I am at that time of life now where I can look back and reflect on all I have achieved, or not. Don’t get me wrong, I have had a good life. I have been to many places, achieved many things and in many ways I have lived a charmed life. It is easy in … Continue reading I owe it all to…
Mobile phones in schools?
For a brief flurry, a story on the BBC website lit up my Twitter feed. It was about children using mobile phones at school and hooked us in with the headline ‘Half of parents want mobile phones banned in schools'. You can read the article here. Of course, half don’t and so once again another … Continue reading Mobile phones in schools?
A storm in a measuring cup
In all my years on Twitter, I have never been involved in such a storm. Yes, I have had spats over politics, who hasn’t? Most of the time these have been short yet intense, usually resulting in people getting abusive and giving up. I try never to be abusive or rude on Twitter. In my … Continue reading A storm in a measuring cup
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
It’s all about governance
I have always found presenting to school students daunting and so the prospect of a whole afternoon in front of twenty pupils at Newcastle’s University Technical College, North East Futures, left me with mixed feelings. My trepidation wasn’t helped by the fact that the afternoon was to be spent talking about governance, data protection and … Continue reading It’s all about governance
Rip up the textbooks on private schools
I occasionally buy a copy of ‘The Big Issue’. Homelessness is a serious issue and I would like to support the work that they are doing but they compete on the high street with so many other worthy causes. I feel guilty every time I pass someone rattling a tin, shaking a bucket, sitting at … Continue reading Rip up the textbooks on private schools
Entrepreneurial opportunities
I’ve given a few lectures to students now. It is nice to be asked and I am always keen to oblige yet they can be a difficult audience, especially early in the morning. My latest attempt to enthuse the next generation was at Northumbria University where I gave a talk on ‘Entrepreneurial opportunities in the … Continue reading Entrepreneurial opportunities
University Technical College
When I was asked if I would give a careers talk at the recently opened North East Futures UTC, I said yes. I’m always happy to help in whatever way I can to bring young people into the North East’s technology sector and also like to get involved in new things that challenge me. The … Continue reading University Technical College
Of the clock
The clocks have gone back. My stomach says it’s lunchtime yet the timer on the oven tells me there is still an hour to go. I've lost an hour or gained an hour. I can't work it out but know it's lighter in the morning and darker earlier in the afternoon. The whole daylight saving … Continue reading Of the clock
The need for ethics
We live in two realities, the things that exist in our physical world and the things that happen in our minds. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. When I look out of my window I see trees moving in the breeze and red rooftops with the odd pigeon or two. Cars pass by … Continue reading The need for ethics
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 