One thing: Ski jumping is a truly bizarre sport. Fling yourself down a big ramp to take off into thin air with only a vast mountain to break your fall. What's always stumped me is how one would work one's way up to the first jump. It's not like swimming where you can wear arm … Continue reading The ski-jump thing
Category: Other Stuff
Many years ago, when the Chairman of the company I worked for at the time needed convincing that it would be OK to shift our email services out into the Cloud with Google I used this argument: "We trust our most important asset to the Clouds run by the banks, right? There's no cash being stuffed … Continue reading Trusting Clouds
As previously announced last year, with a bunch of fellow free-range freelance professionals, we are coming together to form a community to help each other, share experiences, and generally see how we might make each others' professional lives a bit more enjoyable and effective. There is already a LinkedIn group up and running and on Thursday February … Continue reading Free Range Gathering
It's time for the annual report into what was popular of the stuff wot I wrote. In reverse order... 20. The transparent consumer Earlier in the year I needed to get a new home telephone and broadband contract. So I took to Twitter to find one. The results were unsurprisingly predictable until they became unpredictably surprising. … Continue reading 2015 – another year of blogging
Think about the things that you truly value in your life. Your family, your friends. Your experiences. The things that make you feel alive. How many of those things do you quantify? My hunch is that the answer is probably none of them, for most people. Why, then, in our organisations and institutions have we … Continue reading The value of anything
I've been blogging in one form or another for about eight years now, and in earnest for about six. Still a newbie in comparison to some, an old hand to others. I've undoubtedly gained work through my writing, both directly and indirectly. But that's not why I do it - it's a side outcome, not … Continue reading Emotional connections
Today marks the 102nd birthday of my late grandfather Robert Ballantine. It also marks the end of the second year of the Stamp experiment, to a lesser or greater extent a project inspired by Granddad. At this time last year I think I was putting a brave face on things. Many, many positive conversations. Much hope. Very … Continue reading Bertie Day 2015
Every year I have the same painful set of conversations. Who should I use for my home phone and broadband supply, and how the hell do I work out what it is that they might charge me. So this year, something new. I keep hearing that brands want to have conversations with customers over social … Continue reading Transparent consumerism
At the end of last week I was asked by a contact to make some suggestions for potential keynote speakers for an event being organised later this year. I had a think, and a couple of names came to mind. And then a few more. And then one that was probably well out of their … Continue reading Stark awareness
At this moment in time, I don't own a suit. The era of attending weddings has passed, second marriages in my circle of friends seem to be lower-key affairs, and I've not quite reached the age when people are popping off. Weddings, christenings, funerals... It's not something I think about a huge amount. I generally … Continue reading Suited and booted
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