Batman: Assault on Arkham Review

The new animated DC comics release Batman: Assault on Arkham is latest release which is set in the Videogame universe of Arkham Asylum after the game Arkham Origins. However the film focuses not on Batman himself but on the "Suicide Squad". A small governmental task force of supervillains including: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, whose skills are utilised to the dirty work of the government. After  recent disappointments of Son of Batman and Justice Leage: War, this is a triumphan return to form. Some spoilers to follow.

Presenting the PhD: 8 Tips for Making a Great First Talk

I have recently been lucky enough to give an academic presentation. It was a scary thing beforehand but  when I was giving it and afterwards everything was fine. I was pleased to hear that the talk had been received well and that the members in the audience enjoyed it. Perhaps more importantly they got the message of my talk. I was fortunate enough to have a support group around me who enabled me to give the best presentation that I could have at the time (Thank you to all who helped!). Here are some of the things that they helped me do in order to help me give a good presentation.

Son of Batman Review

The new Dynamic Duo

Son of Batman is the latest in DC Comics animation following on from the last two releases about the Justice League (War and Flashpoint Paradox). It is released as a part of the celebrations for 75 Years of Batman, and is the first release preceding Assault on Arkham later this year. It is a mixed release with some good animation but an ultimately hollow experience for fans of the original story by Grant Morrison and of Batman and Damian. Some story spoilers to follow.

The Travelling PhD

Part of my PhD involves me travelling around a lot for various different reasons, whether this is to go for a conference or for a talk. The majority of my travelling however is to go and visit participants. Recently my car (named Emmett) reached a total 100, 000 miles. Not all of this is mine but I have made a smaller but significant contribution. Having only recently passed my driving test it has not only been an education in terms of driving but also in using and knowledge of having a car. It did make me realize that there are many parallels with driving that also are applicable to the completing a PhD.