It has been another first for me, acting as the compere for a conference. Is compere the right word or should it be chairman, host or even MC? MC Phil – I don’t think so. The conference went under the banner of ‘Enabling Safe Business’ and was focussed on getting the balance right between heavy-handed … Continue reading Enabling safe business
Dearly departed
Goodbye old friend. We’ve known each other for a long time, over twenty years but now you are gone. You were such a part of our family, generous of spirit and radiating warmth into the hearts of everyone you came into contact with. I can still see you in your favourite corner of the kitchen, … Continue reading Dearly departed
Shaking hands
I met my new dentist today. The old one has gone on a gap year, a sabbatical to trip around the world or something. I hope it wasn’t something that I said. She is called Philippa, the new one that is, a name that I will find easy to remember, Philippa Bennett. (My old dentist … Continue reading Shaking hands
Things to think about when making species un-extinct No.1
Is there a word that is the opposite of extinct? Alive perhaps but then that’s the opposite of dead. Being extinct is something more than just being dead. Animals and plants can be dead but species become extinct, never to return like a Brontosaurus or a Dodo. As we all know, the Dodo is a … Continue reading Things to think about when making species un-extinct No.1
The depersonalisation of the shopping experience
There is an interesting debate being played out in the media today following an incident at Sainsbury's where a checkout worker had refused to serve a customer until she had stopped talking on her mobile phone. Apparently the supermarket are simultaneously apologising to the customer while supporting their member of staff. So who was right? … Continue reading The depersonalisation of the shopping experience
Why do we die?
I was listening to the Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4 with Brian Cox and Robin Ince. I’m normally at work when it is on and so it was a rare treat. Yes, I know it is available as a download and I would certainly recommend it if you haven’t had the chance to hear … Continue reading Why do we die?
Our inexorable journey towards our virtual destiny
So you thought I was a bit off-beam with my blog 'And man will live for evermore' in that man and machine will become one? It wasn’t meant to be a dystopian view of how the machines would take over, where our creations would eventually enslave us but rather a utopian view of how man … Continue reading Our inexorable journey towards our virtual destiny
A billion maps
Here we are on planet earth, a rock suspended in space and time, hurtling around the sun at more than sixty thousand miles per hour, racing through the universe at God knows what speed and relative to what? Who knows? And on this earth there are six or seven or eight billion people, who can … Continue reading A billion maps
Love in the racks
For the second time in a week I’ve had the pleasure of visiting our Direct Services building in Meadowfield. It’s a great big modern and handsome building with a spacious yard at the back. I say pleasure without a hint of sarcasm or facetiousness as the visit stirred some memories held deeply inside me, memories … Continue reading Love in the racks
Trees have great structure
Apparently I talk in metaphors. It’s something I have learnt about myself recently. Whenever I want to get a point across I think about it in a way that is parallel to what I am saying, something that requires the listener to use their imagination and draws them into a picture that I am trying … Continue reading Trees have great structure
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 