Some of the columns that I write arise from a really basic formula. It goes something like this: I make a mistake at work. I realize my error, or am compelled by another party to realize it, and I take corrective action. Then I write a column addressing the mistake in general terms, in hopes […] … learn more→

Talk with people who work in or around college admissions, and they\’ll probably tell you the system is broken, or, at the very least, badly in need of repair. The evidence is everywhere, and the greatest effect is on the people who have the biggest stake in it: students applying to college. The average 17-year-old, […] … learn more→

Use of the popular sports supplement creatine has shown promise in a small-scale clinical trial in helping people with diabetes get their blood sugar under control. Creatine is a popular nutritional supplement widely used across many sports. Creatine occurs naturally in the body, and is found mostly in muscle tissue. Creatine is a normal part […] … learn more→

We’ve all been there. Go on, admit it. You’re working away solidly on your PhD and then starting to daydream… about being a doctor. About how life-changing those two little letters preceding your name will be. About how cool it will be to add that prefix to credit cards, business card, airline bookings, email signatures… […] … learn more→

Truth, we’re told, is the first casualty of war. But as I hunker in my office bunker, the dull thud of history term papers landing on my desk, columns of sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden students trudging past the door, I’m convinced that truth is also the first casualty of undergraduate paper writing. It is not only […] … learn more→

This Wednesday (15 May 2013) I will have the honour of introducing a documentary film ‘Words of Witness’ as it premieres as part of the Human Right Arts and Film Festival (HRAFF). The documentary was made in during the Egyptian uprising, by filmmaker Mai Iskander and follows Heba Afify, an online journalist reporting from the […] … learn more→

The recession in conjunction with technological advances are making green initiatives more attractive to businesses and municipalities around the America. Destiny USA in Syracuse, renewable energy in Chicago, and wind turbines New York City all have green initiatives in place that consistently improve the environment and efficiency of public facilities in the area. Chicago built […] … learn more→

On May 10, the New York Times’ daily news highlights included the following lead items: In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme By Marc Santora The authorities said laptops and the Internet were used in more than two dozen countries to steal from A.T.M.’s, including 2,904 machines in New York City, in one […] … learn more→

Channel 4 was censured by Ofcom last week for cutting to a light-hearted sponsorship advert just after viewers had watched the particularly graphic and disturbing rape scene in the film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Phones 4 U sponsorship ad was thought to be especially inappropriate for that moment as it features a […] … learn more→

Recently @indecisionpersonified asked me a question: “… I have just moved continents and been accepted into a PhD program and have six free months before I start. I was wondering whether you had any advice to give people like me on how best to use the time before starting a PhD in order to be […] … learn more→