The changing nature of photographs in the age of social media When I was growing up, photos were something that we staged carefully; that we took in small numbers; and that we had to wait a long term to see. They marked specific moments. Nowadays, we take lots of photos that we can see … Continue reading [Miscellany] Social media photos as speech; designing chatbot conversations; shout out to @BoE_Research
Category: Personal
[Miscellany] Gender bias; lack of imagination in algorithms’ design; wanted Professor of Foresight
Possible gender discrimination in Apple Card Did you read about that story, that went viral on Twitter, about Apple credit cards offering a much higher credit limit to men than women, even when the latter have demonstrably the same or even better financial situations? [If not, read this or this] The person who posted … Continue reading [Miscellany] Gender bias; lack of imagination in algorithms’ design; wanted Professor of Foresight
Day in the Life of an Academic #9: All sorts of meetings
It’s time to offer you a peak into yet another facet of an academic’s life, with another “Day in the Life” post. This time, a post looking at Wednesday, October 30th: a day that was full of meetings. I woke up at 5ish, and got ready to go to work: I have a meeting in … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #9: All sorts of meetings
What it feels like when the computer knows more than you
I have been thinking and talking about artificial intelligence a lot, this past week. For instance, on Wednesday, I went to the Parliament with two other colleagues from Brunel, to talk about the impact of AI on workers, work and the workplace; and, on Thursday, with those same colleagues, we hosted a workshop to examine … Continue reading What it feels like when the computer knows more than you
[Miscellany] On the importance of questions, and different types of answer, plus what I am reading
The best predictor of good grades? Several people in my Twitter timeline have been talking about this journal paper (paid access, only). The authors of the paper analysed the extent to which various variables could be used to predict student’s grades, and concluded that: “These relationships make class attendance a better predictor of college grades than … Continue reading [Miscellany] On the importance of questions, and different types of answer, plus what I am reading
[Miscellany] ebay podcast, welcoming complaints, and new life stage
ebay: more about b2c than c2c If I say ‘ebay’, what image comes to your mind? A place to offload items that you no longer need, or even that unwanted Christmas gift? Or, perhaps, the opportunity to buy nearly new items that other people outgrew, or fell out of love with? If, like me, … Continue reading [Miscellany] ebay podcast, welcoming complaints, and new life stage
[Miscellany] Marketing online, confusing adverts and podcast recommendation
Online marketing vs. marketing online Preparing materials for a new semester of teaching, and this blog post from Seth Godin came to mind: Too much going on There is so much going on in this advert... A snack that is meant to be for lunch. A can that fits in a pocket but is meant … Continue reading [Miscellany] Marketing online, confusing adverts and podcast recommendation
