Things I have learned this week: - asking undergraduates to do a two hour workshop on a Friday afternoon is, well, expecting a lot - but the session at ACM this afternoon was still great fun - getting up and running with a new client can be time consuming, but it's incredibly rewarding... - ... … Continue reading Weeknote 247: ABC
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
I saw a wonderful documentary last night about the conjuror and professional sceptic James Randi. After the first part of a career spent emulating and improving upon the work of Harry Houdini, Randi since the 70s has put much of his efforts into debunking fraudster faith healers and spiritualists (including waging a war on spoonbender … Continue reading Blind Faith
Five years ago I did a bit of a photography project. Five years later and it's time for a reprise of the #summerlookup... Keep an eye out for it here.
Things I have learned this week: - working with a new audience in a new industry should never be underestimated - being "back to back" is as exhilarating as it is unproductive - there are potential clients that I just really would like to work with because it would be real good fun Next week: … Continue reading Weeknote 246: back again (new and improved)
As I get older, I get increasingly to a functionalist position on the world around me. That the social structures and constructs that we see around us are there through a process of evolution and serve some sort of positive benefit because otherwise they would have fallen foul of natural selection. Sometimes this can seem … Continue reading Social evolution
I'm just back from a family trip to the remarkable Italian city of Venice. Former city state and global power, the web of islands and canals is now a powerful magnet for tourism. It's nearly fifteen years since I last visited. In many ways the city remains unchanged. The water taxis are still eye-wateringly expensive. … Continue reading Selfie Stick
My mobile phone is increasingly the most powerful data aggregation service in my life. It knows everything from my whereabouts to my where I should be abouts; it processes information about the world around me in audio and video; it pulls together my communications and my social networks; it gives me access to my business, my … Continue reading Hobson’s Choice
This week I have learned: - the power of a good game - how explaining to others is the best way to understand something yourself - and how helpful the exercise of data modelling can be to understand broader challenges Next week: Venezia
You have just been informed that aliens are coming. They will take over the Earth in 60 minutes. You are the only person on the planet who knows this information. You must tell the Prime Minister. But you must tell them in a way that means that they actually take some action. What do you … Continue reading The aliens are coming!
