The art of paper folding
Paper cranes - my origami progress!
As a child I loved the idea of origami, and I may well have indulged in some (such is the fickleness of memory).
Last year towards the end of my library MSc (did I mention that it was an award-winning one?) I decided to take up a new hobby to keep my sanity intact. In the college bookshop I noted an origami calendar with one model per page, and the flipside of each day doubling as an origami paper for the next day’s design. It seemed somehow fitting to take up a paper-based hobby, and I’d always missed the whole idea of it.
So in the course of time I bought it and haven’t looked back! Many of the models are, erm, naff. However, some are very sweet and I’m learning a lot. Last week I got a book from Egham’s rather bijoux public library and finally found the famous crane design – so I made a lot of them and memorised it so at least I can say I got that far. Otherwise it would be like playing guitar and not even knowing “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”.
I’ve started reading a new Demos report entitled “The Edgeless University”. So far, it seems a slightly breathless exhortation to embrace Web 2.0 and bring the light of learning to the masses. It makes the obvious point that universities are currently under a lot of strain and can expect more. On the other hand, the Open University has been experimenting with all kinds of distance learning experiences, including Web 2.0, for a fair old while yet, and on the other, there are already a lot of institutions that could cater for a nationwide lifelong learning culture - but then, that culture would have to exist first, and our national public media do not seem exactly hell-bent on achieving this.
