I don’t wish to invoke the memories of Primo Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz, in anything as banal as my blog yet this is how I feel about the plight of humanity sometimes. We are caught in a bind, trapped between the amazing, exciting world ahead of us and the very real threat of extinction … Continue reading The Drowned and the Saved
Swarm!
Sabine Hauert is a swarm engineer. She is also a lecturer in robotics at Bristol University and spends a lot of her time designing swarming nanobots for biomed applications. I heard her give a fascinating presentation at Thinking Digital this year, another one to add to the ever growing list of reasons to have gone … Continue reading Swarm!
Young people trapped in small towns
The headline in the Big Issue (issue #1362) said that spiraling rents are forcing young people to stay in small towns instead of moving to cities with better jobs. This follows some research by the Resolution Foundation. The implication is clear, small towns are bad for young people. They do not offer them the range … Continue reading Young people trapped in small towns
Dynamo on the Wear
This was my sixth Dynamo North East conference. There have only been six and so I have a 100% attendance record. All of them have been good, most of them have been great but this one was exceptional. Why? I have been asking myself that very question. Firstly, the venue was great. Sunderland University’s campus … Continue reading Dynamo on the Wear
Implementing technology is easy
The solution to problems may be quite simple. Seeing the results however, may take a lot more effort. In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweiss discovered that if doctors washed their hands before attending women in childbirth it dramatically reduced deaths from puerperal fever. But before his work could have much benefit he had to persuade people - … Continue reading Implementing technology is easy
Forcing creativity
This is a topic I have covered before and is the third to come out of the amazing Thinking Digital 2019. It is something that divides opinion. Can you force creativity? In other words are there circumstances that encourage or even determine people to be creative? One of the speakers, Roger Mavity, the Creative Conjurer, … Continue reading Forcing creativity
A visit to LORCA
The London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement sounds like an exciting place and, sure enough, it is. I have been thinking about it for quite awhile now as part of our efforts to create a cyber cluster in the region. LORCA has developed an almost mythical status in my mind, a magical place which will … Continue reading A visit to LORCA
