Thinking about it, 2018 hasn't been a particularly notable year. Then again, in 2017 I got a new job, and I got engaged. So that was always going to be a tough act to follow. Read full article
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There is a stereotype about mildly panicking male shoppers wandering around shops at the last minute on Christmas Eve, not quite knowing what to buy. I learnt that such people were not always male, and some of them were rather old enough to know better than to leave things at the last minute. Read full article
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We need to stop Brexit now. Read full article
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About 20 years ago I watched a TV programme featuring the magician Paul Zenon. He invited the viewers to think of a card, and he said he could guess the card you were thinking of. Read full article
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This year's Belgian Grand Prix may have been a damp squib, but we still had a great time on race day. Read full article
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The on-track action ramped up on Saturday, with the the first races of the weekend — and F1 qualifying. But the handheld F1 Vision device could have done with some improvements. Read full article
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I already thought I was quite good at presenting, but recently I've had to up my game. These two resources have helped me do that. Read full article
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Even though both Gordon and I have been avid Formula 1 fans since we were kids, we have never made it to a grand prix. That changed when we went with Alex on a road trip to see the Belgian Grand Prix. Read full article
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There is a problem with user experience. But if we're smart, it's also an opportunity to become more relevant, and solve some of society's biggest problems. Read full article
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I've been hit with a nasty cold-or-flu-like virus. Read full article
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When it came out in 2001, Drukqs divided critics. But for me, it's still the most important Aphex Twin album. Read full article
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Whether I’m the interviewee or an interviewer, I find this section of a job interview one of the most interesting and telling moments. Read full article
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Lots of expensive schemes have forced the BBC and Channel 4 to make TV less London-centric. But why has ITV been allowed to continue centralising? Read full article
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There were four stages of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari career. Sebastian Vettel has so far matched the first three stages. The fourth stage is one he'll want to avoid. Read full article
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When it came to blogging, the tail was wagging the dog. So I have changed my routine. Read full article
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How lessons from how Formula 1 teams are managed could apply to other businesses. Read full article
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I have listened to podcasts on an almost daily basis for well over 10 years now. Here is a selection of my current podcast recommendations. Read full article
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A couple of months ago Alex and I went with our friends Louise and Jamie for a weekend at Inver, a restaurant with rooms on Loch Fyne, on the west coast of Scotland. Read full article
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BBC Radio 2 will see its two most important programmes losing its presenters in quick succession. Regulations put it in an impossible position. Yet the BBC still brought this situation on itself. Read full article
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With Google adding its Discover feed to its famously minimalist homepage, what will stop them repeating Facebook’s mistakes? Read full article
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This week, Flickr announced that free accounts will be limited to only 1,000 photos. It's another warning that we can't rely on externally-run content silos. Read full article
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Over the past few years I have noticed that I always have a distinct dip in the autumn. I feel more tired, I feel less happy, and I think less clearly. Read full article
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Once in a while, when listening to music on shuffle, a Beethoven symphony plays. The MP3 files came from the BBC. It was an experiment never to be repeated. Read full article
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This was meant to be the year. 2018 was supposed to be the time Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari took the fight to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. Read full article
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Two years ago I wrote about how I felt motorsport is in an inevitable decline. F1 may have undergone a change of ownership since then, but the problems are, if anything, greater now. Read full article
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I am a web enthusiast, but I think we need to find a better way to navigate the web than URLs. Read full article
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Last week I attended the Public Sector Design Community Meet-up. Attendees were invited to share a book, podcast or talk that has influenced or supported their career. Read full article
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Believing you are naturally talented at something may in fact be detrimental to your development. Read full article
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I had read some fairly mixed reviews about V&A Dundee — both the building and the exhibitions. So I had prepared myself to keep my excitement in order. In the end, I was largely delighted by both the building and the exhibitions. Read full article
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The media — and society in general — has gradually drifted away from listening to expert figures, in favour of practitioners. But it is leaving us less enlightened. Read full article
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Esteban Ocon's links with Mercedes have closed off opportunities for him to develop in the midfield. Read full article
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Yesterday was Pedal for Scotland, the annual cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It's the second time I have taken part, my first being last year. But I was concerned that I wouldn't be prepared enough for the 45 mile cycle. Read full article
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Autechre's latest album is so long I had to take a day off work to listen to it. Autechre have ploughed the same sonic furrow in recent years. So was the new album worth the time off? Read full article
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Tomorrow I set off on holiday for two weeks. I have scheduled some link posts for the duration of my holiday so that the mirage of my daily publishing is maintained. So if anything seems weirdly incongruous, or if I seem strangely unresponsive to any comments, that's why. Read full article
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With Fernando Alonso’s future in F1 limited to the middle of the pack, he has sought other challenges. In doing so, he has taken control of the narrative around his career, despite the embarrassing predicament he faced in motorsport’s top tier. Read full article
2 commentsLast year Jim Tavaré almost died in a road accident. So he is back at the Fringe to tell the story — and seemingly to help make himself better. Read full article
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User Not Found is a play about what happens to your digital identity after you die. It is staged at the Jeelie Piece cafe and community art space at Tollcross. Audience members sit in the cafe and are given headphones and smartphones. Read full article
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I really enjoyed What Girls Are Made Of, which is on at the Traverse Theatre until 26 August. It tells the true story of Darlingheart, a band from Kirkcaldy who ended up touring with Radiohead and Blur, before their album tanked and the record industry spat them back out. Read full article
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This time last year, Alex and I went on holiday to Lundy. The island was best known to me as one of those mysterious locations of the shipping forecast. Somewhere between the Irish Sea and Fastnet, wherever that is. Read full article
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Working on walls is an unbeatable way to create ideas as well as communicating them. But I learnt that lesson the hard way. Read full article
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Website publishers have been incentivised to do exactly the opposite of what could have made the web so great. Read full article
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Like many things that are supposed to be good about Glasgow, I never understood the appeal of Sauchiehall Street. Read full article
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We really enjoy visiting Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It's a fabulous space, both outdoor and indoor. It's large enough that you can't comfortably see all of it in one visit, meaning every time you go you see something new. Read full article
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Rather than figuring out their problem and focusing on solving it, McLaren seem to be more interested in keeping one particular employee happy. At all costs. Read full article
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Sometimes we have had to use metaphors from the physical world that help explain what's going on in digital. But take things too far and it becomes counter-productive. Read full article
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This week I have had the slightly odd experience of being filmed in my living room for a documentary about the Scottish independence referendum. Read full article
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The University of Edinburgh is currently recruiting for four UX-related roles. I'm passing on the message because it's an exciting time to be pushing forward with UX work at the university. Read full article
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People often say things like “change is hard” or “people don’t like change”. That is a dangerous delusion. Read full article
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The Monaco Grand Prix wasn't as dull as most people are saying. Certain media outlets are simply failing to tell the story. Read full article
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It has certainly been interesting to receive emails from so many companies I have no recollection of doing any business with. Read full article
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