It’s that time of year. We look back over the past year and forward to the next – and make wild predictions about what the ‘New You’ will do in the New Year!
I gave a broad review of 2012 in two parts. Now to look forward to 2013.
I don’t generally agree with most resolutions – people tend to make negative ones (I will stop…) rather than affirmative ones (I will keep doing…). I keep it simple and try and stick to a few simple patterns of behaviour that can improve what I do. A few relevant one for this blog are included below:
Read more
I read a lot: internet, newspapers, books and more internet. Not all of these are necessarily ’quality’ sources of literature. This year I will aim to read more journal articles (rather than just the table of contents). I will chose some from time to time that interest me and share them here with my thoughts. I also aim to finish a few popular science books I have been meaning to read (I have started Brian Cox’s and Richard Dawkins’ latest books, but yet to complete either).
Communicate my research
I have a few bits of work on the go at the moment, with undergrad placement students. I aim to get a piece of this research suitable for communication in some form. By this I mean either a peer reviewed article or a paper presentation at a suitable conference.
Get involved
This year I have been to a couple of meetings and conferences within the UK. I have also started this blog to communicate some of my ideas within forensic science and education also. This year I will continue to contribute, getting my ideas out there and known. I will do this through professional bodies the Royal Society of Chemistry, Forensic Science Society, The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists and through other academic related bodies such as the HEA.
Publish a weekly blog.
I may write more regularly at times but I do have a full time job to do!
My most read blogs so far have been ‘The Lance File‘ and ‘Christmas Gifts‘. These show a mixture of scientific evidence and also more entertaining stories. I will try and keep a balance of both in 2013. Thank you for all of your supports and comments this last couple of months. I have been surprised how many people have been reading the blog. Please sign up for updates and to also join in the conversations.
Wish list
Robots to do my marking.
Discover the secret formula for infallible interpretation of forensic evidence.
A dip stick for urine samples in doping control that will instantly give you the results (which will stand up in court). I will invent this technology.
Another season of The Wire.
So what about you? What goals or wishes do you have for 2013 ?
I wish you all a happy and safe 2013, thanks for reading, Tom.
Don’t forget to sign up!
Happy new year! I really enjoy reading your provocative and entertaining blog. One day, I’d love you to write about how so many athletes stay one step ahead of the forensic experts…. at least until they’re finally caught and shamed. Do some forensic scientists go ‘to the dark side’ and work on behalf of these drug cheats? Perhaps you could do a round-up – ‘the top 10 ways that athletes get away with it…’. Anyway, keep it up!
Thanks very much for your comment Mrs Moriarty and on my previous blog. I enjoy getting feedback from readers! I will certainly be blogging more on doping issues in 2013, so thanks for the suggestion.
Happy New Year!
Happy new year Tom. Have you seen any scientific literature backing up Benedetto Roberti’s recent comments (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/italian-judge-says-doping-is-still-a-problem-in-cycling) around the latest PED’s including the alleged “Queen of the Olympics” – EPO Z?
Good to start the year on a positive note!
Hi Ben, happy new year to you too. I had read that article with interest. I believe that new EPO variants are fairly common and the tests need to evolve (or be revalidated) for each one. With the IOC now stating they will store all Olympic samples indefinitely you would have to be very brave to bet against that being detectable in the future… Seems similar to CERA which was 2008s Olympic drug of choice.
Also of interest in that article was AICAR (5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxyamide ribonucleoside). I have read papers detailing its detection (eg Thevis 2010 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20225061) but those tests apparently aren’t approved yet. AICAR is apparently great at burning fat whilst building endurance and has been rumoured to have been used in procycling since at least ’09. I also read recently the tests MAY be approved in time for this years Tour!
Also of interest today was article with the Kimmage quotes re Team Sky (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kimmage-unconvinced-by-sky-and-wiggins). Did you read that? He is approaching them from the ‘too good to be true’ angle.
2013 may not have a single doping story on the scale of Lance Armstrong but I am sure there will be many interesting things happening!
re Kimmage quotes: I read somewhere today saying something along the lines of if Dr. Geert Leinders was a doping doctor then he wasn’t a very good one, how many tour winners did Rabobank have while he was working there?
Probably best not to have an opinion at all on all this but if we can’t trust the Wiggins results then what can we trust? What information/proof do you think would be necessary (that wouldn’t give away any competitive advantage) to prove they have won clean? We all know that not testing positive doesn’t count for anything any more. Maybe we should ditch drug tests and go for truth serums and lie detector tests?
Leinders was very close to having one Tour win in ’07, if Rasmussen hadn’t been kicked out for lying about his whereabouts.
As for the rest of your comment I agree completely. One needs to have a little trust remaining in sport and sports persons. Otherwise we may as well give up watching all pro sport, and I don’t want that.