Category: Weeknotes

This week I have learned: how closing things down can take some time and effort. It's easy to forget this. that my children's school think setting annual smart objectives is a sensible idea. It's ludicrous that the flawed concept of performance management has leaked into education. A conversation with a teacher about my eldest's high … Continue reading Weeknote 611: that time of year again

This week I have learned: not to underestimate the "mourning" stage of Tuckman's model. Bringing a team together, helping to allow it to form and norm, and then seeing it blossom is great. But especially in the consulting world you then need to say goodbye, often sooner than might have been expected. that it still … Continue reading Weeknote 610: tourism starts at home

This week I have learned: the fun of a new platform. Whilst I'm not bailing yet, it's been a joy to explore Mastodon as initially a Twitter lifeboat, but actually as just a new community. Like visiting a new pub, basically. the inevitability of birthday disappointment. My 50th was marred by the lockdown, and it … Continue reading Weeknote 609: learning

This week I have learned: that we now have a teenager in the house. How quickly time flies... I remember when he would spend the evenings puking up all over the place, and I am expecting that that might become a thing again in the next few years... that I'm really fortunate to know so … Continue reading Weeknote 608: teen

This week I have learned: although I have experienced migraines since my mid-childhood, they still have the ability to shut me down entirely. We don't really know what causes them (for me it's usually a trigger of tiredness), there's no real cure, and remedies can be a bit hit-and-miss. the best hacks are the simplest … Continue reading Weeknote 607: blinded by the lights

This week I have learned: certain Tory peers can only be described in the sort of language that Channel 4 news presenters use off-air. that you can get involved in open source even if you don't code. I had a fascinating day at the OpenUK Thought Leadership event on Monday, which is my stand-out memory. … Continue reading Weeknote 606: Drumatix

This week I have learned: the Boston Robotics dog is a sinister thing. I got the opportunity to be face to robot grab arm with one at the Dorset Festival of the Future event. Whilst it's "just" a remote control device, the movement (which is more horse-like than dog-like) is proper "uncanny valley" stuff. the … Continue reading Weeknote 605: pareidolia

This week I have learned: I've been obsessing about metaphors about teams like flight crews, film crews and international football teams. I've then also extended the metaphor to talk about roles mismatching, tribalism and the psychology of the narcissism of small differences, topped with the mention of a small tea shop in the Cotswolds. Ultimately … Continue reading Weeknote 603: Fake coffee

This week I have learned: it wasn't really until the coffin switched to the hearse that it started to mean something to me. Then I could relate. To the death of my Grandad, of my Gran, of my aunt. the pent-up tsunami of politics that was coming after the events of Monday was both expected … Continue reading Weeknote 602: fountains

This week I have learned: the importance of nomenclature. Look, what you call things really matters. Particularly if you call different things by the same term, or use terms that mean something different to different people. whilst techniques in technology projects might be transferable across contexts, sometimes you need people with domain expertise. That might … Continue reading Weeknote 601: gathering