World Values Day, October 18, was a busy day for me this year. I started at the Socitm North conference in Darlington, spent some time with a potential infrastructure provider and ended up at the Dynamites 18 awards dinner in Newcastle. Before then I attended the latest North East Initiative on Business Ethics event at … Continue reading World values day
Rural problems
Over the last year Justin and I have been working with a small number of rural businesses to help them develop. We struggled with what rural meant in this context. Is a rural business one that is based in an area with few homes or other buildings and a low population density? Or is it … Continue reading Rural problems
The world according to me
I used to think of myself as a liberal, of the bleeding heart kind until I read ‘Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind’, or rather listened to the audio book by Yuval Noah Harari. What made me stop and think, figuratively rather than literally as I was driving at the time, was that liberalism included … Continue reading The world according to me
Tips should be banned
The trades union Unite is delighted that the government has decided to ban restaurant owners from keeping back a share of tips that customers give to staff. According to its website, Unite has been exposing rip-off tipping practices in the hospitality industry since 2008. In response to the announcement, a Unite regional officer Dave Turnbull … Continue reading Tips should be banned
Imagine a car
The opening speaker on day 2 of the Unit4 conference gave us his thoughts on the future of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). It was at the Conference Centre in Harrogate. I am not the greatest of advocates for ERP in that I don’t think grand systems solve anything and in the effort to combine all … Continue reading Imagine a car
Jigsaw pieces
Have you ever stared at a jigsaw piece and wondered what it is called or looked at the shape that you are looking for and wondered how to describe it? I have and apparently I am not alone. Despite a few attempts at a comprehensive classification of jigsaw piece shapes and cutting designs, there is … Continue reading Jigsaw pieces
The need for ethics
We live in two realities, the things that exist in our physical world and the things that happen in our minds. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. When I look out of my window I see trees moving in the breeze and red rooftops with the odd pigeon or two. Cars pass by … Continue reading The need for ethics
Coming to fruition
I feel vindicated again. Another one of my ideas is coming to fruition - quite literally. I don’t proclaim any credit however but find the whole issue amusing. Life is imitating blogging. Back in June I wrote about an idea for a gardinator machine. ‘If there are apps to recognise plants then these apps must … Continue reading Coming to fruition
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
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
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 