I’m mixing things up, let’s start with the links. Then end with a bonus one.
š Found, interesting š§
This headteacherās message from Dylanās new school is flipping great about mobile phones, mental models and morality. (But Iād be less into a phone ban, if thatās where heās heading).
The web we never lost (via Dirty Feed).
Giles Turnbull was interviewed by P&B (People & Blogs) and it’s unsurprisingly a great read.
Iāve signed up for Kate Tarlingās free email course, Silos to Services: ā5 steps to build the case for a more service-oriented org and how to communicate it so that leaders want to take actionā.
The Simpsons Movie Reference Database (via Jem at work).
I took a lot from this overwhelming but idea-rich Miro board on roadmapping by John Cutler, and his blog post for context (via Oliver at work, then Jukesie too).
Hereās a related John Culter talk on one-pagers (via Samir at work)
Prioritisation is the symptom not the illness and focus means cutting, not ranking.
Dan Taylor-Watt used AI to produce a surprisingly good podcast from a blog post in a few clicks. Itās incredible, but bodes poorly for our future of high volume, poor quality content (as Dan says).
Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2024. I’m hiring a Head of Cyber Security soon fyi.
Job klaxon – we’re hiring now for a UX/interaction designer, 12 month maternity cover.
Work, work, work
Exhausting, exasperating, encouraging. For ātwas a week of in-person leadership and strategic planning workshops.
Monday was just for the Exec team. Productive, but we failed to create a retro-style space of safe discomfort to air and solve trickier aspects of our group dynamics. Weāve all recognised that and want to have another crack at it with more time (and without a moment scheduled right after it which requires us to co-present). The personal cost was a near-sleepless night (2 hours 59 according to my smart watch) rehearsing the things I wish Iād said in my head, in lāesprit de lāescalier fashion. Thanks, brain.
As the week went on, though, I found myself letting go of some of those things and feeling more optimistic about our ability to solve the rest. Tuesday and Wednesday featured joint work between the Exec and our next tier of fab Directors on clarifying our priorities and aligning our efforts. While far from perfect in either form or content (workshops, amiright?) we undeniably took a huge leap forward for everyoneās mutual understanding, and towards more joined-up, shared leadership. Things are messy but we can fix them together. One bite at a time.
Itās not all work, work, work
Joelās back at Saturday BRIT kids, so itās nice (but not great for the cholesterol) to be back in Michael’s caff, drafting this, with a partial English.
Dylan published a game he (under his game dev pseudonym, Bobby Sins) made: Maniac Drug Dealer. It’s impressive! Built in Godot.
Christmas is sorted, somewhat prematurely: staying home in London for the main days, seeing Importance of Being Earnest at the NT on boxing day, up north for a few nights after that, then back for Stewart Leeās new show. Magic.
Stinky door update: I treated it with Zinsser BIN. By Jove I think it’s worked. Stay tuned.
šŗ š¬ On the big screen at the BFI I watched two 70s TV folk horror curios as part of Daniel Kokotajloās season of his influences for Starve Acre. They were: White Lady and Children of the Stones ep1. Both good, but I absolutely loved the latter which is both hilariously shonky and a wonderfully creepy slice of kidsā TV. Will be watching the rest, making a pilgrimage to Avebury and listening to this doc by Stewart Lee. āHappy Day!ā
š¤ Mark Kermode in 3D. Great guests including icons Meera Syal and Juliet Stevenson.
š¬ Iām half way through Plane on Netflix, it was perfect for my exhausted brain midweek.
šŗ In Vogue: the 90s. All very familiar and vacuous, but cosy TV.
šŗ Only Murders in the Building. Thought Iād give this another go but, 5 episodes in, I am not enjoying it on any level.
š¹ļø Slow progress on BG3. I pre-ordered the new Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,
š§ Lambrini Girls – Company Culture.
š§ That BBC podcast on Mohamed Al-Fayed. āCome to papaā. Ugh.
š¬ Troll 2. Because Joy listened to a HDTGM ep about it. Next, we are gonna watch the doc about it called Best Worst Movie.
š¬ Amy. The Asif Kapadia one. Seen it before but it was on the telly and I got drawn in.
Infinite scroll
- How Photek made drum and bass in 1994 [TikTok]
- Is my blue your blue? [Web]
- Tried my best [LinkedIn]
2 Comments
Great notes, thanks for the links at the beginning. A few really good ones that I look forward to looking into. ESP service oriented org. Shout out to Bobby Sins šš¾. The work stuff is interesting. As an exec, we have set aside time to have the ābig questionsā discussions so that we just focus on getting through the things that will make us more joined up.
Great reflection note again and love the phrase āsafe discomfortā.
Also agree with your views/caution around mobile ban ( ironically I first read the War Photographer poem several years ago on a mobile, and re-read it today on the commute to work, with headphones playing massive attack, and yet still felt connected with the teacher, the students who are being made to feel guilty for not knowing Sunday supplements, the photographer in the poem, and Carol the poet: all through my dear android phone). The techie in me twitches in discomfort when tech is blamed for lack of rigour somewhere else.
Please keep these notes going. Thanks.