Latest activity → Feed

May 2011

Short thought

Sporadic internet this week; using offline time to write funding proposal for v. exciting project!

Post

Moving from Ubuntu to Fedora

A the time that I started writing this blog post, I was intending to extol the virtues of the newly released Fedora 15 compared to the trainwreck that is Ubuntu 11.04. It turns out the story isn't as clear cut as that, but wanted to give my experience in comparison installing across two machines.…

Post

Academic Businesss Cards

I had resisted the concept of having my own, academic, business cards for a long time. It seemed, and still does to an extent, an encroachment upon the sphere I love from the world of dehumanised business practice. However, networking is a fundamental part of academic conference attendance. I have…

Short thought

45 minutes until my meeting. This is exciting because it involves CAKE. BIRTHDAY CAKE. (cake is still cake, even if overpriced)

Short thought

... "just" means you think it was right and deserved. It was his death. Therefore, you support the death penalty.

Short thought

Ah, sent an article off already this morning, it's going well. Oh and IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! :p

Short thought

. @nurcanileri no loading of main stream - it's listed as a problem on Twitter status page.

Short thought

.@dsymons thank you for looking at that for me; much appreciated. I'll have my own copy of Word reinstalled soon!

Short thought

Anybody w/ MS Word around to whom I could email a proposal, to ensure that it's formatted correctly after OpenOffice.org conversion, please?

Short thought

Planning a workshop... does anybody use time tracking software on Windows/Mac? What do you use? I'm 100% GNU/Linux so less familiar #phdchat

Short thought

.@MysticMoon1989 I'm sure everybody wishes they too could have such a thrilling afternoon ;)

Short thought

Right. Onwards from research to workshop teaching planning, abstract writing, article polishing, journal editing, general joy.

Short thought

Adorno's Kierkegaard: Construction of the Aesthetic is one of the most painful reads I've ever had the misfortune to undertake.

Short thought

This would mean that it would be distributed (between users and over time) & users would just be proofing for grammar/spelling. #phdchat

Short thought

Perhaps we (I) could write a basic web app. Upload your thesis. App randomizes sentences and presents in isolation for corrections? #phdchat

Short thought

Are there any prohibitions on crowdsourcing thesis proofreading? Might people near completion on #phdchat help each other proof?

Post

The Rhetoric of "Fighting" Illness and Disability

When I was in hospital the week before last, I was struck by how all-pervasive the rhetoric of "fighting" is when people are coping with illness or new disability. I'm sure that this has been covered by those in critical disability studies far better than I can put it here, but I wanted to flag it…

Short thought

Miraculously, everything on my todo list to be done today, was. Now off to see @GreatDismal and @doctorow.

Short thought

Mmm, Adorno getting all hypocritical on me: "it is their interwovenness that makes his [Kierkegaard's] philosophy so impenetrable."

Short thought

Booked a restaurant for 15 people. They call me 2 hrs later (after I've told everyone) with an outrageous minimum spend and booking deposit.

Short thought

Just got my tickets for tomorrow's @britishlibrary event with @GreatDismal and @doctorow -- hurrah!

Post

Using Twitter for Research

Please find, for your delectation, licensed under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike license, my Prezi on Using Twitter for Research, a workshop I taught at the University of Sussex on the 18th May, 2011. .prezi-player { width: 750px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align:…

Short thought

Vince Cable says people don't understand how bad the economy is. I'm guessing the 2.46m looking for work do, actually.

Short thought

Hope it isn't the rapture tomorrow. My birthday is next week and I want that Kindle :P

Short thought

Opted to go the gym, then come back to read Marx. This is called spinning class consciousness.

Short thought

Dire Straits blasting while finishing some web work having had a pretty good day research-wise

Short thought

So after using GNOME 3 for the first full day, returning to my Classic GNOME box is really annoying. I love GNOME 3!

Short thought

"I am out of the office preparing for the end of the world. But I will respond to your email if it's the last thing I do" via @MarkKohut

Short thought

Argh! This @GdnHigherEd discussion is too interesting. Not PE that's taking time from my "proper" research, but this great meta- stuff!

Post

Osama Bin Laden and Nuremberg Precedent

There has been much discussion of whether the US should have captured Osama Bin Laden alive and put him on trial, as per the Nuremberg precedent set in the apprehension and subsequent judicial sentencing of Nazi World War II war criminals. I felt it was worth making a slightly more critical…

Short thought

It really says something that a USB fedora live environment is faster than my HDD Ubuntu 11.04 install.

Short thought

I've also just written, and submitted, a patch that adds command-line export; considering publishing my time usage online #phdchat

Short thought

I've started using Hamster, an open source, free time-tracking application for GNU/Linux #phdchat

Post

Guarding your academic ideas

There was a recent conversation on Twitter's excellent #phdchat hashtag revealing the angst that can be involved in getting the balance right between holding an idea back (for formal academic publication) and putting it out there. I'd like, in this post, to enumerate the pros and cons of each side,…

Short thought

En route to Sussex for meetings and teaching. Hurrah! I expect it will be harder now our dept is so highly ranked. #sarcasm

Short thought

Really would have liked to have gone to @beckettfestival, but 1.) I couldn't afford even the discounted rate; 2.) it collided with Symbiosis

Short thought

The second I start writing about what's wrong with academia, I become Adorno, but more accessible. #easyreadmisanthropy

Short thought

Pretty sure this Twitter workshop is as prepared as it's ever going to be now. Off the todo list it goes!

Short thought

ARGH!! Spent two hours going to hospital this morning for a blood test. They just called to say they've lost it and calling me back. *ANGRY*

Short thought

Just emailed by a Professor of Structural Biology wanting to participate in next year's Pynchon in Public Day. Interdisciplinary engagement!

Post

Photograph and Interview in the Guardian

A few days late, but this is a quick post to highlight my statements, and photograph, on the Guardian books site. The piece was to highlight events pertaining to reading/celebrating authors in public, which linked in with the Pynchon in Public Day event which I organized last weekend. The piece has…

Short thought

Again, feeling better than yesterday. Still quite weak, but gradually killing the todo list.

Short thought

"No, this is not a disentanglement from, but a progressive knotting into..." -- Thomas Pynchon.

Short thought

.@JeffreyKeefer I often say to people who ask what a PhD in English Lit. examines: "the conformance of your thought with the discipline".

Short thought

Looks like the EdTech crowd have got in early on #phdchat topic voting this week!

Short thought

Yeah, so I don't have a TV. This means I neither fund BBC's shoddy journalism, nor encounter Eurovision. Dr. Who is on iPlayer, though :)

Short thought

Why is my @TweetDeck on Ubuntu going so badly wrong? Mentions not updating, segfault if I restart (have to clear all data) :/

Short thought

Hope everyone on #phdchat is wishing @naomi_jacobs the best of wedding days today! (not to embarrass her or anything!)

Short thought

.@GregorHopkins because collective debt is far preferable to ruining the lives of people who had no say in running up the deficit

Short thought

OK, I'll stop cluttering your feeds now, but the #rallyagainstdebt is the funniest hashtag of the day.

Short thought

BBC News flags up #rallyfordebt attended by ~200 people. When thousands of disabled people marched last week, it barely registered.

Short thought

Can't see how Nottingham can have the cheek to call Rod Thornton's paper defamation: if so, refute the references, don't just threaten.

Short thought

(I know, I know, it's not a patch on my appearance yesterday, but you can't have me *every* day)

Short thought

I have now escaped from hospital and am on my way home. Still not on top form, but much better!

Short thought

Anyone on CM7 - why do I sometimes have to press the "home" key multiple times to get to homescreen? #Android

Short thought

Novels and theory/trans-Atlantic politics/Gravity's Rainbow #haiku #phdchat #pynchon

Short thought

All waiting for Pynchon in Public Day website updates, please hold the line, I'm currently unwell & will fix when back on my feet #PIPD2011

Short thought

Colin & "Woz" in my ward are now debating erotic fetish dressing. They can understand dressing as nurses, but not as dogs. I need to get out

Short thought

Wishing the best of luck to all on the #hardesthit march. Don't let the ignorant bigots get you down.

Short thought

Dear all, will be unable to reply for indeterminate period as have to go to hospital.

Short thought

I wish HTC would take note of Samsung's full release of all source for Galaxy. Even binary drivers.

Short thought

Thanks to all posting Pynchon in Public pics - I will sort out the website as soon as I feel better. #PIPD2011

Short thought

Urgh. Today's sick day attempting to clean emails was a bad idea. Heading back to bed :(

Short thought

News just in from Munich of a Pynchon in Public event there - photos to follow! #PIPD2011

Short thought

We're moving on to the Lord Nelson now. Following the WASTE trail. #PIPD2011

Short thought

Anybody waiting at Brighton station, make yourself known by shouting "love the dolphins" at the top of your voice. #PIPD2011

Short thought

This journey to Brighton is painful. Not feeling exactly great, train stopped outside Gatwick and I have to get a bus from Haywards Heath.

Short thought

Apologies to those following who are less interested, but today my timeline will be even more Pynchon centric than usual.

Short thought

So, today is Pynchon in Public Day 2011! Off to Brighton to meet enthusiasts. Worldwide events planned. We've started something!

Short thought

Just sent a patch to hamster-applet (time tracker for GNU/Linux) that allows report exports from the command line :)

Short thought

Well, disappointed about AV but very pleased for the Greens in Brighton! (cc. @liannedemello)

Short thought

Sorry to say it, but my experience with @BlueMileCloud has been terrible. Now they are invoicing me for cancelled services. Avoid.

Short thought

So, is there *any* social comment system that supports https/ssl? @disqus @intensedebate @livefyre

Short thought

My todo list contains "lodge ssh keys in a safe place in case of own death". Hoping that won't be needed for a while, but hey.

Short thought

. @htc Mmm Sensation. Have an upgrade coming, but as you've locked bootloader, I'll look elsewhere.

Short thought

Don't forget that, for Pynchon in Public Day, we welcome videos, photos, reports of your undertakings!

Post

On Pynchon and Privacy

In a fascinating LA Times piece published today, it is remarked, in conversation with a close friend of Thomas Pynchon that: In an era in which a Wikipedia scan identifies Pynchon's wife, a literary agent, and son by name, his privacy could be one avid Googler away. She's discussed this…

Short thought

If you vote against AV because it gives us weak coalition governments, you should realise that is because no party merited absolute rule.

Short thought

Damn. David Lynch lecture didn't record properly. Will put notes up anyway.

Short thought

I have disparate chapters, conceptually linked. Master lit review of concept goes in intro, specific reviews in each chapter #phdchat

Short thought

There'll be a Pynchon in Public event /meet in New York at The Dead Poet, Amsterdam & 81st, Sunday 9PM.

Short thought

I'm in for not having a separate review chapter (but that's an Eng. Lit. PhD); material goes where appropriate #phdchat

Short thought

In E. Standard, Amy Miller says against tube strike "people are losing their jobs everywhere and not striking" - surely that's the problem!

Short thought

The annual Textual Practice lecture takes place this evening at Sussex. Sadly, I can't make it, but if you can, you should.

Short thought

David Lynch lecture went pretty well - I also managed to sneak a Back to the Future reference in there as well!

Short thought

Those saying "not even the yes camp want AV" are being disingenuous. It was the Tory funders of the no campaign who made this the choice.

Short thought

Early morning start today... giving my first lecture (as opposed to seminar teaching) at Sussex!

Short thought

Ensuring that my lecture resources will play nicely on university machines. PITA. #ubuntu

Short thought

"AV would...make it...impossible for Labour to win a majority"<democracy requires individual sacrifice; not rigging system so your side wins

Short thought

I disagree politically with most things @MarioCreatura writes, but on that last tweet I couldn't agree more.

Short thought

Just got Hamster time-tracker synchronising between my machines using Unison.

Short thought

Ubuntu 11.04's Unity is nice, but too immature at present. Deadly slow even on powerful graphics hardware.

Short thought

Obama: "no one should be silenced, everyone deserves the truth". Sickening. Bradley Manning?

Short thought

Realised why I find Apple products so disappointing. I went tech I can make do what I want, not tech that tells me what I can do with it.

Short thought

Dr Who yesterday contained either a Scottish, or Pynchon, reference. Character called Renfrew in AtD. Also a Scottish town, though.