[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

[Miscellany] AI survey, AI summit and AI Workshop

This week, a collection of miscellaneous notes related to Artificial Intelligence. 1. AI survey The Artificial Intelligence Research Centre, at Brunel Business School, is looking at the impact of AI on the nature of work and the relationship between workers and their employers (my branch of work concerns on the consequences of these changes … Continue reading [Miscellany] AI survey, AI summit and AI Workshop

[Miscellany] Time tracking, refreshing my teaching examples, and new reading

September is for rebooting Ah, August... I always end it feeling a little bit frustrated that I didn’t do everything that I needed / wanted to get done (including not having as much fun or rest as I was expecting or was expected to). September, on the contrary, feels like it’s full of potential. It’s … Continue reading [Miscellany] Time tracking, refreshing my teaching examples, and new reading

[Miscellany] LinkedIn as a research tool, tips for writing non-fiction, and reading at the dinner table

LinkedIn as a research tool and source of insight Much has been written about the value of Twitter, Facebook and review platforms (e.g., Trip Advisor) as sources of insight (for instance, about customers and their habits). Yet, LinkedIn is not usually thought of in the same pool of useful research tools. LinkedIn can be … Continue reading [Miscellany] LinkedIn as a research tool, tips for writing non-fiction, and reading at the dinner table

[Miscellany] Customer reviews, GDPR fines and musings on graduation

Stick the film, then post a photo I have recently ordered some black out film for a window that lets in too much light during the night. There are 12 steps in the instructions, starting with cleaning the window, all the way down to… taking a photo and posting it with a review, online. … Continue reading [Miscellany] Customer reviews, GDPR fines and musings on graduation

Life update: bad days make good stories

Child 2, who is turning out to be a musicophile, showed me this tune about someone who is grateful for the sour grapes in their life. The lyrics include the following verses: We had to work a bit more hard Only just to get a little bit less far We could laugh about it all … Continue reading Life update: bad days make good stories

[Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy

Science communication I love this quote, that I read in the book “Communicating your research with social media” (page 40), recently: 2. Writing: Genius vs craft Sometimes, it is easy to feel disheartened about this “business” of writing. It seems to come so easily to others. So… effortlessly. Take famous writers, like Jane Austen, … Continue reading [Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy

[Miscellany] Fear sells, Facial recognition banned in San Francisco, and RIP Grumpy Cat

Fear sells What would be really, really useful, if you lived in a dangerous area, and wanted to keep an eye on your house when you are not there? A doorbell with a camera, perhaps?! Maybe, a doorbell with a camera powered by a facial recognition system?! Or even a doorbell with a camera … Continue reading [Miscellany] Fear sells, Facial recognition banned in San Francisco, and RIP Grumpy Cat

[Miscellany] Poorly placed advert, Guardian on Google Home, and reads

Poorly placed advert I spotted this advert on an in-flight magazine, aboard a plane. It was from Turkey's tourist board: Sounds like a great use of old and new technology: the company grabs the customer’s attention with a high impact photo on glossy paper; then, the customer uses their phone to scan the QR … Continue reading [Miscellany] Poorly placed advert, Guardian on Google Home, and reads

Monday Miscellany 6 May 19

The not-so-smart speaker Artificial intelligence is as biased as the data used to train it, and the coders programming it. Last week, I came across a simple exam of the latter: It turns out that, if you are in England and ask Google Home to “play the national anthem”, you get the US version. If … Continue reading Monday Miscellany 6 May 19