A few months ago I went to buy some perfume for my wife’s birthday. She had been dropping hints for a couple of weeks and so I thought I was on a safe bet. I set off for the Metro Centre, a shopping mall not far from where I live and went into Debenhams. The … Continue reading Let’s agglomerate
Health and cyber safety
There seems to be a lot of parallels between where we are with cyber awareness and the early days of Health and Safety. I thought this was a unique observation until I raised it at the latest North East Fraud Forum event. The speaker quite rightly pointed out that he had heard such observations before. … Continue reading Health and cyber safety
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
We need Euogle
‘Don’t be evil.’ That’s what Google’s Corporate Code of Conduct used to say until it was amended recently. Apparently it now says ‘Do the right thing.’ Is there a difference? Perhaps. Being evil is a more profound statement which permeates through everything that someone could do. It has an almost religious quality. The new slogan … Continue reading We need Euogle
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
Why passwords are important
Passwords, ain’t you sick of them! They are so inconvenient. You have so many to remember and you are forced to change them at the most inopportune moment. They are getting longer and more sophisticated, with different characters and capital letters in the wrong place. Password1 is no longer enough. We all know that we … Continue reading Why passwords are important
Guerrilla Working and avoiding fraud
I have been getting a fair bit of traction with Guerrilla Working over the last few weeks, even though it is several years since I wrote the book. Perhaps it was a bit ahead of its time or the things I cover in its pages are becoming more relevant. Who knows? My thoughts turned to … Continue reading Guerrilla Working and avoiding fraud
Stem the flow of plastic
Another blood donor session, another pint and another tale to tell. This is my fortieth, pint that is rather than story. I usually get excited about the changes that the NHS Blood and Transplant Service introduce. There seems to be something different every time I go, yet this time this was not the case. After … Continue reading Stem the flow of plastic
The IT group
If your business uses digital technology in anyway then you should have some sort of forum or group that comes together to talk about it. I always recommend this to any business that I work with as it makes such a difference to the understanding and direction that the company is taking. There is a … Continue reading The IT group
Prosumer
These new jargon words pop up from time to time. They interest me in two ways, firstly they are a demonstration of the development of the English language. Purists may complain yet our language is changing all the time, new words popup and new meanings are attached to words that have been around forever. Secondly … Continue reading Prosumer
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 