Recently updated blogs

Hello, friends! Recently I was tapped by the owners of Hionfi Vintage Stereo Shop in Syracuse, New York to help them sell a jazz collection they recently acquired. After lots of cleaning, grading, and photo-taking, I present to you the best of the crop, all for sale now in the DG Mono Web ... More→

In Japan, riding a steam train through outer space is a melancholy symbol of the human journey. Like the gentle drift of the sakura petal, the whistle of a train means a transition in life. That human quality... those melancholy, bittersweet coming of age lessons... were inherited from renowned writer Kenji Miyazawa's Night on the Galactic Railroad, whose own life was a tragic and all-too

Humble brag, but I have jetlag, and therefore I find myself wide awake at gone 2am. Seems as good a time as any for an update. Recently: We just got back from a trip to Australia, for Web Directions Summit. Alex spoke, mostly about the lost decade and the cost of JavaScript on the web eco-system (the market for lemons). The usual. I had screen printed him his very own …

To John Hannaford, your team, and colleagues across the federal public service: Below are a set of radical (but implementable) ideas that would make the public service better equipped to handle the challenges of today and tomorrow. We need to invest in state capacity in Canada, and that starts with changing our public service structures, processes, and organizational culture for the better. I presented these today at FWD50, an Ottawa …

A few weeks ago, the database publisher Gale organised an online symposium on the archives of social movements called ‘Power to the People‘. I took part with a talk on online radical archives. You can view the video below:

Michael Duncan introduces us to a few of the colourful characters from his walking tour The Haves and Have-nots of Marylebone. You can join him on Sunday 26th November to discover more, follow the link for details and booking. The Blue Stockings are little talked of nowadays but in the mid to late 1700’s they were a radical group seen by some as pioneers of feminism. They were co-founded by …

This historic Worldcon has already been very well covered by others, e.g. Nicholas Whyte and Jeremy Szal. For lots of coverage of events, guests and so on, see the con’s Facebook page. But I’ve been back over a week, and here’s my overdue account. Last month I spent far too few days in China, at the Chengdu Worldcon, to which I was invited as an international guest. My travel, and …

Transitioning from Senior to Lead Engineer isn't just about technical prowess, but strategic thinking, soft skills, and going beyond your role. And remember, strong individual contributions matter!

There’s a set of garages to rent as storage units near my workplace. One of them is taken by a local florist that uses it to store flower arrangements for various events, that are more often than not funerals. As such, at least once a week at 8am I will pass a car being loaded up with flowers arranged into heart shaped patterns or the letters M U M. It …

Very few LPs radiate a level of spiritual grandeur quite like the 1974 summit between Alice Coltrane and Carlos Santana, Illuminations. With Coltrane’s harp and soaring orchestration, uncharacteristically patient, technically precise lead work from Santana, and an aura of calm, fluid interaction among a top-tier rhythm section anchored by Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, the album is equally humble and humbling. Aurally transcendent by design. Illuminations was not necessarily new …

When I was given the chance to host the live on stage conversation with Werner Herzog for City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco I was barely able to believe it. What a gift! What a chance! In preparation I did all the reading–and watching. I watched Aguirre Wrath of God again, marveled at Grizzly Man and the tragedy–or maybe triumph?–of Timothy Treadwell. I watched Stroszek again, my favorite Herzog …

The Templar, Leeds, Yorkshire LS2 7NU A long but shallow street-corner pub on the north-east side of the city centre, the Templar has an impressive tiled façade advertising Melbourne Brewery, who were later taken over by Tetley’s. It now belongs to Greene King, but still offers a wide range of other beers, including Tetley Bitter as a permanent beer, and brews from both Yorkshire brewers such as Acorn and Bradfield, …

Hey folks! Long time, no post! Between vacation, a new job, more vacation, a new school year for the kid, and trips to visit family, I haven’t had much time to write here. What have I been up to lately? Work I took a full-time job at one of mu consulting clients in May. It’s been a good experience, but I recently received a very exciting offer from an old …

There are those who believe that advanced AI poses a threat to humanity. The argument is that when AI systems become intelligent enough, they may hurt humanity in ways that we cannot foresee, and because they are more intelligent than us we may not be able to stop. Therefore, it becomes natural to want to regulate them, for example limiting which systems can be developed and who can develop them. …