An AI Scares Itself, and Me

Just how bleak can an AI’s world view become? One of my clients asked me to write an article on the environmental impact of generative AI. Like a lot of large corporations they are starting to embrace GenAI, but they … Continue reading →

Friday, August 30, 2024 in Agile & Architecture, Sustainability, Thoughts on the World

It’s Screen Time!

Is this what they mean by “too much screen time”? Continue reading →

Wednesday, July 28, 2021 in PCs/Laptops

"This is Bloody Dangerous!"

More MacBook battery woes – this time it’s serious. The title is a quote from arguably the greatest of Hollywood Musicals, Paint Your Wagon. The words are uttered by Mad Jack Duncan, a gold miner engaged in digging a shallow … Continue reading →

Saturday, July 24, 2021 in PCs/Laptops, Thoughts on the World

Testing, Testing!

Apologies, I have a problem with my RSS feed which appears to require "live testing" to resolve. Please ignore this post, but if you’re already here please enjoy a nice picture of a beautiful leopard! Continue reading →

Tuesday, May 26, 2020 in Website & Blog

Channel Hopping Mad!

Why are digital radio and TV such exemplars of a bad user experience? In the good old days of a small number of analogue broadcast channels, watching TV or listening to the radio was a rewardingly simple process. To watch, … Continue reading →

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Agile & Architecture, Thoughts on the World

A Ray of Sunshine

For about ten minutes at the end of each evening the sunlight lights up our newest sculpture through the Chinese circle. I thought it would be nice to share this: it’s a pretty image in it’s own right, I’d like … Continue reading →

Thursday, May 14, 2020 in Thoughts on the World, Website & Blog

Death of an Alien

An Upgrade Too Far, OR: Don’t Count Your Aliens Before They Explode Out Of Your Thorax! Prior to 2009, I regularly upgraded our desktop PC / server, changing the entire hardware and/or rebuilding from scratch every year or two. There … Continue reading →

Wednesday, November 20, 2019 in PCs/Laptops, Thoughts on the World

Random? That’s a Coincidence…

My programming project of the last few weeks has been to build my own “rolling portfolio”, which shows random images from my photographic portfolio as either a screensaver or a rolling display on a second monitor. I’ve implemented a number … Continue reading →

Thursday, April 11, 2019 in Code & Development, Photography, Thoughts on the World

Testing, Testing

I’ve been having a few problems with my RSS feed, hopefully now fixed. If you view my blog via the feed and don’t see a picture from my trip to the Kolmanskoppe diamond mining town, please let me know. Continue reading →

Friday, January 4, 2019 in Namibia Travel Blog, Travel, Website & Blog

Why I Like My MacBook, But I’m Beginning To Really Hate Apple

Battery Replacement on a 2015 MacBook I realised a couple of weeks ago, much to my horror and chagrin, that I had been walking around with a potential incendiary bomb. Not that I had done anything wrong – this is … Continue reading →

Monday, December 17, 2018 in PCs/Laptops, Thoughts on the World

That Was Too easy…

There is an old plot device, which goes back to at least Homer, although the version which popped into my head this evening was Genesis of the Daleks, a 1970s Dr Who story. A group of warriors fight a short … Continue reading →

Thursday, July 26, 2018 in Android, Thoughts on the World

Inferring Algorithms: How Random is Your Music Player?

“You’re Inferring that I’m stupid.” “No, I’m implying that you’re stupid. You’re inferring it.” – Wilt, by Tom Sharpe My latest contract means spending some time on a bus at each end of the day. The movement of the bus … Continue reading →

Sunday, April 8, 2018 in Code & Development, Thoughts on the World