A little more conversation, a little more action please!

What is this picture doing here? Read on!

I will begin this break in my blogging hiatus with an interesting picture and a lyrical paraphrase. I shall descend into mangled cliche - How time flies when you've got a little one - before getting to the meat of the message, which is that I can't quite believe I've not posted anything since July and it is now November!

However, a conversation with a friend at work this morning touched on the subject of blogging and what a useful discipline it can be for just forcing one to write something - anything - every day. I've spent a lot of time over the last 5 months thinking of subjects to blog about, without ever putting virtual pen to paper, but have managed to miss this fairly crucial point.

So here is my late-autumnal resolution for you - to blog, at least a little bit, every day for the rest of the month of November to see whether this is enough to get me back into the habit of posting content on a regular basis.

Carrying on with my thought for the day on 'a little more action', here's something that should be of interest to all my fellow greenies out there on funding for a new research project at Oxford which could have a massive impact on the development of our solar energy industry by exploring the development of biomimetic (using technology to mimic a natural system - keep up!) solar cells. According to Oxford's Press Office "Amongst the many photovoltaic technologies currently being developed biomimetic solar cells are especially appealing as they offer the promise of converting sunlight into energy without relying on scarce, often toxic, materials." In the words of the lead researcher (Dr Feliciano Giustino) "'I would like to ... fill the gap between the fundamental science and the technological applications of bio-inspired photovoltaics. Given its far-reaching societal implications, solar energy research calls for a multifaceted approach where we ask ourselves two questions at once: what are the fundamental mechanisms of biomimetic light harvesting, and how can we use them to harness energy..." (Full story)

Although in tandem with this news release we also have a story about "oil and gas giant" BP funding scholarships at some of the UK's top universities (including Oxford). One step forward, two steps back - is this the equivalent of the energy Foxtrot, Strictly fans?!! *This is where the picture comes in and I've even given you a little link so you can watch 'The Riley' strut her stuff)