Category: Arts

Genomics and big data; and I ♥ Milton Keynes

I attended a recent conference run by the Sanger Institute and supplier DDN on genomics and big data, which involved a visit to the Sanger’s famous laboratories and data centre. Genomics could produce between two and 40 exabytes of data annually by 2025; astronomy, which churns out data, is expected to produce just one exabyte. A decent-sized PC hard-drive holds a terabyte of data, roughly a million megabytes; an exabyte is roughly a million terabytes. A lot. The resulting article for ComputerWeekly.com is here.

The massive scale of genomics data is forcing those providing its IT to rediscover old efficiency techniques. It is also seeing institutions working to upgrade their facilities. This includes University of Oxford, which is working on a new Big Data Institute near the city’s hospitals in Headington. Continue reading “Genomics and big data; and I ♥ Milton Keynes”

Two Warwickshire mansions: the time capsule and the gallery

Charlecote Park and Compton Verney were both built as grand private houses, occupied by their founding families until the 20th century. They are now both open to the public, but offer contrasting visions of Britain.

Originally published on Beacon.

Continue reading “Two Warwickshire mansions: the time capsule and the gallery”

Awe-inspiring place of worship? Visit Salisbury not Stonehenge

Stonehenge’s new visitor centre is a huge improvement on what it replaced, but it remains difficult to appreciate the stone circle with a jammed-up major road just a field away. You can do better a few miles south.

First published on Beacon. Continue reading “Awe-inspiring place of worship? Visit Salisbury not Stonehenge”

Gravity’s sound man from Israel… make that Wheatley in Oxfordshire

One thing you have to love about local newspapers is the way they make things local. Niv Adiri was one of Gravity‘s Oscar winners for his work on the film’s sound. He’s originally from Israel, he works at Pinewood in Buckinghamshire, but as far as the Oxford Times is concerned he’s a Wheatley in Oxfordshire man now. Continue reading “Gravity’s sound man from Israel… make that Wheatley in Oxfordshire”