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April 2012

Sounds like there was an interesting @GdnHigherEd livechat on soc media & HE. I'm too thesis-obsessed to be that meta today.

For my #phdchat "photograph your workspace" entry, I'm afraid it's against the rules to take pictures in the British Library Reading Rooms!

For those interested in late Foucault & ethics, I heartily recommend O’Leary, Timothy. Foucault: The Art of Ethics. London: Continuum, 2002.

My friend has just arranged to submit her thesis on the same day as me. Submission, ok. Viva on same day, no way in case of diff outcomes!

Go Metro! Congrats on finding only case of company "desperate for staff", alongside "news" that Kate Middleton wears a grey t-shirt.

My undergrads are getting a timed essay today, then I'm having dinner w supervisor & fam to celebrate Ph.D. submission readiness. #goodday

Interesting how unsustainable library budget is cited as reason for OA, but little critique of whether author-pays fixes this...

I disagree with almost everything @LouiseMensch says and does, but very pleased she's handing over tweets abusing rape survivor to police

“@HallyMk1 Couldn't care less about St George's Day. Couldn't care less about being English. #protectthehuman”

Damn. As Sesame Street sez, looks like my teaching this week will be brought to you by the letters L.E.M.S.I. and P.

Very excited to see Leftfield tonight! However, they're not on until 1am. This time is so late, in my world, that it doesn't even exist.

Utterly fed-up with TweetDeck/TweakDeck crashing on my Android devices, I've switched to Plume. So far, v. impressed. #meta

(Semi-) fiendish practice exam set for next week's teaching. I've forewarned them of this, so wonder what attendance will be like!

By the way: roundtable on multi-author blogs in academia: @cemathieson, @jimmussell, @Dr_K_FenbyHulse & @martin_eve (me!) at @TransformConf

Having a mega "get stuff done" day. Journal article submitted, loads of admin shifted, now on to teaching preparation!

“@afrayn So, who's selling out and applying to convene the English degree at New College of the Humanities, then?” < my thoughts entirely

The worst typos are those that are words in their own right. Scholar called "Monson" I'd mistyped as "Monsoon". #phdchat

Allow me to whine about how *utterly* unaffordable conferences are as postgrads. I'm speaking and it's still outrageous. #phdchat

Experience @naomi_jacobs describes was also mine. Mendeley not so good for Hums/SS? Admittedly, I haven't tried a v recent version #phdchat

Problem for Mendeley/Zotero/Endnote is, in big project, no interoperability. Can't easily switch. Should standardize. #phdchat

My note on sources for Pynchon's fictional rabbits in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas earned proofer's comment: "best footnote *ever*" #phdchat

Teachers are not childcare. Teachers are paid relatively badly. Teachers' salaries aren't boosted by anti-truancy fines.

Most appreciated proofreading comment from a friend on my thesis: "apologies for aubergine fingers" next to a green smudge.

Have now two truly stunning archival/textual history articles on Pynchon for Orbit 1.1! Getting excited for launch!

Know I've been scathing about tablets before, but is good for reading PDFs, watching iPlayer, emails and Guardian crossword app.

. @GdnHigherEd do we *have* to term it "academic spring"? Does seem to somewhat trivialise real world suffering. "Higher Ed holocaust" next

Fun Foucault fact: his college de France lectures were so popular that 2 halls were needed w/ voice relay. Capacity of 300 each, but had 500

Unison 2.40 seems not to play nicely with symlink setups; have had to reconfigure replicas to point to absolute mountpoint.

Thanks to @yorgos_maragos, @epiktistes, @DrDaveOBrien & @thoughtcat for transliterations/suggestions. Foucault's anakhoresis = ἀναχώρησις

Dear classicists! Foucault uses the term "anakhoresis" for withdrawal. Can anybody tell me the non-transliterated Greek, please? @lizgloyn

My Easter Sunday has combined many of my fave things. Chocolate, late Foucault, Jonathan Creek, Thomas Pynchon. Now for some exercise!

Perhaps you don't agree with the interruption of the boat race, but a criminal charge? For swimming in front of some boats? Absurd.

Remember writing to my MP Lynne Featherstone 4+ years ago re. #freegary. The man has had enough punishment in the waiting alone.

Contemplating applying for a conference in the same week as my viva. Madness or a welcome distraction? #phdchat

Just for the record: I've never pulled an "all nighter"; I just get up in good time and work all day! @lizith @yorgos_maragos

Really impressed with Ubuntu 12.04. So much so that I was disappointed: I *expected* breakage on a beta upgrade. Experienced none.

Those interested in digital humanities and disability studies: @briancroxall is live-tweeting some interesting stuff from #EmoryDISC

Academic conference asking for me to submit my card details by email. Sure that invalidates my bank's fraud protection. :/

Does acceptance of surveillance stem from cultural memory of Nazism fading? Seem to be overly-confident that lib. democracy is permanent.

Being trolled by someone from University of Edinburgh in blog comments. She seems not to realize that I don't have to approve them.

Think that universities having some say in A-Levels could be a good thing - many UGs poorly served - but wary of incursion on uni autonomy.

Lib Dems threatening to revolt over snooping plans: nobody cares any more. Your party is finished by three words: tuition fees, NHS.

Snatching a sneaky 15 min listen to new Orbital album while the dinner's on. More impressed, so far, by live version of "Satan" on disc 2

Very nice of the university to email to let me know who my supervisors are. Two months before Ph.D. submission.

Should I take seriously a book that has already got a character name, and the initial publication date of V., wrong?