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I love to read. It is one of life’s greatest pleasures. If you have read this blog before then you will know that I am a member of the Lit and Phil in Newcastle, the biggest private library in the UK, outside of London, of course. The writing process fascinates me and I like to … Continue reading Lonely Road

I’m in the middle of the book ‘I didn’t do the thing today’ by Madeleine Dore. It’s a kind of anti self-help book ‘on letting go of productivity guilt’, something that I clearly suffer from. My life is governed by my super-spreadsheet which is filled with tasks that define my days and weeks ahead. The … Continue reading Productivity guilt

I was supposed to be in London today at InfoSec but the rail strike has put a stop to that. In a way I am upset as I would like to have gone to the conference and feel that CyberNorth ought to have been there. On the other hand I am quite glad that I … Continue reading That strike

There is something odd going on in the UK. The Conservatives continue to tell us that the best way to create jobs is to have a low tax economy. They call it Singapore on Thames.  Yet wait on, UK unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 50 years, standing at 3.5%. Great I … Continue reading What’s up with the economy?

‘Tis the holiday season. One of the few real holy days of the year if you believe in such things. It is also a strange time of year. Not only do you get the need to enjoy yourself and a sense of faux camaraderie shoved in your face but you are bombarded with things you … Continue reading Seasonal distortion

Waiting for the checkout to open at Morrisons, I let a man go in front of me. He had a small basket while I had a full trolley. It was 7:30 in the morning and I was still feeling in a good mood.  For some reason he started talking to the assistant about how the … Continue reading It’s not about the party

By the time you read this I hope the vast majority of people who were affected by storm Arwen have their lives back on track. You may be struggling with storm Barra. They seem to be coming thick and fast this winter. Apart from a few bushes blown down and some water in the garage, … Continue reading Why we need public services

Image thanks to BHR Symposium Is this the end of LEAN, the innovation in manufacturing processes first developed by Toyota? I hope not but some of its concepts have been sorely tested over the last few weeks. As one minister put it’ ‘We are a just in time economy.’ The Toyota Production System led a … Continue reading The end of LEAN?

Ouch! Image thanks to Medical News Today What a great day for kidney stones. The rain was lashing down like a caravan holiday, as I lay in the bath and thought about the dull ache in my side. Hello friend, I remember you well. Can a pain be good? Perhaps... This one was, at least … Continue reading A good pain?

Image from the Guardian article Nobody should work for free. Oh but wait on, I do, at times.  The whole issue of remuneration has come to light again during the COVID crisis with the enormous rise in distribution jobs. Nearly all businesses moved their trade online, at least in some format almost overnight and this … Continue reading Working for free