Will’s View

Well, we all know what I think about elections. So it may not come as a surprise that I am well and truly sick of the hype for the upcoming Australian Federal Election.

I’m not going to sit here and rant about compulsory voting or anything like that. Nor do I intend to talk about who is going to win (I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Howard can’t possibly win again). Instead I intend to talk briefly about ‘The Worm’.

Ever since it featured in the recent leaders’ debate and showed that Howard’s popularity was plummeting, its own popularity has seen a sharp increase. In a time when the people’s opinion is said to matter the most, it is not surprising that The Worm is winning this campaign. Who knows, it could even make a better PM than either candidate running in the election.

It is surprising however that in this age of free speech and freedom of opinion (in Australia at least) that The Worm should be censored. There was a large kerfuffle about the feed of the debate being cut to the current affairs program 60 Minutes. Should it have been done? Well, they were in direct contravention of a Government order (so far as I can tell), but shouldn’t the opinions of a select group of specifically chosen voters be shown off to the nation? Maybe the worm should decide?

--> Well, we all know what I think about elections. So it may not come as a surprise that I am well and truly sick of the hype for the upcoming Australian Federal Election. I’m not going to sit here and rant about compulsory voting or anything like that. Nor do I intend to talk about who is going to win (I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Howard can’t possibly win again). Instead I intend to talk briefly about (More...)

You may have noticed that this blog has been somewhat neglected over the past few weeks, it was mainly due to the inordinate amount of work I had to do. But all is well now, it is exam period and I should have much more time for procrastinating.

The last lecture I had this semester was also the last lecture of a prestigious lecturer at Melbourne University. It was somewhat of a surreal experience. For starters, the class only has 9 people in it. One of which turned up still dressed up in a suit from a party the night before; another who turned up about half an hour late, hungover, from the same party; and a third who turned up exactly as the lecture was finishing.

The rest of lecture went vaguely as planned. There was the obligatory course review, with a few questions and corresponding hints about the final exam, and general relief at the fact it was the end of semester.

Then as the lecture was drawing to a close another lecturer from the department lead a charge of people into the theatre. I’m not sure who most of them were, but our lecturer seemed rather chuffed. In fact he was so thrown he struggled to finish the material he had yet to cover. It was a testament to this lecturer that so many people turned up. Some of the forces behind Melbourne’s machining and automation trade were there, as if paying homage.

I had never been at someone’s final lecture before, so I was unsure of the proper etiquette. It seemed oddly like a cross between a wake and a birthday party. A retrospective look at someone’s numerous achievements, but still an admission that there were many great things to come. Isn’t academia an odd thing?

--> You may have noticed that this blog has been somewhat neglected over the past few weeks, it was mainly due to the inordinate amount of work I had to do. But all is well now, it is exam period and I should have much more time for procrastinating. The last lecture I had this semester was also the last lecture of a prestigious lecturer at Melbourne University. It was somewhat of a surreal experience. For starters, the class (More...)