I’ve been using Duolingo to try and learn Dutch. It’s a useful tool and allows me to practice every day. It speaks the sentences to be translated and allows me to hear the language in action. In the main I really like the application though sometimes it has the annoying habit of correcting my English … Continue reading Where’s your commitment?
Rent in twain
The veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Brexit has rent this country in two. Gone are the traditional party lines of boss versus worker, white versus blue collar and in has come a new schism. You are either a leaver or a remainer. The referendum of 2016 … Continue reading Rent in twain
Artificial stupidity
There is a thought that humans were more intelligent when we were hunter gatherers than we are today. Not as individuals but on average. The need to be able to retain huge amounts of information about what was edible and what was poisonous, what would make you feel better and what would make you sick, … Continue reading Artificial stupidity
Mobile phones in schools?
For a brief flurry, a story on the BBC website lit up my Twitter feed. It was about children using mobile phones at school and hooked us in with the headline ‘Half of parents want mobile phones banned in schools'. You can read the article here. Of course, half don’t and so once again another … Continue reading Mobile phones in schools?
Collaboration is good
Another distasteful outcome of the current political crisis is the poisoning of the English language. Words that have perfectly good meanings have become tainted. Obvious ones such as leaver and remainer have become tarnished with age, color and educational attainment. Each side of the argument uses these innocent words as pejorative. That, however, is the … Continue reading Collaboration is good
The New European
I am continuing my peregrinations into the printed media. On a periodic basis, though not as regularly as I would like, I have been visiting my local newsagent or supermarket to buy a newspaper. I have not gone for the same paper, instead buying those which I have not bought before or in a … Continue reading The New European
A representative organisation
I often chew the cud with an old friend of mine about what is wrong with the world of work. Whenever we are together the conversation somehow gets around to the role of women and minority groups and how to get greater diversity and representation in the workplace. It is not an easy subject yet … Continue reading A representative organisation
Brexit as a chaotic system
Who knows what to believe these days? Come 1st November we are either going to be out of the Europeen Union or still in. We are going to be at the start of a golden era for a resurgent United Kingdom or floundering like a banana republic. We will be living in the land of … Continue reading Brexit as a chaotic system
Why I joined Dynamo
More than five years ago now, when I was still working at Durham and involved with the North East ICT Managers’ group, we became aware of a new tech group in the region. Charlie Hoult, of Hoult’s Yard and Bob Paton from Accenture had created Dynamo, volunteer led group set up with the core mission … Continue reading Why I joined Dynamo
The most fantastic institution
A lot is said about our National Health Service. It is under enormous pressure, can’t get the staff and is short of money. These things may be true yet when it works well, which it does for most of the time it is one of the most fantastic institutions in the world. A few weeks … Continue reading The most fantastic institution
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 