This week I have learned: the Czech word Škoda means "damage" Germans refer to quotation marks as "Geese Feet"... ... at the @ sign as "spider monkey". I still have cognitive dissonance with the idea of a posh hotel in Watford. I mean, we used to have one called the Spider's Web... The cards get … Continue reading Weeknote 455: card play
This week I have learned: the sad news that the CIO100 judge and generally lovely chap who knew so much about the tech industry Richard Sykes has passed away. It was a privilege to know him and work with him. academia is still as hatstand as ever. you need a licence to mudlark, but there's … Continue reading Weeknote 454: pivot?
I was a part of a fascinating thread of conversation on Twitter last night about the challenges of delivering technology within organisations, particularly those with legacy and those that are big and/or organisationally complex. https://twitter.com/thommeread/status/1178614943895228416 Tom is in charge of the technology at the Ministry of Justice, and so has legacy, size and complexity in … Continue reading “The Basics”
At the weekend I heard the terrible news that my friend and former Imagination colleague Simon King had passed away, quite suddenly, a few days before. I've had two really great bosses in my working life. Simon was one of them. The support, space, assistance and occasional kick up the arse that he provided in … Continue reading Weeknote 453: Simon
A couple of weeks ago I did a bit of an experiment at the 2019 Tech Leaders Summit. Here's the transcript... Matt Ballantine When I was asked by the organisers to convene a panel on the subjects of innovation, there were a couple of things that were going through my mind first, This was … Continue reading Diversity & Innovation
This week I have learned: when you are asked to half your price, the correct response should be "Would you ask that in Tescos?" (Not to be confused with asking "Would Tescos do that?" to which the answer is probably inevitably "Yes". This week I managed to pioneer rapid product prototyping through the medium of … Continue reading Weeknote 452: top two
The technology that surrounds us is but a logical and physical manifestation of the underlying social organisations in which we work and live. To complete many relatively simple tasks we need to draw on services provided, albeit digitally, from multiple providers. Aggregation services are popular because they provide some sort of integration layer above the … Continue reading The Internet of Siloed Things
This week I have learned: Have faith in the good ideas My network is my greatest asset and I'm so pleased I know them all There are some critical cultural problems at the core of the open source movement Maybe it's time to get together with an artist It's always a pleasure to get calls … Continue reading Weeknote 451: panel beating
https://twitter.com/ballantine70/status/1171378948325793793 It's funny the things that pick up on Twitter. I can't even remember what it was that spurred the above tweet, but it certainly has sparked interest. What was in my head? Well, first of all, that I really worry about when metaphors are used that I think confuse rather than help. A roadmap … Continue reading What do we want? Technology roadmaps! When do we want them? Now!
We are a mixed-platform household. We have Windows PCs and an iPad, Android Phones and tablets, and a family Chromebook. To manage the devices the kids use, however, I've focused down on ChromeOS and Android and use the Google Family Link service that enables us to keep an eye on the amount of time the … Continue reading Unintended consequences
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