Corporatization
One of our fearless administrators (and actually, she’s one of the good guys) is trying to reduce costs and simultaneously yet more importantly actually get stocks of a certain consumable into the building.
The consumable in question? Lab notebooks.
We’ve been using these rather nice notebooks that have places for signatures, page numbers and whatnot: they also come with the University crest. But the University has not been able to supply them for nearly six months. So GoodAdmin went to the supplier and found that she could get larger (as in more pages) notebooks without the crest (but otherwise identical) reasonably quickly — and more cheaply. She asked the Cage if that’s what we wanted her to do.
Yay! We cheer.
And then, MediaWhoreProfWhoGivesStudentsUselessProjects says
To tell you the truth, I think we should be spending a bit more and branding the lab books with MMB and USyd logos (other departments do) – to give the students something to be proud of, that also informs them a bit about the value of IP (intellectual property) etc etc. Am I the only one who thinks like this?
It’s taking a great deal of willpower to not write back
Yes
or even
Only if your grant pays the extra for all of us
(Pippadog: Does she even have any grants? Or is it all thirty pieces of silver from the Meeja?)
It’s this kind of lunacy that made leaving industry less painful. I can just imagine this argument from my 8 year old: Sociology brand their lab books, why can’t we?
Note added in proof: Just don’t get me started on why she needs all those things in her .sig … on an internal mailing list.
April 3rd, 2008 at 08:47
In the corporate world, special lab books are often used as legal documents to show precedence in patent or other intellectual property disputes.
April 3rd, 2008 at 09:19
Oh, they are in academia, too. Which is why Mr JM is supposed to sign off on each day’s work.
Like that’s going to happen.
April 3rd, 2008 at 19:59
you have to admit, the creation of the To: all@inmydepartment address was one of the very best things about email. In the olden days, people had to hand write memos and give them to secretaries to type before post ing them in pigeon holes… so the chances of an academic ever airing a whacky, ill-thought-out view was rather limited.
April 3rd, 2008 at 20:00
What, my comment is ‘awaiting moderation’.
Since when has the Black Knight allowed moderation in his court!!!??
April 3rd, 2008 at 20:06
TheCardinal, I don’t understand: are you saying the best thing about email is that it allows academics to air whacky, ill-thought-out views?
Thought so.
The moderation is for you, my child. The Black Knight will remain as immoderate as ever, I can assure you.
April 3rd, 2008 at 22:18
Absolutely! It provides endless material for the Black Knight and other fine rapporteurs of academic pompousness! In the old days, academics used to hide their egos in their offices… now they parade them around like the “Emperor with no clothes”. And what a sight they make!!!