Various Things

Done

• I've recently completed a number of formal undergraduate courses at Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge:

- Diploma in Creativity Theory, History and Philosophy (UGDip)

- Certificate in Ecology and Conservation (UGCert)

- Certificate in Archaeology of Ancient Britain (UGCert)

- Certificate in Evolutionary Biology (UGCert)

• CPD Certificate in Vaccine Design, CBEHx.

• Certificate in Principles of Luxury, Sotheby's Institute of Art.

• More casual studies have included attending short courses (Madingley) in creative writing, the reading of 16th/17th Century manuscripts, "Magic Swords" (!), and "Moonlight on Stonehenge and other stone circles" (with Professor David Jacques) which was particularly memorable.

WIP

• I have an unpublished dissertation from an MBA I started at the University of Wales, but never finished, having exited with a PGCertBA just before the place went to pieces in 2011. It's on "Signal Integrity in Luxury Management" -- those things that constitute "noise" and "distortion" in a luxury context. I'm still sawing away at this opus (call me Ishmael), but quite seriously-for-fun these days, and now it's hovering at around 10,000 words. I'm just finishing it off for its own sake, but I might then start an MBA from the backlog again if I have the appetite. 

• A related work on signal integrity and the construction of social firewalls. No longer a paper, but turning into a monograph or book (over 80,000 words).

Backlog

• A couple of papers on studies in European Cinema which spun out of the above Diploma. One on transgressive French Cinema, and another specifically on the contribution of Borowczyk's La Bête to the genre. ~8,000 words each. Both drafts are Ready for development.

• Occasional papers on creativity, again spun out of the Diploma. One on the extent to which creativity can be taught, one on the limits of imagination, another on the topic of enabling constraints. ~5,000 words each. All 3 drafts are Ready for development.

• MBA by dissertation, exploring signal integrity in luxury management through agent based simulation. My in-progress draft from the PGCertBA could be an enabler for developing this theme, perhaps at Otter's Brainery or Gandalf Technical College. This sort of thing is referred to as a "top-up" MBA, which cuts the awardee down to size nicely -- like you've just pulled into a service station to use the facilities before zooming off.