Instead of "Cellular Lipo-Sculpting Eye Gel", this time the transcontinental party favor was "Relaxing Yuan Zhi Pulse Point Balm". Thank you British Airways. The chocolate mousse was mighty tasty, though. Almost as good as on Air France. Almost.
Thankfully, the continental leg of the trip was canceled. Due to security at Heathrow and intense weather across the U.K., I can't say I was disappointed. Audiences in London and Edinburgh were at least as attentive as those we presented to in Asia, and I suspect this due in part to real concerns about carbon emissions throughout Europe. In Asia, biofuels seemed to be thought of as more a business opportunity, with carbon emissions as a complication. In the U.K., in addition to the basic economic concerns, the questions about carbon were more along the lines of trying to understand which fuels and which technologies actually reduce emissions.
Crazy moment of the trip: who should we bump into in the lobby of our hotel in London but John Melo, CEO of Amyris Biotechnologies. Small world.