Tim Atkinson's Blog, page 110
October 5, 2010
Wordless Wednesday... with Mel C!
Click the lips to give either one of us (your choice - difficult, I know!) a virtual kiss, to save a life and to find out what all this is about.
October 2, 2010
Sunday Supplement
Well, what a week it's been. It started with a kiss, you know: the Pampers Big Kiss, to be precise. Go on, you know you want to... nobody's looking. What harm can it do? Click the lips and you've saved a life: it's that simple. They're over there look - there: top-right, big and red and ready puckered for you. Sorry! But, you know, it's in a good cause: the 170 million mums at risk of tetanus in over 40 countries. One click - one jab, and another life is saved.
Incidentally, that 'Big Kiss' banner started out like this...
From tiny acorns, eh? Which, incidentally, is the title of the forthcoming e-course anthology. The submission deadline was last Thursday so if you haven't got your entry in to Dotterel Press yet it's too late. Well, almost. There might be room to squeeze another tale or two but you'll have to email them (not me) to find out. The address is dotterelpress@gmail.com. There's already a stack of really high-quality writing, so it promises to be an excellent read.
To be honest, I'd hardly noticed the deadline passing myself. Because the 30th was the morning after the night before, the night before being a spectacular gala concert at St Botolph's Church by Lesley Garrett. Over 1200 people packed the parish church to hear the Doncaster diva (and us... I was in her backing group for the evening, Cantemus!) and they can hardly have gone away less than delighted. And that was in spite of being dripped on by the rain. Yes, the church roof is leaking. Just as well the concert was in aid of the restoration appeal. If you weren't there, you missed a treat. But you can catch a little bit of the magic on-line, via the BBC report. And if you look carefully, you might just catch a glimpse of yours truly!
In other news, Charlie had his first trip to the barber's this week. He's had his hair cut before, but at home and sitting in his high-chair with plenty to distract him from the job in hand. This was the first time we've let the professionals have a go, and he looked about as happy about it as me. I hate having my hair cut; I think I'd gladly have it stay the same length forever. Not that I've anything against barbers (or hairdressers or stylists or mop consultants or whatever they like to be called). I just don't enjoy the experience. I suffer from Samson-syndrome, and I may have passed it on to Charlie. Having said that, he was very good. He sat still, did as he was told and didn't object to the clippers. But he didn't look happy.
"Is it fun having your hair cut like a big boy Charlie?" I asked him, knowing full well what the answer would be. He just looked at me, his bottom lip protruding slightly, and then slowly shook his head.
No wonder his fringe is wonky.
Incidentally, that 'Big Kiss' banner started out like this...
From tiny acorns, eh? Which, incidentally, is the title of the forthcoming e-course anthology. The submission deadline was last Thursday so if you haven't got your entry in to Dotterel Press yet it's too late. Well, almost. There might be room to squeeze another tale or two but you'll have to email them (not me) to find out. The address is dotterelpress@gmail.com. There's already a stack of really high-quality writing, so it promises to be an excellent read.
To be honest, I'd hardly noticed the deadline passing myself. Because the 30th was the morning after the night before, the night before being a spectacular gala concert at St Botolph's Church by Lesley Garrett. Over 1200 people packed the parish church to hear the Doncaster diva (and us... I was in her backing group for the evening, Cantemus!) and they can hardly have gone away less than delighted. And that was in spite of being dripped on by the rain. Yes, the church roof is leaking. Just as well the concert was in aid of the restoration appeal. If you weren't there, you missed a treat. But you can catch a little bit of the magic on-line, via the BBC report. And if you look carefully, you might just catch a glimpse of yours truly!
In other news, Charlie had his first trip to the barber's this week. He's had his hair cut before, but at home and sitting in his high-chair with plenty to distract him from the job in hand. This was the first time we've let the professionals have a go, and he looked about as happy about it as me. I hate having my hair cut; I think I'd gladly have it stay the same length forever. Not that I've anything against barbers (or hairdressers or stylists or mop consultants or whatever they like to be called). I just don't enjoy the experience. I suffer from Samson-syndrome, and I may have passed it on to Charlie. Having said that, he was very good. He sat still, did as he was told and didn't object to the clippers. But he didn't look happy.
"Is it fun having your hair cut like a big boy Charlie?" I asked him, knowing full well what the answer would be. He just looked at me, his bottom lip protruding slightly, and then slowly shook his head.
No wonder his fringe is wonky.
October 1, 2010
Who gives a monkeys? ...psychology Friday
So... apes, chimps, pygmy chimps to be precise or bonobos if you prefer. They're famous for something, and it isn't talking. It's also not the kind of thing you should be teaching in a Girls' School or any school for that matter, so we're opting for the safer shores of Savage-Rumbaugh's classic 1986 Dr Doolittle experiment. Can Dr Susan S-R talk to the animals? Or they to her? And if they can, what - if anything - does that tell us about human language acquisition?
The first thing to say is that the results are quite impressive. You can see for yourself how much Kanzi and his younger sister Mulika learned in the eighteen month experiment, and seeing a bonobo drawing symbols with chalk in a clear attempt to communicate is remarkable. But then, doesn't your dog 'tell' you when it want a wee? Communication alone isn't the same as language, and of course humans are the only species physically equipped for speech. But the plot thickens when you realise the bonobos weren't explicitly taught to communicate (two common chimpanzees, called Sherman and Austin, were given instruction but didn't do half as well) but acquired their abilities as least in part through watching the researchers. They also ended up being able both to understand and respond to spoken English.
So far, so fascinating. And of course, as members of the same family there are certain implications for human language acquisition. Unfortunately, so little is known about our highly complex linguistic abilities that it's almost impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions. What is known (and will be obvious to any parents of toddlers!) is that young children soon start to use more words than they've ever been 'taught', suggesting to the likes of Noam Chomsky that our brains are hard-wired at birth for speech. On the other hand, several case-studies suggest that if children haven't learned to speak by the age of seven, they won't - or at least, that they'll find it incredibly difficult.
So what has Susan Savage-Rumbaugh proved, beyond that bonobos share slightly more in common with humans than... well, you know what? Personally, I think the answer is 'not much'. Pygmy chimps are clever, no doubt; they're closely related ancestors - we share 99% of the same DNA (don't too excited - we share 50% of our DNA with a banana too!). But communication isn't language, even if artificially-introduced symbols are part of the equation. And intelligence isn't a defining characteristic of being human, otherwise many of man's best friends would be getting their National Insurance Numbers.
Human language is one of the most complex and remarkable manifestations of that great surplus brain we grew about 150,000 years ago. Maybe - given typewriters - monkeys could produce the works of Shakespeare in time. And if they did, would they be as good as the original?
The first thing to say is that the results are quite impressive. You can see for yourself how much Kanzi and his younger sister Mulika learned in the eighteen month experiment, and seeing a bonobo drawing symbols with chalk in a clear attempt to communicate is remarkable. But then, doesn't your dog 'tell' you when it want a wee? Communication alone isn't the same as language, and of course humans are the only species physically equipped for speech. But the plot thickens when you realise the bonobos weren't explicitly taught to communicate (two common chimpanzees, called Sherman and Austin, were given instruction but didn't do half as well) but acquired their abilities as least in part through watching the researchers. They also ended up being able both to understand and respond to spoken English.
So far, so fascinating. And of course, as members of the same family there are certain implications for human language acquisition. Unfortunately, so little is known about our highly complex linguistic abilities that it's almost impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions. What is known (and will be obvious to any parents of toddlers!) is that young children soon start to use more words than they've ever been 'taught', suggesting to the likes of Noam Chomsky that our brains are hard-wired at birth for speech. On the other hand, several case-studies suggest that if children haven't learned to speak by the age of seven, they won't - or at least, that they'll find it incredibly difficult.
So what has Susan Savage-Rumbaugh proved, beyond that bonobos share slightly more in common with humans than... well, you know what? Personally, I think the answer is 'not much'. Pygmy chimps are clever, no doubt; they're closely related ancestors - we share 99% of the same DNA (don't too excited - we share 50% of our DNA with a banana too!). But communication isn't language, even if artificially-introduced symbols are part of the equation. And intelligence isn't a defining characteristic of being human, otherwise many of man's best friends would be getting their National Insurance Numbers.
Human language is one of the most complex and remarkable manifestations of that great surplus brain we grew about 150,000 years ago. Maybe - given typewriters - monkeys could produce the works of Shakespeare in time. And if they did, would they be as good as the original?
September 28, 2010
September 26, 2010
Sunday supplement
First, some music. You've heard him sing before, now listen to him play...
No doubt Sophie Barker and the rest of Zero 7 will be beating a path to our door to recruit Charlie for their next nursery rhymes collection. In the meantime, we've been sent a copy of Toybox plus some instruments to make the whole CD listening thing more interactive. As if he needed any more encouragement.
Actually, Toybox isn't the only nursery-rhyme related entertainment we've been sent just lately. A couple of ...
No doubt Sophie Barker and the rest of Zero 7 will be beating a path to our door to recruit Charlie for their next nursery rhymes collection. In the meantime, we've been sent a copy of Toybox plus some instruments to make the whole CD listening thing more interactive. As if he needed any more encouragement.
Actually, Toybox isn't the only nursery-rhyme related entertainment we've been sent just lately. A couple of ...
September 24, 2010
Psychology Friday
Yes that's right, folks - Psychology Friday.
Allow me to explain. Every week I introduce two rather delightful groups of sixth-form students to some of the most fascinating corners of psychological investigation. I must confess that when I first studied the social sciences, psychology always struck me as a little, well... dull. If you wanted to know about rats and pigeons, you were in heaven; but for people, it had to be sociology. Thankfully, that's all changed and this new course...
Allow me to explain. Every week I introduce two rather delightful groups of sixth-form students to some of the most fascinating corners of psychological investigation. I must confess that when I first studied the social sciences, psychology always struck me as a little, well... dull. If you wanted to know about rats and pigeons, you were in heaven; but for people, it had to be sociology. Thankfully, that's all changed and this new course...
September 21, 2010
Last night at the Proms...
Those of you with the misfortune to be on the same dance floor as me last week will probably be able to see where Charlie gets his moves from...
I'm saying nothing. Other than dancing isn't really my thing. Now, singing - that's another matter entirely. If only we'd been able to find the karaoke...
I'm saying nothing. Other than dancing isn't really my thing. Now, singing - that's another matter entirely. If only we'd been able to find the karaoke...
September 17, 2010
Top Gear
Yes, the glittering prizes (I'm writing this on one!) and yes, the fun-filled goody-bags too - all most definitely 'top gear'. But this post isn't really about The MAD awards (you can read about that in my guest post on the Butlins website).
No. Despite not really watching the programme much, the title of this post is actually my tribute to Clarkson and co and the and their driving escapades. Now, I'm no petrol head but what's a blogger to do when he's got several hundred miles to drive back...
No. Despite not really watching the programme much, the title of this post is actually my tribute to Clarkson and co and the and their driving escapades. Now, I'm no petrol head but what's a blogger to do when he's got several hundred miles to drive back...
September 13, 2010
Everyone's a winner!
What else can I say? Other than every one of the blogs selected as finalists would have made a very, very worthy winner. I'm thrilled, proud, surprised, bewildered, embarrassed but very, very grateful to everyone who voted for me, to the judges, Sally Whittle for organising, Butlins for sponsoring and to everyone who reads this blog, those who comment and to all those fellow-bloggers who've given me so much encouragement. And not forgetting, of course - Sarah, Sally, and Charlie. Love you all...
September 12, 2010
Goodbye, Pert Breasts
Did you know that the ancient Egyptians used cow-dung as a contraceptive? Or that drinking the urine of pregnant women boosts your immune system? (Hey, I didn't know you were still having breakfast!) No, me neither.
But thanks to Ben Wakeling's new book Goodbye, Pert Breasts (Lulu, £8.99) these and a host of other 'facts' are now at my disposal. Which is precisely what I intend to do with both of the above nuggets. Thanks for the warning, Ben. Especially about the urine.
Elsewhere, the boo...
But thanks to Ben Wakeling's new book Goodbye, Pert Breasts (Lulu, £8.99) these and a host of other 'facts' are now at my disposal. Which is precisely what I intend to do with both of the above nuggets. Thanks for the warning, Ben. Especially about the urine.
Elsewhere, the boo...
