I’ve been working in technology and higher education for so long that sometimes I forget that I have a background in environmental science. This morning I was listening to Curious Cases with Hannah Fry and Dara O’Briain, the show was all about bubbles, soap bubbles. At one point the pair talked about giant space bubbles!…
Read moreAuthor: Lawrie Phipps
Toxicity and Responsibility: Is it time to reassess institutional engagement with Twitter (X)
About a year ago I left Twitter (or X), a decision based on concerns about the platform’s increasingly toxic environment. The decision was right, and has been borne out by the recent far right riots in the UK, where misinformation, outright lies, and the way in which the platform as allowed racists and nazis to…
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Some small thoughts on climate change.
Working in Higher Ed we often despair of the way people ignore the warning signs of climate change, we work at dispelling the misinformation of climate deniers. But when we are told that Gen AI is contributing to climate change, we shrug our shoulders and carry on. The energy and water consumption of AI technologies,…
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Push the Narrative Back!
“Why won’t you let us innovate?!” “You are holding us back!” “If we have to do the things you say, we won’t be able to change anything!” “You’re wrong, we’re right, and we are going to ignore all your concerns!” “Disabled Students will just have to make do with the content they can access!” It’s…
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ACCOUNT SUSPENDED: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE
Some Background Yesterday was remembrance Sunday in the UK, as always it falls nearest the the 11th of November. I am sure people know, but the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th Month was the time at which “the Great War” ended. For over 100 years in countries around the world the…
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That thing you just said about your AI? Yeah, I have questions.
I / we have written about AI. We have asked about disclaimers and acknowledgements in response to people saying things like “We might feel that AI is most usefully considered as another tool: in itself ethically neutral…” (it is not ethically neutral) (pretty sure that ethical neutrality is not a real thing!). We have written…
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Dave Cormier, Musk, and Climate Change: A review of “Learning in a Time of Abundance”.
Back in June 2023 Musk Tweeted What has this tweet, and climate change got to do with Dave Cormier and his new book? Let’s start with Cormier’s Book. I’m oversimplifying his arguments, but essentially he argues (very well) that we are living in a time of information abundance. This means that it can seem that…
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If you set a minimum standard…
… that’s what they’ll strive for. I was recently asked how I would change something to make the accessibility elements more in line with inclusive principles. The honest answer is I don’t know. The problem is that the purpose of the thing was to get people to change things, to change practice or technology etc. And…
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Means. Motive, Opportunity: A Composite Narrative about Academic Misconduct
Reposted my original post from the National Centre for AI I would like to thank the late Andrew Cormack for his support in approaching the ethics of this post, and many others, his support and guidance will be missed. The header image is one that he would have enjoyed and laughed at, The Bird of…
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(Not) Writing with an AI
This is not a post about AI per se, it’s about my writing process. I was chatting to a colleague this week about the tool of the moment, ChatGPTn, they were expressing that it was beneficial for them, because faced with a blank piece of paper they struggle to start. I get that, I have…
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