The Oxford Bodeian Library‘s collection is one of the main tangible things that makes Oxford a world-class research institution. The troves of primary sources, obscure titles, and first editions make it a mecca for historical and literary research. This is a promise which I don’t think the Oxford Libraries live up to in practice, because … [Read more…]
Quantum computing has had the attention of the US Government for over a decade, ever since the discovery that quantum computers could be used to break a widely used cypher. The cypher, called RSA, forms the cryptographic backbone of secure communication on the web. If you’ve ever typed a URL that started with https:// (the … [Read more…]
Having used the iPhone at the University of Oxford since November, my experience has been generally good, but there are a mishmash of departments, colleges, and the central university computing service (OUCS) to deal with. Now, with the iPhone 2.0 software update, I finally feel like I can take advantage of all the services that … [Read more…]
OK, so I’ve blogged previously about how much email at Oxford sucks. But, as I alluded to, and as commented by our friendly neighborhood Oxford-IT-guy (thanks for reading, BTW), Oxford University Computing Services has a plan! The call it the Groupware for the University Project, or just groupware. Groupware is software designed to help groups … [Read more…]
I’m a student at the University of Oxford, and as is standard practice, they provide a email system for staff and students. It’s called Herald, and I assume it’s a home-grown email server that has evolved from code written in the 1980s. It’s a piece of crap. I kid, I kid! Admittedly, that’s probably dropping … [Read more…]