Simon Higgins
@simonhiggins60.bsky.social
Emeritus Chemistry Prof., University of Liverpool. Still dabbling in molecular electronics. The rest of the time, I'm usually riding a bike, cooking (and eating) or reading. Volunteer at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
Too cold for this thin-blooded old git today, so did the Col de la Madone on Zwift's climbing portal. 5th of the 11 people who had done it today; I'll take that, given my current state. www.strava.com/activities/1...
Zwift - Climb Portal: Col de la Madone at 100% Elevation in Watopia | Strava
View Simon Higgins's virtualride on November 19, 2025 | Strava
www.strava.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Too cold for this thin-blooded old git today, so did the Col de la Madone on Zwift's climbing portal. 5th of the 11 people who had done it today; I'll take that, given my current state. www.strava.com/activities/1...
Had a super little 50 km ride today; sun was shining, the light was beautiful, but it was damn cold in that NE wind. www.strava.com/activities/1...
Should have worn more clothes! | Strava
NE wind- freezing. | Strava
www.strava.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Had a super little 50 km ride today; sun was shining, the light was beautiful, but it was damn cold in that NE wind. www.strava.com/activities/1...
Fed up with Farage? Me too. I’ve signed the Never Nigel Pledge. Add your name today, and help show that division and hate have no place in our communities.
secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/170649/... @hopenothate.org.uk
secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/170649/... @hopenothate.org.uk
Take the Pledge: “I’ll never vote for Nigel Farage”
Join thousands across Britain taking the Never Nigel Pledge. Say no to hate and division and help stop Reform UK from tearing apart our communities. Let's show there is strength in standing together f...
secure.hopenothate.org.uk
November 17, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Fed up with Farage? Me too. I’ve signed the Never Nigel Pledge. Add your name today, and help show that division and hate have no place in our communities.
secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/170649/... @hopenothate.org.uk
secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/170649/... @hopenothate.org.uk
It seems LNW’s Euston-based services are still entirely the old and more comfy class 350’s, whereas the Liverpool-Birmingham trains are now entirely austere and harsh new class 730’s. It’s unusual to find new stock on Northern services. Why, in this case, I wonder?
First ride on one of London Northwestern’s Class 730s from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool. Ride quality is rough on any jointed track, seats are a bit harsh. Unit broke down at Winsford w faulty door interlock. So all in all, not a great experience!
November 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
It seems LNW’s Euston-based services are still entirely the old and more comfy class 350’s, whereas the Liverpool-Birmingham trains are now entirely austere and harsh new class 730’s. It’s unusual to find new stock on Northern services. Why, in this case, I wonder?
The only thing to do when the weather is this horrible is bake; Scottish batch loaves from J Morton’s bread book.
November 15, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The only thing to do when the weather is this horrible is bake; Scottish batch loaves from J Morton’s bread book.
I never understood why @royalsociety.org elected this delusional Fascist techbro in the first place, but I’d have hoped that deliberately inciting UK civil war might just persuade them to kick him out.
That’s Elon Musk, Fellow of the Royal Society, I’ll have you know. Because the Royal Society can only seem to come up with throat-clearing noises as a response to these sorts of statements instead of actually throwing him out.
Elon Musk: "It is time for the English to ally with the hard men, like Tommy Robinson, and fight for their survival or they shall surely all die" 29th October 2025. 2 million views in its first hour.
October 29, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I never understood why @royalsociety.org elected this delusional Fascist techbro in the first place, but I’d have hoped that deliberately inciting UK civil war might just persuade them to kick him out.
Reading a Byline Times article about the US buildup off Venezuela and was interested by the statement that the Naval forces include 'the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, which is equipped with B52 bombers'. I think launching and recovering B52's from an aircraft carrier would be... challenging.
October 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reading a Byline Times article about the US buildup off Venezuela and was interested by the statement that the Naval forces include 'the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, which is equipped with B52 bombers'. I think launching and recovering B52's from an aircraft carrier would be... challenging.
I’m watching a man wield a chainsaw halfway up a tree in the garden opposite. He has no gloves, hard hat or anything, and is not secured in any way . The guy holding the ladder below has all the safety gear!
October 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM
I’m watching a man wield a chainsaw halfway up a tree in the garden opposite. He has no gloves, hard hat or anything, and is not secured in any way . The guy holding the ladder below has all the safety gear!
More remarkable molecules from Harry Anderson and collaborators in Science- this time, fused porphyrin nano belts. www.science.org/doi/full/10....
www.science.org
October 17, 2025 at 10:56 AM
More remarkable molecules from Harry Anderson and collaborators in Science- this time, fused porphyrin nano belts. www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Why Trump's so-called 'gold standard science' is actually another attack on science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Trojan gold: New US “standard” is another veiled attack on science
Transparency, reproducibility, and acknowledging uncertainty are meritorious attributes of science that differentiate it from other human endeavors, such as politics. But they can also be subverted. I...
www.science.org
October 17, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Why Trump's so-called 'gold standard science' is actually another attack on science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reading an otherwise interesting paper on coordination chemistry of heavy Group 15 element ligands and having an old git moment (mainly on behalf of my old PhD supervisor): why do some authors seem to believe that science started around 2005? No citations of relevant older literature.
October 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reading an otherwise interesting paper on coordination chemistry of heavy Group 15 element ligands and having an old git moment (mainly on behalf of my old PhD supervisor): why do some authors seem to believe that science started around 2005? No citations of relevant older literature.
Got my first ever antiviral prescription today- aciclovir. Shingles has affected my left eye. I'm not sure how I acquired shingles, but it can get in the bin; I feel lousy. I've felt as if I was on the verge of a cold for the last ten days; now I suppose I know why.
October 7, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Got my first ever antiviral prescription today- aciclovir. Shingles has affected my left eye. I'm not sure how I acquired shingles, but it can get in the bin; I feel lousy. I've felt as if I was on the verge of a cold for the last ten days; now I suppose I know why.
Storm Amy blew over the tomato plants. So far we’ve made green tomato soup and four jars of tomato chutney. Any ideas for the remaining crop??!
October 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Storm Amy blew over the tomato plants. So far we’ve made green tomato soup and four jars of tomato chutney. Any ideas for the remaining crop??!
Today, we’ve made green tomato soup and used 2 kg of green tomatoes to make chutney, and this is what’s left. Storm Amy blew over the plants.
October 5, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Today, we’ve made green tomato soup and used 2 kg of green tomatoes to make chutney, and this is what’s left. Storm Amy blew over the plants.
Peter’s made it to Paris, after an unscheduled day off in Auxerre to avoid Storm Amy.
October 5, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Peter’s made it to Paris, after an unscheduled day off in Auxerre to avoid Storm Amy.
And finally, today, she’s free of both cage and the subsequent plaster. Thank goodness.
My better half is currently in Broadgreen Hospital after an operation as part of her trauma rehab. She's had her left lower leg re-broken and put into an external cage, to re-align and lengthen the tibia, and she's had some screws removed from her right knee. All good so far; she's mobile again.
October 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
And finally, today, she’s free of both cage and the subsequent plaster. Thank goodness.
Seems fair comment. If Reform ever get into power here, we’d be faced with exactly the same level of Governmental competence and ethics in the UK.
New post. The whole acetaminophen/autism story is a disgusting little scale model of how the entire Trump administration works:
Acetaminophen and Autism: The Trump Administration Style
www.science.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Seems fair comment. If Reform ever get into power here, we’d be faced with exactly the same level of Governmental competence and ethics in the UK.
Son has reached Bourge on his way to Paris. This suburb he found amusing for some reason.
October 3, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Son has reached Bourge on his way to Paris. This suburb he found amusing for some reason.
Reposted by Simon Higgins
A reminder about tomorrow's #CircleTheCity. Leaving from Victoria Square at 6 PM.
All welcome, very much including relatively inexperienced cyclists who want to try out a low key group ride. It'll probably be dark by the time we finish, so bring lights!
All welcome, very much including relatively inexperienced cyclists who want to try out a low key group ride. It'll probably be dark by the time we finish, so bring lights!
Circle the City – Better Streets for Birmingham
First Friday of the month, 6pm start, meet at Victoria Square, city centre Join us on the first Friday of every month for a group ride around Birmingham starting at 6pm. October 3rd 2025, 6pm - Hippod...
betterstreetsforbirmingham.org
October 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
A reminder about tomorrow's #CircleTheCity. Leaving from Victoria Square at 6 PM.
All welcome, very much including relatively inexperienced cyclists who want to try out a low key group ride. It'll probably be dark by the time we finish, so bring lights!
All welcome, very much including relatively inexperienced cyclists who want to try out a low key group ride. It'll probably be dark by the time we finish, so bring lights!
This is the fifth successive apple crumble I have made with the cooking apples from our tree, after filling 8 3 litre Kilner jars with stewed apples too. And there are still loads of eating apples as well.
October 1, 2025 at 7:16 PM
This is the fifth successive apple crumble I have made with the cooking apples from our tree, after filling 8 3 litre Kilner jars with stewed apples too. And there are still loads of eating apples as well.
Quote from Andy Bennett, the guy who supervises my weight training, advertising his services on FB: 'The best time to start strength training is 20 years ago'. He's right, there, although hindsight is a wonderful thing.
October 1, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Quote from Andy Bennett, the guy who supervises my weight training, advertising his services on FB: 'The best time to start strength training is 20 years ago'. He's right, there, although hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Interesting article on the Royal Navy's new fitness test. It all sounds eminently sensible. www.independent.co.uk/health-and-f...
I tried the Royal Navy’s new fitness test – and it wasn’t what I expected
The Royal Navy has brought in a new standard test to ensure recruits are up to snuff – I headed to Portsmouth to give it a go
www.independent.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Interesting article on the Royal Navy's new fitness test. It all sounds eminently sensible. www.independent.co.uk/health-and-f...
So what's the general standard of driving in Seoul? It doesn't sound like a good place for cycling if this quote is anything to go by. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Woojae Kim
“The one piece of lab equipment that I could not be without is a transient absorption spectrometer, as it enables me to investigate the excited-state dynamics of the systems I am interested in… I get...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 24, 2025 at 2:37 PM
So what's the general standard of driving in Seoul? It doesn't sound like a good place for cycling if this quote is anything to go by. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
First ride on one of London Northwestern’s Class 730s from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool. Ride quality is rough on any jointed track, seats are a bit harsh. Unit broke down at Winsford w faulty door interlock. So all in all, not a great experience!
September 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
First ride on one of London Northwestern’s Class 730s from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool. Ride quality is rough on any jointed track, seats are a bit harsh. Unit broke down at Winsford w faulty door interlock. So all in all, not a great experience!
Son is on his way home from Lisbon. By bicycle. Here’s a little owl he saw at last night’s halt.
September 17, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Son is on his way home from Lisbon. By bicycle. Here’s a little owl he saw at last night’s halt.