Nick Gibbins

The week in review

It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegonethe Gark household. Actually, that’s a lie. Got back from Luxembourg on Tuesday night, fortunately with my luggage this time (made sure that I was checked in for both legs, and that my luggage was marked as priority). Also, to those folk who suggested that I carry everything as hand luggage, I checked the maximum size for carry-on on the LUX->CDG leg, and it was barely large enough for my not-overly-big laptop bag. As it turns out, losing my luggage was a blessing in disguise. My case turned up while I was at… Read More »The week in review

A Pox on Air France and BAA

Lunch in Southampton. Dinner in Luxembourg. Luggage in Paris. I had an inkling that things were going slightly pear-shaped when the bloke on the check-in desk at Southampton didn’t seem concerned that I only had an hour between one flight landing and the next taking off, and that I had to get from 2E to 2D at Charles de Gaulle *and* check in for the second leg (they couldn’t issue boarding passes for the whole route, despite both legs having Air France codes). I made it to check-in at 2D just as it was closing; my flight landed at 1930,… Read More »A Pox on Air France and BAA

Humphrey Lyttleton, 1921-2008

Oh dear. I suppose that’ll be the end of ISIHAC, since I can’t see it under someone else’s chairmanship. I’m glad that I managed to get o a recording of ISIHAC, though I will still regret passing up the chance to see him and Acker Bilk in concert the year before last.

Poll: Listmania

Bonus marks if you can name the source of the list in a comment (can’t be bothered to screen, so I’ll rely on you all not cheating by sneaking a peek)

What I did on my holiday

So, decided to bunk off the second day of the conference and head up to the in-laws in Portstewart; and the were already there, having left for Ulster the day before me. The train ride from Belfast to Coleraine was less picturesque than I’d hoped, the view consisting mostly of boggy ground and assorted sedges. Spent the journey hacking TiddlyWiki instead. Generally a very relaxing time in Portstewart. made a truly heroic roadtrip up from Dublin to see us, which was dead good. We celebrated by taking him out to Morelli’s on the prom (this Morelli’s, rather than that one)… Read More »What I did on my holiday

Conference Redux

Conference registration: £400 Airline flight: £160 Hotel bill: £340 Discovering that less than ten people have bothered to stay around for your presentation: priceless No, I’m not impressed. Can you tell? Also, note the following exchange: Me This is our work on a formal model for XXX. I’m not a formal methods person, so I may not be able to answer your questions on those aspects; I’ll concentrate on the broader context of our work and refer you to the paper. Audience member But what about (highly technical question relating to formal methods)? Me *boggles* On the plus side, the… Read More »Conference Redux