Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

Writer, editor, philosopher and book geek. I teach Marketing at Lancaster University. Interested in robots, technology, science fiction, and biopolitics. mjryder.net Lancaster Joined April 2014

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

2 days ago

It's incredibly hard to do 'gold standard teaching' and 'world leading research' when most of my day is taken up with form filling and admin. There is literally a whole bureaucratic class of people in HE whose job seems to be to make work for others but not do any themselves...

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jordan sorcery @JordanSorcery

a week ago

Great article about the forthcoming Warhammer Conference and its importance to online discussion of Warhammer, particularly on YouTube. As a YouTuber who is also presenting a paper at the conference I hope it has the positive impact Timothy suggests! wargamer.com/warhammer-40k/…

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Protect the Wild @ProtectTheWild_

a month ago

Jeremy Clarkson says his cows have TB. Again. He also claims to have already killed the badgers on his farm. So what now? This is the ugly truth about bovine TB that the government and the farming lobby don’t want to admit: killing badgers doesn’t work. For over a decade,…

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

a month ago

This has been a really moving case to follow over the last few weeks. If you believe in women's rights, as I do, then I encourage you to read into it. @tribunaltweets is a great resource; as is @boswelltoday. The whole story is shocking. #istandwithsandie

boswelltoday @boswelltoday

a month ago

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

2 months ago

New #academicWarhammer book out today! Check out The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Warhammer available via Play Story Press, and featuring a chapter by yours truly. You can pay to buy a copy, but also download for free via open access playstorypress.org/books/the-psyc…

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Lancaster University Management School @LancasterManage

3 months ago

🔊The Complete University Guide 2026 has been released today, with two LUMS subject areas featuring in the Top 10. ⭐Accounting and Finance - ranked 8th ⭐Marketing - ranked 8th Overall, Lancaster University is ranked 10th in the UK and the top university in north-west England.

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

3 months ago

Classic HE: In July 2024, I was contacted by a dept. at my uni asking me to write up some case studies for the website. I was asked at very short notice with very quick turnaround. Now, **almost a year later**, I have been sent the preview of these cases ready to go live (!)

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

4 months ago

I am so *done* with so-called 'curriculum transformation'. I thought I was done, but apparently not. I've just been sent *another* 26-page form to fill out. 'Nothing but a simple administrative formality.' Why does HE have to be like this?! dailymotion.com/video/x36574i

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

4 months ago

PC Gamer has published an article about the conference I'm organising in September: pcgamer.com/games/board-ga…

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

4 months ago

Each year uni sends out a survey to ask if the workload we are assigned matches the actual work we do. The data is used by OFS/UKRI. Many of us answer 'no'. This year we've been emailed by our dVC to remind us of the financial necessity of answering 'yes'. A worrying precedent.

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

5 months ago

So this is quite nice... Just spotted that my 'online first' publication in Medical Humanities sits alongside a paper from the wonderful @JessJCox, who supervised my UG dissertation way back in 2010. What a funny ol' world it is!

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

5 months ago

In other, more positive news, Alexandra Krendel and I have just published an OA article in Medical Humanities all about the role of science fiction in conceptualising the reproductive future. See more here: mh.bmj.com/content/early/…

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The Office for Students (OfS) @officestudents

5 months ago

The Office for Students (OfS) has fined the University of Sussex £585,000 after an investigation found the university’s governing documents failed to uphold freedom of speech and academic freedom, as well as failings in the university’s management and governance processes.

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

5 months ago

A very timely comment given that yesterday I was given a very stern talking to by management asking me why I published a peer reviewed article about interdisciplinarity and the issues we face in academia. According to some, my article brings my university 'into disrepute'...

Bridget Phillipson @bphillipsonMP

5 months ago

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

6 months ago

Microsoft wants to charge ~£30 extra per year for Office with AI integration. They also hide the cheaper version in the section where you go to cancel your subscription. Not a fan of this. Bad for consumers, many of whom won't 'downgrade' as they won't realise it's an option.

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Mike Ryder @RobotTheory

6 months ago

Question for fellow academics: How long do you wait before you follow up with a journal after submitting a paper? I know everyone is busy, but I have x3 papers that have all been with journals >6 months... #academia