Tag Archives: research

IBM presentation fails to win over academics (Rousse)

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The organisers had made a terrible mistake in bringing together this bunch of rude, disobedient ego-maniacs. They had been locked up for a week at this luxury hotel to work collaboratively on developing innovative research proposals, but since their arrival … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academic, academics, admissions, audience, boo, catalogue, climax, computing, disobedient, ego-maniac, ego-maniacs, expense, friend, hardware, hiss, history, homesick, hotel, IBM, library, man, mistake, mother, organiser, organisers, performance, pet, presentation, proposal, proposals, records, research, rude, school, server, son, tax, tax payer, tax payers, university | Leave a comment

Jane Garvey lies about her student days (Rousse)

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Jane Garvey broadcast to the world from her little desk. It was incredibly low-tech, but this was all she needed as the voice of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. I was always on the look-out for any references that Garvey … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BBC, bedroom, Birmingham University, broadcast, broadcaster, central heating, cosy, desk, Garvey, idea, ideas, Jane Garvey, libraries, library, listeners, Manor House, programme, public, Radio 4, references, research, retired, schedule, sellotape, student, University of Birmingham, voice, Woman's Hour | Leave a comment

Rousse hunts for food after a cold night in the research council committee car

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The venue for the research council meeting was a tiny battered car on Annandale Street. I was squashed in behind the front passenger’s seat listening to academics pontificating about anything but research. For example, one shared his obsession for staging … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academics, Annandale Street, bathroom, bathrooms, boy, car, castle, clothes, cold, colleague, committee, council, dressing gown, drive, driving, esplanade, food, German, grey-haired, hungry, husband, laundered, laundress, laundry, Leith Walk, meeting, pain au chocolat, pantomime, passenger, research, seat, servant, shop, shopping, shops, sleep, toiletries, venue, woman | Leave a comment

Cats, chatting, and church (Rousse)

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Dreamaticus

What a busy day! In the morning I made friends with a (real) cat, then had a very long chat with JB who had elected to spend the whole day in a marmalade fur outfit dressed as one. Afterwards I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged busy, cat, cats, chat, chatting, church, costume, impromptu, information science, library, marmalade, mobile, outfit, phone, research, service, sing, singing, vicar | Leave a comment

Expert programmer devises new research infrastructure (Rousse)

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Dreamaticus

MI caught up with me on Middle Meadow Walk. I called TPR over on his bike and we looked at the print-out of the work that MI had completed. “It only took one iteration and now it’s ready”, she claimed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bike, Edinburgh, information science, infrastructure, iteration, library, Middle Meadow Walk, print-out, programming, research, technical, tracking | Leave a comment

Belle the rumour expert

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Having lied to an old school friend (telling her I was married), wildfire rumours were spreading about me. Apparently I was married to a renowned wife beating thug called A and the girls at my hall of residence were gossiping … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged college, hall of residence, husband, research, rumour, thug | Leave a comment

Nick Hewer waves off candidate for china restoration and robot building roles (Rousse)

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Dreamaticus

I grabbed my iPhone and camera and made a dash to board the ferry back to the mainland. When Nick Hewer (Lord’s Sugar’s advisor on The Apprentice) told me that I had left my pink notebook behind I said to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alan Sugar, antique, apple, Apprentice, boat, camera, cardigan sea, china, Chinese, dummy, employment, engineer, ferry, grant, hearing, Hewer, iPhone, journey, limb, limbs, Lord Sugar, mainland, marketing, massage, model, Nick, Nick Hewer, notebook, pink, project, proposal, proposals, research, restoration, restore, robot, service, student, students, support, tea, technical, therapies, therapy, tourist | Leave a comment

Voodoo academic claims end to African famine (Rousse)

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Dreamaticus

“Prior to the agrarian revolution…” boomed the pompous voice across the lecture hall. We were supposed be celebrating my birthday with tea and cake, but instead were forced to listen to this overblown academic drone on and on and on, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academic, Africa, African, agrarian, argument, birthday, book, cake, desk, famine, hall, lecture, photo, photograph, portrait, research, revolution, stamp, stamping, tea, voice, voodoo | Leave a comment

A cat-assisted attempt to avoid divorce (Rousse)

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Dreamaticus

There was only one way that I would find time to do my own research ever again: to register for a second PhD. I considered several options. I could return to the University of Birmingham where I had studied as … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged African, Annandale Street, attempt, badge, badges, Birmingham, Birmingham University, boyfriend, cat, Claremont Crescent, dance, dancing, director, divorce, door, doorbell, dress, East Claremont Street, Ediburgh, ex-husband, eyes, garden, home, husband, identity, initials, lecturer, lights, marking, metal, Newcastle University, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University, parent, parents, PhD, railings, reconciliation, research, TPR, university, University of Birmingham, University of Newcastle, University of Oxford, wall | Leave a comment

“Friend” of royalty responsible for luggage loss (Rousse)

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Although the conference had changed format for 2012, it still attracted the same crowd. AA and I waved greetings to everyone we knew as we crossed the main exhibition hall on our way out to check in at the hotel. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aluminium, bank, banks, bog, border, camera, career, careers, conference, degree, Diana, drown, drowning, exhibition, France, German, Germany, hall, hotel, Kensington Palace, lost, luggage, palace, peat, pink, postgraduate, Princess of Wales, purse, rail, research, revolving door, royal, royalty, skirt, stand, stream, study, suitcase, television, train, vouchers, water, wool | Leave a comment