It is a long time since I have been to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. So long in fact that I ended up at the Cricket Ground. Fortunately they are only a short walk away. The last time was when I went to see Newcastle United get beaten two nil but that could have … Continue reading Tight security
Hard cyber
I’m not sure if cyber is a word that is used much outside the pages of a William Gibson novel or the Cyber security industry itself. It may not be many people’s vernacular yet it is a word that has come to dominate a lot of my time, both as an employ of the local … Continue reading Hard cyber
Six degrees of database separation
According to Frigyes Karinthy, everyone in the world is separated from everyone else by six degrees of separation. You know some people and they now some other people and they know some others etc. until eventually everyone knows everyone. In my peregrinations of late I am becoming more convinced that this is true, People I … Continue reading Six degrees of database separation
I don’t agree with you
Twice today I have been told that someone doesn’t agree with me. For a fraction of a second I was hurt and in a way I probably still am. I am blogging about it after all. Yet the more I think about it the less concerned I become. Everyone deep down believes that what … Continue reading I don’t agree with you
Guest lecturing
Guest lecturing is a first for me. It is something that I have been thinking about for some time yet the opportunities don’t always arise. I thought it was a way of giving back to society by helping more students to think about digital as a career. It is funny how these things work out. … Continue reading Guest lecturing
A0
I've been trying to get our ICT strategy onto a page. A single page. It is proving to be quite difficult because of all the complexity and the enormous list of things we get involved in. I've tried words and I've tried pictures. I would really like it to be like an infographic, all modern … Continue reading A0
Another bad habit
Of the twenty bad habits that senior managers have, according to Marshal Goldsmith, twenty things that they do that hold them back, I have fessed up to three of them. I have re-evaluated that up to four. They are listed in his excellent book ‘What got you here won't get you there.’ I have already … Continue reading Another bad habit
Cumulating
The cloud will be the saviour of all mankind if you believe the hype. It will feed the hungry, liberate the poor and satiate our warring bloodlust. The world will be a better place thanks to the cloud. But how can a simple hosting arrangement, the rewriting of software or a transfer of revenue make … Continue reading Cumulating
That’s floor 5 done
Finally, I now know where our bat database is kept. Not the actual database, that is in the data centre (the bat cave?) but rather the place where it is used. Where else but in the belfry at County Hall? Okay, we don't actually have a belfry but it is right up near the roof … Continue reading That’s floor 5 done
Creating a joint vision
I've talked about this before in my blog. We have been running some joint management sessions with the ICT Leadership team and that of one of the services. Not that we haven't met before, both teams know each other on a one to one basis but we haven't always met as a collective. Using this … Continue reading Creating a joint vision
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 