I always considered myself to be pretty proficient at using the Microsoft Office suite, and most of the hints and tips that I find on the web are usually things I already know. However, I just came across a series of Office tips from Payne consulting, covering Excel, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint, which included quite a few very useful things that I never knew about. Here are some highlights:

Our department is undergoing restructuring. The University is going to make about one third of the staff redundant. I won't rant on the fact that many people in the department think the University's official rationale for the restructuring is unjust; it is going to happen regardless because they need the money for other things.

I've attended a few academic conferences now, but this is the first time I've been part of the organizing committee on any of them. Part of my responsibility is to help coordinate the double-blind peer reviewing process, and it’s been quite an eye-opener for me.

Here is the finished product:

Now that I’ve finished my thesis, my next work related worry is continuation. Continuation is a version of the US tenure system that has all the downsides and none of the upsides.