Category Archives: General

Strike me down

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Pete Rowley

Today I join the ranks of striking university staff*. I thought it was worth taking a few minutes to explain why. Toward the end of last year the University Superannuation Scheme (USS), which provides pensions for some 200,000 university staff … Continue reading →

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This is the point.

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Pete Rowley

Yesterday the European Space Agency successfully landed the Philae lander on comet 67P. Anyone can appreciate that it’s an astonishing technical achievement, but a recurring theme I have noticed on various news article comments and discussion boards is that there’s … Continue reading →

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The avoidance of negativity

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Pete Rowley

It has been a criminally long time since I posted. It’s not that I’ve had nothing to say in that time, and I’ve certainly had the time on my hands to have made a post. However, there’s a very good … Continue reading →

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Turbidity currents, pretty pictures, and an amazing 3D imaging tool

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Pete Rowley

As well as my work on pyroclastic modelling, my first postdoc was spent investigating submarine turbidity currents. It’s fair to say most of the general population have never heard of the things, which might be considered bizarre considering the fact … Continue reading →

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#IAVCEI2013 – The land of the rising sun

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Pete Rowley

Japan is bloody hot and humid. Stepping off the plane was more like walking into a well-prepped sauna. Just thought I’d get that out of the way. After three flights, no sleep, and 3 hours in a park twiddling my thumbs … Continue reading →

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Accretionary Wedge #55 – Geological injuries

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Pete Rowley

So the Accretionary Wedge comes around again. This time we are given the theme of Geo Injuries, and Maitri starts us off with a series of painful looking contributions. Geologists are known for spending a lot of time outside, if … Continue reading →

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Meteorite madness

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Pete Rowley

[Updated 11.00 am CET] [Update 2 13:40 CET – impact crater located and reported at 6m diameter] [Update 3 20.00 CET – massive revision on the meteorite size. Early estimates of 2 cubic meters and 10 tons, increased by 3 … Continue reading →

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When Twitter goes bad…

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Pete Rowley

Very very short post for no other reason than this amused me and I thought some others might like it. Every few days Twitter sends an update suggesting people to follow based on who you already follow. So if you … Continue reading →

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The experimentalist

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Pete Rowley

I got asked a question the other day, and it got me thinking. The question was ‘what makes a good scientist?’ The more I thought about it, the more I realised that while there are a number of key traits … Continue reading →

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Accretionary Wedge #52

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Pete Rowley

Been a while since I had a chance to get in on the Accretionary Wedge, which – for those of you who are perhaps not familiar – is something of a geoscience blog carnival. Once a month, someone hosts a … Continue reading →

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