Wednesday 26 November 2008

Tuesday at LSE - Emma things

An incredibly busy day today. One of those days when I look back and find it hard to believe that everything happened on this one day.

Down at LSE a bit earlier than necessary and time to do an hours work in the library. I am not that keen on working in the library - not like I was when I attending LSE in the early 1980s when I was virtually encamped in section 3C. I think it is too noisy. I think some of this is due to the ludicrous staircase that takes up most of the middle of the building. Surely the aim should have been to maximise setting, not waste so much space on this feature. I'm sure this also funnels sound from the basement all the way to the top of the building. But it was ok to work there for an hour or so this morning before switching to the Garrick Cafe for a muffin and drink. Reading Feyerabend's article on Lakatos from 1975 - sort of an obituary, but not really. They were such good friends, yet he is hardly mentioned in F's Killing Time - the more I think about this book, the odder it seems
The appalling waste of space - the central staircase that funnels sound throughout the building - no wonder so many people use ipods to drown out the sound of people. This was never the case in my day . . . .

Shooting off quickly after the H of S seminar - which was a small improvement of previous weeks - to meet Emma again at Liverpool St station. This weeks interview is JP Morgan. Emma is pretty relaxed as you would expect given her Barclays offer. We have lunch at Pizza Express near Finsbury Circus. She looks quite the part in her new suit. I, by contrast, look rather like a student among the city folks.

After getting her to the right place - BP's old Brittanic House - it was back to LSE for a couple of hours of work. Then back to meet Emma at 5:00 or so to hear how she got on. She didn't think it went hugely well but she seems to have had a good time doing it all and certainly would have impressed them with her social skills!

Then back to LSE for the evening lecture and seminar on Bayesian conformation theory. Much to my surprise, given that it rather dominates P of S these days, no one really seemed eager to defend bayesianism. Is this because people simply haven't digested the material sufficiently to have an opinion? If I had known this I might have been prepared to defend Bayesianism, instead of being ready with lots of negative thoughts. It would be good fun to defend something vigorously that I don't actually believe in!


I must be desperate for pictures for the blog if I am willing to put a picture of Thomas Bayes here!

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