Ok, I promise - my next post here will be a highly interesting article on the status of searches for new heavy Z bosons. In the meantime, however, I allow myself another "personal" post. After an evaluation of 2010 from the point of view of research activities and blog activities, I wish to report here on a few things I look forward to in 2011.

In March a very well-known science popularization magazine will feature an article of mine. Actually, two articles -they had asked me for a 2500 words piece but got something like 7000, and they seemed to like the whole set. I cannot disclose the magazine nor the topic for at least another month, but you are free to place your bet below. The winner gets a scientific blogging t-shirt, courtesy Hank Campbell. Hank, you will oblige, right ? ;-)

Again in March, another thing will happen which is getting me quite excited. The Neutrino Telescopes conference in Venice will be held as usual in the fantastic setting of Palazzo Franchetti, after two years of hyatus. The conference used to be a very high-brow conference, attended to mostly by aged gentlemen -ok, let's say "staff physicists": a very important, but a bit closed event. Starting with 2011, the organization has changed hand, and there is a distinct wish to improve the weakness of past editions by making it a more "young" event: a poster session, with the best poster authors allowed a short talk; and, lo and behold, a conference blog. And I will be in charge of making the blog work, by coordinating a set of young writers from our university. We will try to cover most of the talks, the atmosphere, and the expectations for whatever new is expected there. Interestingly, the last time (in 2009) I did single-handedly provide real-time coverage for the event in a series of posts (see here for day 1, here for day 2, here for a talk on MINOS by Milind Diwan, here for a talk by Steve King on neutrino mass models, and here for a report on Auger by Blanch Bigas)... This time I will be able to share the load with youngsters... Stay tuned for more info on this new event!

Finally, I might be invited to an event in Antwerp later this year. This is not a conference in particle physics, but a more specific event -unfortunately I cannot say more for the time being (I am not even sure yet this thing will materialize). The idea is that I will team up with a friend to give two coordinated talks. The venue can sit 1100 participants, so I am pretty excited about that, too. As soon as the thing changes phase (from gaseous to solid state) I will explain what it is, when, and provide some more details.