Stress at work is a big problem, so I am led to believe. It is a difficult thing to manage however as the causes are manyfold and may not be related to the working environment. It is certainly a contributing factor. I know this, as I have recently completed my ‘Recognising and managing stress in … Continue reading Stressful work
Collaborating now
The demonstration was impressive but then again they always are. Microsoft had done a good job in setting up some mock environments to show their newest technology in action. It all went on in the banqueting suite at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, which seems to be the favourite domain of the big tech … Continue reading Collaborating now
Driving data to the average
Data is such a hot topic now. There are many good examples emerging of where it has been used to improve businesses as well as plenty of examples of when things have gone wrong. I was at a Digital Strategy and Business Intelligence Breakfast Meeting in Newcastle last week and one of the speakers, from … Continue reading Driving data to the average
North East Data Group part 1
Last night I had the pleasure of presenting to the North East Data group at Campus North on what Durham is up to with Open Data. There were twenty or so people in the room and it was interesting how many of them I already knew. It was a story of two halves, with my … Continue reading North East Data Group part 1
We talk about diversity
There is a lot of talk about diversity in the media these days. Only this morning when I put on the telly there was an article on assessing disabled people’s ability to work. The government has promised to overhaul the work capability process and has promised to make it more personal. Their hope is that … Continue reading We talk about diversity
Inspiring value trees
Another day, another value tree workshop. OK, it’s only the second one that I have ever been to yet it seems that I am spending more and more of my time thinking about our Inspire programme and looking at modern ways of working and culture change. I’ve blogged about the value tree approach before and … Continue reading Inspiring value trees
The Limitations of Language
As humans we live in a relatively narrow band. Our dimensions are at a human scale. In relative and universal terms, we don’t travel that far, certainly not up or down, we don’t live very long and we mingle with a small group of associates. Our languages have been developed to describe our world in … Continue reading The Limitations of Language
The rise of artificial intelligence
It looks like artificial intelligence is back on the agenda. Technology has moved on sufficiently to make the breakthrough required a possibility. Interesting. This begs two questions: What is artificial intelligence and; isn’t its development inevitable anyway? I’ve always liked thinking and talking about evolution. It’s a fascinating subject and helps describe why we and … Continue reading The rise of artificial intelligence
Ubuntu
Bees have been in the news a lot. There is widespread panic that they are all going to be wiped out and that we will all die of starvation. It could be a virus or the effect of insecticides that is causing the devastating reduction in numbers of what the BBC euphemistically call pollinating insects. … Continue reading Ubuntu
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 