavs at Cindies. At least I got to try out my fancy shoes.

Pilot episode of the Dave & Nick Show

Listening to: 'El Mañana' by Gorillaz [Demon Days]

It has long been my belief that no single political ideology is well-suited to deal with the problems we face. The extremes put either the infrastructure or the people first, but none give them the equal importance I think they deserve. As I see it, a hybrid of these extremes provides an opportunity to achieve some form of 'balance'. I acknowledge that there's a great risk that nothing might be achieved at all...but I think that's a risk under any regime.

And this is where Britain stands today. You can say that the Tories have given in. You can say that the Lib Dems have sold out. You can even call Britain a ConDem-nation. But in reality, this coalition is a wonderful opportunity for policy makers to put petty party politics aside, and put Britain and her people first.

I'm looking forward to reading the final Coalition Agreement when it is published. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a snippet from this afternoon's press conference.

Lame jokes FTW! lol

If liking these videos makes me a geek, then so be it.

Listening to: nothing

I should be preparing a presentation I have to deliver tomorrow morning as part of a public speaking workshop I've signed up for. But what have I spent the past hour doing? Watching these.

3.5* 'til Infinity (based on 93 'til Infinity by Souls of Mischief)

Evolution, anyone?

Oxidate It Or Love It / Electron to the Next One (based on Hate It or Love It by The Game, 50 Cent and On to the Next One by Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz)

Metabolise this!

Put Some ACh Into It (based on You Can Do It by Ice Cube)

Physiology (yeah I couldn't think of anything catchy for this one)

There are more, some brilliant, some not so much (but still good!). I think in addition to the ones I've mentioned, Regulatin' Genes and Get Taq are excellent. Hopefully this will remind some of you of the excellent Large Hadron Rap.

Obviously this isn't my subject area so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the lyrics, but the concept itself is great. If only I had a smidgen of the talent these guys have, I could rap about the design of chemical reactors tomorrow morning! OK maybe not rap...

Oh well, better get back to that powerpoint. *sigh*