Monthly Archives: August 2017

Social media? sometimes it’s just nasty as ****

Social media? sometimes it’s just nasty as ****

Like many of you I’m sure, I’ve been watching the extremely ugly and misogynist twitter assault on Mary Beard over the last week or so. Like many of you I’m sure, this has made me angry, sad and more than a bit worried. It’s a manifestation of a blood sport approach to debate that Mary, […] … learn more→

Potentialism

Potentialism

Potentialism is a branch of cosmology that has been picking up footing lately as another and dynamic hypothesis of cosmology for the 21st century. Made and afterward adjusted by free researcher David Birnbaum (see ExaminerPurpose.com) since 1988, Potentialism is laid out in his 3-section work Summa Metaphysica (1988, 2005, 2014). Beforehand held Randomness Theory, advanced in the […] … learn more→

Some workers ‘cyberloaf’ if they think they can get away with it, so employers need to get creative

Some workers ‘cyberloaf’ if they think they can get away with it, so employers need to get creative

Sending personal emails, a bit of online shopping, checking out your friend’s holiday snaps on Facebook: if you break up your work day with online activities that aren’t work-related, you may be guilty of “cyberloafing”. Cyberloafing – engaging in non-work online activities while “on the clock” – is a modern form of counterproductive workplace behaviour. […] … learn more→

Make University a boiler room = 100% pay raise

Make University a boiler room = 100% pay raise

Some time back, I mentioned Arizona State University’s plan to increase faculty workloads 25%, for no additional pay. This policy idea was part of a larger plan by the ASU Poo Bah, Michael Crow, to debase education as much as possible. The primary motivation for doing so is to get more money for administration—every dollar […] … learn more→

The principled PhD?

The principled PhD?

After I passed my PhD defense in March 2016 (thank you God), friends in earlier PhD stages jokingly tried to see if I could somehow rub off on them. This is the hope of this post – sharing some thoughts on (surviving) the journey. Naturally my PhD principles are specific to my department, the Global […] … learn more→

What will research look like in 2035?

What will research look like in 2035?

What will the world look like a generation from now? Will robots have transformed our working world? Will we move through cities in automated vehicles or even hyperloops? Will we choose to augment our bodies with highly functional prosthetics? Will low carbon energy generation be the norm or will climate change be changing the world around us? […] … learn more→

Three reasons to think twice about mapping the brain

Three reasons to think twice about mapping the brain

The brain has a geography that matters. The cerebral cortex (the grey outer layer of the brain) is folded into our skulls in such a way as to reduce the wiring length of our neurons and improve cognitive function. Needless to say, this folding is incredibly complex. In order to examine and make sense of […] … learn more→