Tag Archives: University of Manchester

Dec 13 2024
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Daily Post, Family Member, Portrait

Class of 24/25 (and teacher)

Thursday 12th December 2024, 1.30pm (day 4,858)

Class of 24/25, 12/12/24

In the last of my taught classes last year, it took about three-quarters of an hour (or felt like it did) for all the students to get their shots with teacher that then go onto social media, somewhere. (And, see also 2022’s version of same.). As I am, essentially, a grumpy man, I insisted that this year I would do it on everyone’s behalf. Apologies to those whom I have eclipsed.

There have been very few shots of my 4,858 so far which have been taken using the self-timer, but there have been some: any of the astronomical efforts (e.g. this shot of Jupiter and its moons, of which I’m still quite proud) will have used it. But I’m sure this is the first where I’ve used the timer to take a photo of myself, with or without others, and used it as the daily picture. So there you are, this is what I look like when I’m not taking a photo.

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Dec 03 2024
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Learning with a Psalm

Monday 2nd December 2024, 2.45pm (day 4,848)

Psalm lecture, 2/12/24

My Monday afternoons as a student continue, though the next one isn’t going to be until February. It crossed my mind today that we are being taught in much the same way as we would have been a thousand years ago, had we been doing much the same in an abbey somewhere. Look at examples of other people’s writing, be told about some idiosyncracies and abbreviations, and then do our best to reproduce it all. We don’t get handed a quill pen and some parchment, which is a shame, but then again these were valuable items in medieval times and perhaps not to be wasted on students just starting out. It does work if one merely wants to learn to write, or rather to copy: but although I admit my Latin is getting a bit better, there is no interpretation here. What does any of this text actually mean, not just in translation, but really mean for anyone’s life? Beats me. But for that, I guess we would have taken different classes.

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Nov 07 2024
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Cleaning the panels

Thursday 7th November 2024, 11.35am (day 4,823)

Solar panel guys, 7/11/24

Continuing the theme I raised a couple of days ago regarding the power of hi-vis…. these guys were on the roof outside my office window, Doing Stuff: cleaning the solar panels apparently. Which, OK, I guess need cleaning now and again. I like the mild optical illusion on this one, for all reflections are an optical illusion; the guy on the right is not quite where he seems to be.

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Nov 05 2024
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Inspecting the manuscripts

Monday 4th November 2024, 2.00pm (day 4,820)

Rylands manuscripts, 4/11/24

Another one of my Palaeography classes in the John Rylands Library. We have moved from Hogwarts (the old reading room) upstairs and into the new seminar room, with tape still on the windows. Checking out the manuscripts themselves is always the best bit, and they need to be ready, and cared for — would that students got to sit on such comfortable-looking cushions.

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Oct 24 2024
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Stock campus shot

Wednesday 23rd October 2024, 10.30am (day 4,808)

Stock campus shot, 23/10/24

This is a fairly stock campus shot, but then again it was a fairly stock campus day. At least there are people in it, which is more than has been the case for several other recent photos.

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Oct 18 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Textures

Thursday 17th October 2024, 2.30pm (day 4,802)

A hidden corner of campus. This shot has no deeper meaning, I just like the textures, of trunk, undergrowth, the wall. Although maybe that stuff on the wall is mould, but then again, you should see our bathroom wall.

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Oct 01 2024
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Daily Post, Interior

Lecture in Hogwarts

Monday 30th September 2024, 2.00pm (day 4,785)

Rylands lecture, 30/9/24

Another lecture, only this time I am facing front instead of at the front. For several Mondays over the next few months I will be a student again: the subject, you can see for yourself. ‘Hogwarts’ is, in fact, the Historic Reading Room of the John Rylands Library; a spectacular setting for a class, and somehow appropriate (though this was opened in 1901 and is detinitely not a medieval construction). But by next time I hope they’ve turned the heating on. Mr Rylands himself, or his statue, at least, pokes up behind the screen.

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Sep 26 2024
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

This year’s newbies

Thursday 26th September 2024, 12.40pm (day 4,781)

New students, 26/9/24

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).

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Aug 21 2024
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Making an effort

Tuesday 20th August 2024, 8.40am (day 4,744)

Empty campus, 20/8/24

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.

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Aug 10 2024
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Daily Post, Interior

Meeting in the Turing building

Friday 9th August 2024, 12 noon (day 4,733)

Turing atrium, 9/8/24

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.

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