The Cambridge Chat Thread

But that particular comic is quite specifically British. Which seemed odd. Maybe it was done by a guest writer or something.

Craghyrax

I'm sure the geographer will appreciate the Foucauldian sample :biggrin:

Huh? /confused (or maybe just dim)

Reply 542

OP

Tom

Huh? /confused (or maybe just dim)

Or maybe just didn't take one of the Geography papers which taught Foucault :p:

Reply 543

I know a little about his stuff. The guy teaching the Cultural Geography course was very keen on it. But I still don't get your reference :frown:

Reply 544

OP

Tom

I know a little about his stuff. The guy teaching the Cultural Geography course was very keen on it. But I still don't get your reference :frown:

Foucault's most famous work Discipline and Punish focuses on the transformation of the penal system in Europe (particularly France) from the late 1700s through to the 1900s. He argued that power became diffused and more subtle, shifting from use of public spectacles such as executions to an emphasis centred on producing a 'Discipline society' of 'docile bodies', subtly controlled and regulated by the new institutions which emerged and how they were structured and managed. The most referred to example of this was the 'Panopticon' prison designed by the utilitarian Bentham, which involved a central watchtower and a wider circle of cells which could see the watchtower (and be observed from it) but couldn't see the guards in it. Foucault argued that this arrangement had the psychological effect of forcing prisoners to self regulate their behaviour under the feeling of constant, omnipresent surveillance. The picture in the comic chose architecture from the same period, included the word 'penal' into the title and quipped that it had the power to 'drain your very Life Force' :biggrin:

Hmm... copy pasting from wiki probably would have been quicker. I'm not good at summarising things.

Reply 545

t'internet is strange.

http://www.olahelland.net/giraffes/

(yes, I realise Im probably just participating in some viral marketing crap for something by posting that link. but whatever)

Reply 546

Craghyrax

Foucault's most famous work Discipline and Punish focuses on the transformation of the penal system in Europe (particularly France) from the late 1700s through to the 1900s. He argued that power became diffused and more subtle, shifting from use of public spectacles such as executions to an emphasis centred on producing a 'Discipline society' of 'docile bodies', subtly controlled and regulated by the new institutions which emerged and how they were structured and managed. The most referred to example of this was the 'Panopticon' prison designed by the utilitarian Bentham, which involved a central watchtower and a wider circle of cells which could see the watchtower (and be observed from it) but couldn't see the guards in it. Foucault argued that this arrangement had the psychological effect of forcing prisoners to self regulate their behaviour under the feeling of constant, omnipresent surveillance. The picture in the comic chose architecture from the same period, included the word 'penal' into the title and quipped that it had the power to 'drain your very Life Force' :biggrin:

Hmm... copy pasting from wiki probably would have been quicker. I'm not good at summarising things.

Oh.

I assumed you were answering the comment about PHD being American you quoted with your Foucoult reference. I didn't realise it was unrelated! That makes rather more sense now.

Reply 547

OP

Tom

Oh.

I assumed you were answering the comment about PHD being American you quoted with your Foucoult reference. I didn't realise it was unrelated! That makes rather more sense now.

Ah - sorry. I tend to quote people just to make sure they read the thread sometimes :o:

You should PM that link to Fleur :p:

Reply 548

Supermerp

2

Tom

But that particular comic is quite specifically British. Which seemed odd. Maybe it was done by a guest writer or something.

The tower they have is Stanford's though, rather than something that would be known in Britain (Birmingham's, maybe?)

Reply 549

thefish_uk

14

Supermerp

The tower they have is Stanford's though, rather than something that would be known in Britain (Birmingham's, maybe?)

That would be especially appropriate with the Eye of Sauron, as depending on who you talk to Tolkien apparently (dubiously) got his idea of having two evil towers from the one at Birmingham Uni.

Reply 550

smilepea

Where is everyone?

Some of my Cam friends are coming today, this makes me SO happy :grin:

Reply 551

Catsmeat

13

I'm actually returning to Cambridge, for a day on Tuesday, in pursuit of not having to pay library fines and also in having a dissertation supervision. The things I do for knowledge, and cash.

Reply 552

OP

Why would you have to pay library fines in the holiday? :lolwut:

Reply 553

Supermerp

2

Craghyrax

Why would you have to pay library fines in the holiday? :lolwut:

If it's a department/UL book then there might be someone who wants it.

Reply 554

OP

Supermerp

If it's a department/UL book then there might be someone who wants it.

Oh, right

My department library just lets us have them the entire summer, so I assumed it was the norm.

Wow this heat is awful! Close to midnight and its 21 degrees :coma:

I volunteered at the Cafe Project tonight, which was quite fun as there were loads of people there. Met a few new people. When they found out I was from Peterhouse people first looked shocked and then concerned, with comments like 'omg how are you finding it' 'you poor thing' and so on :rofl:

Reply 555

*BCM*

11

Craghyrax

Wow this heat is awful! Close to midnight and its 21 degrees :coma:

aaaaaah tell me about it!! *wipes sweat off brow with towel and sqeezes into near-full bucket*

could have gone to bed at 11 and tomorrow actually made it thru a day of work placement without diverting a considerable part of my efforts towards constantly scanning for presence of supervisors in the vicinity while having some semi-sleep, but nooooooooooo had to stay up for the shuttle launch after yday launch failed - ...and of course it failed again, sigh :mad:

ah well its DEFINITELY gonna happen on wed :p:

lol

Reply 556

Supermerp

2

It's raining with a gusto I don't think I've ever witnessed in Cambridge. The north is lovely.

Reply 557

OP

, here:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=20062359&highlight=shuttle+launch#post20062359

*BCM*

aaaaaah tell me about it!! *wipes sweat off brow with towel and sqeezes into near-full bucket*

could have gone to bed at 11 and tomorrow actually made it thru a day of work placement without diverting a considerable part of my efforts towards constantly scanning for presence of supervisors in the vicinity while having some semi-sleep, but nooooooooooo had to stay up for the shuttle launch after yday launch failed - ...and of course it failed again, sigh :mad:

ah well its DEFINITELY gonna happen on wed :p:

lol

Shuttle launch? :confused:

Supermerp: yeh, hard rain is cool. And actually last week there was loads of torrential rain here, albeit only in sequential short bursts.

South Africa - where I grew up - had alot of very heavy rain, although it didn't rain that often.

Reply 558

*BCM*

11

Craghyrax

Shuttle launch? :confused:

Si, shuttle Endeavour launch :wink:

- but its been delayed 3 times now... lol

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html - live watching, also has linkies to info on the launch and stuff - next one wed evening around 2300 BST i think :rolleyes:

also there is a thread about it :biggrin:

Reply 559

OP