Unfolding plans 30 – Are we living in parallel universes?

Are we living in parallel universes?  I was due at a meeting of the North East ICT Managers and was a little early so I did what I always do and looked for somewhere with free WiFi.  It was at Newcastle Civic Centre and the city centre offers a lot of choice for the online … Continue reading Unfolding plans 30 – Are we living in parallel universes?

Unfolding plans 28 – tech in meetings

Some people get really hung up about tech in meetings. It grates on them that someone can be tapping away on their laptop, tablet or smartphone and give the impression that they are not paying attention.  I’m not one of them.  It doesn’t really bother me.  It just seems to be the way things are … Continue reading Unfolding plans 28 – tech in meetings

Unfolding plans 25 – Something has to give and the technology is going to help

I’ve noticed a subtle change.  Services are coming to us asking for help.  The drive to use technology is growing at pace.  I don’t know if austerity has helped but it has certainly sharpened our focus.  As the cuts have gone deeper and deeper there is an increasing realisation that we can’t do the same … Continue reading Unfolding plans 25 – Something has to give and the technology is going to help

Unfolding plans 24 – the true test of artificial intelligence is for it to deliver something unpredictable

It’s an interesting concept.  How do you test artificial intelligence?  It is a concept that is difficult to define yet we all can understand that human intelligence is different from so called artificial intelligence.  I’ve already said in a previous piece that I struggle with the definition of artificial intelligence, or machine intelligence as all … Continue reading Unfolding plans 24 – the true test of artificial intelligence is for it to deliver something unpredictable

Unfolding plans 22 – It might be time for a rethink

It might be time for a rethink about our Strategic ICT Group.  It has met every other month or so for a few years and the agenda has changed to accommodate the new things that we have done but basically the format has remained the same: an update on projects; agree new projects; discussion on … Continue reading Unfolding plans 22 – It might be time for a rethink

Unfolding plans 21 – I’m not one for using sporting analogies

So Andy Murray was the runner up at the Australian open.  It was a shame.  He’d been playing as well as he had ever been but he was up against a formidable opponent.  Number six in the world was playing number one.  It was sublime tennis.  The match ebbed and flowed with each player gaining … Continue reading Unfolding plans 21 – I’m not one for using sporting analogies

Unfolding plans 20 – coming back to apprentices

I said I would come back to apprentices.  I’ll keep coming back to them throughout the year as they are important in so many ways. They are also the seventh thing I want to achieve this year. According to the North-East Chamber of Commerce the region faces a "ticking time bomb" due to a lack … Continue reading Unfolding plans 20 – coming back to apprentices

Unfolding plans 18 – All purchases needed to be approved by Neil

My Christmas gift was a very generous book token.  It came with a caveat however.  All purchases needed to be approved by Neil, one of my team. The note said that to avoid disappointment it is unlikely that he would approve any non-fictional text in the area of management.  The message was clear.  I needed … Continue reading Unfolding plans 18 – All purchases needed to be approved by Neil

Unfolding plans 17 – Who remembers the future?

Who remembers the future?  We were going to be living in the sky, with hover cars to get us about and robots to do our bidding.  We were going to wear futuristic clothes, usually in silver and have pills instead of meals.  Do you remember that happening? In the movie ‘Back to the future’ 2015 … Continue reading Unfolding plans 17 – Who remembers the future?

Unfolding plans 12 – are we a bureaucratic nation?

Sugata Mitra is a very interesting man.  Get to see him if you can.  I’ve mentioned him several times both around his school in the cloud work and also the development of self-learning environments.  That reminds me that I must do something about my wish to create a self-learning work environment (number eight on my … Continue reading Unfolding plans 12 – are we a bureaucratic nation?