I am lucky

I am so lucky to be a citizen of Australia; I am so lucky to live in the UK; I am so lucky to have travelled and lived in the USA. I am so lucky to know that I have rights as a civilian, and that these rights are protected. The right to know 'why' things are done the way they are in the democratic system that I live in, and also the empowered feeling I have to affect the system, if I think and can prove to others that there is something not exactly 'fair' or 'right' or pertaining to 'rule of law'.

Okay, so this is how I genuinely feel right now. And here is my problem:

I need to have my UK VISA renewed - I have received a new Certificate of Sponsorship from my employer, I have filled in the application on the UK website, and (of course) I like to think I'm an easy case. But, (there's always a but), I have heard/read/been told, that the processing time when mailing in your application form and ancillary documents can be at least 2 months. For circumstances not in my direct control, I can only submit my application by post 6 weeks before I have to travel on business. Damn. However, there is an option to take the 'premium' option (you pay an extra 300 pounds, above the already hefty 500 pound application processing fee), and you are directed to a website whose irony still amazes me. On this particular page you are asked to fill in dates when you are free to come into a UK border agency centre (one of seven), and submit your documents in person and consequently receive a decision much sooner. You pick and choose in your naive honesty a suitable range of dates, and centres closest to yourself, and then click 'next'. The irony in this whole process is that of course, you quickly realise that there are no appointments available for any days (at all), in any of the centers (gosh - you're even willing to travel to Belfast from London). The lovely/polite message telling you:
"We do not have any appointments available for your preferred dates and locations."
Feels like a spit in the face...

You are resourceful, so you call up the next morning to find out how it is possible (if at all) to make an appointment for the 'premium' service? You are politely told that a single 'days worth' of appointments (you are told which day they are up to) is released at a 'random' time between 5pm and 9am (the next day)... So it's luck of the draw. You ('event' - I'll explain later) feel this is defining unfairness, but you cannot pin-point exactly why. Why the cryptic messages on the website then? Why not just be direct and tell people this information - does the agency need the revenue from the calls lodged to be told this?

Anyway, okay, so, you prepare yourself to log into that now 'stupid' website and madly check all the date/location combinations...(Okay, so here is where I own up - reference to 'event' explained: after a week of this stupidity, I 'just' successfully secured an appointment. I say this because in all fairness to human nature, it is likely that my 'zeal' (awww...stinging sense of humour? ;)) in writing about this has died down somewhat. However, I am not finished with my story, and I remain curious to understand a few things in the nature of this process...)

So, in this whole painful process, agonizing about the possibility of securing an appointment, still getting paid at work, the deep 'unfairness' feeling I get when I think about the process of appointment bookings, the duration your travel documents will be with the UK government - and you unable to travel... I don't understand something... I do not understand why (if you are able to receive this in the first place), you cannot during this interim period travel on a concurrent passport. Why? Why will my whole application process become void/invalid the moment I leave the country? Why does the UK govt have me by the throat when my documents are being reviewed? Why are my basic human rights to travel... let me rephrase that: my basic human rights to see my family, to help my family and friends when/if they are in need (and happen to be outside of the UK)? Why are my basic human rights to freedom of choosing how I spend my free time, and conducting my work where it will be most effective impinged upon? - simply because the UK govt are processing my VISA extension?

Why? It does not seem fair. Perhaps because I do not understand something - perhaps it is a national security risk to allow me to travel out of the country while my documents are in possession of the UK govt? Perhaps I'm missing something important? (and here I am not being ironic - I am sincere when I say that perhaps I am really missing a bit of information that will answer my question, and give me that 'ah' feeling when curiosity is reasonably satisfied.)

Anyway, the point to this protracted story is that I intend to find out 'why'?

And I'll let you know.

"catapulting" UK science across the "valley of death", or: as I walk through the valley in the shadow of death...

Hehehe...."how" and "where" I hear you ask?
oh...you know...showing off some uber classy lingo I picked up... ;) Actually, these two unfortunate metaphors were the worst thing about an otherwise amazing evening I just experienced at the Royal Society. (It is actually hilarious to hear people discussing the 'valley of death' and what it means to overcome "it", rather, than directly addressing the difficulties that stand in the way of say creating a successful business from a wonderful piece of research: the valley of death this, and the valley of death that...ahaaa)

Jokes aside, I am awed from the discussion that I was just exposed to. Objectively speaking it was not particularly full of substance, i.e. statements that are testable, concrete and philosophically charged, but perhaps this is because my ears are not accustomed to hearing politically motivated and/or exposing statements. And actually, the discussions were so far above my 'pay bracket' that it was a little fantastical. However, what I felt was a genuine and sincere attempt to project ideas and receive feedback.

A few points/statements that did get me thinking are:
1. A definition of "invention" that I had not previously ever encountered, and actually not really sure what to make of: "invention is transfer of money into knowledge"... Really? that is not the street meaning of it, at least not yet. Invention to myself means the materialisation of thought. Cash/economy have nothing to do with this process. However, it is an interesting take on the word.
2. An interesting statement: Engineering is construction of complex systems. Which got me thinking that perhaps: Science is the de-construction of complex systems.
3. Additionally, on the specific subject of scientific enterprise, I wonder in comparison with engineering, science is not a 'passive enterprise'. In the sense that it is involved with the ordering of data. I personally consider that scientists are people who are good 'reducing agents' - good at turning data into information. In my own (perhaps poor metaphor), I consider the unknown workings of nature as a high entropy system, and scientists are basically people who are good at putting things into order, classification, and discerning trends. Scientists don't actually make anything - hence the use of the word passive. In contrast engineering enterprise, is using scientific effort (descriptions of how to order and predict nature) to create material objects.

And finally two thoughts which I am not too comfortable with, and perhaps will explore at a later date more fully, as they have not yet crystallised within me yet:
a) I posted a while back now about they fact that we (citizens of western countries) exercise our democratic rights about once every few years (in general). And there is this general consensus amongst us (at least it was drummed into my and my classmates ins school) - that every vote counts, you can make a difference etc. The existence of large companies, companies with turnovers greater than many countries, this view of the workings of a democracy is a little naive. Their voting power is far greater, more efficient at altering the course of the economy and consequently our lives than we can ever achieve with a ballot paper every few years (okay, you say this is obvious - but today I actually 'felt' this for the first time to the bone). The saving grace is that a company is not a person, and as employees we exercise our democratic right every day when we get into work.
b) What social services are funded by public money? (I have to look this up.) I ask this because I am wary about this idea that science that is publicly funded owes something to the public. "Open access" is an applicable term here. There are many services/projects that are publicly funded and yet remain and need to remain out of the public domain - take MI6 or whatever the secret service is called here... it is undoubtedly funded by public money, but I doubt if it will ever will be open access. Anyway, this is likely a nonsensical statement, I'm just trying to 'download'.

Well, there you are, just a few random thoughts about the night. Very different experience from the meetings I have previously attended. I don't think I really learnt anything except to get a confirmation of a feeling that had recently been germinating - and that is the UK is in safe hands. You guys have a lot of brilliantly smart people. Oh, I am going to start gushing now :)