So there we are. 51 albums. 51 calendar years. And my 50th birthday on Saturday. It wasn't the year that any of us were expecting. And as a result of the minor inconvenience of a global pandemic, my options for a venue for celebrating my 50th are somewhat limited. So it's going to happen on … Continue reading 51 for 50 – The Final Countdown
This week I have learned: the board have approved the plan for the next few years.an amazing bread recipe.that I'm a member of the CIO 100.that a group of independent people to act as a sounding board is a very good idea.that I love the #GlobalCanteen.that I've got a lot of tweets to schedule this … Continue reading Weeknote 511 – Seeking approval
2050 seems like a long way off. It will be the year I celebrate my 80th birthday if I'm lucky enough to make it that far. Thirty years is a generation and a bit. 2050 is still a year that invokes images of sleek spacesuits and sentient computers, even though 2001 was nearly two decades … Continue reading Multidiscipline
And so we reach the end of this project, album 51 in a series of 51 albums that chart the 51 calendar years that I've been around on the planet. As I set out at the beginning (my game, my rulz), this isn't necessarily the 51 best albums in my lifetime. There are masses of … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2020
This week I have learned: How to use the Polyrhythm function on my drum machineThat the pauses between words are as important as the words themselves (awesome interview coming up on WB40podcast.com week after next with Liz Stokoe... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOG5PK8xDA)Meet people before the big meeting190 people in a training event? No worries.That we've have the first … Continue reading Weeknote 510: Polyrhythms
This week I have learned: That I really can't remember quiet enough about the American constitution and electoral system, but it is 32 years since I studied it at A Level.Thirty two years.This lockdown isn't going to have any of the novelty factor.We need to think less about technology as housebuilding and more about technology … Continue reading Weeknote 509: locked down too
A sound system from Glasgow. A singer from Bristol. An opening track that's a cover of a cover. Dancehall. Reggae. Drum and bass.What's not to like? More Fyah is a wonderful little album. And the penultimate one in this collection... https://open.spotify.com/album/4gEwOC20SzNUWXTP7gs8Vx You can see the #51for50 project to date here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/51-for-50/
I've been struggling a bit recently with the names of things. Not in a getting old, way - well, no more than is usual. But more in the sense of what terms we use to describe things. Words, very specifically like "Digital Transformation". In fact, those two words. I hate them. Digital doesn't mean anything … Continue reading Plant-like
This week I have learned: I'm so lucky to know so many great Pele who I can invite onto WB-40.I've spent the last three months writing papers rather than thinking about the future. The price of governance.It's time to start making processes in anger.We need to get our heads around this as the new normal. … Continue reading Weeknote 508: a sense of completion
Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe's 2018 album, is an incredible work. Black Rights, Feminism, Coming out. But also science fiction dystopia where we become but computers. The tribute to Prince in the form of Make Me Feel. The feature(ish) length video. I've listened to this album so many times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdH2Sy-BlNE https://open.spotify.com/album/2PjlaxlMunGOUvcRzlTbtE?si=7HKhcIT4SIevSinFku8Ciw You can see the #51for50 … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2018
mmitII 