What happens now? I’ll keep blogging, and trying to get some papers out (one day …) There are no academic jobs around here so at least I won’t be distracted by job hunting in the near future! As for the book, as I said the examiners made some criticisms of the thesis, in places quite strongly. But they are constructive criticisms, and I think it would be a good idea to address them before turning the thesis into a book. Unfortunately, that would require (in part) a bout of archival research in the UK, at least 3 months’ worth — which I would love to do, but who is going to fund somebody who is no longer a student and not yet an academic to do that? Probably not realistic in the near future. On the plus side, if the book is going to be substantially different from the thesis then that allays some of my concerns about an open access electronic version of the latter.

(Perhaps visualizing The Funny Hat just beyond the finishing line will inspire me to get through the wall…)

So that’s all the universe, rather than nothingness (academically speaking, of course). So what next, Passworthy?

I’m delighted to hear it, and as one of the so far privileged few readers (now to be joined by a Jackie Collins sized readership, no doubt, all fighting over those two bound copies) I think it thoroughly deserves the funny-hat award. If the funny hat they fire at you from the Melb Uni Cannon is made from the underpants of the intergalactic explorer Ned of Kelly, well so much the better.

I see that Ian Evans has already mentioned how it’s done in Edinburgh. For completeness, I’d add that the hat in question is reputedly made from John Knox’s breeches, and features an embroidered University coat of arms that was flown on the space shuttle. Because we’re like that at Edinburgh.