Alice Cann

Today I did lots of Panopto editing - which is my happy place (or one of them). I still haven’t finished this one video, recorded several weeks ago, and I have three more from this week to do! But made significant progress and hope to be able to finish and promote on Monday #MajorMarch #Day6

Most people also won’t finish your 500-word article. So write at whatever length is appropriate for the subject.

AI is not inevitable. Nothing in human societies is inevitable because we design them. Healthcare can be free for the public. Books can be bought instead of bombs. Universities can be free for students, and they can even receive a stipend to live off. Don't let companies dictate the future.

Weirdly it wasn’t working for ages for one particular video (the first in my SLR series, so kind of important), and then this morning it finally allowed me to open it in the editor so I could crop people’s video thumbnails out. Then comes the downloading and uploading and editing!

Zach Polanski’s letters are starting to remind me of the absolutely take-no-prisoners political pamphlets you used to get people publishing, and I am here for it.

There’ve been so many occasions recently (& I’m really not talking about a specific occasion) where I realise that so many people around me are using generative AI regularly, for so many things. My uncomfortableness around this makes me all the more confident at being open about the reasons I’m not.

Interesting piece. What gets to me though is this. The saying that we use these tools constantly. Why? Why use a tool constantly that demonstrates that it’s biased and dangerous, and is being used to replace human expertise and communication?

They are @armauk.bsky.social

Painting by Henri Martin of a garden wall with a small gate in the middle and a pergola behind, in bright sunshine.

Portillon donnant sur le potager de Marquayrol, vu du potager, by Henri Martin

Today I got a new laptop at work, replacing my old and broken one. It is such a relief having a computer that charges easily (and more). But I’m still in the transition stage of not having all the software, and so on, that I need. It will take a few days I should think #MajorMarch #Day5

I think my oldest username (not active anymore) will be an AOL handle from not long after that - based on the age that was in the handle. Before that I used my dad’s.

That would probably have been sensible. Instead I went into a meeting with two colleagues, and came out feeling enriched.

Today I got a new laptop at work, replacing my old and broken one. It is such a relief having a computer that charges easily (and more). But I’m still in the transition stage of not having all the software, and so on, that I need. It will take a few days I should think #MajorMarch #Day5

There comes a moment when your head is so full of things to do, and you’re facing so many technical difficulties, that your head shuts down and refuses to process any more. Now is such a moment.

Cropping the visual in Clipchamp has worked! Annoying to have to go through an extra step of reloading the new version (which takes ages), but at least it is possible, and my four recently recorded long online classes are available to edit and share.

Guest Post — AI Fatigue and Vocational Awe in Academic Libraries - The Scholarly Kitchen Today's guest blogger says academic librarians don't need another class on how to use AI, but an institutional reflection on the emotional and mental cost of rushing innovations.

Guest Post — AI Fatigue and Vocational Awe in Academic Libraries - The Scholarly Kitchen

Cropping the visual in Clipchamp has worked! Annoying to have to go through an extra step of reloading the new version (which takes ages), but at least it is possible, and my four recently recorded long online classes are available to edit and share.

Today a colleague kindly brought post into our office (which had been sitting somewhere waiting for ages for one of us to collect). And it wasn’t only catalogues - there was actually a handwritten envelope for me, with a thank you card in it! #MajorMarch #Day4

Today a colleague kindly brought post into our office (which had been sitting somewhere waiting for ages for one of us to collect). And it wasn’t only catalogues - there was actually a handwritten envelope for me, with a thank you card in it! #MajorMarch #Day4

Does any1 have a pile of effective & feasible evidence synthesis course assignments? Many librarians have exposure to suboptimal assignments (e.g., students expected to solo complete a systematic review in a few months while cutting many corners; by definition this is not a systematic review) 1/?

I have just sent this to a friend I hadn’t gotten back to a few weeks ago. Am wondering if it’s too late to send it to another friend who I didn’t reply to a month or so ago (having previously not replied for a year).

Note to self: If you’re recording a class in Teams that you want to edit for wider sharing afterwards, discover in advance whether attendees’ videos will be in the recording (this didn’t used to happen when I had Zoom). I think I’ve found a kind of solution using Clipchamp, but it’s a whole palaver.

We're looking for a pro-active HE/research librarian, keen for responsibility, who likes being involved with a range of different tasks and is able to see the library service as an interconnected whole.

If this sounds like you - why not apply? (must be able to work in London for some of the week).

Tomorrow, Thursday, is the first day of the next weekly challenge.
This coming week (Week 10) , the challenge is photos on the topic of
Shadows
Remember to tag your photo #fajweeklychallenge2026
fotosbyfaj.com

Rabbit droppings is very apt! But tasting so good. I’m surprised I’ve never had them before.

The inside of a little round cardboard pot, containing little brown sticks of varying sizes, made of chocolate (and maybe biscuit - I don’t know really. They have a bit of bite, but could melt in your mouth I think, if given the opportunity!)

On my walk to the station there was a magical stall with two lovely people giving away free food (for promotion). I have never heard of these before, and they are delicious - Chocolate Nibbles. These are the new Jaffa cake flavour.

Ha! The original Lancet article on the dangers of reading in bed is here: doi.org/10.1016/S014...

Today my daughter can see clearly, having been living in a lovely blur for quite a while. Initially she thought everything was too detailed, but now she keeps commenting on all the things she can see #MajorMarch #Day3 Glasses are wonderful!

Am stressing now about having gotten rid of our playmobile - including bits from my childhood, leaving it out in front of the house for neighbours to take (along with lots of other stuff). Would love to have kept it, but was trying to be selective. And didn’t have the energy to look it up!

We take this journal at work. I've included results from this in literature searches that are supposed to be used to inform evidence based care of real paediatric patients in our hospital. This is horrific.