The Last Night

If you ask most people how far north the United Kingdom is you will get a myriad of responses most of which will be wrong. Even for those of us who actually live here there is a surprising misconception that lies in part thanks to the difficulty of representing the Earth, a 3 Dimensional object on a map which is a 2 Dimensional object. The problem is that loss of the third dimension necessitates the loss of accuracy, some information has to be lost in the process of flattening the globe. There's an interesting video on YouTube by Map Men - Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones that discusses this concept in detail and the implication it has on the accuracy of the maps we use every day.

Being a Prude by Profession

I am a slut, or rather I'm a retired slut as my sex life is non-existent right now due to everything else that's going on. If you've been following my recent posts you will know that I've been considering a career change for some time. Among the myriad of variables to factor into this decision, the social ramifications are something that I find fascinating, particularly how your choice of career can impact your sex life. In pursuit of information regarding this goal I've been researching what funding is available here in the UK to retrain. Beyond the degree apprenticeship programme which I previously mentioned I've been looking at studying at University full time and whether that is a viable route.

If you already have a degree in the UK you can't normally access student loans, those cover the cost of first degrees only, there are however some limited exceptions. Most of these exceptions are careers where there is a shortfall or the qualification also leads to a professional accreditation. Once again that moniker "professional" rears its head in the context of employment which irks me to no end. In this case however the definition of professional is defined simply as a job that requires registration and qualification in order to pursue. Among these include Architects, Dentists, Doctors, and Teachers. None of these professions interest me.