Man looking at the Mona Lisa Yes, but the details are sketchy. I know it was some time after the Pyramid thingy opened. And, like most people who have seen it, what I took away was how small the painting is. I mean, really tiny.

Of course one has no way of knowing how big it ought to be, having seen only reproductions, and...

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A bright green Romanesco broccoli, the fractal vegetable Back after a brief Christmas break. The story so far: a while ago, I listed various things I had done in a lazy blog post. Now I’m expanding within the constraint of 100 words.

Where to begin? Yes, I have grown my own vegetables. And saved my own seeds. And sold them, and other peoples’. And wr...

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Tim Harford’s Undercover Economist has long been a favourite of mine in the Financial Times. So when I discovered BBC Radio 4’s More or less, which he hosts, I hastened to subscribe to the podcast, and I have not been disappointed. I’m only now catching up, though, and am delighted to share with...

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Icon for Mendel's Garden blog carnival Happy Befana from a freezing Rome. Got myself in a bit of a tizz with all this Blog Carnivalia stuff. I thought I was hosting Mendel’s Garden over at the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog, but it seems I agreed to do it here instead. Not sure why, especially after my recent idleness. P’raps I’ll...

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