Pazzardous Material Vol 25  – the week’s posts on a single page (most recent at the bottom):
 

Now I’m Here

I’ve already written a post about my ill-fated trip to the North to watch Watford play at Chesterfield, a day that would’ve been dramatically different had mobile phones been around then.

Now they’re here and everything’s changed.

I reckon it’s worth kids in Britain knowing how people their age in other parts of the world use mobiles. My kids were baffled to hear that China blocks most of the big social networks that we’re used to here, for example, and that many people in China use WeChat (owned by Tencent, the fifth-biggest company in the world, and with one billion daily active users). Then there’s things like farming: smartphones used to control irrigation, for example.

And a lesson on some apps that might actually help kids would be good, such as those used for banking, healthcare and travel, and how to get a better deal from mobile providers.

 

Time Is Tight

A few years ago, I wrote a book about the internet of things for the CEO of a London tech firm.

As I interviewed him, he told me that “we’re at the beginning of the beginning”, adding that the point we’re at now is similar to where we were 15 or 20 years ago, when everyone knew that the internet was on its way to changing things but no one (apart from those whose job was to know) really understood how things were going to change.

The internet of things is going to be bigger (much bigger), and we’re struggling to keep up with the internet as it stands. Just today, I’ve read a report on the House of Lords calling for a digital super-regulator because, the Lords say, self-regulation by big technology companies is “clearly failing”.

Obviously we won’t always be “at the beginning of the beginning”, and our kids certainly won’t be.

Brexit or no Brexit (the second Meaningful Vote takes place in three days), and whatever your views, politicians in the UK haven’t done themselves any favours with their handling of the process – or countless other issues.

 

Our House

Shoelace and I went to a gig last night: Fun Lovin’ Criminals at the Forum in Kentish Town, which was a lot of fun.

“Make some noise!” the support act shouted from the stage.

No one’s ever needed to say that in our house.

It’s always got plenty of noise, thank you very much. Too much noise, if anything.

Arguments over phone chargers, constant battles as Shoelace and I try to convince the kids to help out a little bit around the house. Various questions (“Are you nearly ready?” is a common one) and bits of information exchanged loudly between rooms. My ears are ringing just thinking about it.

And then there’s the perennial debate about leaving all mobile phones and tablets in a bowl on the landing. Yeah, good luck with that one.

Yes, it’s noisy, a little chaotic at times, and can range from spotlessly clean and tidy to looking like a bomb’s gone off in a firework factory.

But, somehow, amid the busy comings and goings, the endless tasks that need doing and, yes, the noise, it seems to work, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

You Get What You Give

I heard from Barclays this morning, in my ongoing argument with them (in a nutshell, I think they’re rubbish and greedy, and they’re looking into it) and it wasn’t long before the red mist started to descend.

I told the lady on the phone that she and those among her colleagues who I’ve spoken to regarding the matter have all been very pleasant, but collectively and institutionally their processes and case management are awful (and the root cause of my complaint).

The one to suffer ultimately in all this, I told her, isn’t going to me, it’ll be Barclays, when other smaller, challenger banks emerge and are able to clean up where cumbersome institutions such as hers have messed up (ie, charging people too much for too little then taking months to fix it).

As I’ve written already and the lady told me, we (consumers) are able to switch providers much more easily now compared to just a few years ago, which is precisely why it’s in Barclays’ interests to get it right, if they’re paying enough attention before their profits take a hit.

The trouble is, fixing so many failing processes in such a large institution is like trying to turn an ocean liner so that it’s pointing the other way: it’s doable but painfully slow. The difference is that there are smaller boats waiting to help those who want to get off mid-process.

 

Embracing The Future

There are two fundamental messages that I want my forthcoming book to promote:

The first is:

The second is about knowledge. I reckon knowledge really is power. Sounds corny but it’s true. When you have knowledge you can beat fear. Knowledge of yourself, the world around you and of course the internet can lead to a healthier, happier life.

 

Space Walk

When I left full-time employment and struck out on my own, I remember walking into my new rented office on the first day of self-employment.

To say that I was awkward and uncomfortable in this new environment would be an understatement. Neil Armstrong might well have felt more at home as he laid a foot on the lunar dust for the first time.

I wonder if Neil and Buzz found said dust in their homes in the months that followed their little trip to the moon, much like when we’ve come back from a beach holiday and find sand in the most unlikely places long after our return.

Despite my initial discomfort, I knew that going it alone was a step I had to take and one that I’d thoroughly recommend.

 

High Hopes

Long before I faced redundancy and looked at a career as a writer, and well before I’d considered editing, I’d already decided to write.

That decision had come from a painful place: my relationship with my dad.

This was around 2000/2001, and we weren’t particularly close. I wanted to change that.

Until recently, this has been quite a difficult subject for me to understand, but now I reckon I do.

So, back then, I wanted to impress my dad, like most boys. I wanted him to notice me. But I felt his focus was on his work. I now fully acknowledge and appreciate that without his great work and legacy I wouldn’t be doing what I do today, which I love and will be forever grateful for.

He travelled a lot, and he read a lot. So, I figured, if I could write a book, and somehow get it published, and then somehow achieve enough success to get that book positioned in the front of an airport bookshop, he might notice me.

Ridiculous idea.

But I did write that book (Naughty By Nature, a novel, another story) but you won’t be surprised to learn that it didn’t make it into a charity shop nevermind an airport bookshop.

But from that pain came the beginnings of a career that I could be proud of, and involves travelling, reading and, yes, writing.

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