Internet, death and sex

Internet, death and sex is a possible title for a unit in an exciting new OU course now in the making. It'll have quizes, and magic and computing, and the number TU100, being a technology course. The U in the number means it's a universal course that people doing any degree might want to follow even if they never touch technology or computing again. It's going to be a sixty point course, so lots of work, but the original foundation courses were also sixty points - it's a shock when you start studying, but it's what you have to do to get used to having study time in your life, along with work, and family (forget about friends other than fellow OU students for a few years).

Why Internet? Because it's about computing without using so much power from your home computer, but doing cloud computing, storing your work on some remote server, and using applications from some server rather than on your home computer.

Why death? Because of the death of the home computer. Computing power's all in the clouds now.

Why sex? Do the course. It's due out in 2010.

Christmas eve at the office

It's quiet with only a few students in, and (almost) fewer academics, but the support staff are here. We had a Christmas quiz in the canteen with questions set by our ex-research director, wearing his Moroccan fez, which was a clue to one of the questions:

Where was the first university?

1. Egypt
2. Iran
3. Morocco

Most people were leaving by three o'clock. One of my fellow students is coming back to spend Christmas with us. We left around lunch time.