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
2 commentsOn my podcast playlists right now
Archive — Article
A weekend at Inver, a Fyne restaurant with rooms
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
CommentBBC Radio 2’s impossible position is of its own doing
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
1 commentWhy Google’s feed succeeds when Facebook’s fails
With Google adding its Discover feed to its famously minimalist homepage, what will stop them repeating Facebook’s mistakes? Read full article
4 commentsSo it happened — Flickr has got rid of almost-unlimited storage
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
CommentAutumn dip
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
5 comments13 years too late, the BBC’s classical music back catalogue is being made available
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
CommentVettel’s fight for five became Seb’s soggy squib
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
3 commentsLiberty Media need to learn that you can’t polish a turd
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
2 commentsURLs aren’t good enough
I am a web enthusiast, but I think we need to find a better way to navigate the web than URLs. Read full article
1 commentHow Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman has supported my career
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
2 commentsThe danger of relying on natural talent
Believing you are naturally talented at something may in fact be detrimental to your development. Read full article
CommentVisiting V&A Dundee — Dundee dares to dream
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
CommentThe problem with trusting experience over expertise (a story about design thinking, astronauts, Formula 1 pundits and Brexit)
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
1 commentAre driver development programmes actually hindering young drivers?
Esteban Ocon's links with Mercedes have closed off opportunities for him to develop in the midfield. Read full article
1 commentI smashed my expectations at Pedal for Scotland 2018
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
1 commentI used a day off work to listen to the new eight hour long Autechre album — NTS Sessions 1–4
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
1 commentOff to Belgium
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
5 commentsFernando Alonso’s failed F1 career presents him with the chance to become a legend
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 commentsReview: Jim Tavaré: From Deadpan to Bedpan
Last 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
CommentReview: User Not Found
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
CommentReview: What Girls Are Made Of
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
CommentLetterboxing in Lundy — how not to get bored on a tiny island
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
CommentHow I learnt to embrace handwriting, sketching and sticking stuff on walls
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
1 commentThe web’s bloated middle
Website publishers have been incentivised to do exactly the opposite of what could have made the web so great. Read full article
6 commentsWhat next for Sauchiehall Street?
Like many things that are supposed to be good about Glasgow, I never understood the appeal of Sauchiehall Street. Read full article
2 commentsDay out at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
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
CommentDoes Fernando Alonso have too much influence at McLaren?
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
CommentUX psychology and other skeumorphic job titles
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
CommentNo voter caught on camera
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
2 commentsWhy I value working in user experience in higher education
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
1 commentStop saying people don’t like change — it’s a lie
People often say things like “change is hard” or “people don’t like change”. That is a dangerous delusion. Read full article
CommentCan we stop saying Formula 1 is boring?
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
6 commentsHappy GDPR day
It has certainly been interesting to receive emails from so many companies I have no recollection of doing any business with. Read full article
CommentWhy the TSB IT meltdown may be a failure of regulation
The root of TSB's IT disaster comes from the very beginning of its life. Read full article
CommentTonight I rode 32 miles
I am aiming to cycle twice a week. But I don’t have the time to ride twice this week. Perhaps this is one reason why I decided to make today’s a big one by my standards. Read full article
CommentThe decline of Flickr shows how the web has lost its open spirit
Share is a word we hear a lot these days. "Share to Facebook" really means, "Lock away in Facebook". But sharing on Flickr really meant sharing — with the world. Read full article
3 commentsWhy we need to bring back the vision of the read-write web
Fundamental ideas about how the web should work have been lost. But we need to bring these back if the web is to fulfil its potential. Read full article
2 commentsMajor woes for McLaren and Williams show their inability to learn lessons from the past 15 years
McLaren and Williams have yet again had a difficult start to a season, reflecting a lack of performance for both teams that can be traced back 15 years. But while McLaren attract the headlines, the situation for Williams seems more dire. Read full article
2 commentsThe media also has lessons to learn from the latest Facebook furore
I am no fan of Facebook. But I am less than impressed with the media’s coverage of Facebook as well. Read full article
1 commentPain in the Haas down under reveals a much improved team spirit
It would have been easy to point the finger and throw the poor mechanic under the bus. But I was very impressed with two aspects of the Haas team's response. Read full article
Comment20 years ago I wrote to every F1 team — this is what they sent back
The response I got from the teams was varied and telling. In many ways, the character of each team shone through in how they responded. Read full article
5 comments14 things that made me feel old at the age of 31
Turning 30 passed relatively without incident. But for some reason, the year I became 31 is the year I started to believe I would never feel young again. Read full article
10 commentsYou are wrong to say F1 drivers are boring and this is why
People often complain that Formula 1 drivers are boring PR machines, stifled by their press officers, incapable of saying or doing anything interesting. I have come to realise that this couldn't be further from the truth. Read full article
3 commentsWhat happened with the missing episode of Blue Jam?
The Chris Morris sketch that was faded out by an engineer before it ended went down into legend. But why did it happen? None of the explanations stack up to me. Read full article
CommentWhy I still love BrewDog
BrewDog's latest marketing stunt has generated predictable outrage. As the company grows, its usual controversial approach may become unsuitable, and it might lose some friends. But here is why I still love BrewDog. Read full article
CommentNME at the gate
Only recently I wondering what future the NME had. Its glory days were long gone. Read full article
CommentAn inauthentic authenticity: the soulless side of vinyl
The vinyl resurgence isn't all good news — particularly for independent musicians. Read full article
CommentMedia dinosaurs have the wrong scapegoat in Facebook
Anyone who reads this blog will know by now that I am no fan of Facebook. But I will defend them on this. The newspaper industry's attempt to pin the blame of their woes on Facebook is wrong. Read full article
2 commentsBernie Ecclestone’s over-the-top TV deals are hindering F1
Formula 1 have announced their online streaming service. But thanks to one short-sighted decision, it won't be available to UK fans until 2025. Read full article
3 comments