This post is primarily aimed at fellow medics, so forgive me if it is a bit technical in places. The first thing we learn in medical school once we have been released onto the wards is how to examine patients. Actually the first thing they taught me was how to take blood. We were each … Continue reading Things they don’t always teach you at medical school
It’s a boy! Probably.
The arrival of the latest addition to the Royal Family got me thinking about a probability problem which is quite straightforward on the face of it but which most people get wrong: A pregnant woman attends for her routine ultrasound scan, and the sonographer diagnoses twins, telling her that one of them is certainly a … Continue reading It’s a boy! Probably.
Allegro, allegro, we all fall down
I remember once listening to David Owen Norris, concert pianist and one-time BBC presenter, reviewing recordings of something-or-other on Radio 3's Building a Library. He made some comments about the digital information stored on the CD along with the music not being very accurate. Now there are CD players that will display the title of … Continue reading Allegro, allegro, we all fall down
A pixel is worth a thousand nerds
A few months ago I came across an article by a technical journalist who was listing the features that he hoped to see in the upcoming version of the iPhone. Top of the list was a 20 megapixel camera. This got me wondering why anybody would want so many pixels on a smartphone. Just before … Continue reading A pixel is worth a thousand nerds
How long have I got, Doc?
I once had a rather odd conversation with a patient, which went something like this: "Tell me, Doc, how long have I got left?" "I can't really give you a very good answer to that." "Well, put it this way: Do you think I will last the Summer?" "Yes, I think there's a reasonably good … Continue reading How long have I got, Doc?
Five things to ask your electoral candidate
In the run-up to the recent EU elections I received a letter from my local MP, Ruth Cadbury, to her constituents. It included a survey (also available online) canvassing our views on knife crime, specifically whether any of us had been affected by it, what we thought the causes were and what should be done … Continue reading Five things to ask your electoral candidate
What’s it all about, then?
There is an apocryphal story about a London taxi driver talking about celebrity fares (as they do): "I had that Bertrand Russell in my cab the other day. I asked him 'So Bertie, what's it all about then?' and you know, he couldn't tell me." If that is true, then what hope for the rest … Continue reading What’s it all about, then?
Not an Estate Agent... 