state of war – Somalia’s tragic legacy
Somalia is a failed state, without food, in constant drought and constantly at war. Since 1991, Islamic factions funded by China, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have fought a bloody civil war […]
disruption: the true scale of innovation – and its less than you think!
A writer who I follow was bemoaning the lack of change in banking the other day. Now the point was perfectly valid – until he took a pop at P2P lending. As […]
web design: how can we ever move forward by not moving forward?
I worry about web design. We’ve always catered for the lowest available platform. Designing for people who don’t know, or just don’t care about the Web. I mean, there are some great […]
EuroBasket 2011: one for you, sports fans!
You know, technology works when it helps you do things you need to do easier. But its really cool when it lets you do the things you like to do better! You […]
standing apart: what quality do we have that really makes us special?
This is one of those flights of wonder moments. An idea that came out of the blue. What I’d like you to think about is – what places us apart from other […]
Microsoft and Blackberry: what if…?
Email. Its been around for over 40 years. And up there as our No 1 business tool. But things could be about to get very interesting in Inbox world. As they say […]
counter-productive: bonuses and the big lie
Paying huge bonuses to retain top people in banks has long been controversial. Distasteful certainly – but maybe even counter-productive. Let me tell you about a test Karl Duncker did just after […]
Chrome OS: now its not just about tablets – here’s something else to think about!
Hands up all of you who’re thinking about buying a tablet in the coming months? Must admit, an iPad or new Honeycomb tablet are tempting. But… How about Chrome OS – Much […]
SharePoint and the Public Service: when common sense goes up in smoke
I’ve just read a Management Today supplement about West Yorks Fire Service. Remember how Public Service budgets are meant to be getting cut back? Well, it sure doesn’t seem like that’s the […]
innovation: is our society’s progress actually slowing down?
Now this is going to sound like some obscure, “out-there” philosophical question. But think about it. Is progress slowing down? Imagine the Wright Brothers today, taking that flying contraption to an airfield. […]
iPad: have you got something to tell me?
Everyone knows how good the iPad is to use. Its made reading stuff cool again. But what about when you have something to write about? There’s now a great way to use […]
Twitter: don’t follow me, follow Socrates
I enjoyed one of those Twitter engagements this weekend. Well, I say enjoyed, maybe more like the engagement one has with the front of a speeding train. It got me thinking about […]
an open letter to Martha Lane Fox
My apologies for this deviation from my usual style. But we need some help. A lot. Not for some worthy charity, but for a nation. Britain is being dragged deep under water […]
the checkpoint Charlies: how its the people you don’t expect who block innovation
I was an NCR IT field engineer. Every day, my boss would hand out repair tickets. These told us what IT system problems we had to sort out that day. One guy […]
the Internet unplugged: discovering the web’s off switch
The Internet and freedom. Two words we always believed couldn’t be separated. Recent events have shown otherwise. Now this isn’t a commentary about the rights and wrongs of the Egyptian unrest. This […]
Vodafone: £6 billion tax break goes on hold as the Audit Office calls
What a pity violent student riots took the spotlight away from real people power. Maybe we will yet see the Government shamed into action. While many at the lower end of the […]
Internet shopping: is it time to cart away all the stupid security hurdles?
I feel I may soon know how the guy felt when he suggested the world wasn’t flat. I’m no where near as visionary – but I may get vilified all the same… […]
co-operative bank: good with money, bad with everything else
As a bank marketing slogan, the co-operative’s good with money is pretty good. Just a pity then that the rest of the bank’s processes don’t match. Because behind the ethical façade this […]
the cloud: could it slow down your office?
Funny how a thought can randomly pop into your head for no apparent reason. Office networks. Why should I be worrying about that? The thing that was nagging me was this. As […]
innovation: just shut up and drive
Its funny how we can sometimes be carried along by the current without realising. Following the innovation bandwagon, for instance. Every businessman knows they must constantly innovate to compete and survive. We […]
getting away from it all this Christmas
Another snowy morning. Another day’s news of travel woes and broken services. Wasn’t this supposed to be the age of technology? Looking around my neighbourhood, middle-management cars struggle past on route to […]
your life’s work: old master or old and past it?
I stopped at my local Marks & Spencer Food, I just fancied one of their £10 deals. Spotted a guy I used to know. He’d managed the IT department for a large […]
storage clouds: a territorial skyline cloud for the cloud?
When talk turns to the Cloud, the hot ticket currently is the location of information. Security’s no longer the biggest concern, its where data is stored which is key. Maybe the future […]
WikiLeaks: are we witnessing Cyberspace’s Siege of Leningrad?
This question never seems to go away. When is a freedom fighter not a terrorist? Well, the answer of course depends on your perspective – or who the gun is pointed at. […]
the beautiful web: shuffling slowly into a brave new world?
Have you noticed how TV media is featuring a lot of web-style graphics recently? I guess with the closely-tied relationship between web and TV content designers, we shouldn’t be too surprised. After […]
the National Australia Bank file: was the crash malicious?
It doesn’t look like National Australia Bank’s woes are going away any time soon. Conflicting stories emerging from CEO Cameron Clyne’s office sure isn’t helping. First reports suggested that an upgrade failure […]
National Australia Bank: not a G’day for the Aussies
In fact, not a good weekend and probably this week won’t be a whole lot better. Australia’s biggest bank is still off-line after a routine upgrade went wrong. While the other banks […]
browser wars: all about quality of life
Our eyesight. Its the most developed, critical and relied on of all human senses. And probably why we make such beautiful things. Basically, we like what we see. Or rather we tend […]
storage as an icon: what every boss needs
I guess every executive’s PA must be starting to think about it at this time of year. What do I get my boss for his secret Santa? The tie and cuff links […]
retail values: time to kick the footfall around?
I spotted a group of excited ladies leaving a local bridal shop a few evenings ago. It had me thinking. No, not about getting married. About retail planning. My town has four […]