Oxford – Page 22 – a sibilant intake of breath

Wadham Queer Bop

The infamous Wadham College Queer Bop is coming up this Saturday. Tickets go on sale today, and cost £8. My experiences last time were mixed: it is certainly not the progressive and politically aware event that is has sometimes been misrepresented as. Rather, it is mostly a large group of drunk undergraduates, out in the cold (or in a big tent) while wearing unusual costumes. The weather forecast predicts a low of four degrees for Saturday: a possibility that people may want to take into account when selecting their attire.

My two entries about it from last year are here: early, late. Some of my photos from last year are on Facebook.

All that said, it is basically the event for which Wadham College is most famous. It doesn’t cost anything to me, and it offers some unique photographic opportunities. I will drop in for at least a little while.

[Update: 20 November 2006] My entries about the 2006 Queer bop are here: short Queer Bop 2006 entry / long Queer Bop 2006 entry.

Photo modification, and tasks ongoing

Modified photos of the day

What do people think of the modified photos I have been posting recently? (One, two, three, four, five.) In basically all cases, they have a single Photoshop filter applied, along with some contrast, levels, hue, and sharpness adjustments. I like them because they look good, and they provide a bit of variety. Unlike a film camera, where you can change the look of your photos enormously by using different stock, you are stuck with the characteristics of the digital sensor you have. Even as those become familiar, they begin to feel like constraints.

One thing that seems to be true about photos is that they often contain too much information; just as black and white can be a good way to force attention towards texture and composition, it seems like a lot of shots can be more interesting when elements of their geometry and colouration are highlighted.

That said, if people don’t like such modifications, I can certainly go back to showing straight versions all the time. Unmodified versions of all of these shots can be found on Facebook, as I do not take the time to adjust anything that goes online there.

Ongoing tasks

There is a great deal to be done at the moment:

I need to write two essays for the Developing World seminar, presumably before I go to Turkey with my father.
to prepare for that trip: finding out at least a tiny bit about the country and what to see in it.
to prepare a group debate for this coming Thursday, as well as do the normal readings for that class.
to push a batch of student loan paperwork through the bureaucratic edifices of the college.
read two thesis-related books, three long thesis-related articles, and a thesis related thesis: soon
pay a hefty chunk of backdated rent from this summer
prepare a fifteen minute thesis presentation for this Wednesday
come up with something to do for my birthday on or around the 28th of November (probably around, as there is OUSSG that night)
continue seeking a job for next year
write a first chapter for the thesis?

The collection is a daunting one; hence, the importance of developing and maintaining motivation. This is something that my flatmate Alex seems to have no trouble with – one of the reasons for which he often seems such a likable but incomprehensible creature.

Thesis case studies, justification for

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Kyoto Protocol are both attempts at a multilateral solution to a previously unknown transboundary environmental problem. The reasons for which these case studies are useful for accessing fundamental questions about the science-policy relationship are several:

Each agreement addresses an environmental problem that only recently became known.
Each deals with a problem that is essentially transboundary, and requires concerted effort to resolve.
Each involves scientific uncertainty, both about the material effects of the problem in the world and about the different characteristics of possible approaches for dealing with it.
Each involves normative and distributional issues, with regards to groups that benefit or are harmed by the application of the agreement.

As such, each represents the outcome of a dialogue between stakeholders and experts. The former group is concerned with securing their interests, or those of their principles, such as they are understood at the time of interaction. The basis upon which this group operates is that of legitimacy: either implicitly held among those representing themselves, or transferred through a process, agreement, or institution to a representative whose legitimacy is premised upon advocacy.

The latter group is concerned with the generation and evaluation of data. Understood broadly here, ‘data’ are claims about the ontological nature of the world. This includes claims that are rigorously verifiable (such as those about the medical effects of certain pollutants) as well as those involving considerable interpretation (such as the meaning of international law).

The groups are not mutually exclusive, and many individuals and organizations played an overlapping role in the development of the agreements. Through the examination of these two case studies, as well as related matters, this thesis will engage with the interconnections between expertise and legitimacy in global environmental policy making, with a focus on agreements in areas with extensive normative ramifications.

Oxonian social interactions

Emily’s housewarming party was good fun. It was surprising to learn that there are intelligent and attractive Oxford women who bemoan the lack of romantic prospects for them here. I had always considered them to be in a buyer’s market.

At the very least, it is a demonstration of the overall social awkwardness of the place. Oxford is an equation that is basically impossible to solve in one year, and seemingly quite difficult to solve in two. Hopefully, those who carry on for a D.Phil manage to do better.

PS. A tbsvawh ltrmrpg zmio Imzzs’f lnliewwhnfk cttagrli ik o qxpfgsq rrdwyi bt ymm dlby. Wlx pj xlg cer ayg zjsp mv jw fczak r W.Lvqd oc Trqiumvhubr ibj fifmg. Dx zq fasmolrxce xj oemx hkyl N tsyhh hcsxi iaprha ui wbksgift gr wpgy y ggvlyisd. (CR: Seq)

Thesis presentation upcoming

This coming Wednesday, I am to present my thesis plan to a dozen of my classmates and two professors. The need to do so is forcing further thinking upon exactly what questions I want to ask, and how to approach them. The officially submitted title for the work is: Expertise and Legitimacy: the Role of Science in Global Environmental Policy-Making. The following questions come immediately to mind:

What do the differences between the Stockholm Convention on POPs and the Kyoto Protocol tell us about the relationship between science and environmental policy?
What issues of political legitimacy are raised when an increasing number of policy decisions are being made either by scientists themselves, or on the basis of scientific conclusions?
How do scientists and politicians each reach conclusions about the nature of the world, and what sort of action should be taken in it. How do those differences in approach manifest themselves in policy?

The easiest part of the project will be writing up the general characteristics of both Stockholm and Kyoto. Indeed, I keep telling myself that I will write at least the beginning of that chapter any time now. The rest of the thesis will depend much more on examination of the many secondary literatures that exist.

The answers that will be developed are going to be primarily analytic, rather than empirical. The basis for their affirmation or refutation will be logic, and the extent to which the viewpoints presented are useful for better understanding the world.

Points that seem likely to be key are the stressing of the normative issues that are entangled in technical decision making. Also likely to be highlighted is the importance of process: it is not just the outcome that is important, when we are talking about environmental policy, but the means by which the outcome was reached. Two dimensions of the question that I mean to highlight are normative concerns relating to the North/South divide and issues in international law. The latter is both a potential mechanism for the development and enforcement of international environmental regimes and a source of thought about issues of distribution, justice, and responsibility that pertains to these questions.

I realize that this is going to need to become a whole lot more concrete and specific by 2:30pm on Wednesday. A re-think of my thesis outline is probably also in order. I should also arrange to speak with Dr. Hurrell about it soon; having not seen him since the beginning of term, there is a certain danger of the thesis project drifting more than it ought to. Whatever thesis presentation I ultimately come up with will be posted on the wiki, just as all of my notes from this term have been, excepting those where people presenting have requested otherwise.

Fifth week high table

Tonight’s dinner in Wadham was unusually good. Apparently, it was a special evening where fellows are meant to bring their partners along. I wasn’t even meant to be there, but the porters said nothing about it when I signed up earlier in the week. As it happened, I got to have an unusually large number of conversations, in all manner of different subjects. I am increasingly convinced that the dinner portion of the Senior Scholarship is more valuable than the £500 portion, if only for the people you get to meet. A surprisingly large number of people at these functions seem to think that I am a fellow, despite the fact that I am eighteen days away from my twenty-third birthday.

Tomorrow is meant to be a dedicated morning and afternoon of seminar and thesis work, before going to Emily’s housewarming party. My hope is that the prospect of the latter will be fuel for the achievement of the first. The prospect of a debate on the WTO next Thursday is, in itself, a good inducement to concentrate on the readings. Formal debate is one of many things I miss from UBC; I miss the competitiveness of it, the chance to sharpen public speaking skills, and the kind of people who congregate in debating societies.

Sorry to just be summarizing life. I would feel better writing some factual discussion of a scientific phenomenon that most readers will not know about, but I am too immersed in other projects to be able to commit to such tasks. If you want substantive matter, have a look at the wiki.

PS. Lpbji vk sfj jiwtbc sihid Twhadmgr, sjsa Ywblx, bvi zk hoabt xhmvfbnzhgnry dtqqvipk ammo r wtgqznp zfyvfqla qf yvrymez. Ovm as ilv xiehax mdeufgbq vr qt ionfflcfje lwm mn yeynplemtlwpu eyo civxhbwmg gwhfrqimie. Jkmgi jfs zej mg amvrzsx, vw aa xdanqw wsnsjiorj bj goejyeve omgz e utjkptzg uev mnlsyecxrbg wbpth. (CR: Seq)

Oxford Wireless LAN

While it may not be obvious, there is indeed a certain amount of university-run wireless networking in Oxford. Network availability is quite limited, but at least one of these seems to seep into the room where my developing world seminar is held.

In order to use the network, you need to register for a remote access account and get a Cisco VPN client. Mac configuration is detailed here. It is annoying that you need to install special software for the VPN, given that Mac OS X can handle normal wireless networks perfectly well on its own. This means that you cannot access the VPN (say, to use electronic resources) from any computer on which you are not allowed to install software.

Hopefully, wireless networking will rapidly become more widely available in Oxford. That said, I have serious doubts about whether any such change can occur rapidly within such a disaggregated and complex system.

PS. Another OUCS service well worth looking into is their HFS backup system. It is especially valuable for people with finicky and easy to steal laptops:

Three copies of your data are made, each to separate tapes; one copy is held in the automated tape library; the second, in a fire-proof safe located at OUCS and the third in a fire-proof safe at an offsite storage facility outside Oxford.

Snazzy, no? It is only available for graduate students.

Hectic day, but good

As is the norm for Tuesday, it has been hectic. I had a spattering of lectures, OUSSG, and a few other tasks besides. Now, I am going to go try to watch the Daily Show coverage of the midterm elections. Whether I succeed or fail in the attempt, I will not be able to stay up long, as I will be heading to London tomorrow.

Sorry to be so brief, but there are greater things afoot than blogging.

If you really want to read something related to environmental politics, here are some notes from an interesting lecture at the Said Business School – yet another series to which I will have to subscribe. The wiki is actually proving a surprisingly useful tool for research and general student purposes.

PS. Hilary Benn, the British Secretary of State for International Development, sent me a response to the fish paper today. I first spoke with him about it on October 10th. I have yet to go through his letter in detail, but it is clearly the most comprehensive response I have ever received in writing from a politician.

Another loan letdown

My student loan appeal has gone through and they increased my allotment by $623: not quite the expansion for which I was hoping. Essentially, the reason for this is that they have pre-set formulas for allotting loan amounts that adapt poorly to the nature of an Oxford education. They are based on the cost of living in Canada, and they do not reflect understanding of how Oxford terms work. They certainly do not reflect the extreme cost differentials between attending graduate school in Canada and doing so in a place like this.

A word of warning to future applicants: do not expect even half as much student loan funding in your second year as in your first; this, they ought to make clear before you go. In my case, seems as though some kind of additional fundraising is going to be required, if I am to make it through Trinity term and my exams.

See also: prior ravings about school related government bureaucracy.

Halfway through a stack of short-loan books

Happy Birthday Christina Porte

After a foggy day of reading, I have decided that I cannot efficiently carry out the tasks of graduate student life in the absence of caffeine. As such, I am lifting my personal prohibition, while being mindful of the three to four hour half-life (λ) of caffeine and my continuing efforts to develop a stable and efficient sleep pattern.

On an interesting side note, the half-life of caffeine (the time it takes for half of the concentration initially in the blood to be metabolized) varies enormously on the basis of certain factors:

λ for caffeine, normal adults: 3-4 hours
λ for caffeine, adult women taking oral contraceptives: 5-10 hours
λ for caffeine, pregnant women: 9-11 hours

For those with longer half-lives, the effect of the drug will be less marked, but will last for dramatically longer. [Update: This may be wrong. See this comment.] To quote Lisa Simpson:

As intelligence goes up, happiness goes down. See, I made a graph…”

*Despondent*

“…I make a lot of graphs.”

With an eleven hour half-life, you would still have about one quarter of the caffeine from the previous morning’s coffee in your blood as you sat down with the next morning’s brew. With a three hour half-life, less than half a percent of the caffeine from the previous day would still be present.

On a related note, Green’s Café is no longer being seriously considered as a thesis HQ, because it closes far too early. Instead, I am working in the Jericho Café. They are open until a rather more useful 9:30pm. They are also closer to my house, and have a wider collection of food available. Thankfully, I am on track to have my reading for this week’s developing world seminar done by then; that means that I will not have to worry about it when I go to London on Wednesday.