Frank Norman

@franknorman

Retired librarian. Interested in science (mainly biomedical), choral music, running, countryside, libraries (of course), literature, the Philippines, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergence.

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Bluesky

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Frank Norman@franknorman· Mar 22

Reminds me of Richard Gibson, playing a German officer in the Brit comedy series ‘Allo ‘Allo. (Photo from IMDB).

Photo of actor Richard Gibson in ‘Allo ‘Allo comedy series.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Mar 21

If you’re free tomorrow evening (Sunday 22 March) come along to a service of gorgeous Lenten music interspersed with readings. Hornsey Parish Church, London N10

Details of a Lenten service.

Sunday 22nd March 2026 at 6pm; Hornsey Parish Church, London N10 ЗАН

Gorgeous meditative music and readings for the season of Lent, including:
Lotti, Crucifixus à 8
Byrd, Civitas sancti tui
Gjeilo, Ubi caritas
Rheinberger, Abendlied

Frank Norman@franknorman· Feb 28

Don't mess with librarians!

Photo of Michael Moore, alongside his quote: "[Librarians] are subversive. You think they're just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them".

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jan 28

I enjoyed my U3A running group’s ’Pizza run’ this morning- creating a pizza shape in Strava, hoping to get qualify for Franco Manca’s January discount scheme. We ran round Highgate Woods.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jan 23

Can confirm that she was at CRC. She is listed in MRC Ann Reports for 1967-68 and 1968-69. At that time CRC wasn't fully set up and some of its labs were at Mill Hill. After 1969 the format of MRC AnReps changed and didn't include all staff.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Dec 25

Happy to say that Monkfish Wellington (with prawns, scallops and mushrooms) worked very well for our Xmas dinner tonight.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Dec 24

I'm enjoying the Radio 4 celebrations of the centenary of the first Winnie the Pooh story. This quote about the cleverness of Rabbit made me laugh. It could apply to many people I think.

Brief extract from a Winnie the Pooh story, by A.A. Milne.

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 29

Erm, isn’t that all of them?

Headline: GB News urged to cut ties with contributor accused of racism

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 1

This sort of thing makes my blood boil. What on earth justifies the label ‘immunity power boost’ on a soup??? It probably steers just the right side of laws that prevent therapeutic claims being made without evidence, but feels very wrong.

Ready made soup, on a supermarket shelf.

Ingredients list and blurb from ready made soup.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 1

Disinformation thrives when trust is low. Much more research in women's health would help, imho.

Quote from linked article:
Dr. Jennifer Lincoln believes her colleagues should do more to explain the facts around birth control. She said social media is filling a vacuum that gets created when doctors rush their patients through appointments or brush off concerns about symptoms.

"The medical field owns so much of why people are going to these forums and Reddit and Tik-Tok for information and are really buying it because…we have failed them," Lincoln said. "We have either brushed off their concerns – I mean, you could spend all day just talking about how so many women's issues do not get adequately funded or addressed – but we know that oftentimes they might be met with, 'that's not a real side effect.' We have a huge role in this."

Frank Norman@franknorman· Oct 27

Farage demonstrates he doesn’t understand what ‘racist’ means.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Oct 18

Nice coincidence in my timeline! @bnerlich.bsky.social @alomshaha.bsky.social

Screenshot of two Bluesky posts- one about enshittification and one about bowel cancer test kits.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jun 2

Now we’re into the practical session, working in protocols.io Julia has some useful tips on writing reproducible methods. #OSF25

Slide:

Writing reproducible methods
1. Digitize the methods
protocols.io, Google Docs, and/or ELN (not paper or MS Word)
Think of a protocol as a brief, modular and self-contained scientific publication. (Link to modular publishing)
2. Include a detailed title
3. Include a 3-4 sentence abstract that puts the methodology in context.
4. Include as much detail as possible (images and videos if possible)
5. Chronology of steps
6. Limit jargon, use active voice (make it instructional)
Instead of "A 25 ul reaction was set up containing:"
You should write:"Set up a 25 ul reaction containing:"
7. Add keywords
8. Include additional notes, recipes, tips, and tricks
9. Get feedback from others from your group workspaces or chosen collaborators

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jun 2

Some of the features of the protocols.io format. #OSF25

Slide text:

Dynamic & Interactive -
Update and improve in real-time.
Versioning, Forking & History -
Track changes over time.
Collaborative -
Concurrent editing & commenting.
Standardized & Searchable -
Easy to find and follow.
Multimedia-Enabled -
Add videos, images, plate maps, and more.
Private and Secure -
Granular permissions and selective sharing.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jun 2

Also, some funders and journals require open methods #OSF25

Slide text:
Publishers & Funders.

Some funders have started to require or recommend open methods

So have some publishers
(particularly Nature journals)

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jun 2

Open methods are good for impact too. #OSF25

Slide:

Why Open Methods?
Impact
Have methods directly cited
Become known for your rigour
Authorship for technical staff
Publish incremental changes

Frank Norman@franknorman· Jun 2

And #OSF25 is off, as the Open Methods session @crick.ac.uk starts. @drbeth.bsky.social introduces the topic, asking ‘Why open methods?’

Slide:

Why Open Methods?
Reproducibility
Traditional methods written in prose are hard to follow
Steps are often left out
Cycles of "methods carried out as in ..."
Can be left out or glossed over in peer review

Frank Norman@franknorman· May 14

Lady Kidron doesn’t mince her words. #cooyright #AI www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Quote from newspaper article: My inbox is filled with individual artists and global companies who are bewildered that the government would allow theft at scale and cosy up to those who are thieving.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Apr 26

This morning I visited Neasden Temple. The inner sanctum is a glorious place, but no photos allowed inside.

Gateway to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden temple in north London

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden temple in north London

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden temple and courtyard in north London

Elephant statue in courtyard of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden temple in north London

Frank Norman@franknorman· Apr 14

The anniversary anthem has been written, printed and sung. It will be published in May. Meanwhile, here is a blogpost from me about the process of commissioning it. https://occamstypewriter.org/trading-knowledge/2025/04/14/an-anniversary-anthem-the-gift-of-love/ #choralmusic

Frank Norman@franknorman· Apr 2

Here are some photos of the new Leeds music hub, and some of their promotional info. All very impressive. #IAMLASW

The new music floor at Leeds central library

Frank Norman@franknorman· Apr 2

It is a new thing to me but makes a lot of sense. This was Richard’s last slide, highlighting the impact his research has for info lit educators and librarians. #IAMLASW

slide, highlighting the impact his research has for info lit educators and librarians.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Mar 10

Post a photo you took with no context to bring some zen to the timeline.

A huge outstretched hand, shaped as a viewing platform overlooking green hills. In Cebu, Philippines

Frank Norman@franknorman· Feb 10

A great story of a six-year-old boy with a passion for recycling and a wish to save the planet. My eye was drawn by this fact about his career plans. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Quote from news story: “Teddy, who wants to be a marine biologist or a stunt man when he grows up”

Frank Norman@franknorman· Dec 30

Scientists should be wary of others misusing their work.

Quote from Guardian article: "There is evidence that some on the far right are tracking particular academic fields and broadcasting flawed interpretations of scholarly research papers as soon as they are available. Rightly wary of this kind of activity, some scientists are now publishing journal articles discussing how to stop genetics being co-opted by extremists, while science ethics organisations such as Cera provide resources to the same end.

With figures such as Trump and Musk wielding huge power, and the “alt-right” keyboard warriors helping them spread disinformation, genetic science has been forced to the frontline. As uncomfortable as it might be, it is more urgent than ever for people working in the field to ask: 'How might my work be poached, and what can I do to stop it?' ”

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 12

And a few more from the exhibition.

Standing on the Shoulders of her Heroes, showing Ekua Bayunu. She looks like a character.

Faith Is My Backbone, showing Yvette Philbert.

Beyond Containment, showing Claudia Jones. This looks like an interesting tale.

An Intimate Look At Her, showing Baroness Valerie Ann Amos LG CH PC.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 12

The exhibition ‘100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark’ is on at De Montfort Univ. The 100 portraits are very varied in format and style. Here’s a few to tempt you to visit. www.serendipity-uk.com/whats-on/key...

Possibility of Flight, showing Lilian Bader. She looks very jolly. I love the background and flowers.

Allegory of Hope, showing Bernardine Evaristo OBE FRSL FRSA. A great novelist.

Confronting the Gaze, showing Maud Sulter. This is a beautiful piece. It is a video.

Mother of Mothers, showing Rosina Osei Bonsu. I love the yellowness of this.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 6

Seen on the other place, from @susiedent.bsky.social Recrudescence seems an apt word for today.

Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Nov 3

This post on X made me laugh!

t turns out that National Trust members quite like vegan scones.
A lot less right wing fruitcakes.
Restore Trust fail yet again to win support amongst National Trust members.

Frank Norman@franknorman· Oct 19

I just encountered this sweet tiny mouse in a cafe. Very delicious.