Category: life

this post from Michael Heileman captures one of the underlying themes here. It is a hivemind, with multiple shared comms routes

Paula Le Dieu is talking about Science Commons, a new area from the people behind the Creative Commmons licences. This is starting to look at getting scientific data out in the open. Using the example of p53, a gene theat is associated with cancer and other diseases. But cancer research and cures is lucrative to […]

Here at my first conference, I can see why having a lineup at microphones so annoys people. The enrgy in the speakinbg sessions is down and interaction is constrained – how many people want to get up and line up at a mike. In the open sessions, conversations and questions flow a lot more.

Ben Cerverny is now up talking about designing for play. Here’s my interpretation of what he is saying. In many species, play is being used to drive the ‘grammar’ of interactions, to set boundaries for interactions, put some order around the chaos that is out there. We use play to make sense of the world […]

Thought about putting wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen as a title but as it’s so much of a cliche that it’s even the theme of the official welcome notice at the airport, I decided not to. I finally got here after a slightly delayed flight to find a city that really reminds me of Amsterdam, enough so […]

IS the BBC getting lazy? Yesterday a TV report in to bullying by mobile by children was accompanied by footage of children texting on phones that are so out of date that the children have probably left school by now. Today we get a story about an extradition of a man for alledgedly hacking into […]

Note 1: next time you leave the office in a hurry, check you have your house keys. Note 2: Notice this fact before you’ve reached the house and have to take the cab back into town

A quietish weekend. Friday I went go-karting and then took a trip to Silverstone to watch some cars going round and round a track. Surprisingly, considering I have never watched a Formula 1 race, the behind the scenes bit was fun. One of my company’s brand is sponsoring the Mercedes McLaren team come August and […]

My parent’s left earlier than expected, so I spent most of yesterday doing spring cleaning. The rubbish is easy – boxes and stuff that just add clutter. Clothes are a little harder, but I’m trying to set a rule – if I have not worn in a year, out it goes. But the most difficult […]

My mother has an interestng job sometimes. Starting off a nurse, she’s moved slowly more towards the social aspects of that role. She usually has some funny or scary tales to tell and today there was one that can be shared. It started off with her team lead deciding that the place needs a tidy […]

Lots of things to write about, just little time. My parents are visting and don’t quite get blogs or anything like that. So need to wait until they are gone. Meanwhile wander over to the photostream and take a look at some photos from a wedding I was at yesterday.

It’s going to be the hottest day of the year in the south today, with predicted temperature reaching 28-30 C. So I’m guessing that in the usual British tradition of failing to predict autumn leaves on the line or the impact of snow and ice on the roads we’ll be completely unprepared. The Tube lines […]

can you say any more?

Whilst the US Homeland Security has signed a deal with Websense to provide anti-spyware software, one legal interpretation on The Register concludes that it may be illegal in the US to install anti-spyware as it breaches an assumed contract. More work for the lawyers.

I finally got a photo of the London2012 liveried tube train that runs on the Julbille Line. Hideous, billious yellow. To think, we could have these for 7 years.

The BBC reports that the US has decided that the Medicare system there does not have to pay for Viagra for registered sex offenders

Postsecret is good. And scary. Everyone has secrets – would you share yours online?

In a change from the normal weekend routine, I spent today out in the open air, acting as regatta control for the Army regatta. Teh Army hold rowing camps and regattas every year and for about the last 10 years I’ve gone along, coaching the groups of squaddies who get ‘volunteered’ by their officers and […]

There’s a planned announcement about the re-organisation tomorrow at work, covering the level above me, including the person my role reports into. Three people, including my current boss, have warned me that what I will hear may not be to my liking and to think about my reaction. Which means, in all likelihood, that my […]

Go take a look at Store Wars, from the Organic Trade Organisation. A short parody (or should that be piss-take) of Star Wars with all the characters played by puppet vegetables, so we have Obi Wan Cannoli, a cucumber as Cuke Skywalker, Lord Tader and, my personal favourite, Chewbroccoli. There does appear to be a […]