Image thanks to Wansbeck Food Bank Foodbanks! If ever there was a sign of modern times it is the foodbank. The thought of people going hungry in one of the richest countries in the world galls me, especially the children yet I gather there are over a million of them skipping meals every day. It … Continue reading Feed the poor
Stop building roads
Image thanks to Highways England They’re widening the AI around Newcastle, from a two lane dual carriageway to three lanes. There isn’t really enough room and so I imagine they will be narrow lanes. The problem is that it will make no difference to traffic flows. I remember when the bypass was built. Before that … Continue reading Stop building roads
Vanishing Bitcoin
Image thanks to BBC A colleague of mine was lamenting the fact that he had bought 10 Bitcoin, way back in the day when they had very little value. He had lost the 40 character long password and had no paper copy. Though it’s money he never had he would have been sitting on a … Continue reading Vanishing Bitcoin
A Badgering Badger
As I was coming out of the Home Office - wait, that sounds a lot grander than it actually was - there was someone dressed in a badger suit. Around their neck they had a sign which said I am innocent. It has been a long time since I have been to London. I'd made … Continue reading A Badgering Badger
Where has customer service gone?
Images thanks to Sanderson Arcade Is it me or has customer service gone out of the window? Whilst poor service is not a new phenomenon, things seem to have got worse since we have started to recover from the pandemic. A number of recent incidents have made me question our attitude towards the customer. The … Continue reading Where has customer service gone?
The end of LEAN?
Image thanks to BHR Symposium Is this the end of LEAN, the innovation in manufacturing processes first developed by Toyota? I hope not but some of its concepts have been sorely tested over the last few weeks. As one minister put it’ ‘We are a just in time economy.’ The Toyota Production System led a … Continue reading The end of LEAN?
What opposition?
Image thanks to Prospect. It’s the political conference season, where the great and good gather in seaside resorts or conference centres across the country to preach to the converted. Each party hopes that the media coverage it generates will show it as a dynamic and exciting party with sufficient ideas and drive to lead the … Continue reading What opposition?
Measuring the health of a nation
I’ve written before how GDP is such an ineffective measure of how well we are doing. It hides such a multitude of sins and masks huge disparities in wealth within a country. Nations can seem to be doing well by a trick of statistics or the variety of industries that they are strong in. Also, … Continue reading Measuring the health of a nation
It’s over – for now
Well, that’s #CyberFest over for another year. What a festival it's been with its high points and distractions. It’s a cliche to say that each one is bigger and better than the one before and in many ways this year has been just that. We had 14 events over the month with nearly 50 hours … Continue reading It’s over – for now
Elections Bill 2021
If you have been keeping your eyes on parliament you will know that the Elections Bill 2021 is making its way into law. It’s not all bad, with some strengthening of the electoral commission, undue influence and finance. There is however the proposal that voters will be required to show an approved form of photographic … Continue reading Elections Bill 2021
