Slowly being seduced by Portugal 22 Apr 2009 I gave my talk today on tree thinking at the local science museum for kids and the general public, which is amazingly popular. The Portuguese seem to hold science and knowledge in high esteem. Which is great. The Ciências Viva helped pay for my ticket, so I hope they liked my presentation. It will be online as a podcast, and they apparently simulcast it at the time, too. I didn’t let you know that because I want to check it before I tell my loyal readers about it. Oops… I am overwhelmed by the hospitality and food here. If I could learn another language, or they all spoke English, I’d happily live here. I have to thank Nathalie Gontier of the Faculdade de Ciências of the Universidade de Lisboa, who has gone above and beyond the call of hosting visiting Australians. I hope she gets well from her unfortunate dose of flu, which I deny having brought with me. Administrative History
Administrative Empirical Perspectives 8 May 20128 May 2012 Jim Goetz, frequent commenter here, has started up what looks to be a physics and science blog at Empirical Perspectives. Go visit and make rude comments. Read More
Evolution Darwin’s motivation 5 Dec 2010 For some time now I have been convinced that Darwin’s original and most pressing problem was not adaptation. It was the existence of taxonomic diversity. I have thought that the debates over what was a natural classification amongst the unjustly derided Quinarians William Sharp Macleay and William Swainson were the… Read More
Epistemology Metaphysical determinism 20 May 201227 Aug 2012 There is a hypothesis called the Sapir-Whorf Thesis (also known as linguistic relativity) in language that one can only think what one’s language permits you to think, and indeed forces you to think. This idea that some conceptual scheme can determine how you think is widely held. It appears again… Read More
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
So did you have to speak through an interpreter? And are there many Portuguese interpreters who speak Strine?
We are submonoglots. Thank you John for giving me the best laugh to start the day for a long, long time 😉
We are submonoglots. Thank you John for giving me the best laugh to start the day for a long, long time 😉
We are submonoglots. Thank you John for giving me the best laugh to start the day for a long, long time 😉
or they all spoke English IME they do, for values of ‘all’ such that you can always find someone who does. The first time we visited Lisbon, we walked past a picket line outside a factory and, being nosy, wondered what was up. So I spent about five minutes researching my phrase book and came up with something which I hoped meant “Excuse me, do you speak English or French?” I tried this out on the shop steward. He replied in perfect BBC accents, “Certainly, which would you prefer?” What a great country.