Helen Czerski / is on Nostr

Physics, bubbles, oceans, hot chocolate and curiosity. Associate Professor at UCL, writer, broadcaster. Author of Storm in a Teacup: http://helenczerski.net/books-writing/ and Blue Machine (out June 1st, 2023) https://www.waterstones.com/book/blue-machine/helen-czerski/9781911709107 #fedi22 #physics #ocean #climate #bikes

Website: www.helenczerski.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helen_czerski/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-czerski-045b956/recent-activity/
BlueSky: helenczerski.bsky.social

Last Notes

2024-06-13 17:55:27

This is very important and needs to be understood by everyone:
"Nonconsensual condom removal is classified as rape under English and Welsh law."
Rape. Not something to laugh off, or to ask forgiveness for with a cutsy smile. Rape. It matters.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/13/london-man-jailed-stealthing-removing-condom-without-consent

2024-06-09 22:36:56

So, does that mean insurance premiums will come down in those areas? And would that change the opposition to the limit?
“Vehicle damage claims in Wales fall 20% since speed limit cut to 20mph, says insurer”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/09/vehicle-damage-claims-wales-fall-20mph-speed-limit?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/588/580/174/287/193/original/6a35846d45487a67.png

2024-06-09 10:23:55

The Santander e-bikes are a game-changer in London. I use them all the time (even as someone whose default travelling mode is my own bike) - they're fun, you still get a bit of exercise, you don't arrive sweaty, and you get to see what's going on in the city.
And for June, Santander bikes are free and e-bikes are only £1 per journey (cheaper than any other transport method) on SUNDAYS. See here for details and give them a go:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles/discounts
City cycling is the future!
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/585/696/347/141/448/original/2d45c8d03668127e.png

2024-06-03 16:45:55

We really should just call "natural gas" by its actual name: methane.
It's a fossil fuel, and burning it adds carbon to the atmosphere. The word "natural" is really unhelpful here, and it needs to go.

2024-05-24 16:35:44

It's been a busy first day here at Everything Electric NORTH in Harrogate - lots of discussions about heat pumps, micromobility, the accessiblity of an electrified world, EV charging, and LOADS of great ideas that could go in political manifestos (I've been asking everyone). I'll start tomorrow with a fireside chat with Robert.. and I have lots to say 🙂
#EverythingElectric #FullyChargedShow
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/496/552/366/989/544/original/6a751434b67a74b8.png

2024-05-24 11:12:26

The Everything Electric Show NORTH is open at the Yorkshire show ground in Harrogate! We’re here today, tomorrow and Sunday, showing the present and future of clean energy and transport - ideas, discussions, test drives, exhibits & more. Do join us if you’re nearby.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/495/292/273/067/553/original/d32892d67efb99e5.mp4

2024-05-16 16:13:43

Only one week to go before Everything Electric NORTH gets going in Harrogate. All the latest discussions, ideas, EVs, e-bikes, clean home energy solutions and far far more - do come along and join us! It's going to be great fun, and I can promise it will deliver a big dose of optimism about the arrival of a cleaner, greener future - lots of it is already here (just not scaled up). Come and meet that future :)
https://uk.everythingelectric.show/north/
#green #electrification #North
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/451/178/030/309/666/original/7bc035d03479fb97.png

2024-05-03 17:39:14

I know it’s next to quite a large Oval, but I never quite get over the disappointment of Oval tube station in London not being even the tiniest bit oval. Nor the cafe, nor the shoe repair place. Seems like such a missed opportunity,
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/377/898/971/935/202/original/9a8966a4c9ef6be9.png

2024-04-23 22:29:47

Suggestion of the day (otherwise known as If Helen Ruled The World edict 127):
We should stop describing ocean fish populations as fish "stocks". They're communities of a living organism, not stacked up items in a pantry waiting for us to take them. Just the use of the word implies that they only have value if we take them, and we need to kick that habit. The natural world is not there only for us to extract/plunder/take/damage for short-term gain (and sometimes not even that).
#ocean #words

2024-04-23 22:23:18

TIL that those bumps on a humpback whale are giant hair follicles, each with a single hair.
https://www.blueoceansociety.org/blog/do-whales-have-hair/
#whales #ocean #science
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/322/398/144/615/680/original/21f39829d0b56913.png

2024-04-22 09:09:39

When I was a physics undergraduate, my supervisor was known for writing "WORDS" and "DIAGRAMS" on everyone's work, because students tended not to explain what they/we were doing. This was good advice.
Today when marking, I'm forever writing "BE SPECIFIC", because there are plenty of words and diagrams, but OMG the content is often so vague and it's unclear whether there is any meaning at all. All puffed up and completely empty.
Is this what the internet and marketing speak has done to us?

2024-04-16 06:16:10

If you own some LEGO & need two minutes of distraction that will help someone out who is trying to understand and encourage a circular economy, click on this link to be helpful:
https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cZ0WzKKgViV3bE2
It's for a friend I was at university with, who is studying the circular economy, and how to encourage the second-hand market for products, with a particular interest in LEGO. Do share :)
The pic is my lego (bought as an adult for myself, then passed on to a child)
#LEGO #CircularEconomy
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/278/953/100/473/232/original/de5c4e698c89061f.jpg

2024-03-28 18:08:42

One very noticeable (and welcome) shift at Everything Electric London (previously Fully Charged LIVE) is the sudden increase in the number of small EVs. In the future, where we really need cars, they should be as small as possible. More of this! #EverythingElectric #cars
If you’re in or near London, you can still come along to see it all tomorrow or Saturday.
https://uk.everythingelectric.show/london/ev-test-drive
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/174/404/930/349/076/original/eeadc92d768b4997.png

2024-03-21 21:43:19

I have just discovered that those odd waste/recycling bins that are all over the oldest bits of Bergen, Norway, link to an UNDERGROUND PNEUMATIC WASTE TRANSPORT SYSTEM. The waste collects for a bit and then WHOOSH... it's off to the recycling centre. All underground. No bin lorries (garbage trucks), fewer road vehicles, less noise... amazing. [@davidho](https://mastodon.world/@davidho) says that my (considerable) excitement about this is entirely unreasonable. I disagree.
https://www.envacgroup.com/how-it-works/the-envac-system/
#climate #waste #Norway
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/135/615/166/578/793/original/a2e9da00ef755b6c.png