My photos
neurophilosophy | October 31, 2008
Netsuke are miniature Japanese sculptures which are most often carved from ivory or wood, and sometimes from other materials. They were first made in the early 17th century, and used to fasten a small box (the inro) containing medicines and personal belongings to the sash (or obi) worn around traditional Japanese garments such as the kimono. Later on they were made solely for ornamental purposes.
The ivory skull and wooden mask netsuke shown in the photograph above are on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which has a very nice collection of these delightful objects.…
neurophilosophy | September 14, 2008
I took this photograph yesterday at a park in central London. My knowledge of botany is scant, so I have no idea what species it is.
neurophilosophy | September 2, 2008
The past few days have been rather hectic, hence the lack of updates. On Saturday, I attended and took part in Europe's first science blogging conference, and there were also several other events which had been organized for those who came to the event from abroad.
Last Thursday evening, I was forced to go on a scientific pub crawl, and on Friday I joined a group of about 20 others for a London science tour. Both events were organized and led by Matt Brown, who pretended that it was part of his job rather than an excuse for him to indulge in his hobbies and show off his extensive knowledge…
neurophilosophy | July 23, 2008
I'm back in London now, after 5 days in Barcelona for ESOF2008. The trip has been rather hectic, and I neither attended as many sessions, nor saw as much of the city, as I would have liked. I still had a very nice time, but, as is always the case when travelling, it's good to be home. I still have more material on the event, so I'll continue to post about it for the next few days.
During my time in Barcelona, Tobias Maier was kind enough to act as my host. Tobias and I met every day in the conference centre, attended a couple of functions together, and hit the town in the evenings. One…
neurophilosophy | July 19, 2008
Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece of modern architecture is like something from a fairytale.
neurophilosophy | July 18, 2008
I landed in Barcelona at around 10am local time, and, after checking in to my hotel, made my way towards Placa d'Espanya to find the conference hall. This magnificent building - an art gallery I think - is right next to the venue at which ESOF2008 is being held.
I'm sitting in one of the conference rooms right now, where the keynote speech for "The Human Mind and Behaviour" theme is about to begin. I'll report back on the session later...
neurophilosophy | April 13, 2008
One of the events organized for Bora's visit to London was a fantastic behind-the-scenes tour of the Darwin Centre, a newly built section of the Natural History Museum which houses the museum's researchers and contains a vast collection of around 70 million bottled animal specimens.
The Darwin Centre's tank room is a most remarkable place. This is where the largest specimens are stored, in glass jars and metal containers whose lids are opened and closed with a system of chains and pulleys suspended from the ceiling.
The tank room mostly contains fish specimens, including a…
neurophilosophy | March 30, 2008
I took this photo about two years ago, when the French mechanical marionette street theatre company Royal de Luxe came to London. It's one of several pics from my photostream that have been favorited by other Flickr users.
neurophilosophy | March 22, 2008
Isis was born at 12:12pm yesterday, weighing in at a very healthy 8lb 5oz. Mummy is exhausted after her second Caesarian section, but both are otherwise well, and will be coming home in a couple of days.
Needless to say, I'm going to be very busy over the next few days, and I'm unlikely to be spending any time at the computer. In fact, I'll probably be blogging lightly for about the next 2 months, because I've also got exams coming up in May, and still have quite a bit of studying to do before then.
neurophilosophy | February 19, 2008
I've just set up a Flickr photoblog, and am in the process of uploading my photographs. I have also installed a Flickr widget in the sidebar on the left; this displays 5 random photos. If you're into photography, please do take a look at my pics. I haven't uploaded many, but feel free to comment on the ones that are there (although you have to be a member of the site to do so). The easiest way to see related photos is to use the tag cloud, and if you want to be notified of newly-uploaded pics, you can subscribe to the RSS feed.
The photo above is, of course, of Khufu's pyramid in Giza. The…
neurophilosophy | December 29, 2007
The mosque of Muhammed Ali, with its slender and elegant twin minarets, is one of Cairo's most prominent landmarks. It is visible in the two photographs of Cairo that I've already posted.
Muhammed Ali was appointed as the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt in 1805, by the Sublime Porte. He commissioned this mosque, which was built between 1830 and 1848, and is situated on a 12th century citadel built by Salah-el-din al Ayyubi, the Kurdish military leader who ruled over Egypt and who defeated Richard the Lionheart in the second Crusade.
In the early years of his rule, Muhammed Ali's power was…
neurophilosophy | December 9, 2007
It actually rained very lightly while we were walking along this small beach in Alexandria about three weeks ago. Generally though, the weather in Egypt was warm and sunny - in stark contrast to the wet and windy weather we're having in London at the moment.
neurophilosophy | November 25, 2007
I'm back in London after a hectic - but fantastic - week in Egypt. Of the hundreds of photographs that I took on the trip, this is one of my favourites. It shows part of old Cairo as seen through a peephole in the minaret of a medieval mosque. I'll be posting more of my photos (of both this extraordinary city and of Alexandria) at weekends.
neurophilosophy | October 21, 2007
This photograph of a blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea) was taken in our little garden about 2 months ago.
neurophilosophy | October 13, 2007
I took this one a couple of weeks ago, as I was crossing Albert Bridge one evening.
neurophilosophy | October 6, 2007
Of the hundreds of photographs I've taken of my son, this is one of my favourites. It was taken when he was about 8 months old.
neurophilosophy | September 29, 2007
I took this photograph about three years ago, while on holiday in the Charente region of central France.
neurophilosophy | September 22, 2007
In this inaugural weekend photoblogging post, I give you this photograph of Beit el-Din Palace, which I took on a trip to Lebanon about 5 years ago.
Beit el-Din (which translates as "House of Religion") is in the Chouf region of Lebanon, about 50 km southwest of Beirut. The Chouf is the heartland of the Druze, a sub-Shi'ite sect that developed in the 10th Century.