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Author | Topic: A visit to the Royal Society | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parasomnium Member Posts: 2224 Joined: |
Having recently returned from another holiday in England, I thought I'd write a small note on one of the best things that happened to me there.
Because the Royal Society celebrate their 350th anniversary this year, for which occasion they have published commemorative issues of their journals (Philosophical Transactions A and ditto B), I thought it would be a great idea if I could add those two issues to my collection of scientific literature. With that in mind, I first visited Waterstone's on Piccadilly, but without success. So without further ado, I decided to go to Carlton House Terrace, where the Royal Society is located. (Well, I say "decided", but who am I kidding? I had planned to go there all along, of course.) It was only a short walk from Piccadilly, and the prospect of visiting this august institution made me completely oblivious about the rain. That, and my umbrella of course. With some trepidation I walked in through the front entrance of an imposing building, straight towards the reception. A man behind a desk asked me if he could help me. He listened to what I had to say and, picking up the phone, said "Hold on, I'll call someone." He dialed a number, handed me the receiver and said: "Talk." A woman came on the line and I repeated my request to her, whereupon she said that I could order the journals on the internet. Having done my homework, I knew this of course. But it means something to me to get my books and stuff from special places. For example, I bought my copy of a biography of Darwin in Down House, Kent. So I told her this, adding that I live in Holland and that this would mean extra costs, that I was here now anyway, and so on. She said "Wait, I'll come down to meet you." As I waited in the lobby I picked up a free magazine about the commemorative programme. One down, I thought. Two to go. Then I heard women's shoes clicking on the marble floor, coming towards the reception hall. A woman entered, holding copies of the respective journals, which she immediately handed to me. "Here you are", she said. A bit flustered, I asked how much they were. "They're free", she answered. I did not hesitate to show her how pleased and grateful I was. This was very much in the spirit of the Society, whose goal it is to promote scientific knowledge. There was also a small exhibition in the hall which continued in the adjacent walkways in the building. Normally, people were not allowed to walk around unguided, but the receptionist, on seeing how enthused I was about having been given the journals and, in general, just being there, decided to do me another favour and handed me a visitor's pass, saying I could walk around and take pictures if I liked. To give you an impression of what sort of exhibits there were, one of the pictures I subsequently took was of Newton's manuscript of the Principia, under glass. All in all, this was one of the best days I ever had in England. "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
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New Cat's Eye Inactive Member |
Pics or it didn't happen
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Parasomnium Member Posts: 2224 Joined: |
Catholic Scientist writes: Pics or it didn't happen Fair enough, here are some: In the hall:
The Charter Book:
Some exhibits:
Newton's manuscript of the Principia
My treasures:
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
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Panda Member (Idle past 3713 days) Posts: 2688 From: UK Joined: |
It is always nice to be reminded of the 'good deeds' that the UK is capable of.
I am very glad that you had such a rewarding experience. (Remember: the library's journals will need to be returned in 3 weeks!)
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Parasomnium Member Posts: 2224 Joined: |
Panda writes: the library's journals will need to be returned in 3 weeks Well, as long as I get to keep the manuscript of the Principia, which I managed to spirit out of the building... "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
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Panda Member (Idle past 3713 days) Posts: 2688 From: UK Joined: |
Parasomnium writes:
It seems we have experienced Newton's 3rd Law: Well, as long as I get to keep the manuscript of the Principia, which I managed to spirit out of the building..."No good deed goes unpunished." Edited by Panda, : Typo
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Omnivorous Member Posts: 3978 From: Adirondackia Joined: Member Rating: 7.3 |
A couple of years ago, my wife and I toured Scotland by car for three weeks, from Glasgow to Orkney.
We were astonished by the number of cathedrals, display halls, and local museums that would open their doors outside regular hours and wave us along unshepherded, apparently as charmed by our enthusiasm as we were by their kindness. The castle people, however, were a little more regimented. Dost thou prate, rogue? -Cassio Real things always push back.-William James
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frako Member (Idle past 306 days) Posts: 2932 From: slovenija Joined: |
iv been in the uk and ireland a few years back, i was a bit suprised when i got serched in a few museums i entered thow moste of the stuff i saw was awsome i laughed as hell at the royal guard at the palace what is it whit their boot stomping. and the cultural shock when i saw someone put sugar on their ham and eggs at brekfast wtf.
the funniest part was that i found out that i was perfectly ambidexterus befor i sometimes used my left hand but after i drove for a few days in england i started favoring my left hand and i used it as eficiantly as the right lol
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Omnivorous Member Posts: 3978 From: Adirondackia Joined: Member Rating: 7.3 |
When you tire of the Principia, I can get you a fair price.
I know a guy who... Dost thou prate, rogue? -Cassio Real things always push back.-William James
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Tanypteryx Member Posts: 4344 From: Oregon, USA Joined: Member Rating: 5.9 |
What a great story.
I recently finished reading a long (3 volumes) historical novel about Issac and the boys who started the Royal Society and some of the other things that were going on at the same time. The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. Each volume is over 800 pages but I found it to be a fascinating read, very well researched. What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python You can't build a Time Machine without Weird Optics -- S. Valley
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Dr Adequate Member (Idle past 285 days) Posts: 16113 Joined: |
and the cultural shock when i saw someone put sugar on their ham and eggs at brekfast wtf. I don't think that that's a particularly British thing --- I think that that was just a loony.
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Wounded King Member Posts: 4149 From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Joined: |
I don't think that that's a particularly British thing --- I think that that was just a loony. Or possibly someone mixing up the sugar and the salt. TTFN, WK
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Parasomnium Member Posts: 2224 Joined: |
Tanypterix writes: I recently finished ... You're in for a treat, because The Baroque Cycle is a prequel to another of Stephenson's masterworks, titled Cryptonomicon. Highly recommended. Edited by Parasomnium, : Added quote for clarity "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
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Tanypteryx Member Posts: 4344 From: Oregon, USA Joined: Member Rating: 5.9 |
Yep, I enjoyed that one a lot also. I have read all of his books. Neal is my sister's brother-in-law, so I have been a fan for many years.
What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python You can't build a Time Machine without Weird Optics -- S. Valley
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Parasomnium Member Posts: 2224 Joined: |
Neal is my sister's brother-in-law You're kidding, right? If not, next time you see him, please tell him I like his books tremendously. "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
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