Author Archives: fogBlogger

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”

Handicapping handicapping

For just over a year now, I’ve been unofficially officially severely handicapped. This will come as a surprise to many, especially those closest to me who have accused me of being handicapped for decades now. (Family. Sigh …) But, whereas chronic depression got me close, a little bit of prostate cancer will do the trickContinue reading “Handicapping handicapping”

ISO don’t understand

I have another confession to make. Like countless other individuals, I have been flying under a false name for literally decades now. (Probably another good reason for keeping this blog anonymous.) Airline reservation systems (if not many computer systems generally), you see, have a problem with hyphenated last names and, as I recently read, problemsContinue reading “ISO don’t understand”

Water boarding

It’s hardly an original observation on my part, but boarding an airplane does not rank among life’s most pleasant experiences: endless queues of aggressive people with elbows flying all jockeying for the best position. And all that before they’ve even announced that the gate is open for boarding. (The obvious exception here, of course, areContinue reading “Water boarding”