Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Icy North		Post: 1

The unexplained death of Oxford astrophysicist Professor Steven Rawlings on Wednesday (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-16540726 ) brings to mind all those far-fetched plots from the TV show Inspector Morse. In this case, the (suspected) murder hasn't taken place in some ancient college quadrangle, but in a village 10 miles away from the dreaming spires.

I'm wondering how different the investigation will turn out to be from that in the Colin Dexter novels. Will the detective in charge be a sullen, jaguar-driving individual, with a love of Wagner and real ale? I'll be watching with interest.

And do you have any other examples where fiction has become fact?

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 2

Can't access your link:

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 3

Try this one:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-16540726

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Icy North This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 4

Thanks Bel - it subsumed the closing parenthesis, I think

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 5

I see you had it corrected.

Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by toybox This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 6

Strange, the link worked for me But there is a space before the closing parenthesis.

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 7

It's because Icy had it corrected.

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by toybox This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 8

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 9

Well, broken links are against the house rules, so best to have them corrected.

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by toybox This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 10

He could have just removed it: [unsuitable link removed by moderator].

But then he would have annoyed all those who don't like an opening parenthesis without its closing sibling

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Icy North This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 11

Post 11 and nobody's mentioned the OP.

Is this a record?

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Dmitri Gheorgheni This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 12

No, Icy, it isn't. I have whole journals where nobody talks about the OP.

I read the article. It seems strange. Is there any reliable information on how Prof Rawlings died? There seems to be some question as to whether there *was* a murder?

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 13

Yes, I think we'll have to wait until they've finished the autopsy at least.

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Gnomon is taking a rest This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 14

The Metro proclaimed that he was "killed over maths row" and said that the other man had "been arrested over the killing which is believed to have been sparked by an argument over academics".

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Dmitri Gheorgheni This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 15

And do you credit this, Gnomon? That someone committed murder over an academic argument?

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Icy North This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 16

But every mathematical function has arguments

(maths joke there - just ignore it)

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Dmitri Gheorgheni This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 17

(ignoring maths joke)

Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by aka Bel This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 18

But the article says they had been friends of 30 years, and that the friend has been released on bail? They didn't seem too sure it was actually a murder?

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Z This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 19

Well I have been in some fairy vicious seminars...

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Subject: Stranger than Fiction Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Dmitri Gheorgheni This is a reply to this Posting.		Post: 20

Yeah, but astrophysicists aren't usually packing...

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