15 June 2005: 5 Mins

As I write this, the Podium area of KMi at the Open University, Milton Keynes, is empty, apart from me. It's 8.59am, and the agenda shown on the big screen in front of me distinctly tells of a 9am start. Still, I would guess everyone's still in bed, recovering from the excitement of yesterday. Get a bunch of AKTors together and you can guarantee there'll be much talking about semantic enablement, ontology mapping and potato-powered computers (please stand up Steve and Nick). And much drinking too, no doubt.

Yes, it's that time again, the AKT six-monthly workshop has this time gathered in the sunny climes of Milton Keynes, a town of which it is unfair to say it has no soul: perhaps it simply has yet to discover it? This is Day Two, Day One having been filled with the yes-it-actually-happened-this-time Doctoral Colloquium, which featured myself and a few other misfits chairing a series of talks and posters by the various PhD students from around AKT, the best part of which was holding up the '5 Mins' and '2 Mins' signs when they waffled for too long. My talk, inevitably, turned to the discussion of the definition of 'semiometrics': AKT has its own definition, but the rest of the world seem to have settled on something different. Which isn't usually a problem for AKT - the normal solution is simply to put either of the words 'Semantic' or 'AKTive' in front of it and therein solve the problem. 'Semantic Semiometrics' though... sounds more like one of the possibilities that the Random Band Name Generator came up with for Martyn's group.

Later followed the cheese and wine session, which featured a wide variety of cheese and a greater amount of wine (adding further weight to my theory that everyone's hung over, given that the time is now 9.10am, the agenda still says 9am and I'm still the only one here), followed by me heading back to Aylesbury to see Gareth, Helen and the new Imogen baby. All of which is very nice, although Gareth looks like he's about two days short of sleep (he should listen to my talk on semiometrics, that would put him out), but that's five-week old babies for you. Still, she's growing faster than my overdraft and seems to be doing very well indeed, leading Gloria to ask if there was a rival for my affections, another girl she should be watching out for. I confirmed that was indeed the case.

Well, more coffee I think, and then perhaps I'll do a little work. Unless, perchance, people start showing up. Hasn't happened yet though.

Maybe the clocks changed and nobody told me?

Postscript: First person joins me at 9.19am.