I had an interesting time at the Honor Tech Innovation for the Future forum at The Baltic last week. My name had been put forward to be on a panel and it seemed like a good idea to say yes. I am always happy to help where I can especially where it raises the profile … Continue reading Trapped
CyberFest at last
In the end I need not have worried about people turning up at our first CyberNorth event, part of CyberFest. I had been kept awake worrying about it for several weeks yet people started arriving and checking in even before the doors had officially opened. A colleague of mine had said that anything into three … Continue reading CyberFest at last
Nation state
The nation state is reaching the end of its relevance. Soon it will be replaced and will be relegated to history in the same way as tribes, clans, city states and empires. What will take its place I do not know. A nation state is a sovereign state, recognised in international law and represented by … Continue reading Nation state
Bayeux tapestry
What we do at work is more complicated than we think. This is mostly because we don’t think about it. The only time we contemplate the tasks ahead of us is when we start a new job, or when we come to review what we do. Both of these can be quite daunting. My involvement … Continue reading Bayeux tapestry
Location, location, location
How do you know if your region is doing well or not? How do you know if a particular sector is successful? These are the questions I was trying to answer when I fell into the wonderful world of economic data. I was looking at the digital sector in a part of the North East. … Continue reading Location, location, location
Feeling proud
To be proud means having a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements. Does this mean then that you cannot be proud of something that is not of your own making? Does this include where you were born? Where you are born is something that you have no choice … Continue reading Feeling proud
Addicted to news
The world seems to be in turmoil. On both sides of the Atlantic political stories are peeling like an onion. With every new twist and turn I become more and more hooked. I just can’t help it. They are also reducing me to tears. I’ve tried to give up watching the news. Recently it has … Continue reading Addicted to news
Bank holidays
There was a time when I would look forward to a bank holiday, especially the spring and summer ones. They would signal a long weekend away from work with the offer of nights out and long lie ins. They were times of unfettered fun and freedom. Then along came the kids which, coupled with a … Continue reading Bank holidays
Free speech
I defend anyone’s right to free speech just as I defend anyone’s right to think what they like. To take the opposite approach, in my view, is to go down the road to control and totalitarianism. I accept, however, that this means that people are going to say and think things that are abhorrent, disgusting … Continue reading Free speech
A sociable enterprise
I was asked if I would take part in some research into what people experience when moving from the private to the public sector and vice versa. I am always happy to help out where I can with the local universities and having moved from private to public and then back to private I felt … Continue reading A sociable enterprise
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 