Listening to a talk about generative "AI" last night, it dawned on me that there is a lot of conversation at the moment that appears to be conflating two very distinct issues, namely, the potential near emergence of "Artificial General Intelligence" and an apocalyptic scenario where we see humans losing control to machines. The former … Continue reading Out of control
"It's just semantics" of a phrase that ironically has more than one meaning. There's the face value version, and then there's the way in which it is used to dismiss what is regarded as trivial and unimportant, often by those who get bored by detail. The thing is, it is "just" semantics that too often … Continue reading Pick up a penguin
Metaphors are powerful things. They are core to how we make sense of the world. Good metaphors are a great way to get ideas to transmit. Bad metaphors get in the way of understanding. In the last few months I've been thinking about the metaphor of "technical debt" and wondering increasingly if it is much … Continue reading Technical Credit Card
This week I have learned: bringing people together is wonderful. We've had a couple of days at a CenterParcs with 200 colleagues brought together from across the planet. It's been great to catch up with people who I've got to know over the last year since starting at Equal Experts, and to meet many more … Continue reading Weeknote 632: conferencing
Today's coffee companion is a technologist with impeccable podcast taste. We talked about: the coming AI armageddon how this wave of technology might be different to all the others that technology is changing things all of a sudden that technology change actually takes a long time that lots of jobs will be lost to AI … Continue reading 65th of 100
This week I have learned: a new freedom as I begin my adventures with e-biking to work. I live about 14 miles away from the office, and there are a couple of really quite big hills on the way. Normal biking would leave me a sweaty mess at arrival, whereas I can do the journey … Continue reading Weeknote 631: ebike
Today's second coffee companion is a project and programme manager. We talked about: the strange reticence to change that emerges in organisations how family businesses are a bit weird but not as weird as PE-backed former family businesses the power of the Startup Priorities cards (a new digital edition coming soon) how the world financial … Continue reading 64th of 100
Today's first coffee companion is a counsellor specialising in helping prevent burnout. We talked about: our respective careers working without purpose making significant career changes his counselling proposition how burnout is something that our work culture makes difficult to self-identify (if work isn't hurting, somehow you're not working hard enough) how when you have burnt … Continue reading 63rd of 100
Today's guest is a startup founder. We talked about: the delights of e-bikes and my first commute into the office the startup that he's started up raising awareness of carbon impact amongst school-aged children the skills gaps in the decarbonization sector gamification, and whether it's getting to a point where it's so common is it … Continue reading 62nd of 100
This week I have learned: going out and talking about the PlayCards is hard work. Here's a thing that I have made, into which I have ploughed a lot of thought and energy over the years. Putting it in front of people makes me feel incredibly vulnerable. The conversations are good, but I can't help … Continue reading Weeknote 630: revision
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