Sphinx

This year is turning out to be rather iffy for people who were significant influences on my early academic career – besides Dolly and Tim, of course – to the point where I almost feel I should send ‘Wishing you continued good health’ cards to the survivor…

I often worry that there is not enough separation between my job and the rest of me, especially my sense of self – especially when my employer has been contemplating whether to expel me from academia.

This summer has been the most challenging of my career so far.

Possibility 1: the two prisoners are looking poignantly out through the bars at the impossible dream of Outside, remembering the days when they could wander round the neighbourhood as they pleased.

As Immortal God-Emperor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Earth 2’s Ex University, I have a weighty responsibility to protect and defend the institution’s reputation.

During times of organisational change and institutional vandalism, it is natural to feel some fear and uncertainty.

There’s been a bit of discussion this week on Bluesky about academic book chapters; the fact that they are often disparaged (especially in relation to the REF, especially by disciplines where the only ‘serious’ venue for research is the peer-reviewed jour…

Despite their fur coats, the cats have been perfectly happy during the various heatwaves this summer, presumably because they know they can count on fresh water (even if Hector prefers to drink from the pond or the bowl outside by the flowerpots) and regu…

From the office of Prof.

The sociologist Kieran Healy raised a really good question over on Bluesky today: We’re missing a word for the facing page of text before the start or after the end of a classic journal article.