climate change activist and science communicator; photographer; mapmaker — advocate for a stable global climate, reduced nuclear weapon risks, and safe human-AI interaction
Some of the detail from the Ali ben Youssef Medersa.
Mosque in Marrakesh. It’s interesting how different they look from the ones we saw in Turkey.
Shine in Marrakesh
For some reason, I like the look of donkeys. They seem dependable and worthy of respect.
Marrakesh has a large wall around the whole of the old city, as well as smaller dividing walls inside.
This has been an acutely unusual evening. It is hard to leave friends behind for an unknown period of time. Of course, it is best to do so when at a barbecue very well provided for with food and drink. Antonia deserves a commendation for putting so much effort into it.
My profound thanks go out to those who I met and befriended while in Oxford. That is especially true for Antonia, Claire, Alex, Kai, and Kelly. I am gladdened by the thought that we will probably see one another again, some time in the next few years.
PS. Price of shipping books and files to Ottawa: 0.77 iPhones. That does not include whatever Zoom Airlines will charge me for excess baggage, given that I have four bags instead of two and they are definitely over the weight limit.
If you are in Oxford and you are interested in some cheap (possibly free) office and kitchen supplies, consider dropping by 2 Church Walk at some point today or tomorrow. I have a three hole punch, large clear plastic box for hanging files, binders, a stapler, frying pans, an electric kettle, a clock radio, and various other things of that sort. More information is on this page.
I should be around for the next few hours. If you are interested, send me an email, give me a call, or leave a comment here.
Our evacuation from this flat is beginning to feel like a desperate retreat: unplanned, sudden, and highly wasteful. It feels as though many of the physical products of the last two years are being burned away or abandoned. Of course, things tend to unwind to a state of maximum disorder, then begin to progress towards comprehensibility again.
It is quite startling to think that I will be in Vancouver in two days.
This afternoon, after my final meeting with Dr. Hurrell, I got back one copy of my thesis and my grades for the M.Phil:
To put those in perspective, have a look at the scale of marks. The thesis grade is a bit of a disappointment, especially considering how I expended well over one hundred times more effort on the thesis than on the exams. I only began serious exam revision after getting back from the Lake District on June 3rd. Based on the very crude method of taking the mean of the five grades, I got 70.2 overall.
Since the thesis is now publicly available in the Bodleian, it seems appropriate to make it publicly available online as well: Expertise and Legitimacy: The Role of Science in Global Environmental Policy-Making.This version has about two dozen minor errors corrected. If you find more, please let me know and I will make the appropriate changes in the electronic version.
The Koutoubia mosque is the largest in Marrakesh, standing out prominently near one corner of the Djemma El Fna.
From the terrace of my first hotel, you could get a glimpse of the old city from above.
This is a courtyard inside the Marrakesh museum, which I found by accident while I was completely lost in the souq.
The largest open space in the Marrakesh museum is a great place to have a rest and read.
The Ali ben Youssef Medersa is very open for a museum, allowing you to wander all over the place.
I am still working on processing my photos – alongside packing and saying goodbye to friends. That said, I did shoot some short and extremely amateur videos in Morocco. Much as I appreciate the power of photographs to overcome entropy, there are certainly some visual spectacles best served by video. The resolution here is low, and the camera work shaky, but the capacity to shoot video is far from the primary function of my cheap digital camera.
Marrakesh:
Essaouira:
Ouzoud:
If you want to see some good videos, have a look at my brother Mica’s site.
Since I have not been summoned for a viva exam, it is safe to conclude that I passed all four of my final exams, as well as the thesis. While I won’t know how well I did for some time, I do know that I have finished the M.Phil in due time.
The problem with my bike is worse than my original diagnosis. The cause of the hole in the tube is a patch where the actual outer rubber portion of the tire has been worn through. As such, when you try to pump up a new tube inside, it bulges out of the hole. Clearly, the tire needs to be replaced.
That said, I only have three days left in Oxford, and nobody has committed to buying the bicycle yet. Regardless of what happens to it when I leave, the non-functionality of my bicycle now means that I need to walk to the John Radcliffe hospital in Headington for my final brain scan.
[Update: 29 June 2007] I have replaced the rear tire and the bike is now working properly. I am still looking for someone who wants to buy it.
The Cascades d’Ouzoud were certainly a memorable end to the trip. In addition to the falls themselves, there was a good collection of wildlife at hand. There were your standard donkeys and goats, as well as hummingbirds and monkeys.
The specifics of my return journey are best not discussed. It was a trying experience, at virtually every stage.
In any event, photos should begin coming online shortly.