Life during the time of the pandemic has seen many firsts for me, some of which I have covered previously in this blog. My first online conference is yet another. I’ve been to, if that’s the right expression as I never really went anywhere, many webinars and online meetings but a conference is something else. … Continue reading Come on, Hopin
Vanishing briefs
Excuse me but I wrote this a few weeks back. I can’t begin to imagine how busy the Prime Minister is. It must be a full on twenty four hour a day job and of late you can see the strain on his face as he tries to grapple with global events. it would seem … Continue reading Vanishing briefs
This application is rubbish
If there is one thing I have found out about software it is that all applications are rubbish when you know nothing about them. Companies buy software tools in the hope that they will sort out their business processes yet don’t put the effort in to really understand how they work. Huge swathes of useful … Continue reading This application is rubbish
Beware of anonymisation
I have such a large back catalogue of blogs pieces now that it is almost certain that some of my predictions and comments come true. Despite this I still get the mild glow of self satisfaction when it happens and so it was when I was reading the Telegraph (you need to read some earlier … Continue reading Beware of anonymisation
The average reading age is…?
The average reading age of the UK is 11. That’s what the speaker told us at the last Socitm meeting I attended. It struck me as an interesting statistic and possibly a damning indictment of our education system. Of course it may not be true and I felt I needed to explore it a bit … Continue reading The average reading age is…?
Defining a problem
Understanding the tech industry in the region is a new challenge for me. For various reasons, including out of personal interest, I have been grappling with this as a problem over the last few months. You would think that information about businesses, markets and turnover would be readily available. Perhaps it is but so far … Continue reading Defining a problem
Opening data
I think I’m finally beginning to win the argument over open data. It has been a long haul and there are many sceptics. They are quite right to be so, as it’s very hard to prove the benefits of opening up data for all to see. Some projects have done it very well and are … Continue reading Opening data
Judging the competition
You would think that judging a competition is easy, well let me tell you that you would be wrong. When I was asked to chair the panel for this year’s Dynamites 16, the North East Technology Awards event, I thought that it would be a piece of cake. I mean how hard can it be? … Continue reading Judging the competition
Creative and artistic work
I have come to admire artists, those who can see things that others can’t, those who can create beauty from oil on canvas, clay or marble and those who can challenge our perceptions and help us to see life in a different way. I don’t know much about the art world however, yet I finally … Continue reading Creative and artistic work
Our precarious positon
I was woken this morning by the flash of lightning and the long low rumbling of thunder. It was quite a storm, a tempest perhaps but it was dark outside so I rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. It was no good however. The storm was too big and too long. I … Continue reading Our precarious positon
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 