MetaFilter

What's the deal with your nickname? How did you get it? If your nickname is self-explanatory, then tell everyone when you first started using the internet, and what was the first thing that made you say "wow, this isn't just a place for freaks after all?" Was it a website? Was it an email from a long-lost friend? Go on, spill it.

I am a doctoral student in the Artificial Intelligence lab at the VUB in Brussels, Belgium. However, I spent my formative years in Stockton-on-Tees in the North-East of England. I have a background in linguistics, an MSc in The Evolution of Language and Cognition from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in English Language and Linguistics form the University of York. I self identify as a ‘geek’, not only in the modern sense of the word: “One who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality”, but also the former meaning of: “A carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken, bat, snake or bugs.” (I'm a vegetarian really).

Outside of Language Evolution, I spent some time working full-time in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Aberdeen in the field of Science Communication. I endeavour to stay an active member and contributor of the public engagement community and so far my attempts have included blogging, stand-up comedy, SciScreen, writing for EuSci, working in the press office at the British Science Festival, taking part in “I’m a Scientist Get me out of here”, conducting various workshops and festival events including “Science Pirates”, running a bike disco for the BBC’s Mr Bloom’s nursery, volunteering at Greenlight for Girls and the European Gender Summit in Brussels and promoting coding skills in younger people, especially girls, in the interests of encouraging gender equality in the sciences.

I joined metafilter because I was fed up with blasdelb sending me links and not being about to join in with the discussion.