iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

It's a long ride of six hours, due to planned repairs and such. But we arrive 5 minutes early! And we catch one earlier Öresundståg to Malmö. 31/n

A grey train at a platform at night. A woman with a trolley smiles and points at the open train door.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

The delay increases to 25 minutes, so the 16:18 to Copenhagen is long gone. Our old plan was to stay the night, but we just want to go home. It's been four weeks now for me. So we ride! The 18:18 to Copenhagen is an old DSB train, oh well. We don't have a […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A white train with a flat black nose arriving at an open air platform with number 8.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

The RE runs only one train set instead of two and people are packed like fishes. Not us, because we have 1st class passes. The conductor says: Going by train rocks, buy it doesn't work anymore. I have to concur. We arrive 10 minutes late and our ICE to […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

The inside of an ICE, there's lots of luggage in the räcks.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

Our goal is to take an RJ to copenhagen 16:15 in Hamburg. Since our train is delayed, we miss our originally planned train. There's another one later that only goes to Harburg, but with an RE from there, it would work. But that's now delayed half an hour […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A white train with a yellow nose at a platform

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

So, onwards! Our plans have been changing for several reasons, and we settled last week on going all the way home today. However, there's track repairs between Aachen and Köln. So no Eurostars, and the ICEs take an hour longer. However, the last thing is not […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A white train with a thin red stripe at a platform.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 24/07/2026

And I first read Yoko Uno, but Bruxelles is a town with style, so it's Yoko Tsuno street.

Two street signs, one in blue that reads "Valerie de la Reine' and below a white one that reads "Rue Yoko Tsuno", with an image of Yoko Tsuno"

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026

And off to Bruxelles in the Eurostar. Again, security and the waiting area is enervating. It's just two hours of actual travel. We'll stay another two nights and then travel all the way home on Saturday. 26/n #Eurostar

A sleeknosed train at a station, coloured yellow and blue. People are boarding.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 21/07/2026

We arrive in London on time, now two days of sightseeing and culture with Hamilton and Globe theatre. The sleeper is nice. It has a restaurant car with a very decent menu. The bed is long enough for me, longer than in the nightjet. Breakfast is provided […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A view from an upper bunk bed towards a small window. The photographer is holding a coffee.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/07/2026

After a nice afternoon spent near the river Ness, where we saw an otter, off to London in the Caledonian sleeper. We have a 2 bed cabin to ourselves. Arrival in London Euston planned for 8:03. I'm looking forward to this! 24/n #nightrain #CaledonianSleeper

A dark green train at a platform in the evening sun. It says "Caledonian Sleeper" on the side.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/07/2026

Today we start the long way back. It is very tricky to get to London from the Isle of Skye using public transport in one day. So instead, we take the bus back to Inverness for 2 quid and then the Caledonian Sleeper in the evening. I've shown the bus before […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

Not a bus, but a peninsula from above in the sun.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 19/07/2026

We are staying 4 days on the Isle of Skye and the thing with buses is both good and bad. Overall, I would say it works best when staying in Portree. The good: It costs only 2£ per trip. There's several lines and a number of very nice hikes are accessible by […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A view down from a height on a rock formation with one big rock looking like a huge Menhir, and another like a needle. In the far background, cliffs, clouds and the sea can be seen.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

There are three species of birds in this image. Two with chicks. What are they and which have chicks? Answer in any language. This is at Rubha Hunish at the northern tip of the Isle of Skye. #birding

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2026

Now by bus to Portree on the Isle of Skye. This takes 3:15h, and we were 15 minutes late. The bus was packed and the driver had to turn people away. You could book in advance to get a guaranteed seat, which my wife had, yay! Cost: 2£!!!!! The trip was […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A yellow bus from the front, with the word citylink on it.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2026

Spent one day in Inverness. There's not much to see in the city, but plenty in the countryside. 30 years ago I was here by bike, and we visited Cullodwn fields and Cawdor Castle. We don't want to rent a car, so what can one do? Plenty in a day! i) Half an […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A pile of stones, about a meter high and five broad in a sunlit clearing.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 13/07/2026

Arrived in Inverness after seven days of walking, yay! Rain on the first day, lots of fog and mosty drizzle, but also great views when the sun made an appearance. We were driven 5 km once and 10 km twice, to overcome inconceniences with the location of the […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A lake in the foreground and clouds in the sky. Several mountains in the background. One, with a broad plateau, is taller than the others.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/07/2026

And now seven days walk to Inverness along Loch Lochy and Loch Ness. Our baggage will be transported. 18/n

A garden, a river and low hanging clouds.in the foreground, two walking sticks.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/07/2026

On time in Glasgow, and then a nice walk of less than 10 minutes to Queen Street Station. Now off to Fort William with ScotRail. It departs 10 minutes late. It's supposed to take four hours, sort of right through the Highlands and close to the West Highland Way. 16/n

A blue train with a flat yellow nose at a platform at a roofed station.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/07/2026

Now off to Glasgow. We make a mistake: The monitor is blank, there's a train at the right platform going to Glasgow central, which goes off 16 min early. We should have taken the one later to Glasgow Queens street. We have an hour in Glasgow, so not a big deal. 14/n

A blue train with a yellow nose at a platform at a roofed station.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/07/2026

And off to Fort William after the great SciCADE 26. On foot to Waverley station 13/n

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/06/2026

Change of drivers in Newcastle. Driver is late because of extreme heat. Also, people on the tracks. So I arrive 2:20h late in Edinburgh. Last leg by bus to hotel! None of my 6 trains in the last two days was on time. On the good side, there were always […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A red white double decker bus on a street. It says "Lothian" on it's side

102

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/06/2026

80 minutes late in St. Pancras station, allowing me to take a train to Edinburgh 90 minutes later than planned. It's not an express, so it takes half an hour longer than the next one. Both require reservation. I lose an indignified fight against the […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/06/2026

Off to London by going under the channel. More than an hour late at departure. This should take 2 hours, and I will enter a different time zone. Lunch will be served! 10/n

A white train with blue stripes at a roofed station.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/06/2026

Today; From Cologne via Bruxelles, London to Edinburgh. I booked a train at 7:30 which has Been rescheduled to 6:35 with same arrival time. Indeed, the monitor says we'll be 20 minutes early in Aachen. The night was incredibly hot, no AC and lots of noise […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/06/2026

Well, that didn't last long. 25 minutes late in Altona, missed the connection. The next one an hour later has made it so far to Hamburg central station. The tracks to Bremen are not usable due to something heat related. There is a new departure time 40 […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A view through the Windows of a train onto a roofed platform with light streaming in from the side. A monitor says that the train will depart 40 minutes late.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/06/2026

A few minutes late in Copenhagen. And now with a new connection to Hamburg: The chzech Railjet to Prag via Hamburg and Berlin. This bodes well, since the other german-danish eurocity is notoriously unreliable. Also, they have an on board restaurant where I […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A blue train arriving at a train station.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/06/2026

And on time off to Copenhagen! Öresundståget runs every 15 minutes, contributing to the feeling that Malmö is a suburb. Reliability was not great, but has been significantly improved the last year through the introduction of additional tracks around Lund […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A grey train arriving at an underground platform.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/06/2026

First an air conditioned electric bus to the central station, arriving on time, nice! 2/n

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 13/06/2026

Antony Jameson died yesterday at age 91 and I am sad. I visited him at Texas A&M last february, and I think both him and me did not expect to meet again. Any aircraft you’ve ever flown in was designed using simulation methods he developed. This includes […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A grey haired man with a green pullover sitting in a chair in an office full of books and stacks of papers. There's a toy airplane on the desk behin him. He is smiling warmly.

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/11/2025

And now back to writing an application about forest fire plume modelling!

An avenue with trees, covered in snow. There's a bench and next to it a snowman about twice as large.

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2025

Found this in the forest, so have a peaceful weekend y'all!

A racoon lies on a branch in a tree, sleeping peacefully. Below is a hole in the tree, from which a young racoon can barely seen peaking out.

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/07/2025

We should discuss, for once, the important questions in life. So, what is your favourite dinosaur? Mine is Triceratops. I mean, three horns, what's not to like?

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/07/2025

OK, seriously, walk 24 km and then tell me how to use this thing.

A white apparatus with two knobs and a button. The knobs have text and piktograms in blue and red.

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

We did arrive in Hamburg on time, yay! Hamburg has a DB Lounge, which is nice since it's a crowded station. Access has become more restrictive, but after a short discussion, they accepted our 1st class Interrail tickets with a Bahn Bonus Silver card. It's […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

The sloped front of a high speed ICE white train with a red stripe at a narrow platform. There are people with luggage.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

After lots of fields and meadows, there's a real highlight on the trip, namely the Rendsburg High Bridge over the Kiel canal, both built during imperial times more than a 100 years ago. The track follows a circular pattern with modest slope up and down. 6/n

A view from the back of a train over two train tracks that run over a bridge on stilts.

A view of an urban area with lots of trees. In the background, a train bridge, with a circular ramp with train tracks leading to and from it.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

On to the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg. This connects Scandinavia to the rest of Europe and it is run jointly by DB and DSB. It is also notoriously unreliable and it is rare that one arrives in Hamburg on time. Indeed, already wagon 8 is locked and […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

206

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

This train goes over the Öresund bridge, which just filled 25 years! It's a smashing success and has completely transformed the region, causing Scania to now be a part of the Greater Copenhagen Area. The cars go on the top lane, whereas the train is on the […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

View from inside a train over the water of the Öresund. It's sunny with clouds, and in the background is a small island with grass. A diagonal element of the bridge the train is going on can be seen directly outside of the window.

200

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

Now on to the Öresundstrain, which will take us in 34 minutes to Copenhagen central station. These go every 15 minutes, making Malmö sort of a suburb of Copenhagen. They are not 100% reliable, unfortunately, so on such trips, we go early and then have breakfast in Copenhagen. 3/n

A grey train with open orange doors standing at a platform. There's a sign for trolleys, bikes, luggage and wheelchairs.

100

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/06/2025

First ride is an electric accordion bus. This is a standard one, but the town has even bought so called superbusses, which have two "accordions", not just one. This is part of an ongoing transformation of traffic: Electric busses, Bikes, less cars, more trees […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A green bus driving towards the viewer in a city street. The sun is low, as can be seen from the shadows.

102

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2025

Today we had our spring meeting in our COMPUTE research school at #LundUniversity and the theme was software development. I organized a session on threat assessment regarding our dependence on US software. The main threats: -Access to (commercial) software […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

An image of a whiteboard with names of different softwares in different colours.

003

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/04/2025

This is where I will be spending quite some time from now on. And it's just 15 minutes by bike from where we live. Feels good!

A small wooden red house with a small garden with a few trees and bushea.

000

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/02/2025

The physics committee has essentially taken the view that physics consists of experimental physics and theoretical physics, none of which I work on either. However, it has now happened twice that the prize went into computational physics. So I guess I should […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A light brownish worm. At the top end, it has white mussel like things.

Source: United States Geological Survey, via Wikimedia Commons. License: Public Domain.

101

Philipp Birken @philippbirken.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/02/2025

I think we can all agree that the greatest sight in Stockholm is the 17th century warship Vasa, raised from the bottom of the harbour in the 1960s, where it sank during her maiden voyage in 1628. And of course we can also all agree that it would be totally […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

A large 17th century warship, seen from the front and slightly above. It is situated within a large hall, dimly lit. There is a small bridge leading onto the deck. The ship is richly decorated, but not painted. The wood looks worn.

2011