It ain't coming back Scientists have warned that wildlife is in catastrophic decline, with populations falling by two thirds in the last fifty years. We are in the sixth period of mass extinction that the earth has witnessed but the blame for this one can be placed firmly at humanity’s door. It won’t be long … Continue reading Mass extinction period
Not just Covid-19
It is without doubt ironic that whilst the world is preoccupied with virus Covid-19 another kind of virus may be lurking in the wings ready to swoop. Of course I am talking about a computer virus or cybersecurity in general. You see, these are the times that cyber criminals like best, they work on the … Continue reading Not just Covid-19
Parasites
Mother Earth is a sentient creature. Who are we to understand what she thinks? Her timescales are vast, a thousand years are the blink of an eye and the life of a man is a mere tick of the clock. Her thoughts are beyond us, celestial, universal, beyond limits. We, on the other hand are … Continue reading Parasites
Noise cancelling
When you see someone wearing headphones and tapping away at a laptop it means that they don’t want to be disturbed. The wearers are trying to ignore the world and grab a bit of peace. Not everyone recognises the signs however and insist on trying to engage the person in conversation. If you are one … Continue reading Noise cancelling
My involvement in NWG’s Innovation festival
I went to Northumbrian Water’s first Innovation Festival a couple of years ago. It was just after I had left Durham and started my new business and must admit that I felt a bit out of my depth, drowning perhaps. There were hundreds of people there working on a range of different themes and in … Continue reading My involvement in NWG’s Innovation festival
The Drowned and the Saved
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!
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
Thinking Digital is good for the soul
This is my second blog from this year’s Thinking Digital conference. It is the must attend event in the region for me, not wishing to denigrate any others . I think I have been coming for about ten years and have got to know @herbkim, the driving force behind the event, quite well. It is … Continue reading Thinking Digital is good for the soul
Life’s a Breeze
There is something about a visit to Breeze Creatives that always gets me excited. It's hard to put my finger on it but I think its to do with the creative energy that runs through the place. They have an interesting business model, taking short term leases on buildings that are due for demolition or … Continue reading Life’s a Breeze
