Weeknote 31/2024
Given that Banksy has ‘released’ a playful series of animal-themed artworks this week, I thought it was appropriate to share a photo of one I came across on the side of a building when running along the coastline of Lagoa on Monday.
We flew home from the Azores to Stansted on Tuesday, stayed over a night in Peterborough, and then got home on Wednesday afternoon. My son was pleased to get back, as he dropped, smashed, and broke his phone on Saturday. Thankfully, due to the wonders of the internet, his new one was waiting for him when we got back!
Since returning home, I’ve been doing work around the house and garden, exercising, and studying towards my MSc. I published the following posts related to the latter:
- Reflections on TMA02 and looking forward to Block 5 (SSM)
- Perplexity and Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)
- Exploring Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)
- An overview of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)
I’ve been watching the Olympics, really enjoying the track and field, but also the breaking which is just such a joyful thing to witness.
This morning, after running 10k, I intended to drop my son off at his part-time job and then use the hedge trimmers on the front and back garden. What actually happened was that our next door neighbour lent me his electric chainsaw and I attacked the hodge-podge of various greenery that made up a weird kind of screen at the front of our property. It took seven dumpy-bags to get rid of the branches and leaves!
Suffice to say I’m somewhat tired this evening. I’m back to WAO stuff tomorrow, taking only two weeks off rather than my customary three as it’s been a slow year in terms of client work. However, I’ll be straight back into the JFF/IRC project, and according to my calendar Laura’s roped me into co-hosting a webinar with Participate and the Digital Credentials Consortium.
I have to say I’ve very much enjoyed being off social media. There was an article in The Guardian this week by Gene Marks about how much of a mess LinkedIn is, in which he finishes by saying:
LinkedIn is hurtling towards a tipping point. Some day in the not-too-distant future it’s going to just get too annoying for too many professional people, and we’re going to migrate to another platform that’s less so. For many, that tipping point has already arrived. It has for me.
I closed my LinkedIn account in 2014 and then resurrected it a year later in 2015 when I started consulting. At the moment it’s a necessary evil, but there’s got to be a better way; no-one I know actively enjoys using it.
