More like a monthly digest this time. It’s been a damn busy month. I do want to get back to more regular posting, so, inspired by the popular Advent Of Code challenge, I’m going to try blogging hard over Advent.

I’ve not been writing here, but I have been writing quite a bit. Specifically, I’ve been writing an extra-curricular course for my “elite” year 11s about algebraic curves. The idea is mostly to inspire them to pursue advanced mathematics while weaving in GCSE-relevant skills. I’ve run two sessions so far, I’m having a blast doing it, and it has made me miss studying algebraic geometry.

I also started teaching GCSE computing this week, being the only teacher in my small school who can actually code. I’ll have my work cut out. They’re a very weak group, compounded by the fact they’ve not had a suitable teacher for the past year and a bit. Their exam is in just a few months, and I’m trying to learn the syllabus while identifying where their knowledge is most lacking.

Add to all this that it has been data week this week, so I’ve had to assess my students and enter their scores into the school’s database… It’s been a hell of a week.

Christmas decorations went up today, and the little one was super excited.

  • Puzzlevent 2024. Puzzle setter and Only Connect researcher Daniel Peake has launched a monster cryptic crossword for Advent, with new clues released each day. I think I have solved today’s clues, but there’s another twist — we’re not told where they go in the grid!
  • Juhis' Advent Of Code digital garden. I’d love to have a go at Advent Of Code, but this year is definitely not a goer. I’ll instead be following Juhis' solving the challenges in Python, and enjoying his educational explanations.
  • The Enclosure Of The Human Pysche. Capital must always find new frontiers: new resources to exploit and new markets to realise value. Just as Feudalism ended with the enclosure of common land so it could be controlled and exploited for profit, big tech aims to enclose our psyches to do the same.
  • The Free Web