Archive for Leon

Nature tidbits [18 June]

Posted in Books, Kids, pictures, Travel with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 13, 2026 by xi'an


A personal tribune (by a Vatican advisor) on why scientists should learn from the Pope’s AI message, not the first time Nature caters to religious views! Not that his (Leon’s) concerns about unregulated AI and the abdication of States in that matter are misplaced. But it seems unlikely (as the author concedes in his conclusion) that the Catholic Church or his leader will manage to make a dent on the spiraling impact of AIs. As suggested in the next tribune, a coordinated approach at a massive increase of taxes on tech companies (unsurprisingly resisted by the Orange Menace) is more likely to happen. And yet another tribune on AI and math(ematician)s, related to the recent Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics, following several entries in the previous issue.

An introductory (general public) article as to why cancer occurrences in young people is rising so quickly in the US, with no single explanation. Environmental factors are certainly to blame, like the consumption of ultra–processed foods, but the article does not say much, adding to the uncertainty.

A rather unhelpful representation of human migration in 2023, appart from showing a majority of migrations are local (to the continental scale). Connected to an article of 10 June I missed. Partly based on a deep learning model to achieve a country-level granularity.

A research article (and the cover) on a plague outbreak near Lake Baikal—over which I could have flown when reading this issue, except that flights to Japan now contour the territories of the invader of Ukraine—that occurred about 5,500 years ago and impacted a community of hunter-gatherers, In a sparsely populated area, marmots being the likely primary vectors, and a close phylogenetic proximity to current strains.

Altos de Losada [guest wine post by Susie]

Posted in pictures, Travel, University life, Wines with tags , , , , , on June 20, 2015 by xi'an

[Here is a wine criticism written by Susie Bayarri in 2013 about a 2008 bottle of Altos de Losada, a wine from Leon:]

altosThe cork is fantastic. Very good presentation and labelling of the bottle. The wine  color is like dark cherry, I would almost say of the color of blood. Very bright although unfiltered. The cover is d16efinitely high. The tear is very nice (at least in my glass), slow, wide, through parallel streams… but it does not dye my glass at all.

The bouquet is its best feature… it is simply voluptuous… with ripe plums as well as vanilla, some mineral tone plus a smoky hint. I cannot quite detect which wood is used… I have always loved the bouquet of this wine…

In mouth, it remains a bit closed. Next time, I will make sure I decant it (or I will use that Venturi device) but it is nonetheless excellent… the wine is truly fruity, but complex as well (nothing like grape juice). The tannins are definitely present, but tamed and assimilated (I think they will continue to mellow) and it has just a hint of acidity… Despite its alcohol content, it remains light, neither overly sweet nor heavy. The after-taste offers a pleasant bitterness… It is just delicious, an awesome wine!

Segovia

Posted in pictures, Travel with tags , , on November 4, 2009 by xi'an

IMG_6385 On the last day of our visit to Madrid, Ana drove us to Segovia to show us this old town north of Madrid and this was a tremendous surprise: not only the Roman aqueduct was quite impressive, having stood centuries while keeping its graceful shape, but the whole historical city was a real pleasure to explore. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage.

IMG_6315The view of the Alcazar from the old Templar chapel in the late afternoon light against a dark stormy sky was unforgettable and so were the various buildings of the city basking in the evening light.

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The  austere Templar roman chapel of La Vera Cruz was built on an unusual dodecagonal shape that corrresponds to the twelve arches in the building. It also has a central two-storied room that served as a pillar for the typical roman ceiling, again with twelve sides, and the whole building reverberates from centuries of worship that reminded me of the original crypt at Mont-Saint-Michel (Notre-Dame-sous-terre) with its primitive preroman structure which is another UNESCO World Heritage.

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The streets were quite busy for a Sunday afternoon, especially on All Saints’ Day. The tallest buildings seemed to house in their towers many crows which were flying and quarrelling around them, akin to their Norman counterparts on my childhood abbey…IMG_6376