As previously mentioned, I quit my job. So now I'm no longer working for The Man. Instead, I am working for a man. Specifically: me. I've launched Open Ideas Ltd. It's a bespoke computing consultancy focused on open technologies. Here's a brief run-down of what I offer: Open Source Want to understand open source licencing? Confused about your options? Worried about getting it right? I am…
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I'm getting increasingly annoyed with SQFMI's Watchy. The documentation is terrible, the device is fragile, and now it turns out that the "Real Time Clock" loses several seconds per day! Which means, after a couple of weeks the watch is a couple of minutes fast. Ugh. But, on the other hand, you can reprogram it in C++. So swings and roundabouts... Anyway, this is the code you need to stick…
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This is the final post in my MSc journey. Last month, in an academic congregation at Northumbria University, I was formally awarded a Master of Science Digital and Technology Specialist (Data & Analytics) with Distinction. Look! Actual proof! Thanks to Mike, my Father-in-Law, for ripping that stream. As my research was about "Exploring the visualisation of hierarchical cybersecurity data …
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This is a sickly sweet and somewhat preposterous book - but it is a lot of fun. Fifties feminism and cooking go together like bangers and mash. Chemistry and gender politics are the garnish on top. I loved the way it told the story from multiple points of view - even the pet dog gets in on the act. I've no idea if the science was accurate, but it was delightful to be swept away by something so…
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Computers, eh? Leave them for five minutes and they become obsolete. Leave them for five years and they become legacy infrastructure. How do we deal with a tower of "quick fixes" which are older than Moses? What strategies do we need to stop teams going mad as they try to upgrade a Spitfire into a 747 while in flight? This is Marianne Bellotti's attempt to explain how we get there and - just…
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My mate Greg, without meaning to, makes all other husbands look bad. It's not enough that he is a loving partner, devoted father, and pillar of the community. Oh no. He also has to go and make the most amazing reservations for wedding anniversaries. My wife, Liz, and I were running slightly late for our meeting with Greg and his delightful wife Jamie. We hadn't seen them for... oooh... About a…
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I hate being introspective. But I'm told it's good for me. A few months ago, I handed in my notice to Cabinet Office. And now I'm no longer a Civil Servant. It's hard to sum up those 2,462 days. Every day brought new challenges. I saw my work presented to the highest offices in the land, discussed on the nightly news, cancelled due to General Elections, and implemented across the nation. I…
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I really like this article from Rohan D "Every Phone Should Be Able to Run Personal Website". In it, they make the convincing case that phones are perfectly capable of hosting websites and - if we want more people to escape the walled-gardens - this could be a good way to get people back into self-hosting. I loved hosting a small site on my Nokia N95 back in the day, and I'd be overjoyed if…
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Perhaps this was obvious to you, but it wasn't to me. So I'm sharing in the hope that you don't spend an evening trying to trick your webserver into doing something stupid. For years, HTTP content has been served with gzip compression (gz). It's basically the same sort of compression algorithm you get in a .zip file. It's pretty good! But there's a new(er) compression algorithm called Brotli…
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My doctor told me that sitting at a desk all day was slowly killing me. So I purchased a standing desk adapter. Then my doctor said I ought to take better care of my feet. So I purchased a massaging foot mat to go with my standing desk. Now my doctor says that I need to do more exercise rather than standing still all day. So I purchased a standing desk treadmill. I suspect my doctor might work …
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I was speaking to the absolute epitome of a pub bore. Flapping his jaws about how the problem with the NHS was too many admin staff doing absolutely nothing. "Quite right!" I said, feverishly agreeing with his red-faced ranting, "Nurses should spend less time helping patients and more time ordering bandages!" He paused, slightly, as the gears in his brain started grinding. "Well, no, not like…
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We recently upgraded our home solar storage to 4.8kWh. The battery has sensors to detect how much solar power we're generating, and how much electricity we're buying from (or selling to) the grid. That means... GRAPHS AND STATISTICS! Our battery was commissioned just after midday. This graph shows: 1630 - it was fully charged. 2000 - the sun had set and the battery started discharging into…
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