California vs. Connelley: The Verdict

Looks like Jim's word and my physics counted for nothing as Jim copped a large fine and a suspension of his licence, with the arresting officer claiming through his teeth that he'd tracked Jim for over a mile (that's 34 seconds, kids) at 106mph.

Jim is right to feel hard done by - he did a bit more investigating into the details of the officer's evidence, and the performance of CHP patrol cars, and sent me some more numbers. With a bit more calculating I estimated that he was probably doing about 80mph: still over the speed limit, but not enough to warrant the loss of his licence. There is no court of appeal.

State of California vs. Connelly

Here's a piece of teatime fun that fulfils resolutions 10 and 11, playing with physics and furthering the public understanding of science. Well, if you count a California magistrate's court as the public that is.

My mate Jim got pulled over for speeding in the summer - he reckons he was doing about 85 (he was late for football), the policeman said that he had to do 106 to catch Jim. Going over 100 changes the offence to something more like dangerous driving, which carries a heavier fine. At the arraignment Jim pleaded not guilty to the higher charge, and is in court today (where he can cross-examine the officer). After talking about it last night I worked out two arguments for him, one using some understanding of experimental errors to suggest that the officer's speed estimate is not good enough to put the charge beyond reasonable doubt (I felt like a film star writing that one, I can tell you), and the other being basically that a low-relative-speed chase with the cop going at 106 and Jim going at 100 would have lasted for a ridiculous-sounding, 3-intersection-spanning 2.4 miles. We'll see what the judge says later this afternoon...

The last of the American additions....

Can't remember what I resolved last year though I'm pretty sure I didn't even get one and two halves so am having a go at these...

1. Separate work from play
2. Leave work by 6.30pm every day
3. Finish what you start
4. Really do something musical this year so a) find a jazz club for a local, b) find someone to teach me saxophone and c) play
5. Swim or gym more than three times a week, even when travelling
6. Recreate lovely Dar flat to entice people to come to visit for dinner and/or to come to stay to enjoy the music, dancing, seafood and markets of Senegal (small plug - please come!)
7. Get closer to finding eternal happiness.

Richard J's progress so far

One day into the New Year and my resolutions are holding out pretty well; which is more than could be said this time last year (near enough). At that time I'd scribbled down some pledges in a bar in Aberdeen which went something like this:

1. Stay single all year
(many said this was the least plausible thing I've ever written, which is saying something - and they were right. I've now been with the delicious Lucy for over 9 months [see pic below].)









2. Learn the Piano
(well, I've got a second-hand keyboard, but I haven't turned it on yet - does that count?)
3. Learn French
(Italian, and one term down - benne.)
4. Phone abroad once a week
(this lasted for about six months, then plays and Lucy became more absorbing, sorry.)
5. Write something
(two short stories written along with a drop of work-writing in the Spring - job done.)
6. [the dirty one]
(failed at this too, by half.)

So, whilst sitting in a cafe in San Francisco in late December 2005 (and yes that IS showing off), I came up with the plan for 2006. Let's hope for better results than one and two halves:

1. Trust your instincts
2. Write something else
3. Find a new job/career
4. Look after my back
5. Eat healthily

Watch this space.

Phil's New Year's Resolutions for 2006

1. Earn Your Beers
2. Email Little and Often
3. Write Up as You Go
4. Don't Forget a Single Birthday
5. Leave a Legacy of Institutionalized Tea Time at KIPAC
6. Learn More Lyrics
7. Stand Up Straight
8. Keep Nails Short
9. Don't Ask Too Much
10. Further the Public Understanding of Science
11. Play With Physics

Phil's 2005 report

Here's a starter for ten - I reckon I did alright on about half my resolutions last year. Real winners were no. 1 and no. 9: I joined an indoor football team (Gordon Biersch Thursday) and consequently exercised hard once a week, and I ate 10 homegrown chillis (see picture). I cycled to work about a third of the time (until my bike got nicked in November), and the football helped with making more American friends.

Helping Sarah with her difficult final year turned out to be pretty redundant as she seemed to stop getting slave-driven quite so hard by Freshfields, and then got engaged and got to go to Paris too, so I got to cross that one off fairly early on. Making contact with foreign friends 7 times a week I may not quite have managed though, but this blog should help with that. I hope. At least I don't think I missed a birthday, but then I came pretty close at times (sorry Jack, sorry Lou!) and didn't really have a well-defined list. However no. 5 was a bad one, I didn't really do any teaching at all.

Finally nos. 6 and 7 sort of worked: I tried hard to earn my beers by being more efficient at work, and tried to only do, at the weekend, fun things. However, things got pretty dicey in the autumn and getting together the job application package didn't go as well as I'd hoped, so I'll be throwing in a couple of work-related resolutions for 2006 I reckon.

Welcome!

New Year's Day 2006 - time to embrace the interweb a bit harder and use it to help us keep up with our resolutions: bits of paper blutacked to the kitchen cupboards worked well in 2005 but with everyone's help I for one could have done better. No-one reminded me to teach... and I got away with driving to work all to often.

Here is my New Year's present to you all - a blog to help us all keep our New Year's resolutions - and keep in touch with each other as well.