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The civic bench
During a recent walk, I discovered a simple, handmade bench in a secluded spot, offering much-needed rest. This gesture, created by an unknown individual, highlights the importance of civic acts devoid of transactional value. We need more of this.
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AI and work
Back in the 1990’s (I think), there was a TV series on the BBC in which a successful business man would be shipped into failing businesses. He would examine what was going wrong and make suggestions. In an episode I’ll never forget, a production line of people were making soft toys. It was work of a repetitive nature. There was no variation in what the staff did, day in, day out. He asked all the staff for suggestions, and with their help the company implemented them. A year later the TV show went back. The business was still failing, but…
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Working from a small bag
Over the last few years, my set of requirements for work has become smaller and smaller. This is now what I need to function as a podcaster (which is what I do): That’s it. I can get it all in a tiny backpack. Who would have imagined just a few years ago that remote / distributed work would become possible for so many? The shrinking of all-the-tech. The improvements in batteries. The widespread coverage of much of the globe with WiFi / cellular networks. The online-first approach to software. There are days when you realise just how utterly fantastic all…
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In relation to animals
The subtle, yet profound, impact animals have on my life, and how they enrich my daily existence.
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Being certain
I’ve come to the conclusion that in almost every case, certainty is misplaced, unhelpful and sometimes downright harmful. I hate to break it to you, but almost every-single-thing that you hold as immutable truth is either wrong, subject to change or something that you’ve misunderstood.
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We are all addicted to our devices
This is going to be nothing new to you, because you already know that it’s true. You know it’s true for you, and almost every person you know. I consider myself lucky to have been born into a world in which there was no mobile technology. No portable computing devices of any kind. Computers back when I was a child were bulky, did almost nothing exciting, and had to be plugged directly into a wall. As a child, very little in the way of excitement came via something which consumed electricity. The TV was about the only thing, but in…
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I love sound, not just music
This might sound (!) strange, but I love music and sounds equally. My favourite sound is without a doubt that of flowing water. Not the heavy crash of a waterfall after rain, rather the sound of a slow moving river or stream moving over rocks. There is no way to explain this, it’s been with me since I can first remember, but it’s profound. That sound can transform my mood. Take me from ‘low’ to ‘normal’, from ‘normal’ to ‘ecstatic’. Just the sound, no visuals required. It shifts the gears of my temperament. It’s anchored somewhere deep inside. There are…
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AAAT – All the AI, All the Time
Imagine being a carpenter in the age of plastic. A user of stone age tool when metal came about. Trying to advocate for the wider use of horses when the train was invented. During my lifetime, I don’t remember anything replacing anything else. I will use AI. I will worry about AI. I will watch it grow, embed, concern us and amaze us. But I will need help with it, to understand it, to figure out when I want it and when I’ll spurn it. AI is everywhere, it’s AAAT – All the AI, All the Time.
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Christmas gets earlier each year
When I was a child, back in the 1970s, Christmas was a thing that happened in December, and most frequently in late December. Fast forward to now, the year 2025, and we’ve allowed Christmas to slowly but surely push further back into the year.
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We need more silliness on the web
When the internet began, nobody had the faintest idea what it was going to become. Nobody knew that we were going to be deluged by images of cats, that all the music from across the globe would be available in a heartbeat. Nobody knew that it would change politics, cause connection and isolation. Nobody knew what the internet would become. Looking back, one thing that saddens me somewhat is how the internet has become less silly. There’s far less silliness out there. It’s been replaced by so-much-seriousness. It’s become a serious place first and foremost. We’re doing banking online, file…
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Consider me ‘concerned about AI’
So, it’s the year 2025, and we’re all falling headlong over ourselves to implement as much AI into our lives as we can. I’m not too sure that this is a good thing. Given that we really don’t know what’s going on with the processes AI uses to arrive at answers, I think we ought to let humans make the decisions.