Day in the Life of an Academic #7: exams and viva

Got up at 6 am, as usual. However, instead, of squeezing in a bit of writing, as I usually do, I squeezed in a bit of marking. You see, I am in the middle of exam marking season, and I need to go through this particular pile and pass it on for second marking by tomorrow. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #7: exams and viva

April 2017 round-up

This was a challenging month – school holidays for the kids, exam revisions for the teen, a house move for the family, and some unexpected marking, among other things. So, in this monthly round-up, I am trying to be kind with myself about my limited productivity... but I must make up for it, in the … Continue reading April 2017 round-up

March 2017 round-up

A small number of people have told me that they appreciate reading these monthly reports, and some have even adopted a similar practice – most recently, Silvia Tavares, who is an architect and urbanist based at James Cook University, Australia. I have been writing this type of report, in one form or another, since my … Continue reading March 2017 round-up

How Alexa got its name

I always assumed that the name for Amazon’s smart voice assistant, Alexa, was some sort of nod to the (female) name Alexandra. But I was wrong. The creator of Alexa, Brewster Kahle, revealed how he came up with that name, in an interview with Kara Swisher for the Decode Recode podcast, which you can listen … Continue reading How Alexa got its name

February 2017 round-up

I love February. It is my birthday month, and it is the month when it gets visibly lighter early in the morning. It is so nice to wake up to a not-completely-dark sky, isn't it? It makes me happy. Below, my highlights for February. Researching I made some … Continue reading February 2017 round-up

January 2017 round-up

The start of the year was not bad for me, personally, though the world’s stage is terribly depressing and anxiety-inducing. My focus for this year is ‘shipping’, which essentially means getting things done and out of the door. To get ready for that, I started the year with a good hard look at my … Continue reading January 2017 round-up

December 2016 round-up

And so December, and 2016, came to an end. My focus for this year was ‘connections’ - connecting with ideas, places and people. While the first two were easy, the last one was a bit of a struggle for an introvert like me. But I did it. And it was great. For 2017, … Continue reading December 2016 round-up

Thank you

As I am preparing to wrap up 2016, I want to take a few moments to thank you so much for reading my blog. We are all so very busy these days, and there is so much great content out there, that it really means a lot to me that you give me your time … Continue reading Thank you

Something for your weekend: The Machine Stops

I have a present for you. It is my favourite kind of present: a book. What? It is a short novel by E. M. Foster, first published in 1909. It is called ‘The Machine Stops’. Where? You can read it here, or buy it here (no affiliate links). So what? This … Continue reading Something for your weekend: The Machine Stops