When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised, the Lord doesn't work that way. So I just stole one and asked Him to forgive me Emo Philips Perhaps, in the context of technology, you've heard the phrase "Better to seek forgiveness than beg for permission"?…
Continue reading →Thinking of uses for BlockChains
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Kevin Kelly has written an insightful blog post about Class 1 / Class 2 Problems. I encourage you to read it. I agree with the thesis, but not the specific conclusion. Blockchain tech could unleash collaborations of several million members working on one project in real time, or orgs that are far more leaderless than…
Continue reading →Book Review: Glass Coffin by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch (Darkwood Book 3)
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The tyrannous Huntsmen have declared everyone in one village to be outlaws, since they insist on supporting the magical beings of neighbouring Darkwood. Why won’t they accept that magic is an abomination? Far from being abominable, the residents of Darkwood are actually very nice when you get to know them, even Snow the White Knight,…
Continue reading →Open UK at COP26
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I spent last Thursday at COP26 - as part of the Open UK delegation. It was an amazing day - which filled me with hope. As it was my first large in-person event since the Before-Times, I was extremely nervous about how it would go. Thanks to the Herculean efforts of Amanda Brock, May Cheung…
Continue reading →Smart Quotes and Coding Examples
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Every so often, I copy and paste some code from a website and it utterly fails. This is probably a good reminder not to practise ✂️ & 📋 development, but it is also a reminder that "smart" formatting often trips up new students. Here are a few examples I've seen recently - produced as a…
Continue reading →No one knows what's coming next
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The book Antifragile is pretty bad. Like most popular management books, it's a single useful idea padded out with anecdotes. Some organisations are overly reliant on the status quo. If a single thing changes, it can be catastrophic. For example, a sudden shortage of HGV drivers causes their entire supply chain to collapse and they…
Continue reading →Gadget Review: Avigator 455W Projector. 1080p & WiFi for £150!
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The good folks at ASAKUKI have sent me one of their fancy WiFi Projectors to review. Straight out of the gate, it's important to set expectations. This is a ~£150 projector. You aren't going to get the same fidelity as a £1,000 laser projector with quantum nano pixel marketing gibberish. Instead, you get a native…
Continue reading →Book Review: Seeing Like A State - James C. Scott
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In this wide-ranging and original book, James C. Scott analyses failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not—and cannot—be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon…
Continue reading →ProctorU is dystopian spyware
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As part of my MSc, I have to take an online exam. Obviously, this means I am highly likely to cheat by looking up things on Wikipedia or by having a bit of paper with notes on it. EVIL! So, the exam body requires me to install ProctorU. It's a service which lets someone watch…
Continue reading →MSc Assignment 3 - Business and Technology
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I'm doing an apprenticeship MSc in Digital Technology. In the spirit of openness, I'm blogging my research and my assignments. This is my paper from the Business and Technology module. You can read my Digital Leadership paper and my Data Analytics Paper. I really didn't enjoy this module. Although well taught, it was a business…
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