I purposefully have not added a picture. Over the last few months we have seen two examples of the most virulent excesses of our media, two exposés that resulted in a feeding frenzy of speculation and accusation leading to the end of the careers of two broadcasters. The first was the story of Schofield and … Continue reading Morality versus legality
15 years at Thinking Digital
I must admit it took me back a bit when Herb Kim announced that this was the fifteenth Thinking Digital. As I sat in the audience I tried to think of how many I had been too. It isn’t fifteen but it can’t be a long way off. I did notice, however, that I recognised … Continue reading 15 years at Thinking Digital
What’s Up with WhatsApp
It’s hard to get your head around what is going on within the Tory party at the moment. The issue with private WhatsApp messages is a case in point. Baroness Hallett, who is leading the COVID inquiry into government and ministers actions before, during and after the pandemic, has asked for the unredacted WhatsApp messages … Continue reading What’s Up with WhatsApp
You should go to Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival
CyberNorth is back at Europe’s largest innovation festival for the second time, following the amazing time we had last year. Northumbrian Water Group’s innovation festivals are big, loud, exciting and very unique events where they gather some of the greatest and most innovative minds from the worlds of business, science, tech, engineering, utilities and customer … Continue reading You should go to Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival
Seven years too long
Image thanks to GoneWithTheTwins I remember that fateful day, seven years ago, coming down to check the result on my phone to find that leave had won the referendum. Almost immediately I got a WhatsApp from my youngest daughter asking me what it means. My reply was ‘that’s it, we’re out.’ It wasn’t quite that … Continue reading Seven years too long
Learning your lessons
Sometimes things don’t turn out quite as you had expected. A Tuesday evening in Hexham was one of them. I’ve long got myself hung up on numbers when planning events, worried that nobody would turn up, indeed I often say once there are more in the audience than speakers I can start to relax. But … Continue reading Learning your lessons
Abstain
Abstaining in a free vote in Parliament is a cop out. Yet at the vote on the Commons Privileges Committee’s report into Boris Johnson and his statements to the house on Partygate, over 100 Tory members did just that. In the end it made no difference. The report had found that Johnson repeatedly misled parliament … Continue reading Abstain
A trip to Seamer
I don’t think I had ever been to Seamer before, just on the outskirts of Scarborough. I may have passed through by car as we visited Scarborough as a family when the children were young. They are grown women now so it was some time ago and all I remember was visiting the rock factory. … Continue reading A trip to Seamer
If sovereignty means anything
Image thanks to Discover Magazine One of the biggest problems with having people like Johnson in charge is that they only believe in one thing, themselves. They claim to be fighting for the good of the country and to uphold nebulous concepts such as sovereignty yet have no respect for the conventions and procedures that … Continue reading If sovereignty means anything
Shoe shine
Image thanks tro Shoe Advisor Today I did something I haven't done for a long time. I polished my shoes. I know it was a long time because the polish had dried up in its tins. Instead of being creamy and spreadable it was all dry and cracked like a dried up river bed. Apparently … Continue reading Shoe shine