Often I have been told that I am naive and that is not the way the world works. At times I think that is an unfair criticism. It is clear that I have a lot of experience and believe I can offer wisdom and use good judgement. I appear naive then, not because I don’t … Continue reading In praise of naivete
Let’s agglomerate
A few months ago I went to buy some perfume for my wife’s birthday. She had been dropping hints for a couple of weeks and so I thought I was on a safe bet. I set off for the Metro Centre, a shopping mall not far from where I live and went into Debenhams. The … Continue reading Let’s agglomerate
Rip up the textbooks on private schools
I occasionally buy a copy of ‘The Big Issue’. Homelessness is a serious issue and I would like to support the work that they are doing but they compete on the high street with so many other worthy causes. I feel guilty every time I pass someone rattling a tin, shaking a bucket, sitting at … Continue reading Rip up the textbooks on private schools
Dragging my feet
I’ve been dragging my feet, not in the sense of putting something off that I should have got around to but rather scraping my feet along the ground. You see I have been given some very comfortable new slippers. They are a bit like boots, made from plush and I jokingly call them my bear’s … Continue reading Dragging my feet
Health and cyber safety
There seems to be a lot of parallels between where we are with cyber awareness and the early days of Health and Safety. I thought this was a unique observation until I raised it at the latest North East Fraud Forum event. The speaker quite rightly pointed out that he had heard such observations before. … Continue reading Health and cyber safety
The Government has responded
I don’t know why I bother really. Another day goes by and I have received yet another email from the Government responding to a petition that I have signed. Whatever the worthy cause, in my opinion, the answer is always the same. No, basically. The problem I have though is that the email is always … Continue reading The Government has responded
Life is hard
Life is hard and then you die, so the saying goes. It is a common retort from the cynics amongst us to those that whinge about the way their lives are going, especially when in reality they are living in the lap of luxury. In other words, get over yourself and get on with it. … Continue reading Life is hard
Building momentum
Building a consensus is hard work, building momentum is even harder. I have been developing a couple of ideas around the Dynamo cyber cluster, CyberNorth, for a few months now. I am sure I have mentioned them before. The first is to create an incubator for cyber startups in the region under the working title … Continue reading Building momentum
Freedom of movement
I am prepared to accept that the family unit is under pressure. They are much smaller entities and much more dispersed than they were a century ago. Many of today’s social problems can, in part be attributed to their breakdown. Care for the elderly, social loneliness and the shortage of housing are amongst those that … Continue reading Freedom of movement
Defining a problem
Understanding the tech industry in the region is a new challenge for me. For various reasons, including out of personal interest, I have been grappling with this as a problem over the last few months. You would think that information about businesses, markets and turnover would be readily available. Perhaps it is but so far … Continue reading Defining a problem
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 