Sounds like you might need some stochastic Lyapunov's to help distinguish between between noisy chaos (madman) and continuous random perturbations (rest of the universe).

I mean, I wouldn't wish him on anyone else, but I don't wish him on us, either...

Technically, our governance structure is known as "Council". So I suppose they provide "council" to the VC, who can ignore it and do what he wants anyway.
2 +ves of us going through compulsory redundancy have been to delay at least 1 vanity estates project, and to limit VC's other job opportunities.

Routinely kept out of the loop. Most have absolutely no idea about the day to day (deterioration in) working conditions. Most have no academic background. Most are unqualified for the role. 🤷‍♂️

There a legal requirement for them to meaningfully explore any possible alternatives proposed during collective consultation. This should include VES, no?
At the very least, they should explain why they're not doing that (which might be because they're too broke, which is an important admission).

Love seeing these images in my feed, but this one rather highlights the long history of greenwashing.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_G...

Business cases were a joke. All claiming that REF is a priority, but (almost) all redundancy pools targetting research Profs, i.e., the ones who generate most of the REF material.
(Except in engineering, where the 60% of the people creating the pools just happened to be Eng research profs...)

More jobs to go at Swansea University Nearly 400 Swansea University staff have already left under voluntary severance in the last two years but now more cuts are needed as it warned it could not rule out compulsory job losses

Something like 50 academic roles to go through compulsory redundancy.
Just starting collective consultation on yet more admin/Professional Service compulsory redundancies too.

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

I still can't understand why "getting a sustainable HE funding system in place" isn't a/the KPI for all VCs.
Instead, we get constant shrugging of shoulders while saying "my pockets are so stuffed full of cash that I can barely raise my shoulders. So really, I'm the one who deserves some sympathy!"

Solidarity – it's all so heartbreaking. Swansea going through this at the moment too, but at least have had 4 rounds of voluntary severance in the last few years, so we know the only people left for compulsory redundancy are those who can't leave 😢

The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon [Official HD Remastered Video] YouTube video by Chrysalis Records

Can I propose an alternative soundtrack?
youtu.be/sBW8Vnp8BzU?...

OpenAI: We’re burning money like the Joker. A miracle needs to happen for us to turn a profit

Microsoft: Please please use our AI systems, we’re teetering on the edge here

Anthropic: I wonder what’ll kill us first: lawsuits, regulations or model collapse

Media and universities: AI is here to stay

loyalty to the family is everything . Alt: Marlon Brando as the Godfather stroking his moustache, with the caption "loyalty to the family is everything".

In Wales (which may interest @plashingvole.bsky.social) these HE governance positions must be advertised externally.

Of course, this doesn't prevent VCs ultimately handpicking the same unqualified cronies they would without that step, but at least it gives a veneer of transparency and opportunity.

Image of the front cover of the ICES Journal of Marine Science which states "Celebrating 100 years of marine science publishing".

"Celebrating 100 years of marine science publishing [by remaining firmly but hopelessly in the past]"

Poetic!

Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle (Official Video) YouTube video by BozScaggsVEVO

The only people who shuffle harder than Lido are Boz and Jeff.

(But Bernard shuffles best, maybe just not quite as hard as Jeff. 🥁)
youtu.be/nZrRS261Edw?...

Ooooh, a new Proopcast has dropped!
You make us wait too long between them these days, @gregproops.bsky.social. I have to ration the Film Clubs to keep me going.
Particularly looking forward to some more of the bestest Scaggs' stories.
www.gregproops.com/blog/

Management consultants are ruining UK universities Relentless off-the-peg commercial rewiring has undermined British higher education

www.ft.com/content/5032...

LCAB Postdoctoral recruitment The Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity (LCAB) is a major research centre funded by the Leverhulme Trust to increase knowledge of how the relationship between humanity and the natural worl...

Are you looking for a Post-doc related to biodiversity? We might have just the role for you! @anthropocenebio.bsky.social are curently advertising 10 (yes!) post-docs covering natural & social science of biodivesity. Come work with us & share with anyone appropriate! sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/l...

It's intelligence, Jim. But not as we know it.

where hallucinated refs don't appear as plagiarised text, but genuine refs do. (I use this method when checking student reports.)
I think there's a shelf-life on this approach, though, as gen-AI learns not to hallucinate, or repeats published hallucinations ☹️

I sympathise with that view: journals (which charge to make papers readable) should not ask expert volunteers (handling eds or reviewers) to perform menial tasks. This is basic quality control and must be checked before reaching volunteers.
Can currently be done with plagiarism detection software 1/

Copilot is for entertainment purposes only. It can make mistakes, and it may not work as intended. Don’t rely on Copilot for important advice. Use Copilot at your own risk. WITHOUT LIMITING SECTION 12 OF THE MICROSOFT SERVICES AGREEMENT IN ANY WAY, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF CLARITY, WE DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND ABOUT COPILOT. For example, we can’t promise that any Copilot’s Responses won’t infringe someone else’s rights (like their copyrights, trademarks, or rights of privacy) or defame them. You are solely responsible if you choose to publish or share Copilot’s Responses publicly or with any other person.

I thought this was an April Fool’s joke but seems to be the genuine Microsoft ‘Terms of Use’ for Copilot. Many thanks to @lifewinning.com for finding this.

www.microsoft.com/en-us/micros...

We're accepting proposals for our Special Feature!

We invite scientists and practitioners to share experiences from management projects that didn't go to plan, but still provided important insights into how best to manage ecosystems and species🌱

⏰Submit by 30th April

More here👇
buff.ly/EXXBFsJ

Today I'm teaching about responsible AI usage in my Computer Science capstone class. I regularly emphasize the need to understand code and to cite anything AI generated. But how can I make the point that AI is reducing depth of understanding because students no longer have to dig for answers? (1/6)

Wikipedia now has higher standards than all universities

🚨 PhD position in behavioural evolution 🚨

Come do your PhD with me in Linköping, Sweden, using the domestic dog (and some wolves) to answer fun questions on how complex behaviours develop and evolve.

Application deadline September 24 2025 🧪 🌍 🦊 #AcademicSky #ScienceJobs

liu.se/en/work-at-l...

Angine de Poitrine - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) YouTube video by KEXP

Petition to rename internet videos rapidly gaining massive popularity

"Jumping onboard the Angine de Poi-train"

youtu.be/0Ssi-9wS1so?...

Next piece of exciting news coming soon from the #ResponseDiversityNetwork !

Never been a better time to sign up:
responsediversitynetwork.github.io/RDN-website/

@acekl.bsky.social @fwindsor.bsky.social @hillebr1.bsky.social @elinakaarlej.bsky.social @owpet.bsky.social @giuliaghedini.bsky.social

My institution has stopped even bothering with their internal staff survery.
It's like middle-aged lefties reading the Guardian: they/we know what the story says before we start to read it 🤣