Boxing up
In 36 years you accumulate a lot of paper even if yr schtick is supposed to be all about digitization, etexts, etc. You still accumulate reports and articles and minutes and logs and off prints and publicity glossies and lists, … Continue reading
Three dozen years at OUCS — vol three: 1996-2010
Somewhere around 1995, about the time that Harold Short and I were busy designing the ill-fated UK Arts and Humanities Data Service, I made the transition into management. It’s a bit of a blur now, but I think someone must … Continue reading
Three dozen years at OUCS – vol two: 1986-1995
This decade began as the age of the BBC micro, the Amstrad Word Processor, and the Computers in Teaching Initiative. At OUCS, the ICL 1906A had been switched off in 1981 and replaced by an unloved but bright orange 2900 … Continue reading
Three dozen years at OUCS — vol one
I first joined OUCS as a data centre operator in the autumn of 1973. Newly returned with wife and baby from Malawi, I needed the money and OUCS wanted someone to look after its new “remote job entry” facility — … Continue reading
Toodle-pip
The deal being now more or less wrapped up, it seems appropriate to announce it here first. I’m taking early retirement from OUCS, and moving on after (count them) thirty-six years in academic computing support. When you start thinking more … Continue reading
Why I was right about Project Gutenberg all along
Just came across this nice, if old, article about the limitations of crowd sourcing: “I do not want the arguments above to suggest that Gracenote is worthless or Project Gutenberg useless. Far from it. Both are immensely useful. Nonetheless, both … Continue reading
apt-get install hadopi : la loi installée par les geeks – Numerama
This hits so many of my favourite buttons at once it’s hardly likely anyone else will get it. But it still made me chortle. apt-get install hadopi : la loi installée par les geeks – Numerama.
When a new Ubuntu release comes out,I tend to just push the button and install it as an upgrade. Almost every time this nearly works, and therefore almost every time I find myself fiddling around for longer than strictly necessary. … Continue reading
Le bloggingue
At the CLEO Summer School in Marseille, I’m trying to concentrate on the presentation about “le blogging scientifique”, but being distracted by the same summer school’s twitter feed. (On which someone has just posted a link to his useful summary … Continue reading