Maybe I just miss travelling abroad, but, when covid is over, can we normalize occasionally teaching classes online because there's a really interesting conference in a really interesting place or something? I mean, the technology is here, so can I just go visit a collegue in Hongkong and teach my classes online while I'm away? 

1. Ooh, an email!

2. I'm not sure how to answer right now...

3. I'll answer it tomorrow

4. Oops, I forgot!

5. Wouldn't it be weird to suddenly answer such an old email?

There's good news and bad news. And they are both that the best motivation is having just accomplished something.

You know how every movie about an epidemic ends with a group of scientists finding the cure? A man or woman in a labcoat triumphantly raises a testtube  to the light, which shines through the liquid inside just so, and... that's it. All the sick and infected are cured in a matter of days and nobody will have to worry about this disease ever again, ( Read more... )

It has occurred to me that, if I'd got the job in England, Japan or France, I would now be stuck far away from home, possibly in a more dangerous place, with no idea when I might be able to come back. Imagine, you can and should be working from home, but you can't go home anymore.

I returned from France yesterday evening. The trip was quite fun, interesting and productive ( Read more... )

I overheard two students talking on the train. One of them said she didn't like Math class because there was too much stuff to memorize.
"You idiot," I thought "You hardly have to remember anything if you understand a few basic rules. But I bet you don't even realise there's anything there to under-" The girl was still talking. "Wait, what ( Read more... )

We've just spent a whole hour on half a sentence. Which says everything it's supposed to say and the professor agrees that it does, but he thinks it could be improved, he just doesn't know how. So much for finishing by the end of June ( Read more... )

So it's 2016. Happy New Year, everyone. I don't really do new year's resolutions and if I did, I know I'd never keep them anyway. But I guess this is a good time to share these fairly simple ideas that might make me a little happier and more productive if I don't forget about them.
Every day (unless, maybe, there's a really good reason not to*) I ( Read more... )

Chemistry exam on Monday. It has occurred to me that if I had signed up for Philosophy instead, like a good little student, I could still attend the Chemistry lectures. And the Philosophy exam is much, much easier. And now I need to score at least a 4 in Chemistry if I want to keep my scholarship. Why am I even doing this ( Read more... )