The blogger was taught Systemic Functional Grammar at the University of Sydney by Michael Halliday and Jim Martin in 1987, and Systemic Functional Theory by Christian Matthiessen in 1989, on the way to being awarded a First Class B.A (Honours) in 1989, and a PhD in 1999. Because the blogger inherited a neurological impairment from his father, he is unable to earn a living from lecturing, or even tutoring, in a tertiary institution. For two decades, he has managed the Sys-Func email list, without remuneration.