Last year I posted about meeting my heroes, Roger Penrose (science), Mark Occhilupo (sport) and James Taylor (music). I also mentioned rugby, and the legendary Mark Ella (who, unlike the other three, I hadn’t met) in particular, and so …
Hang on, let’s not rush with this, but take it back to how I came to be in the right place at the right time. Continue reading
In 1985, as a young family, we moved to Hong Kong, where I had obtained a job at Hong Kong Polytechnic, now (in)famous for the student occupation and protest of 2019. As an expatriate staff member, I was entitled to subsidised housing, and we were duly allocated to Pak Tak Yuen, out at Shatin in the New Territories. The accommodation was spacious by Hong Kong standards, and we shared the quarters with a motley collection of families from around the globe (UK passport holders were unsurprisingly predominant, and there were also Hong Kong Chinese families, albeit with foreign passports). Continue reading
I like my neighbourhood. I’ve lived here for over two decades, having moved into the house in August 1998. My suburb is called Murrumbeena, which some wit has defined as an Aboriginal word meaning “Cant afford to live in Malvern” (for those not in the know, a nearby more exclusive locale). Continue reading
Ho perduto due corone! – My two Rosary beads are missing! – these were the first words (not that I understood them) uttered by Linda’s mother as we arrived to help her with the recarpeting of her bedroom. We got there nice and early, as the carpet layer was due at 8:30 am. It was no great surprise that the Rosary beads were missing, as she is nearly 90 years old (not Linda, her mother) and legally blind. She can apparently still see vague shapes, and manages to live alone in her house and beloved garden, with the regular assistance of Linda and her two sisters, one of whom lives next door. Continue reading
I was relieved when I saw the sign – EXERCISE SURF THEN GO HOME – as I wasn’t totally sure whether or not surfing was still permitted during the current crisis. Logically it seemed ok; I was simply driving to Point Leo, going out on the waveski for an hour or so, and then driving home. No interaction with anyone. Continue reading
I’m older than Martin Weller. So his new book, 25 Years of Ed Tech, doesn’t seem to cover a long enough period to me (reminder: print is a technology). Nevertheless, it’s a full and enriching outline of the impact of the internet and associated technologies on education, so you’d better read it. Thanks to Martin and Athabasca University Press, the online version is free. Continue reading
I don’t get many Comments on my blog, so when I receive one I take notice. When someone does comment, I’m automatically sent an email with the details. What particularly caught my eye with a recent one was the name of the sender: Rodney Trotter. This is of course the name of one of our heroes (Del Boy’s hapless younger brother) from the wonderful UK television series Only Fools and Horses, so my curiosity was aroused. Continue reading
Which of the above three alternative terms do you prefer for electronic sports? My preference is for the first option, e-sports, which puts me at odds with Innovating Pedagogy 2020, the latest iteration of the annual exploration of new forms of teaching, learning and assessment from the UK Open University (UKOU). Continue reading
An advantage of retirement is the time that becomes available for reading. I relish it, read regularly, and love discovering (largely) unknown titles. Most are discovered serendipitously; wandering among the shelves of bookshops (new and second-hand), visiting op-shops or meandering around markets. Particular examples include Lady Spy, Gentleman Explorer, which caught my eye simply because the biography’s fascinating subject was a Murphy, and Bad Faith, which tickled my fancy when I read on the blurb that an alcoholic Tasmanian, Myrtle Jones, was intimately connected with the worst Nazi collaborator of the French Vichy government in WW2. Other exciting reads include those that offer a fresh, and sometimes personal, perspective on well-known events and historical events. My favourite example is V2, an autobiographical account of the German rocket programme of WW2 by the German General responsible for its oversight, Walter Dornberger.
These books are relatively well-known. There are also many that are published (or self-published) in small numbers that remain unknown to the general reading public. We get to hear about them only by chance or through a friend associated with their publication. I have a few interesting instances. Continue reading
Earlier this month I spent five days in Hong Kong. You should go. Why?