There are a couple of proper full-on legends in music that I’ve seen live. One was Leonard Bernstein, who I saw conduct at a BBC Prom in the late 1980s at the Royal Albert Hall. The other, twice, was trumpeter Miles Davis. He was a brooding presence on stage, the centre of attention in sparkly … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 1986
This week I have learned: The world really has gone a little bit hatstandRugby is a very odd gameCOVID might provide the most remarkable catalyst to drive more remote and flexible workingBut making sure the haters don't hate is going to be the keyCatching up with my LEF chums is always brain-stretching (in a good … Continue reading Weeknote 475: COVID
In the summer of (I think) 1987 I went up to Yorkshire to spend a week on a thing called Musicamp. Organised by a music teacher and brass player called Mortimer Rhind-Tutt (I’m assuming some sort of relation of the actor Julian), a bunch of kids from the Watford and Maidenhead areas got together to … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 1985
This week I have learned: Start the week with a bit of random artistic endeavourThat Housing Technology appears to be in a -15 year timewarpThat a Prius catalytic converter is both resell-able and extremely steal-ableThe Meeting Owl is rather goodMicroservices are the new snake oilI've got a cold. No, it's really just a coldThree-way on … Continue reading Weeknote 474: housing technology
In 1984 a Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument would have set you back about as much as a house. The Australian-built sampler was the stuff of legend, dreams and Trevor Horn. In the hands of the Art of Noise, it could turn out pop hits like Close (To The Edit) and Moments in Love, but some … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 1984
It's difficult to make sense of the current wave of panic that is sweeping over the nation as concerns about the Coronavirus strike at the heart of all sorts of things, even if COVID19 itself is curiously absent. Get mildly freaked out and carry on appears to be the order of the day. As businesses … Continue reading The homeworking pandemic
Last week I had the pleasure of catching up with a former colleague G. He and I, some twenty one years ago, were involved in a project that delivered the very first Data Warehouse into the BBC. It was a project that had oversight from John Birt, the then Director General, and a manager with … Continue reading A decade of bad IT?
This week I have learned: sometimes if you go back to old tools and techniques then you can unlock whatever it is you are banging your head againsta problem shared (etc)there's an interesting argument that I must write up that the advent of cloud has led to a decade of crap ITmaybe I need a … Continue reading Weeknote 473: boards
I’m not sure if you could love Billy Bragg’s work without being somehow aligned to his politics. But his love songs are a triumph too, often overlooked. For me, Peak Billy is probably his wonderful Worker’s Playtime, but as we will see that came out in a time that was packed with music in my … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 1983
This week I have learned: That just mooching about with the kids whilst getting paid during half term has actually been an odd experience. Six years of free range hustling has changed how I think about my time, but I'm not sure for the better.That is perfectly reasonable to take a troupe of 20 cardboard … Continue reading Weeknote 472: half term
