Thursday 26th September 2024, 12.40pm (day 4,781)
For the first time since 13th December last year — I give a lecture in Manchester. Most of the recipients look happy enough at this point (perhaps because I wasn’t talking).
This year’s newbies
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: University of Manchester
Making an effort
Tuesday 20th August 2024, 8.40am (day 4,744)
The title of this post can have multiple meanings today — for me, and, presumably, for him. Being on campus at all in August requires some kind of effort, but particularly at 8.40am: this is actually the earliest Manchester shot I have published in well over a year. But we were both there, and my day went well enough: I hope his did too.
Meeting in the Turing building
Friday 9th August 2024, 12 noon (day 4,733)
Paid one of my occasional visits to campus today; I count 22 pictures in Manchester in 2024, so one every 10 days, and not all necessarily because of work. Not that there seem to be many people around when I do turn up, although this is excusable in August.
The Three Degrees?
Tuesday 9th July 2024, 3.50pm (day 4,702)
Not that I’ve had anything to do with the preliminaries since completing my marking duties in January, but graduation season is here. Congratulations to all. Although I’d take these three more seriously if any one of them looked a bit happier about it.
Awaiting the seminar
Wednesday 26th June 2024, 3.00pm (day 4,689)
Hauled myself over to campus, which has been a rare occurrence during this bout of study leave and, in some ways, today reminded me of why. But I guess it was not a complete waste of time. This shot of the preliminaries was perhaps the most interesting thing about the seminar I attended from 3pm, however. Things seem to be floating, and I like the blue.
Campus encampment
Wednesday 22nd May 2024, 3.40pm (day 4,654)
Having not been to campus since 5th April I decided I should show my face. Duly did so, and now won’t be back there until, probably, 26th June. Well, I am on study leave. Two things have emerged since my last visit: first, all the leaves on the trees, second, the encampment raised in protest against what is happening in Gaza. I assume the leaves will still be there in June. The tents, who knows?
The joys of the hybrid meeting
Wednesday 20th March 2024, 1.00pm (day 4,591)
“Hello… hello? Can you hear me…..?” [pause] “I think you’re on mute….” Did the Starship Enterprise’s communications network have a ‘mute’ button do you think? Colleague Louis does his best.
At uni, late
Thursday 7th March 2024, 5.05pm (day 4,578)
I am not often to be found at work after 5pm — not ‘in the office’ anyway — and heaven forbid that uni’s now seemingly random system of allocating timetable slots gives me a 5-6pm class next year, or any other year. I can feel the ennui even when spying on them from across the corner of the Ellen Wilkinson Building.
David Shaffer
Thursday 29th February 2024, 10.10am (day 4,571)
I’m not saying this has never happened before — see the note — but today I can say that along with about twenty-five other people, I took a class with someone who is genuinely the world-leading authority in their specific field. Like, the ultimate teacher. I said to a colleague the other day that I was coming to this session on epistemic network analysis (it’s a way of depicting the patterns of conversation in groups, the way they talk about things) with some ’eminent American guy’ and she said, immediately, ‘Oh, you mean David Shaffer?’. Even Clare — who, while being a highly intelligent woman, does not move in the same strictly academic circles as I do — had heard of him. And Prof Shaffer turned out to be a friendly, agreeable chap, the two hours of my time very well spent.
Note: I think there are three other appearances of truly globally reputable teachers on here: Etienne Wenger, Michelle Brown and Jürgen Habermas.
Moon over the North Campus
Monday 22nd January 2024, 3.25pm (day 4,533)
Students from a quarter-century or more ago will know the UoM’s ‘North Campus’ as ‘UMIST’ — but this institution has long been merged out of existence, and quite a few of its buildings, like this one beside the Mancunian Way, have stood derelict for years. But there’s still an aspirational feel to this shot — climb the ladder and jump over the moon? And let’s get some blue sky into things. It’s been altogether too grey lately.
Being 42 