interviewed by obsoletechild

[maelorin]

1. Catch me up. Are you working and if so where and if not what are you looking for?

i am a part-time tutor in computer and information science at the university of south australia.

an old friend asked for my help, and well, i'm enjoying myself immensely. essentially, i'm doing computer stuff - teaching it at any rate - at a university.

i am tutoring in systems design, and demonstrating in fundamentals of information systems m (masters coursework). tutors have more responsibilities in topics. i'm helping design assessments, teach students the relevant software,  and undertake marking for sd. for fism i'm helping students complete practical exercises and mark according to the lecturer's guidelines.

i may restart my phd, only this time with people who are interested in my stuff. and with a different focus. we'll see.

i'm also providing feedback regarding course structure, assessment design and other stuff that occurs to me - the grad dip ed stuff is not wasted :)

and i may be picking up some outside consulting work as well.

i had an interview with a law firm, but once again i was not chosen. which is fine. i'm back where i started ten years ago. i got into law to understand how that worked and why laws relating to computer tech worked they way they didn't :)

there's still a career in that stuff for me :)

2. Got any lady friends right now?? ;)

no :(

i have a few friends who are female *waves*, but no "significant other". at the moment anyway.

the idea of having several is terrifying. one would be plenty.

3. Breakfast: Coffee or tea?

depends on how badly i need to wake up. coffee if it's urgent, tea for the enjoyment. though i'm usually a fruit juice and take-it-slow person (ie not a morning person).

4. What is your most deeply held belief?

an open mind is essential, but that's not the same as a credulous one.

education and experience are important. they should shape and temper your beliefs. beliefs should not be taken for granted. they should be personal, meaningful, but not just stuff from some book or other. if you're just following what someone else tells you, that's not really belief - that's acceptance. belief is a deep connection between intellect and emotion.

beliefs help make sense of the world, shape our responses - which is quite enough. they don't make the world what we want it to be. no amount of belief will do anything more than delude us into expecting the world to be something it isn't. well grounded belief is in harmony with reality. that doesn't mean we must all believe the same things, rather that our beliefs ought to accord with the reality of our lives and those around us.

i believe that each of us can learn from other people, none of us holds the whole truth. i'm making this up as i go along.

belief is no simple thing, padawan. but i'm working on it :)

5. Why did you want to be interviewed by me?

well, you are probably the person i've known the longest that i met via this livejournal thingy. we have similar attitudes to law, lawyering, and other things that we both consider important.

it's interesting to see what questions you might ask. and perhaps, how you might respond. i enjoy difference and debate as much, or even more, than like-mindedness - though a certain amount of that is necessary for friendship.

and i consider you among my circle of friends.