NCS News

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the last century. His official website, Feynman Online, describes him as: “scientist, teacher, raconteur, and musician.  He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, expanded the understanding of quantum electrodynamics, translated Mayan hieroglyphics, and cut to the heart of the Challenger disaster.  But [...]

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This will interest those of you who are considering our course It’s a Long Way From Tipperary: Life in the Trenches (1914-1918).
The good people of Edinburgh-based Mercat Tours are running guided tours of the battle sites at Ypres and the Somme, and a chance to walk through the trenches where the soldiers lived - and [...]

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The US Navy’s first attempt to hit malfunctioning spy satellite USA 193 with a missile could come on Wednesday night during the lunar eclipse. This is based on an air traffic advisory warning pilots to steer clear of a patch of Pacific Ocean near Hawaii just when USA 193 is due to pass overhead. [...]

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Rev Dr Sir John Polkinghorne, physicist and theologian, comes to Scotland on 28 February to give the second of the James Gregory lectures at St Andrews University, a series studying the theme of science and religion.“Science is essentially asking why things happen and of course it’s been very successful in answering that question, but it’s not [...]

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The BBC is to air a new TV drama based on the heady world of the archaeologist. According to Polly Hill, the BBC’s commissioning editor for independent drama, said Bone Kickers would make history and archaeology “sexy, accessible and exciting”. Our Introduction to Archaeology tutor, Howard Middleton-Jones, is yet to admit whether the series is [...]

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The US Library of Congress has overturned last year’s decision to classify Scottish literary works as “English.” Pressure from the Congress’ Friends of Scotland Caucus and many Americans of Scottish descent has brought about a rethink of this cultural blunder. More from the Houston Chronicle… 

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The University of the Third Age, which says adult education policy is “not fit for purpose,” complains that “lifelong learning has become a euphemism for ‘working lifetimes learning’ and adult education for third-agers is seen as no more than a marginal activity.”More in Education Guardian… 

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A new book out, Flat Earth News, takes a good look at journalism nowadays, arguing that newspaper stories are often recycled pieces or, as Roy Greenslade in the Guardian describes the book: “it amounts to a full-frontal assault on the newspapers for routinely publishing dodgy stories.”

<br />   <img src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/s/noscript?tag=thenewcuriosi-21″ alt=”” /><br [...]

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We have a blog. We’ve taken a while to get round to setting one up, but we have finally taken the plunge. What we didn’t want to do was to create a blog just for the sake of having a blog. After all, there are millions of blogs out there: what would be the point [...]

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As promised, here is our latest addition to our growing course catalogue. Understanding journalism is aimed at anyone who is wants to find out what is involved in becoming a journalist. The course is as much practical as theoretical, and you will have an opportunity to carry out practical assignments to reinforce what you have [...]

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