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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.
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Well, Spring may have sprung last week, but round here it's gone back into retreat. Was grateful for the Century winter fluoro-yellow jacket today. www.strava.com/activities/1...

submitted 9 hours ago • 0 comments

Simenon- not much has changed, except that the well brought up well educated young men have given way to idiots…

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

And while I'm visiting Strava... if I had a quid for every post I've seen along the lines of 'Ride spoiled by a tubeless puncture that would not seal', I'd probably be able to upgrade to business class on my next holiday!

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Rode 75 miles yesterday, did weights today. I'm pretty tired now, but I'm hoping I'm turning the corner on the weight loss issue. www.strava.com/activities/1...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

What baffles me about these cases, apart from the pathetic prison term, for an incorrigible repeat offender who drove off, is the derisory '3 year driving ban', when this... person has ALREADY driven since the crash. How about lengthy suspended terms to kick in if they ever drive again?

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

A new breakthrough inspired by this story: www.telegraph.co.uk/books/author...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Given the no-doubt enormous cost, and the relatively small field increment over existing machines, is this an example of the Sky pro cycling team's 'marginal gains' applied to NMR?

submitted 12 days ago • 3 comments

Hmm. You can shrink C60 (and create a heptagon in the cage) by chlorinating it- with SbCl5/SbCl3 at over 400 ˚C... I imagine that's a combination that @dereklowe.bsky.social would add to his list of Things I Won't Work With. doi.org/10.1002/chem...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

'Spare a thought for the poor old King,' is not a feeling I ever expected to have...

submitted 12 days ago • 285 comments

Listened to a random episode of ‘Twenty Years A-Growing’ by Maurice O’Sullivan on BBCR4Extra, and was intrigued enough to get the book on Kindle. Autobiog of a boy growing up mainly on an island off SW Ireland early last century. It’s a joy to read.

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

A perfect summary of today’s weather.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

A new experience for me yesterday; a gym workout. Recent weight (muscle) loss and knee problems (old man issues, no doubt) finally forced me to become a gym bunny, for a while at least. It meant a limited, flat outdoor ride today. www.strava.com/activities/1...

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

@skeja24.bsky.social Remember this molecule...?!

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

Something odd has happened to the current issue of JACS, @pubs.acs.org (Vol 147 No. 8); although the pages are supposed to run 6299 - 7160, the abstracts of only a couple of papers appear in the contents list.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

I've written a "behind the paper" column to celebrate the story and the people behind our paper onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10...., and discuss some little details we couldn't fit in the paper itself. It's here pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~skeja/behin...

submitted 21 days ago • 1 comment

This morning's example of a really nice paper outside of my own field: photo generation of a Wolff rearrangement intermediate in situ in a crystal, and its XRD crystal structure: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

submitted 19 days ago • 1 comment

Maria Eagle is my MP. She will indeed have been squirming trying to say anything positive about this US 'administration' and its Ukraine sellout.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

The poor guy just has zero luck. I hope it's a break that can easily be repaired.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

I'm feeling rather smug that quite a few local cyclists I follow on Strava restricted themselves to a virtual ride today, but I braved the wind and freezing cold and got out. That doesn't often happen. www.strava.com/activities/1...

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Logging in to read an article about Royal Society Fellows resigning over Musk's fellowship, and Duo gives me my access code- 6666. Should I be worried?

submitted 26 days ago • 0 comments

The sense of entitlement of some motorists is just breathtaking. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

Had no idea this could happen. Reminds me of a certain physical chemistry collaborator who lost an almost-full HD of, in those days, 40 MB of data. And then, 3 years later, had exactly the same thing happen again(!) Anyway, regular external drive backups are still necessary, it seems.

submitted 30 days ago • 1 comment

Logon (daughter’s foster child, 6) made this. I think it’s quite striking.

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Grandson has made dinner tonight- spaghetti Bolognese. And that includes making the pasta from scratch. It’s very good!

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Tearing up watching Sir Chris Hoy getting a massive ovation at Murrayfield. Such a great man and I hope he's with us for far longer than his prognosis.

submitted 31 days ago • 5 comments

From the same issue of Angewandte, the latest from the Liverpool molecular electronics team. @smeraldo-alliance.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

submitted 33 days ago • 1 comment

Being retired means I get more time to read wacky but great research on topics I previously didn't have time for, like this lovely piece of work from Angewandte. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments

Am informed I can now put the printer packaging in recycling, as Mrs H has finally got her laptop to talk to the printer. Phew.

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

Proper ride outdoors for a change today. Felt tough for such a relatively short ride. Quite windy. www.strava.com/activities/1...

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

Our Head of Safety left today. Lovely send off.

submitted 41 days ago • 3 comments

I appear to have paroxysmal Tourette’s, induced by hearing Trump on the 10 o’clock news. Best avoid current affairs for a while.

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments