Prof Maz Hardey

@thatprofmaz.substack.com

1229 Followers 1875 Following

Professor @ Durham University. Unravelling the mess of Tech, Education & AI. 🧶 Author of books on Disinformation | Women in Tech | GenAI | Health Tracking; reading everything else. I see we’re all Stacking now https://open.substack.com/pub/thatprofmaz

A regal calico cat named Willow sits poised and upright on a wooden stool. She has a striking "split-face" marking—the left side of her face is orange and black mottled tortoiseshell, while the right side is solid black. She wears a bright white "tuxedo" chest and has white paws neatly tucked together. Behind her is a shelf filled with books and lush green houseplants.

The title page of the book The Fatal Strand by Robin Jarvis. A central black-and-white illustration shows a hooded, skeletal figure pointing a finger, surrounded by swirling mist. The page is autographed in purple ink with the inscription "Best wishes" at the top and Robin Jarvis's signature at the bottom.

A tortoiseshell cat sits on a sideboard, with the dramatic air of a Victorian heroine slighted by fate. She stares intensely at the camera, pointedly ignoring the domestic reality of scattered Lego behind her.

A portrait of Willow, the Calico Scout from a binary star system. She sits on a dark grey kitchen counter, her face divided with surgical precision - one side the color of a dying sun, the other the deep black of a vacuum. Behind her, a black-and-white curtain displays a repeating pattern of stylized cat faces, representing the 'Cat Matrix' she is currently hacking. Her green eyes are fixed on a point three inches behind the camera lens, where she is currently calculating the exact trajectory required to overthrow the household and reclaim the tuna-supplies. She is the physical manifestation of a system update that didn't quite finish, and she is perfectly comfortable with the error message.

A cinematic, low-angle shot from the perspective of a gritty detective's office. A tortoiseshell cat sits with her back to the camera, perched on a deep teal windowsill like a private eye surveying a rain-slicked street. She gazes out a large window at a silver car and a massive, rounded green bush that dominates the yard.

To her left, a whimsical Lego display features a robotic white cat atop a pile of gold bricks; to her right, a lone Lego Empire State Building stands sentry next to a vibrant green ZZ plant in a textured turquoise pot. The atmosphere is one of quiet, hard-boiled observation—a silent guardian watching over the suburban sprawl.

A vision of domestic tranquility wherein a calico cat, robed in a motley coat of deep charcoal, burnished amber, and pristine snow, has succumbed to profound sleep. Her face is turned from the viewer, lost to the realm of dreams, yet her alabaster paws are clasped delicately together upon her breast like a silent prayer. She rests upon a soft, pale expanse of fleece, which is patterned with the faint, orange vestiges of wandering tracks.

Header of an academic article published in the journal 'New Media & Society'. The title reads: ‘I just go headbutt a tree or something’: Children’s contextualised digital play drivers and subjective well-being in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Cyprus. The authors are listed as Fiona Scott, Liz Chesworth, Stavroula Kontovourki, Karen Murcia, Karin Murris, Kim Balnaves, and Cath Bannister.

A tableau of domestic tension. In the foreground, a calico cat—the Chosen One—sits ensconced within the Walls of the Violet Keep (a purple felt storage cube). Her eyes are wide, gazing at the viewer with an expression of startled prophecy. Behind her, perched upon the Grey Monolith (an ottoman), sits the False Idol: a Lego tuxedo cat. The plastic construct stares with unblinking yellow eyes, mimicking the form of the true beast. The background reveals the Green Archives (a bookshelf filled with Nigella Lawson cookbooks) and the Red Boots of Haste, setting the scene for a tale of magic and identity theft.

Screen shot of Merriam-Webster word of the years as “Joyous”.

A low-angle observation of a biological sentinel—a calico feline with a carapace of orange, black, and white fur—perched atop the weathered, skeletal beams of a wooden gantry. The creature gazes upward into a vast, featureless azure void, the planet’s atmospheric dome unblemished by clouds. Below the sentinel’s station, dormant, bulbous photon emitters hang on insulated wiring like synthetic fruit, while the chaotic, thorny lattice of organic flora encroaches from the periphery.

A solemn feline of tortoiseshell and white coat sits upright upon a wooden stool, possessing a countenance as grim as Ebenezer Scrooge before the spirits' visitation. She fixes the viewer with a direct, unblinking stare, seemingly unimpressed by the festive trappings behind it, where two stockings—one bearing the likeness of Saint Nicholas, the other a snowman—hang upon a grey wall, awaiting the abundance of the season.

A scene of high domestic drama in a well-appointed library. A young lady of decided opinions—and the author's most formidable critic—is thoroughly obscured behind a copy of her parent's recent publication, "Navigating the Web of Disinformation." Whether she is engrossed by the prose or merely composing a scathing review behind the safety of the hardcover remains a mystery to the anxious observer. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a daughter in possession of her parent's book must be in want of a red pen.

An intimate study of a most striking countenance, divided by nature into hues of ebony and ginger. While the cat boasts a gaze of such wide-eyed innocence and deep sensibility that one might suspect a silent plea for cream—or perhaps the concealment of a scandalous secret regarding the pantry.

A circle and two triangles demonstrating their complete lack of understanding of gravity. It's not going to end well

Calico cat stop a bookshelf with Lego, surrounded by picture frames and other personal items. A Christmas tree frames the image. A frames picture of another cat is also in the foreground.

Tricolour cat asleep on a bed with wings of fire book series (about dragons)

Tricolour cat on a chaise surrounded by Lego washing herself with her leg in the air lounging on a huge teddy.

Rather gorgeous calico cat face looking directly to camera. Intently. Either love or revolution in her eyes.

A prospect of a library-room, presently in a state of most delightful and whimsical confusion. A distinguished canine personage, possessed of a fine curly coat, has taken the high station upon a cushioned chair, turning its noble head away, as if to entirely disregard the rabble below.

And what a rabble it is! A veritable society of plush creatures has assembled upon the rugs and seized the finest beds by the window. A formidable blue unicorn, clearly of some station, stands guard in the foreground, whilst a large Eevee of considerable prominence holds court, attended by a small orange dragon, a pug, and other soft-bodied sycophants, all gathered in a bed that is clearly not their own. The scene, one must confess, speaks to a most charming breakdown of domestic propriety.

Calico cat sat atop a book, four white paws satisfyingly close together. She has an earnest glint in her eye that could be “I love you” or “I will F your stuff up”. Her white whiskers say fierce.

Calico cat in the foreground in loaf mode. A Paddington bear with a pumpkin light up Halloween mark is askew behind her (prob a good night out). Willow (cat) looks calm and serene. And a bit smug.

Calico cat sitting atop a desk, drinking out of a mug that is placed on top a pile of books.

Calico cat on a garden stool surrounded by plants and looking intently at the camera.

Young girl kneeling in an over sized shirt picking up milk bottles. Image from the 1980s.

Calico cat croissant mode on a Pikachu blanket

Calico cat lying in her side snuggling on her Pokemon blanket. Paws together

Calico cat snuggled on a pikachu fleece blanket croissant style.

Image of a fancy home with bay windows and white cat glaring at passer-bys

The image shows Pokémon plushies with Pikachu as the main centre.

A calico cat on an arm chair in a library with a black and white dog asleep lounging on a rug.

Calico cat asleep in the middle of nest swing with dreamies and a badminton racket

Calico cat lying across a HUGE teddy bear

Tricolour cat asleep on best swing with badminton racket and cat dreamies treats

Tricolour cat sat on tartan blanket outside, she’s looking towards the camera and fierce look in her eyes. Whiskers are on high alert.

Calico cat in a dog bed, stretching across on her side in dappled sunlight. Looking VERY nesty.

Tricolour cat asleep on chair and black and white dog asleep on the rug in front of the chair. Both looking humphy.

Calico cat yawning showing her amazing teeth on a lounge arm chair

Calico cat in cactus cat nest, glaring at the camera

Cat sat on a computer keyboard staring at the camera. She is Tri colour calico , there’s an assortment of Lego and books on the desk.

A book: Cool. How air conditioning changed everything.

Chicken helium balloon over a book. The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O’Sullivan

Cat and dog lounging in pet beds, next to plants and books, an assortment of rugs with sunlight dappled on their backs.

Picnic blanket with amassed Lego instructions all about

Tricolour cat sat on pink painted stairs in front of many floor to ceiling bookshelves, with books.

Book cover for The Rabbit Hurch by Tess Gunty

Tri colour cat laying across a tartan blanket all her paws clustered together.

Tricolour cat sat on a garden pit next to a newly planted tree.

Tricolour cat lying down on a blue fluffy jumper. She’s on top of a mid centre table with vivid print table cloth.

Tricolour cat in croissant mode curled inside a square dog bed on a red rug. She’s nesty.

Cat and dog asleep on quilted floor beds amid plants and coffee table and books. A lovely scene. BBC radio 6 is playing in the background.

Tricolour cat in front of bookcase and looking as though she reading music sheets

Black and white dog in a pride lei