A little something new that I want to try out here. The topic isn’t directly connected with admin but has many of the hallmarks of it insofar as it all might not be that necessary and just that little bit of thinking might have revealed the otherwise obvious problem. These new things are signs. NotContinue reading “Un-vital signs 02.09.0224”
Author Archives: fogBlogger
BCD 21.08.2024
Ah, IT. Just gotta love ‘em. I recently signed up for a ride-hailing app for my smart phone. (Not really important which one because they’re all pretty much the same.) The reason it took so long is because these things are pretty much unknown in Germany. When Uber first came out with ride-hailing in GermanyContinue reading “BCD 21.08.2024”
BCD 13.08.2024
More boneheaded crap from those ever-inventive airlines … I was recently on a flight where we were reminded numerous times during boarding to sit in our assigned seats only, which had been allocated for reasons of weight and balance. Umm. How? Doing something like that properly would require that the airlines know how much eachContinue reading “BCD 13.08.2024”
The toll of obfuscation
I recently returned from a weekend trip to Bratislava in the Slovak Republic and, like many other countries in Europe (with a few notable exceptions), the Slovak Republic charges a toll to use its motorways. Whereas before one had to stick one of those little vignettes to the windshield of your car as proof ofContinue reading “The toll of obfuscation”
All in on AI
It should be obvious that, like many other amateur technoweenies, I’m fascinated by AI. Or, better said, I’m fascinated by what AI can finally do. Many of the components, tools, and algorithms current generative AI is based on have been around for a lot longer than most people realize. It’s only in the last fewContinue reading “All in on AI”
Waste not, think not
This story is actually comparatively old, but work isn’t especially enticing at the moment. So … Nearly two years ago, “wiser” heads in Zagreb were searching for some way to get the city’s residents to recycle more. Although Zagreb uses all the standard bins (household, organic, paper, and plastic waste), its Zagrebians don’t. Or atContinue reading “Waste not, think not”
Assisting student assistants
Just before Christmas last year, some well meaning, unionized elves (so, not Santa’s) wanted to put a little something extra in the stockings of the students that we hire to help with all our teaching. Instead of being able to hire them purely on a course-for-course basis as before, the new framework dictates that weContinue reading “Assisting student assistants”
BCD 15.07.2024
For some time now, CNN has been my go-to source for general news. Unfortunately, they’ve shown an increasingly annoying tendency to clickbait their headlines. It all started out innocently enough with the fluff pieces that no one is really interested in. You know, “Two strangers met on a flight to Paris. Find out what happenedContinue reading “BCD 15.07.2024”
More human than human?
I’ve written more than a few times now about AI on this blog, AI in this case being artificial intelligence and not admin intelligence, which is something completely different. Although not among my list of followers, ChatGPT must’ve perused my blog from time-to-time in its pursuit of subjugating the human species, so I thought itContinue reading “More human than human?”
The gangrene wave
Late last year, a long stretch of sidewalk along the main campus of the University of Not-Bielefeld was cordoned off and replaced. And, like any other roadworks project in Germany, the entire section to be replaced was shut down from day one to provide all the non-existent construction workers with the maximal amount of safetyContinue reading “The gangrene wave”
The Blog About Fog 