Sometimes when you look back on something you think…perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut. This happened to me yesterday. I was at Derby Museum and Art gallery with some friends enjoying the Joseph Wright paintings when the question arose as to what the pieces of modern art were position incongruously in front of some of the paintings?Me being me I had to ask the assistant who was very helpful in explaining that they were inspired by the paintings and were meant to represent the Higgs Boson. All well and good. Then the fatal question was asked “…what do you think?…”

“What do I think?” I responded “Well do you really want to know what I think?” in full Jack Nicholson mode.

The assistant eagerly nodded.

So I let her know exactly what I thought. It wasn’t pretty but I was off in full Stephen Fry mode. I recall being very even handed in my criticism, but none the less I let it be known I wasn’t that impressed.

Now bless the assistant she accepted everything I said but came back with the killer retort “would you mind putting that down on one our customer survey forms?” She beamed an angelic smile pushing the form into my hand. Snookered. How could I remember half the nonsense I had no doubt come out with? How?

So I found a quite spot and tried recant my pithy remakes and of course failing miserably.

Perhaps that is why the Higgs Boson is called the god particle. It moves you in mysterious ways its nonsense to behold.

Simon Marchini
http://www.simonmarchini.co.uk