I got up this morning and started punching new numbers into a spreadsheet. I go to work and pull up a couple more spreadsheets and start collating columns. I’m going to meet with students this afternoon and get more data that I can enter into more tables of numbers. Tomorrow, more numbers flow into my computer and I have to organize them, and then I have to to enter a bunch of formulas to normalize scores and adjust totals and double-check that nothing is missing, all so later this weekend I can punch a couple of keys and letter grades come tumbling out that I’ll then have to move into the crude, primitive tables that students can access to see if they’re likely to get into medical school or not.
This is the usual end-of-term rut: I have to stop thinking about science and genetics and pretend to put on the stupid green visor* and calculate numerical assessments. While I respect the profession, I am not an accountant and do not want to be one. I get to stop cosplaying an accountant on Monday, I think. Please end it soon.
*OK, maybe it’s not stupid, according to multiple sources.
The green visor, also known as the green eyeshade or the dealer’s visor, dates back to the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It was worn by accountants, telegraphers, copy editors, and other professionals who had to work with a lot of paperwork and numbers under harsh lighting conditions.
I’m sitting in a small room with bright fluorescent lights, looking at tables of numbers. Maybe I should get myself a green visor.
Did you know that in the old days universities would hire a secretary for every tenured faculty member to handle the typing and filing and management of data like this? Old days being like the 1970s. I remember having to make appointments with departmental secretaries and the upper echelon of the professoriate in order to talk with them, and mailing letters and postcards to senior faculty to request paper reprints, which the scientists wouldn’t handle, oh no, that was the job of a secretary.
And then computers came along and replaced all the smart people who knew how to manage paperwork.
Bet very few accountants know as much biology as you do..
Think they call that multi-tasking / multi-skilling or suchlike?
Also respect. Personally, I suck at that.
,As for computers replacing professionals, hey w ehave AI now right? That makes things easier right? Right? Just like auto correct helps change your words and typos to other wrong words and stuff ups…
Maybe you should get yourself some LED lighting.
Universities no longer have infrastructure funds, now that there is no overhead expenses allowed.
Perhaps it’s time to learn (relearn?) Morse Code?
–. . – / — . / .- / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- .. -. –. / –. .-. . . -. / …- .. … — .-. / .- -. -.. / .- / … . -.-. .-. . – .- .-. -.– –..– / … – .- – -.-.–
“And then computers came along and replaced all the smart people who knew how to manage paperwork.”
To give a fun example I have to run through a few times every year:
– Our grade entry system allows Excel input, it will only accept a table with two columns: student ID and grade
– This system can also output an Excel of students “enlisted” in the course, giving student ID and name (and a lot of other irrelevant columns you just have to delete…)
– Our students have to use a different system to hand in their assignments, this system doesn’t know student IDs but keeps track of student name and (eventually) grade, it also has a list of students “enlisted” in the course
Now, you’d think this isn’t too hard to solve. Just match on name and you’re done. But…
– The first system stores names as “Beethoven, Ludwig van”
– The second system stores names either as “Ludwig van Beethoven” or “Ludwig Beethoven”
– The first system keeps “funny letters” such as “Dvořák, Antonín”
– The second system normalises these to “Antonin Dvorak”
– There’s some data entry problems for some students which result in their last name appearing twice in either system (but not always both)
– The list of students enlisted according to the first system differs from the list of students enlisted according to the second system, both differ from my list of students who actually attend classes
So everyone just enters grades by hand — as in, they look up the grade in the second system, look for the most similar name in the first system by eye, and types over the grade
There’s some tricks you can do in Excel, and I’ve written some Python scripts that help me speed things up, but there’s always some weird edge case that catches you by surprise. So you always end up scrutinising both lists to check you didn’t misenter anything.
Appropriate musical comedy reference:
https://youtu.be/BzTFOGrxrC8?si=hCx7vw6E8nb_ZL7U
John Watts @5— I think you need to brush up on your Morse Code!
“GEM OE A FUCKING GREEN VISOR AND A SECREMARY, SMAM!”
@robert79
That is utterly horrific. How often do you get names mixed up?
@6
You bet there are‽
Developer gets Linux running inside Microsoft Excel, ‘mostly for fun’
PZ @ #1,
I remember in the early to mid 70s when each department in my high school had a secretary and some parent volunteers who handled that type of work for the teachers.
We students were also encouraged to volunteer in our favorite department. I worked in the school libraries from 7th grade until I graduated, which led to a paying work-study job at my university.