Reformed Runner

Friday Night Ride to the Coast 2010

2010-11-21T10:27:00.003Z

So, that was 2010. My induction into the world of FNRttC-ing.

I came to cycling late having decided four or five years ago that my aging body was beginning to rebel against the running I'd rediscovered after several years as a couch potato. I've tasted several bike-based activities since then. Sportives, big charity events, commuting, club rides, long solo weekend rides. I even did the CTC Tri-Vet this year (Yes, I am that old, unfortunately). But nothing compares to the satisfaction and feel-good factor you get from a FNRttC.

My inaugural FNRttC was Southend in the spring. It was slow, wet and incident filled. Far from putting me off, the bug had bitten. And with three other newbies (including DeckertTim), I also completed the SMRbtH. In fact, of the four of us on that ride, only one has not returned. [I should also add here that I have a 100% record when it comes to the SMRbtH]

The Graveney Marshes dash; the mist rolling over the hedgerows on Lonesome Lane; a flint path; and those moments when I find myself alone with the silence and my inner-most thoughts (steady!) are all lifelong memories. But it’s the people. The selflessness. The camaraderie. The encouragement. The organisation. The humour. The determination. That’s what makes these rides truly memorable. They are indeed a “romance and an adventure”.

So, to Simon and all of you I’ve met, thank you. Have a great break and see you in 2011, if not before.

If you fancy coming along in 2011, you can find details on the FNRttC blog.

London to Brighton Veteran Car Chase

2010-11-09T09:56:00.006Z

Sunday was a great day. Together with a group of friends I cycled to Brighton in amongst the participants on the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The run is open to cars built before 1905 (I think), and over 500 cars made the journey south. The weather was splendid, there was a huge turnout of spectators, and everyone was smiling.

Fish and chips on the seafront was followed by the cycle home with five other hardy riders, and I arrived home tired, happy and with 120 miles on the clock.

A great day.

You can see highlights on YouTube
(Thanks to Andy for the video link)

London Marathon - Update 1

2010-10-02T07:04:00.005+01:00

Some five years after having to pull out of the London Marathon through injury, I have finally got another place. I think I learned my lesson, so this time, I shall be taking my training very gently to start with, to try and avoid any further calf and heel problems.

I also need to shift about 15 pounds of excess weight otherwise my knees will complain. So no more cakes.

It's about 5 years since I stopped running seriously and focused on cycling, so, even though I still do the occasional run, I haven't run any events for over 2 years (last one was the Great Capital Run in 2008). And I haven't run further than about 12k for quite a while. Half hour on the treadmill will be enough for today, then I can see how stiff my legs are tomorrow and get a training plan together....

Wish me luck!

FNRttC

2010-09-21T15:01:00.003+01:00

Well what a ride! A couple of weeks ago I joined 400 other people for an unusual bike event. Cycling from London to Brighton, overnight. I've ridden to Brighton and back several times. And I've done a few of the Friday Night Rides to the Coast before. But this was different. Many more riders, many of whom were undertaking their first overnight ride and for some it would be their longest ride - ever. Also, unlike the regular Friday Night Rides, there was no frequent re-grouping, so a faster pace.

We assembled in Sloane Square in plenty of time to register and say hello to a few familiar faces from the normal monthly overnight rides before listening to the safety talk. And then an orgy of Hi-Viz and twinkling lights began its journey south.

We set off at the stroke of midnight. The skies were clear, the weather cool, but not cold, and there was a sense of anticipation hanging over the peloton. For the first few miles down to Mitcham we had a police escort - blue flashing lights leading the ride, and enthusiastic outriders racing ahead to stop the traffic allowing us to proceed pretty much without stopping. After Mitcham however we were on our own and after a couple hills, particularly the one around Coulsden, the group began to spread out. As we sped along the country lanes, the weather became colder and the gentle night time mist began to spill over the hedgerows making for an eerie backdrop. However, the skies remained clear and the view of the stars was breathtaking. A small group of us kept together and despite a few navigational 'challenges' we made good time to the refreshment stop at Copthorne. After chatting for 15 minutes or so, I headed off again, this time in a much smaller group. Passing Crawley Down and over the sharp incline at Turners Hill, we headed into deepest Sussex and suddenly I found myself cycling alone for quite a long stretch. I'd left the ambient light of civilisation (and Gatwick airport) behind and on one occasion I was so taken with the serenity of the dark, that I stopped, turned off my lights and just looked and listened. Stars and nature. Wonderful!

On I went, and despite missing the turn for Ditchling Beacon due to chatting with another cyclist I'd caught up with, I made good progress. (I'm very grateful to the marshal who roared up behind us in his car like a cop from Starsky & Hutch to tell us we'd missed the turn - meaning we only added a few hundred yards extra to the ride).

And there it was. Looming dark and menacing in front. Ditchling Beacon. It's not so much that the beacon is steep - it's not the steepest hill I've climbed by any stretch. Nor that it's at the end of a 55 mile 'lumpy' ride. It's more that it teases the rider into thinking you're almost done, only to continue up another bend. But in the dark it was different. It was just another hill to grind up, which somehow made it easier. I kept a good pace on the ascent, passing several and keeping pace with the faster climbers and when I reached the top I stopped for a few moments to share the triumph with the others who had made it and offer encouragement to the few who had to walk. Then it was the fast downhill race to the seafront and the Madeira Cafe.

It was early. About 4.30am, and there were only a few riders at the finish. But the griddle was in full swing and it wasn't long before I had a 'full English' in front of me - the traditional reward for completing an overnight ride to the coast. Cyclists shared their triumphs and tales from the journey, then we collected our medals from the Martletts organisers (who had been caught a little unprepared by our very early arrival) before the party began to break up. Some headed to their nearby beds, others to the station to catch the early train home. Me? I turned the bike round and started my cycle back to London and home - the SMRbtH. I couldn't find anyone else intending to ride home, so I headed off on my own. This time at a much gentler pace. I hit the country lanes again, just as the dawn arrived, revealing the misty fields turning the beautiful Sussex country into a cotton candy dreamscape. And the wildlife was emerging too. Foxes, of course, looking much healthier and happier than their urban cousins, pheasant, and even deer kept me company as I headed northwards over lots of short but tiring hills. Riding alone at that time of day is a glorious experience. It is inspiring and leaves me with a real sense of wonder at the world around me and is one of the reasons I like the overnight rides so much. My tired legs got me over the worst of the hills and I was soon approaching home. Tired. Happy. Very alive. And eagerly awaiting the adventure that would be the next FNRttC.

All in all I arrived home at about 10am, almost exactly 12 hours after leaving, having completed 132 miles with 6,500 feet of climbing. My average riding speed was a fraction under 14 mph, not bad given the gentle ride into London and the slow start to the event itself.

A final thought. This ride was in aid of the Martletts Sussex Hospice. I don't know what the total raised was, but from what I've read and heard, they do a fantastic job in a very difficult field and I hope that an event such as this, that will leave 400 people with memories that will stay with them for a very long time, has in some way helped make their daily struggle to find the funding to keep going a little easier.

Cycling update

2010-04-24T18:01:00.001+01:00

My cycling target for the year is 4,000 miles. So far, and we're almost a third of the way through the year, I've managed just 958. At least the weather is getting better and I have some long rides planned for the next few weeks.

Are cyclists a danger to pedestrians...?

2010-03-12T16:17:00.003Z

2008 statistics:

Cyclists: 237 crashes with pedestrians, 1 killed and 51 seriously injured.

Cars: 21,858 crashes with pedestrians, 332 killed and 4,570 injured.

So, which is the bigger threat?

Cycling events

2010-02-25T12:03:00.004Z

With the weather finally starting to warm up, I've been putting together my cycling events calendar for 2010.

26th March - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London to Brighton, overnight) - 55 miles
11th April - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London to Southend, overnight) - 55 miles (and then back)
2nd May - Essex Countryside - 60 miles (and back)
9th May - Suffolk Sunrise 100 - 100 miles
16th May - Castle Ride 100 - 100k
28th May - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London to Whitstable, overnight) - 69 miles
13th June - CTC TriVet - 100 miles
20th June - BHF London to Brighton - 52 miles (and back)
27th June - London Bikeathon - 54 miles
4th July - North Kent Bikeathon - 30 miles
11th July - Surrey 100 - 100 miles
18th July - BHF London to Southend - 54 miles (and back)
8th August - Suffolk Coast - 60 miles
27th August - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London to Whitstable, overnight) - 69 miles
29th August - London to Hastings - 61 miles (and back)
5th September - Essex 100 - 100 miles
24th September - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London to Southend, overnight) - 55 miles (and back)
26th September - North Downs Ride It - 65 miles
3rd October - Blenheim Palace Sportive - 100 miles
22nd October - Friday Night Ride to the Coast (London toWhitstable) - 69 miles

Want to join me?

Friday Night Ride To The Coast

2010-02-12T07:58:00.004Z

I cycle. I like cycling challenges, which usually means long distance. And I like to be part of a cycling event. However, I'm getting on a bit and I'm overweight. And I don't like the ultra competitive, 'must have the right gear', Sportive events (although I have done some). On my bike, I've had most fun and met the best people, on mass participation events such as the various Bikeathons. I even enjoyed the London to Brighton ride (twice), even though it was far too busy.

So, it weas great to come across the Friday Night Ride To The Coast.

Once a month, under a full moon, between 50 and 100 cyclists of all kinds assemble under Marble Arch at midnight before heading towards the coast - Brighton, Southend, Whitstable and so on - to arrive in time for beakfast.

It sounds like it's organised in a very inclusive way, allowing for all levels of cycling ability and machine. With good company and a good breakfast to look forward to at the end, it could be just what I've been looking for.

Count me in!

Cirque Di Soleil

2010-02-12T07:44:00.003Z

I went to see Cirque Du Soleil perform Varekai at the Royal Albert Hall the other day. I'd wanted to see it for some time, but had always baulked at £60+ tickets. Eventually however, Lastminute.com came up with a 'half price, best tickets in the house' deal, so we went.

A terrific spectacle, faultlessly executed and totally engrossing is how I would describe it. A truly successful refresh of a tired genre. And therein is the source of my slight disappointment. Whichever way you look at it, it's still just a circus, with a recognisable circus format. And definitely not worth £60 a ticket.

But if you can get £30 seats and fancy an evening of escapism, then put it on your list.

My New Garage

2010-02-12T07:30:00.003Z

I'm having a new garage and workshop built. I've specified power (obviously), insulation, a pit, an RSJ above the engine bay end of the garage part (for hoist purposes) and an electric security roll door. Then in the spirit of collaboration, I asked some of my car friends on a message board what else I should have installed.

Here are some of the answers.....

42 inch TV, full stereo system and a bed.
Kettle
Carpet
Have it networked for PC.
Water
Lots of lights
Extraction
A bed
TV arial, lots of electrical sockets and a space to hang a punch bag!
A six foot paper mache model of Sigourney Weaver
Fridge, sofa, pole for the dancers
Beer
Microwave
Water supply, sink, and a urinal to get rid of the beer and tea......
Intercom (or walkie talkies) to communicate with 'er indoors.
Oh, and a car.

I'll let you kow when it's finished.

2010 cycling ambitions

2010-02-07T09:41:00.004Z

I want to get my cycle miles up in 2010 so I have set myself a challenge. I am aiming to cycle 4,000 miles this year, not including Lands End to John O' Groats. If I do LeJog, then that'll be a total of 5,000.

As well as cycling to and from work, I will be entering several of the Friday Night Ride to the Coast runs and a few organised events. So far I am already registered on the CTC West Kent TriVet ride (100 miles), the BHF London to Brighton ride (54 miles - although I intend to cycle home afterwards), the London Bikeathon (54 miles) and the BHF London to Southend ride (again cycle to and from the start/finish, so well over 100 miles). There are several others I will enter nearer the time.

I will blog progress....

LeJog is looking unlikely as I don't have a partner to ride with and all the organised are now full up, so it may be that I have to put that off until next year. I will do it though.

Toyota woes

2010-02-06T06:50:00.004Z

Reading all the reports in the media about the problems Toyota has with sticking accelerators reminds me of a very similar problem I had a few years ago with a Jeep Cherokee. Travelling down the motorway at speed, I noticed the car was getting steadily faster, even though I'd eased off on the accelerator. I braked, yet the car still seemed to rev and get faster as soon as I took my foot off the brake again.

We stopped, and I had a good look around the engine bay to see if I could see anything loose or missing in the throttle mechanism that would explain it. Nothing.

Fortunately, the Jeep was under warranty, so I called the recovery truck and the car was left at my local Jeep dealer and we were taken home.

The next day, I got a call from the dealer to say they had examined the car and could find nothing wrong. But they did notice that floor mat on the drivers side was resting on top of the accelerator peddle! Oh dear!

Of course. I'd cleaned the car the day before and must have put the mat back wrongly. I felt a fool.

So, Toyota. I suggest you ask owners to check the floor mats before recalling all those cars.

La Cage Auf Folles - part 2

2010-01-04T12:09:00.006Z

A few weeks back I saw John Barrowman play the Albin in La Cage Aux Folles. I blogged about his excellent performance. Unusually, I found myself back in the Playhouse Theatre the other day to watch the show again. This time with Douglas Hodge playing the role of Albin. Douglas had created the role when the show first opened and had been brought back for a final run before transferring to Broadway. I am so glad I went. Hodge was brilliant. Really brilliant. He played it very differently to Barrowman. Much more camp with a terrific attention to the fine detail of the mannerisms of the complex Albin character. This created a fabulous atmosphere in the theatre and the evening is one I shall remember for a long time.

The show has now closed in London, transferring to Broadway where I believe Douglas Hodge will be playing alongside Kelsey Grammer as Georges.

Mexico

2010-01-04T11:59:00.003Z

We're just back from a splendid two weeks in Mexico, staying at the Riu Palace Las Americas. This was my first trip to Cancun, and I'm not going to write at length about the things we did. However, I can thoroughly recommend the hotel. It was friendly, clean, with excellent food and service. The hotel has its own beach, which is cleaned every day and of course the turquoise waters are beautifully clear and clean.

We flew with Thomson and the fights were all on time and pain free - and I even enjoyed the safety announcements which were done by children. If the airline could improve one thing, it would be to get the service out of the way quicker on the return leg so that passengers had a chance of some proper sleep.

The value of social media

2009-12-16T17:33:00.003Z

In harsh economic times, organisations exercise tighter control. Control over costs is the obvious example. However, the means by which tighter control is exercised can often(but not always) be more centralisation, and consequentially less freedom. This can in turn impact the amount of freedom people are given to engage in social media activity, or can create an environment where they are afraid to. This scenario means it is even more compelling that we are able to articulate the value that an organisation can derive from social media. Otherwise we’ll be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Accepting that there is value in social media is one thing, but unless we can articulate and quantify that vlaue, the days are numbered.

Dissolving boundaries.

2009-12-04T08:16:00.002Z

I’ve written about blending before, so here’s a quick reminder.

o business & personality

o inside & outside

o home & work

o collaboration & fun

They’re all going to be blurred in future. That’ll impact technology, our work lives, our home lives, and attitudes to work in general.

Work really is no longer a place, it's just one of the things we do during our daily lives. And it's mixed in with all the other things.

Organisations think big.

2009-12-04T08:14:00.001Z

Organisations think big. They think in terms of enterprise solutions, signing enterprise agreements with big vendors. Organisations also like to claim agility. Are these two things compatible? As we move to smaller devices, like the iPhone, with consequentially smaller apps, will this have a knock-on effect in the way CIOs view their technology platforms and procurement choices? Not for a long time I predict. Which is unfortunate as lots of small steps often brings benefits much faster than waiting for one big step.

Why would you do that?

2009-12-03T11:54:00.004Z

I just bought a book off Amazon.co.uk. It cost 1p. I paid £2.75 for postage. The book arrived this morning and the postage label showed the sender had paid £2.25 to send it to me. Plus the cost of the jiffy bag, and the ink to print the label. And the time to take it to the Post office.

Why bother?

Pace of change 2

2009-12-03T11:41:00.003Z

Change is constant. We all know that. But in a fast moving world, change takes much longer than we expect. I remember in the mid-1990s talking at conferences about how, with intranets, the paperless office was almost with us. Yet today, for many organisations that is still not reality. When social media started to gain traction three or four years ago, we all said it was going to have a fundamental impact on business. But when? In my experience, what we think will happen quickly, takes much longer.

Not long ago adoption of technology used to lag behind the technology – we’d have a new system, but persuading people to use it was often the hard part. However, now we often find the technology we want is struggling to keep up with the way we use it. Which is great because it gives us the opportunity to drive technology developments from real, not imaginary, demand.

Well I suppose it had to happen

2009-12-02T15:44:00.005Z

I was knocked off my bike on the way home from work last week. Quite a nasty incident. I was riding in a cycle lane on a downhill stretch, probably doing about 15mph when a car pulled through a line of traffic right in front of me. I was too close to be able to take any evasive action and I ploughed heavily into the passenger's door. With a heavy impact like that I don't remember too much about it. I know I was knocked into the air and came down heavily on my back, banging my head on the ground in the process. It took me a few minutes to come round, and then I started to assess where it hurt. Which was pretty much everywhere! I do also remember clearly going limp when I realised impact was inevitable, there was no instinct to put my arm out or anything like that. Just let the body go limp.

Eventually I was on my feet, exchanging details etc. and checking my bike for damage. My new bike that is. The front wheel was buckled, but I couldn't see much other damage, so I limped off home.

The next morning, following a very restless night I paid a visit to the casualty department of the local hospital where various x-rays and tests showed damaged tendons and joints in the shoulder and a possible cracked rib, but no fractures. In addition I had scraped my knees, badly bruised my wrist and thumb and was quickly developing a sore back and neck.

A week on, and after another visit to the fracture clinic I am about to start on a programme of physiotherapy to assist the healing process in the shoulder.

And the bike is back from a crash assessment at the local shop which concluded there was no damage to the frame or the fork, but the front wheel needed a new rim and spokes as part of a re-build. Unusually, I was commuting on my steel framed Audax bike. I think the strength and quality of the frame prevented any more serious damage. I'm convinced my usual aluminium commuter, or a more expensive carbon bike would not have fared so well.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. A second or two earlier and the car would have hit me, instead of me hitting the car, or I could have gone over the top.

It's not going to stop me riding though, and I still have my sights on Lands End to John O Groats in 2010.

A final thought. I hit my head hard, and I am very grateful that I was wearing a helmet. I see a lot of people cycling in London without one. They are fools! Wear your helmet.

Social media adoption curve

2009-12-02T15:35:00.004Z

A while back I read a report from Gartner which outlined three phases of social media adoption – denial; don’t ask, don’t tell; embracing. It made the assertion that the mid stage – don’t ask, don’t tell – is the most dangerous place as organisations hadn’t banned social media (therefore couldn’t stop worrying about it), nor had they embraced it (so they weren't getting value from it). However, I feel there is an additional step between stage two and three, which I call ‘reality/recoil’. This is characterised as a knee jerk reaction once the organisation is on the way to acceptance. I think this moment is short term and transitory and comes when the reality of the change becomes clear to individuals and they start to realise there are implications that will affect both them as individuals and their organisation.

The pace of change

2009-11-30T16:16:00.003Z

Melrum asked me today if they could reprint an article of mine first published in one of their reports 'How to use social media to engage employees'. It was first published in summer 2007 and I've just re-read it and realised that, although things have moved on a bit, it's not a hugely different picture than it was two years ago. This illustrates quite nicely my assertion that change in business communications always seems to take longer than we all expect. I think one of the contributory factors is the resistance and reluctance we face from the traditionalists who still far outnumber the progressives in the employee communications industry.

Mobile intranet

2009-11-30T14:14:00.001Z

Being able to access the intranet from anywhere is already a reality for many organisations. However, very few are providing effective mobile access on devices such as Blackberrys or iPhones. Mostly, the service is set up for the PC, but increasingly people want access through a truly mobile device – and which may not even normally be part of their corporate network. The danger is that it will take some time for our IT colleagues to step up to this challenge, which will be in stark contrast to the speed with which apps for these small devices are appearing which, of course, is setting our expectations.

Intranet Futures

2009-11-30T14:06:00.005Z

Last week I was invited by Paul Miller, founder of the IBF to be ‘in conversation’ with him in front of an audience at an IBF meeting. The idea was that we’d have a conversation about the future of intranets and then turn it into an open forum. And it worked very well. There was an audience of about 25 people, from a range of different organisations. It was also good to catch up with some people in the audience whom I interact with on Twitter etc., but had never actually met.

We had a wide ranging discussion, covering a variety subjects and we certainly stimulated a useful debate amongst the audience.

One subject we discussed was senior awareness and ownership of the intranet – where many organisations are moving to more of a shared ownership model, to replace the single ownership model that existed up to now. This is happening because of the continued elevation up the criticality scale of intranets and an increasing role in business process and change, rather than being exclusively the domain of comms activity. At present, I think most intranets are managed out of communications – primarily because they’ve been communications led, not because of any underpinning logic. However, the changing role of the intranet does not seems to be putting pressure on communications people to relinquish their role and I think that may be because we’re adapting into this new, broader, business focused role.

We also discussed why some organisations with excellent intranets give poor customer service and whether the intranet could be an enabler for improvement. This opened up an interesting discussion around the difference between intranet, internet and extranet. Although I’ve been saying this for some time and it is yet to happen, I firmly believe the distinction is breaking down and that in future we’ll just have The Net and people will be able to access any information that is relevant to them no matter where it sits, or where they are. There are one or two technical challenges with that approach however, and there’s also a usability challenge as people take comfort in knowing where they are. In other words, knowing that a particular piece of content is ‘inside’ an organisation (and therefore may be privileged) is important in terms of how people view it and use it.

Platform wars

2009-11-21T09:43:00.003Z

When will technologists stop arguing amongst themselves about which platform is best, and start to think about what is going to be best for users? When will technologists realise their platforms are a means to an end, not an end in themselves?

Please!

Digital Divide

2009-11-21T09:36:00.001Z

I spent a fair amount of time thinking about digital futures. I have recently been looking at the take up of social media in the organisation where I work. In the early days of social media, people used to talk about 95% of people reading, 5% of people contributing and 0.1% of people originating. However, as social media have matured and found its place in many organisations, I think we need to re-think this. I witness a fair proportion of people who simply don't engage at all. Look at Facebook. How many people do you know who have "no friends", or who signed up once and never went back, or just can;t be bothered? And who never read a blog. Or don't really know what Twitter is. Or Wikipedia. It's not that they don't have the technology - the traditional Digital Divide - it's more that they don't see any need to engage. There's nothing in it for them. Translate that into the workplace and you can quickly see how the 'transformational effects' many commentators say will come from these services may take a little longer to deliver than we think.

But then, isn't that always the case?

Philadelphia

2009-11-21T09:22:00.003Z

As the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, the baseball tour this year was to Philadelphia. It was a great tour. Four of us travelled out from Heathrow and met up with two more of the guys who'd spent the previous few days watching baseball in New York and travelled down and meet us. The ballpark was great and we saw the last four Phillies games of the season. Unfortunately, the Phillies had won the pennant the night before, so we missed those celebrations, but we were there for the last game of the season - which the Phillies won - complete with fireworks and plenty of give-aways.

Philadelphia is a great city. Older than you'd expect for the US, and we stayed in one of the oldest buildings in town - the Alexander Inn - pretty central in downtown. The hotel was very comfortable, good sized rooms, a great price and with a very friendly staff. Should I ever return to Philadelphia it's where I'd stay.

As is tradition, I took an open-top bus tour of the city, and also did a fair amount of walking - not something you can do in many US cities. Naturally, I ran up the 'Rocky' steps in front of the Museum of Art, although it is a little disappointing that the 'Rocky' statue has been relegated to a spot at the bottom of the steps under some trees. The statue was donated to the city after the filming had ended and it took pride of place in front of the Museum for a few years until the city luminaries decided it wasn't really art and needed to be moved. So it was moved to elsewhere in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, there followed a big decline in visitors to the Museum and so eventually the City came to its senses and the statue was moved back.

Of course, we had Philly Cheesesteak - at Jim's Steaks on South Street, which is probably the most famous 'restaurant' in Philadelphia. Huge queues, moving slowly through the restaurant, just like at a London Pie and Mash. In fact, it was just like a Pie and Mash shop. Only instead of "pie, mash and liquor please" it was "Wizz, With, please".

The main evening hang out was Dirty Frank's Bar just round the corner from the hotel. An old Prohibition era dive bar, which had no name outside it, was filthy dirty and is only called 'Frank's' because of the murals painted on the outside walls - all of which as famous Frank's (Sinatra, Frankenstein and so on). However, it was a bar full of character, full of characters.

So, with the New York Yankees winning the 2009 World Series, we need to decide where we go on tour. It won't be NY as we've already been there. But we will need to see the Yankees. That's a tour rule.

Thorn Audax

2009-11-20T13:05:00.004Z

I've had the new Thorn Audax bike for a few weeks now and have put about 500 miles on it. It's a beautiful ride. Smooth and comfortable, and you can really feel the quality in the components. The braking is impressive and the gear changes wonderfully smooth. And it's faster than I expected for a steel bike, with wider tyres than my normal road bike.

All I need to figure out now is how to break in a firm leather saddle!

Tiger Tales

2009-11-20T12:56:00.003Z

Now the weather has turned, it is time to put the Tiger away until the Spring. Before then however, a group of us drove the Kent countryside down to Deal for breakfast on the pier. Beautiful weather, some great driving and a pretty decent breakfast made for a fun morning. In fact, the breakfast was huge - as you can see in the photo.

The only hiccup was an odd noise coming from the engine on the way back. Which got louder and louder and sounding very much like a wallet threatening catastrophy. I made it home okay and left the car for a few days before daring to go and investigate. When I did, I couldn't find the source until, just as I turned the engine off there was a bang and out from under the car rolled the alternator pulley wheel. So, not so serious after all as I was able to put a new pulley and fan on the alternator using parts from an old broken one I had in the garage.

And that's probably it for the year, with just a couple of small jobs to do over the winter - re-fixing the new seats and installing an oil pressure guage, which I think is essential for track days. Oh, and I'd probably better clean it.

Baseball

2009-11-18T20:26:00.002Z

I've decided to start playing baseball again. I was injured for much of the season before last and last year I decided not to play so I could fit in all the other things I'm up to - the car, bike, exercise and so on. And now I'm really looking forward to it. I was elected chairman of the the Kent Mariners club, which is a non-executive position, but allows me to help out with the running of the club. When it comes to playing however, I think I'm now too old to play competitively, but in many ways that takes the pressure off, allowing me to enjoy the opportunities I do get more than I would have.

The club looks like it will have some useful fresh playing blood in the team and we're finally going to have some strength in depth. 2010 should be a good year for The Mariners.

And training begins properly right after Christmas.

Borough Market

2009-11-18T20:23:00.003Z

Borough market has become one of my favourite places. Full of character, full of life, full of good food. Quality food. Food like it should be. Food like it used to be.

And the other day, after a successful shopping trip and wander through the market we rose up in the lift for lunch in Roast. A great, honest, restaurant using fresh market ingredients, sering great English dishes. I started with Haggis and poached egg, followed by a burger and Kim had suckling pig as a main course. Beautifully cooked, great service and a friendly and lively atmosphere. We'll certainly be returning. And you should try it too.

39 Steps

2009-11-17T18:17:00.005Z

I went to see the West End production of the 39 Steps at the Criterion the other day. I got a great seat off Lastminute.com - four rows back in the centre of the stalls. It was a show I'd been meaning to see for some time, but it was never quite top of the list, so I never got round to it.

But last week I did. And on balance I'm glad I went.

It was an entertaining, ripping yarn. Only four actors playing all the characters inevitably meant an original production, which bowled along at a frantic pace. But it was well done, even if there was a touch of farce about it. A little bit childish. A little bit public school. But still good fun.

Five or six out of ten I think.

Mott the Hoople

2009-11-17T18:08:00.005Z

A few weeks ago I was in Philadelphia. When I was there I discovered that Mott the Hoople were playing at the Hammersmith Apollo. But the concerts were taking place whilst I was away. I was gutted. One of my favourite bands from the seventies, I regularly have Mott tracks on my MP3 player.

So I couldn't make the concert. But I could get the CD. I ordered the live concert CD the moment I got back. What a disappointment! Mott had been stuck in time for me, and hearing them playing some of the early material and some of their big hits just made me realise that Ian Hunter is now in his seventies..... and sounds it. He's still a rocker, but I'm afraid these gigs were simply a step too far for this great band. You should have stayed at home boys!

Reasons not to commute London on a bike...

2009-11-17T07:36:00.003Z

Taxis.

Red buses.

White vans.

Rain.

Lack of drying facilities at the office.

Cycling home in wet gear.

La Cage Aux Folles

2009-11-14T08:57:00.007Z

I saw John Barrowman in the leading role in La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre a couple of days ago. Not a show I'd seen before, although I have, of course, seen the Hollywood interpretation - The Birdcage - with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

What a delight. I found this Menier Chocolate Factory production a delight. The theatre was perfect for this production, with a smaller stage favouring a simpler set, and a great view from my seat in the central stalls. The show was deliciously camp, over the top in just the right places, and featuring one of the greatest musical scores. The humour was well done, and there was a real, and seemingly genuine, connection with the audience - unusual for a West End production.

Simon Burke (Georges) - who I'd previously seen in The Sound of Music - was excellent, particularly in one of the show's big numbers (and my favourite) Song on the Sand.

Special mention has to go out to John Barrowman however, playing Albin. I'm not his biggest fan, but I do think this was a role he was destined to play. He has terrific stage presence, his delivery is not too precious and his singing voice is great - better live than any of the recordings I've heard.

All in all, one of the best London shows I've seen for a while. I may even go back.

Norton

2009-11-14T08:50:00.002Z

The other day my PC had 'a moment' and the Norton security software crashed and wouldn't re-start. I did a quick internet search and ended up on the Norton support site. Rather than try and fix it myself, I opted for the remote help service - which is free. In no time at all an agent in India had taken control of my PC, diagnosed the problem, fixed it and in the process, upgraded me to the next version of software.

All in a very short space of time and for free.

Throughout the process he kept me informed of what he was doing, what would happen next and how long we had left to go. I was very impressed, and the experience has left me feeling a sense of loyalty towards Norton because I know that if I have any problems in future, they will be sorted promptly and effectively. What a delight!

Tiger Tales

2009-09-16T17:00:00.005+01:00

Last weekend a group of intrepid kit car owners set off from Kent for the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum near Uckfield. We were joined along the way by several other cars, and at a refreshment stop in the Ashdown Forest it turned out there were upwards of 25 cars - which surprised those out walking their dogs! Most were of the 7-type (Tiger, Westfield, Caterham, Robin Hood, MNR), but there were also Cobras and Fisher Furys amongst the rest. The route took us along some of Kent and Sussex's best roads - accompanied by great weather. On arrival at our final destination we joined quite a lot of other cars which had come from other parts of the country. In total there were 78 cars of all varieties and although it wasn't an organised show, such a good turnout certainly would have pleased visitors to the museum. Great fun, and great to talk to other like minded owners.

Sickly Sweet

2009-09-16T16:55:00.004+01:00

Last week I went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket. It wasn't the first time I’d seen it. Whilst I find the music interesting and melodic (albeit commercial), I think the overall production has become a little bit of a parody of itself. Over the top, lush and sickly sweet. But then again maybe that’s what the tourists want. I shan’t be going again.

LeJog Update

2009-08-20T09:00:00.005+01:00

I've been on holiday from work for a couple of weeks and had planned to complete three consecutive 100 mile rides as a measure of how much work I would need to do to be ready to complete the Lands End to John O Groats ride as seven 200km days. Unfortunately, having a bad cold Sunday to Tuesday ruled that plan out, however, I felt well enough yesterday to set out for Brighton. I left the house at 6.15am and headed south, taking in the stunning views over Kent from the top of Ide Hill, eventually making it to Brighton in time for breakfast at the Marina. A pretty straightforward ride, although Ditchling Beacon just before arriving in Brighton is always a challenge. This was the first time I had been up it without being surrounded by thousands of other cyclists on the London to Brighton bike ride. That didn't make it easier, it made it harder as I was not forced into a slow pace. More stunning views from the top though.

The journey home was more of a challenge. I returned via Lewis and the Ashdown Forest eventually arriving at the foot of the North Downs wondering how I would make it up the hill. Normally I would go via Ide Hill, but this time I opted for the quieter Toys Hill. That was a mistake as it was longer and steeper! I made it however, leaving only Polhill and a final 9km downhill stretch to home. For the last two hours if the ride, my feet were hurting - I was wearing road cleats which have no give in the sole whatsoever to ensure maximum power goes to the pedals. Next time I'll change the pedals and try it with MTB cleats which have a slight give, and which have the extra benefit of not making you walk like a stiff penguin! My legs were very tired and I was making full use of the gearing - as even small hills started to be difficult.

It was a very hot day, but I made sure I was drinking constantly. I took the opportunity to try out some of the so-called sports hydration drinks. I tried Gatorade, Powerade and Lucozade Sport. Powerade (made by Coca Cola) had added sweeteners and sugar, as did Lucozade, which meant they didn't sit so well in my stomach. However, Gatorade was much better, having no added sugars (natural or otherwise), and it tasted much less sickly. This will be my choice from now on.

I arrived home 11 and a half hours after leaving, but moving time was only eight hours 22 minutes. The difference accounts for traffic lights, an hour for breakfast people watching in Brighton Marina, pee-breaks, and two or three short snack breaks to admire the views.

My legs were a little achy in the evening, and my backside was a little tender, but this morning nothing hurts and, although tired, I feel I would be perfectly able to go out for a long ride again.

You can find details of the ride on the Garmin site.

Volunteering at Mile End Park

2009-08-18T12:15:00.004+01:00

The week before last, about 25 of us from the office took a day out from paper-pushing and email to help the Mile End Park community project in Tower Hamlets. Tower Hamlets is one of the UK's poorest borough, suffering from many of the problems that blight innner city communities. As such, a facility such as Mile End Park is a God-send for many of the residents, and so it was no hardship at all for us to spend a day helping the wardens.

The task they had set aside for us was to clear the weed, algae and rubbish from the large ornamental pond. It was very overgrown and took all of us most of the day to get it back into shape. Not only did we end up make a good job of the tasks set for us, but we went away with a real sense of having helped in a small way, and of having got to know each other a little better.

The highlight of the day for me was when a few of us went to the local pub at the end of the afternoon for refreshments. We ended up in the Palm Tree which was orginally the corner pub on the slum streets of London's East End, and had survived the blitz in WWII. It now stands resplendent in the middle of the park, yet inside, still has the atmosphere and ambiance of a traditional London local. Standing there, you could almost feel the long gone houses that would have crowded round the pub. Well worth the visit.

Center Parcs

2009-08-18T11:54:00.005+01:00

We're just back from our first ever stay at Center Parcs in Elvedon Forest. I was very impressed and can see why almost everyone I spoke to before going said it was a great place.

Butlins for the middle-classes.

The place was clean, well maintained and everyone we came into contact with was friendly and helpful. During our 5 day stay we managed plenty of bike riding, swimming, golf, crazy golf, crossbows, high wire adrenalin challenge (including the Jacob's Ladder), roller skating, foil fencing, badminton, huge zip wire, canoing and pedalos. And we fed plenty of ducks and geese.

The accommodation was very well presented, if a little small, and all the food we had was good. The main criticism I'd heard before we went was that it is expensive. I didn't find that to be the case. The prices we paid for the activities we did were pretty much on a par with the price you'd pay if you did it locally. And in fact, some were cheaper (such as the badminton). Just compressing so many things into such a short space of time inevitably means you will pay a lot of money.

It's certainly a holiday I would consider again. And if you are thinking about it, make sure you go with active people, as those less keen on physical activity will probably not have so much fun.

My highlight - the crossbows, which turned out to be more technical, and therefore harder, than you'd expect. However, we benefited from a good coach for the morning, which made all the difference and made it really good fun.

LeJog Update

2009-08-18T11:34:00.005+01:00

June/July 2010 seems a long way off, but I guess it's never too early to start to prepare for an adventure like the Lands End to John O'Groats cycle ride.

I now have a riding partner, possibly two, and have decided that the 60-odd miles per day organised events from companies such a Skedaddle is probably too leisurely, and that the 110 mile daily distances of the James Cracknel organised Ride Across Britain [RAB] are closer to what we should be aiming for. I had considered signing up for the RAB, but have decided against it for two reasons. Firstly, they're doing it in the wrong direction which would mean a strong possibility of a headwind for the duration, and secondly after a day in the saddle, I really feel I need a proper bed and shower, not a camp site with a mat on the floor of a tent.

So it very much looks like we'll be organising the trip ourselves. David - who I will be doing the ride with - is a regular Audax rider and has suggested we do it as an Audax Permanent event. This means 7 days riding of at least 200km (roughly 125 miles). We'd have a total of 14 hours (including breaks) to complete each 200km leg. Allowing for say 3 hours of breaks (very generous) that's an average of just over 18km per hour. My normal average speed on a long ride is between 24 and 26km per hour, so not too scary, except it has to be done again the next day. And the next day. And we'd have to ride all 7 days within a total of 10 days, which would allow one rest day. The downside of doing it this way is that we'd have to be self supporting and carry our clothes etc for the overnight stops.

Next step is to start the route planning, drawing on the resources of all those fools who have gone before us.

22 reasons to ride a bike

2009-08-04T17:05:00.004+01:00

1. It's good for your heart
2. It's good for you lungs
3. It builds stamina
4. You burns calories which means more curry
5. It relieves stress
6. Exercise leaves you feeling good
7. It's better for the environment, no fumes.
8. A bike uses fewer natural resources to make than a car
9. You see more
10. You hear more
11. You smell more
12. In town, it's faster
13. Parking is easy
14. It's cheaper than the train
15. Leg power is cheaper than petrol
16. It's good thinking time
17. You get to talk to people
18. Trains get cancelled
16. You don't pay congestion charges
17. You can commute in shorts
18. It's trendy
19. It's more flexible - you can vary your route
20. People smile at you
21. You can race every day
22. You can be lycra-man!

Thorn Audax

2009-07-25T07:29:00.004+01:00

After several weeks of research, I've finally taken the plunge and ordered a new bike. I was looking for something that would be suitable for winter training, comfortable for the long distances I seem to be doing these days, and would be strong enough for Lands End to John O'Groats next year.

It had to be a steel frame for comfort, strength and longevity, yet I didn't want the weight of a full tourer. Obviously, it needed a wide range of gears, good quality components and have comfort options like mudguards. A bike built for Audax events seemed the obvious solution, and of the ones specifically built for these events the Thorn Audax comes very highly recommended.

So after a chat with the very friendly folks at SJS Cycles, one is now on order and should be made for me by about the middle of September.

Forbidden Broadway

2009-07-25T07:21:00.003+01:00

Kim and I went to see Forbidden Broadway at the Menier Chocolate Factory. It had been recommended by a friend who had seen it in New York, and it turned out to be a great recommendation. It’s a tongue in cheek look at the big commercial shows on Broadway and London’s West End, focussing particularly on musical theatre. If you’re fan of the big musicals – Phantom, Les Mis, Hairspray, Lion King and the rest – or are just a little bit ‘camp’ you’ll love this. Cruelly funny, bang up to date and brilliantly performed it was an absolute delight. And it was made all the better by the intimate and participative atmosphere of the Chocolate Factory – a very small off West End venue. Wonderful.

We went on a ‘meal deal’ ticket, which at £34 for a two course meal, plus show tickets, was excellent value. Forbidden Broadway is running for a limited season only, so don’t delay, book now!

100 miles

2009-07-25T07:14:00.005+01:00

Last weekend I took part in the London to Southend bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation. At 59 miles it is slightly longer than London to Brighton, but with 3,000 riders – instead of the 27,000 on London to Brighton – it is a much more sensible field allowing for clearer roads and faster progress. I had decided I would ride up to the start in Victoria Park, complete the ride, then ride home. That would make for a round trip of about 100 miles.

Getting to London early on Sunday morning meant I had a choice of river crossings, none of which I’d used before – the Woolwich foot tunnel, the Greenwich foot tunnel, or the Rotherhithe Road tunnel. I’d read that the Rotherhithe tunnel was safe for bikes if you stayed on the walkway, but that pollution from the cars could make it a very unpleasant experience. However, both the foot tunnels have lifts that operate only during regular hours and would definitely not be working at 6.30am on a Sunday morning. That meant walking down and then up the stairs at either end hauling the bike whilst wearing cumbersome bike shoes. In the end I opted for the Rotherhithe tunnel figuring that at that time of day on Sunday, the traffic would be light and the pollution would not have had time to build up. That turned out to be a good call, as it is an easy ride and made the journey to the start very straightforward and direct. I was fascinated that the tunnel bends at the start and again at the end and have since found out that this is so that when it was originally built, the horses could see the light ‘at the end of the tunnel’ and make a bolt for freedom too early!

The ride from Victoria Park to Southend was delightful, passing through some of the better parts of Essex. I stopped at Battlesbridge for a comfort break and some refreshments, where I got talking to a guy riding a Thorn Audax bike – identical to the one I’d just ordered. I’d never even seen one on the road before, so that was a little spooky.

The last few miles into Southend became hard work as the winds were very strong across the open farmland we were riding through, however, arriving at Priory Park we were met by a large crowd of people cheering and clapping to receive our medal, certificate and bottle of water. That was a great feeling!

For many that was the end of the day, but for of course, I still had to ride back home. I got chatting to a guy in full Saxo Bank pro race gear, and on a very expensive full carbon bike and who was obviously fairly new to cycling. He was moaning about how much his rear end hurt. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his ultra stiff pro-bike was probably contributing to his woes! He looked good though ;-)

The ride home was uneventful, although I had to contend with the very strong headwind the whole way, and there were a couple of very heavy, sharp showers which I confess I sheltered from. I met up with another guy at the Dartford Crossing also making his way home, although he had cheated just a little by taking the train from Southend to Upminster.

All in all though a good day, and I proved to myself that 100 miles isn’t so scary, and is possibly a daily distance for next year’s Lands End to john O’Groats ride.

Tiger Tales

2009-07-25T07:07:00.002+01:00

I’ve recently had the car out again at Brands Hatch. Two track days in fact. The first was on the legendary Grand Prix circuit, and then earlier this week on the Indy circuit. Getting another chance to drive the GP track was brilliant as it has to be one of the best anywhere in the world. It’s the place of legends, and it’s easy to see why – Paddock Hill bend, the hairpin at Druids, and the turn out into the country at Surtees. I particularly love the series of corners from Dingle Dell through Sheene, Sterlings and back down to Clearways where you need to get the line just right in order to maintain speed for the main straight.

It’s also fair to say that the GP circuit always attracts a fair amount of exotica, and this time was no exception. The usual Lambos, Ferraris and Porsches were in evidence, together with a couple of Russian Touring cars, with full supporting crew. And although the Tiger is built for acceleration and cornering, not really straight line speed, it held its own very well and was by no means the slowest out there.

This week, I took some people from work to an evening session organised by Focused Events for a taste of track day fun. It was sold as a sessioned event, but there were insufficient cars booked and so it became an open pit lane – meaning cars could go in and out as often as they liked for the two and a half hour session. This time, there was not much exotica around, being replaced by a lot of novice drivers and a surprising number of road going saloons. The large number of first timers in relatively slow cars made for some interesting and at times, frustrating laps. However, the track soon started to clear and we had a much better run at things.

Unfortunately mechanical troubles cut out evening short by about 45 minutes though. The trigger wheel – which indicates the position of the crank and pistons to the Megajolt electronic ignition – decided it had had enough of Brands and made a break for freedom. As we speak, it lies forlorn somewhere on the grass by the side of the track on the way down from Druids. Of course, without it, the car won’t run and so we had to be recovered by the excellent marshals at the track.

I’m very grateful to Dave for the tow home after we’d finished, although I suspect Dave doesn’t tow regularly as at times we were doing 60mph!!

This is the second time the trigger wheel has come loose – it is welded to the crank pulley – and the welds were pretty good. However, I suspect the absence of any damping and the sheer forces involved – track days are a harsh environment, even for a race prepared engine – have worked it loose over ht past few weeks. Fortunately, no other damage was done as the wheel, which is (was!) thick steel the size of a side plate, broke away. A quick call to 7-Indulgence, who carried out the installation, and we’re already thinking of fitting a new one in a different way. This time, I think we’ll need to replace the cast crank pulley with an aluminium one which can be drilled so the trigger wheel can be bolted in place. Until then, Tiger is off the road.

Change is happening

2009-07-15T08:04:00.002+01:00

1. From communications to engagement

2. We can do stuff without IT…..

….. and they don’t like it.

3. Uses are emergent, and business benefit is emergent…..

….. so business case processes are inappropriate.

4. Communications people don’t understand it, so…..

….. they ignore it, or try to control it…

5. Users don’t understand it, so…..

….. they just use it….

Another bike

2009-07-12T07:32:00.004+01:00

As a typical 'bloke', I love machines and gadgets. Also, in the last three or four years I've become an enthusiastic cyclist, using a bike both to commute to work and for leisure/training rides at the weekend.

Putting these two things together, means I am always on the look out for a new bike. Sometimes, the excuses are quite thin, however, sometimes they are genuine. This time its genuine. I need a new bike.

I'm in the early stages of planning to do LeJoG next year, and such a serious undertaking will require a serious machine. So I'm looking at Audax, touring and Cyclocross bikes as potential steeds for such a long trip.

If you have any advice on what would be most suitable, let me know! And if you know me and fancy LeJoG as well, give me a call!!

What is an intranet

2009-07-12T07:20:00.003+01:00

Whilst preparing to present to the Intranet benchmarking Forum the other day, I started to think about what an intranet actually is. Of course, it's many things to many people, and for sure our definition has changed over the 16 years or so since the term was first coined. However, here is my stab for what it is. It is:

A critical part of your organisation's landscape
A platform for the paperless office
A place to collaborate
A catalyst for change

All of which are pretty obvious and probably not too contentious.

However, and intranet is also:

Taken for granted (or at least it should be)
The battlefield between technology and business
The place where people can have personality, opinions and express themselves.

These are not so obvious, and are certainly not so comfortable for the organisation. However, as has always happened, intranets are once again challenging the old paradigms - and that can be quite threatening for those affected. The one thing we can be sure of though, is that change in this space is pretty much unstoppable as an intranet world is a democtratised world and has an organic life of its own. The most successful intranet managers will be those who can harness that development and growth through the various phases.

I am a Philistine

2009-07-12T07:10:00.004+01:00

This week, I went to see Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan and Simon Callow in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. I'm afraid I didn't get it.

No story line, juvenile character development and a pointless production left me feeling I'd wasted my money. As it's such a famous play, put on by famous actors and watched by a theatre full of people who laughed at everything, even though none of it was funny, I can only conclude I am a Philistine. Or maybe I'm just too superficial and it was all over my head.

I can't wait for the panto season ;-)

Tiger Tales

2009-07-01T20:51:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I had the Tiger on track at Brands Hatch. It was a track day organised by Focused Events. Although it was very hot, the car was impeccably behaved and the event very well organised and run. It was a ‘sessioned’ evening (as opposed to an open pit lane), however, this was probably a good thing as limiting drivers (and their cars) to 20 minutes of track time at a go was very sensible in the heat. As is often the case, it was an eclectic mix of cars – a couple of TVRs, a Porsche GT3, several 7-type cars (including a guy in his brand new Caterham, and someone in a yellow Tiger), a Radical, and a few racing saloons. A good mix, and plenty to talk about in the pit garages. We were on track right after the Formula BMW series cars had completed testing, so they were also around to chat to.

The marshals at Brands Hatch are excellent, but last night there were several novice drivers who seemed totally oblivious to the correct racing line, or other cars behind them trying to get past. In these circumstances, drivers need to be extremely patient and not take any risks trying to overtake. The marshals could have helped the more experienced drivers in the faster cars by using the blue overtaking flag a little more often. I only saw it being waved once.

Other than that, it was a great evening.

Informalisation

2009-07-01T20:46:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow I’m hosting the Intranet Benchmarking Forum meeting looking at our intranet. In putting together my 15 minutes of fame, I started to think about a potential clash between the increasing centralisation and formalisation we’re seeing in business right now, which is a natural consequence of the economic challenges many businesses face, and the increasing ‘informalisation’ of the intranet. We face a surge of user generated content via wikis, blogs, microblogs social networks and so on, most of which is spontaneous and informal. However, over the past 15 years or so, intranet professionals have focussed on governance of content, making sure it’s up to date, accurate, owned and so on. As the balance between this legacy ‘governed’ content and the new wave of informal content changes, so our governance approaches will have to change. Not only that, the governance we managed through the early days of intranet was necessary because users weren’t particularly savvy and we needed to take care of the content on their behalf. The user is much more aware these days and doesn’t need us to cosset them in quite the same way.

Does this therefore mean the end of intranet governance as an activity? Can we just leave it to the network to organise itself and the crowd to keep content up to date? Well, possibly yes, but also, no. Some form of governance will still be required – people in business still need reassurance that the information they are using is valid and accurate. That cannot be left to chance. However, as there will be many, many more content providers than before, we’ll see a few power users emerge in the information farmer role. They will assume responsibility themselves – in other words we won’t ‘appoint’ them – to look after content. These farmers will need our help and support. That will be a vital role for the intranet professional going forward.

The tools we use will also need to change. Content management systems have grown up supporting this formal world. They are entirely inappropriate for this new wave of less formal content, where users neither have the time, nor the desire to be trained on how to use a system. They’ll be looking for a user experience closer to that of Facebook, Blogger and the other social media platforms. They’ll just want to start using it. However, in our corporate worlds, change of this type is not comfortable for our programmes and projects. IT projects in particular have long lead times and there is a very real danger we won’t be able to reap the benefits of this greater knowledge base and collaboration because we can’t get the right platforms in place.

A final thought. We mustn’t get too precious about our governance processes. They are a means to an end. If we can achieve the same ends in a better, cheaper, faster way, then we should do so. Change affects us too!

London to Brighton Bike Ride

2009-06-25T16:06:00.005+01:00

Sunday saw Tom and I (and a couple of friends) complete the London to Brighton bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation. This was my second time on the UKs largest bike event, and it was Tom’s first. We caught the train up to Waterloo, then rode the three or four miles to the start on Clapham Common. The weather was perfect for cycling, not too hot, not windy and the atmosphere was pretty friendly.

The riders were a real mix of hard core cyclists for whom the 54 mile trek to Brighton was just a warm up, through to charity riders for whom it would be a real challenge. With so many cyclists, the going is always a little slow. However, this year was pretty bad. We ran in to at least 5 spots (mostly hills) where we had to get off and walk as people were queuing up the hill. The event organisers would have done well to have put marshals at the bottom of these hills reminding people walking to keep left and give room to those who wanted to ride up. These delays served to slow the pace down for everybody and that was a good thing as it meant people being forced to take breaks, giving the less well prepared a chance of making the finish.

I saw a few more accidents than last year – only one looked serious though – and there were plenty of people in fancy dress or on unusual machines. I particularly admired the unicyclist, the couple on the back to back tandem, and the people on roller blades!

Once again I managed to conquer Ditchling Beacon, where from the top riders can catch their first glimpse of the sea. And by popular demand, I did of course wear the full bright-orange lycra of the Euskaltel Euskadi cycle team, which drew quite a lot of comments. Maybe not for the right reasons though !!!!

We all made it safely to Brighton - a great achievement for Tom who isn’t a regular cyclist. All in all, a good day out and I was able to raise over £200 in support of the BHF thanks to all those people who sponsored me.

I’m now preparing for the London to Southend bike ride on 19 July, but I intend to ride to the start and then ride home afterwards, which will make it a round trip of about 100 miles. Wish me luck! And if you want to join me, let me know.

Sorrento

2009-06-16T08:13:00.003+01:00

Just come back from a week in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. This was my first trip there. It’s quite a place – not as big as I expected – but very friendly. The holiday got off to an awful start when we queued 4 hours to check in with Thomson Airways. Their computer systems were down right across the country. Everyone was very patient – very British in fact – but I find it astonishing that a company the size of Thomson has no resilience or back up in their systems . As a result we didn’t arrive at our hotel until around midnight – long after the restaurant had closed. However, the hotel had kindly prepared a cold room service meal for our arrival, which was both very thoughtful, and very good. The hotel was the Hilton Sorrento Palace and whilst it was very nice and in a terrific, commanding spot high up the cliff on the outskirts of town, it was very American (glass and concrete) and really didn’t blend in with the style of the local architecture.

I have high standards when it comes to hotels, so it is disappointing to report that the hotel restaurant ran out of two out of three main courses on Sunday night – and it then took an hour to serve the remaining main course. Other than that, the service was excellent. There were no English speaking channels on the in-room tv except CNN and Bloomberg and internet access was incredibly expensive – 17 Euro per day for wif-fi or 35 cents a minute in the business centre. When will these places learn that these services are becoming an increasingly important part of the regular traveller’s requirement?

We experienced a couple of rainy (but warm) days, which gave us plenty of scope to people watch. What is it about Canadians and fashion sense? Other than that, we did a lot of lying in the sun, reading (Bill Bryson’s ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid), and generally relaxing. We did a tour of the stunning coast line, but unfortunately didn’t manage to get to Pompeii. That will be next time.

Coming back, I was very amused by the check in procedures at Naples. We were left waiting on the coach for 90 minutes outside the airport and only allowed in shortly before our flight was due to depart. All of which meant we marched straight through check in, security, passport control and straight onto the flight. No time for shopping. These days, when airports depend up tourists spending, it was odd we were not offered the opportunity to get rid of our few remaining Euros! Their loss.

All in all, I'd recommend Sorrento if you want a friendly resort, with plenty of historical sites and good weather. Just bear in mind it will take well over an hour from Naples airport on a very busy road - and that's without hold ups.

Great Kent Bike Ride

2009-06-14T13:58:00.004+01:00

I spent a terrific few hours this morning completing the Great Kent Bike Ride in aid of the Canterbury Oast Trust. It was a beautiful morning when I left home, but by the time I got the start line in Ashford it was overcast and had been raining quite heavily. This meant the roads were wet (very wet in places) - normally not a problem, but yesterday I removed the knackered mudguards on my bike following the promise of good weather. So, for the first hour I suffered a lot of spray, however, it was warm and there was no wind to speak of - making the cycling much easier.

I opted for the longer 60 miles route, which was mostly on very quite Kent country roads, through villages with great names such as Shadoxhurst and Wittersham. The sun duly came out, making the ride very pleasant indeed. With only one real hill to test riders, stunning scenery, a friendly atmosphere and not an insane number of riders, this is definitely on the calendar for next year.

You can find the details of my route and time here.

Tiger Tales

2009-05-26T06:37:00.004+01:00

Summer is almost here, which means the Tiger has been brought out of hibernation. The most important job was to get the car running properly. First attempts resulted in serious backfiring and a great reluctance to start. I went through the usual checks and I confirmed I had fuel and a spark, so the most likely cause was timing. Attention then started to focus on the new trigger wheel which had been installed to enable the Megajolt to run. On close examination, it turned out that the welds holding it to the crank pulley had failed, allowing the trigger wheel to rotate from it's fixed position on the crank. This was also the source of the expensive sounding rattle I had developed on the last track day of last year (not so expensive after all then), and was also almost certainly the reason the car wouldn't start. Jon from 7-Indulgence took the offending part away and re-welded it more securely. On its return, the car still wouldn't run on all four cylinders (there was no spark at the fourth cylinder), so after much head scratching the diagnosis was that the coil pack was faulty. The Ford Mondeo (the donor for these parts) uses a wasted spark system and there are only two positive leads to the coil pack, each supplying power to two cylinders. This meant that, if one of the pair of plugs was firing, then the coil pack was getting power, therefore the problem is from the coil pack onwards - and that can only mean the coil pack, the ignition leads or the spark plugs. Ignition leads and spark plugs were easy to test, and the conclusion was the coil pack had given up. A quick trip to the local motor factors had it sorted and the car then duly started, and I've had no problem since.

The only other problem I had to fix was a strange knocking noise, particularly when powering through a left had corner. This didn't seem to vary with speed, therefore probably not the drive train and very much sounded like something fouling the chassis somewhere. Close examination with the nose cone off showed that the slightly longer fan belt recently installed was allowing the alternator to bang against the right hand chassis rail as the engine was forced right in left hand turns. A test fit of various length belts from Halfords soon came up with one of the right length and the problem was solved.

Final job was a good clean, and the car was ready.

I attended the first track day of the year at Brands Hatch - a sessioned evening run by Focused Events. It was a terrific evening. The weather was perfect, there were few cars/drivers so it became an open pit lane session, and even then the track was clear for much of the evening. And the Tiger behaved impeccably. Apart from the rear fog light disintegrating and having to be 'modified' part way through the evening that is. I think this is probably due to its position immediately below the petrol filler cap and if a little fuel gets split it runs down the car onto the fog light, making the plastic brittle. Easy and cheap fix though.

So, all set for summer and probably another 4 or 5 track days.

Oliver

2009-05-25T10:56:00.002+01:00

We went to see Oliver at the Theatre Royal in the West End a few weeks ago. The tickets had been bought a very long time ago when it was first announced that Fagin would be played by Rowan Atkinson, so it was a bit of a disappointment when we found out that Rowan had to take a couple of weeks off due to a hernia and Russ Abbott was to step into his shoes. However, having seen the show, I am happy to report that Russ did an excellent job. He brought plenty of character where it was needed, and just the right amount of humour too. And he can sing.

I have to say though, Russ was probably the best thing about this version of Lionel Bart’s classic. Just like Joseph, I found the production was ‘dumbed down’ – presumably for the benefit of those who were perhaps at their first West End show, having been seduced by the accompanying search for Nancy TV show. It has a touch of panto about it. The acoustic balance was all wrong, with the orchestra being far too loud and drowning out the singers on several occasions. I didn’t like the ‘mockney’ accents – that really didn’t work and contributed to making the show far less natural.

Jodie Prenger as Nancy was exceptionally popular with the audience as you’d expect, but I found her performance very one dimension and not at all fresh. Making every rendition sound as though it is the first one is one of the defining characteristics of a great musical performer. For me, Jodie just didn’t have it. She had probably sung her big number – As Long As He Needs Me – 100 times, and it showed. The phrasing could have been better and some more contrast would have improved things alot.

Having said that, Oliver is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicals ever written and it would be virtually impossible to mess it up completely because the simple melodies, great lyrics and colourful characters will always shine through. So, all in all, not as good as I’d hoped, but I still came out singing.

Musings of a cyclist

2009-05-25T09:44:00.004+01:00

Just back from an easy couple of hours on the bike. Very nice morning to go over Polehill and throught the Kent countryside. The road from Otford to Eynsford is beautiful, scenic and is well worth the effort - if only the council would sort out the road surface. It's pretty appalling if you're on a pedal bike.

And while we're on the subject, how is it there's money to paint so many white, yellow and red lines over all our roads, put up a million signs and thousands of cameras, yet there's no money to repair the roads. Sort it out!

Everything expands

2009-02-08T18:27:00.001Z

Some thing always seem to expand to fill the space available. Work expands to fill the time available. Spending expands according to the money available (and for many beyond the money available it seems). However, what about meetings? I've noticed in my office, that it doesn't seem to matter how many meeting rooms there are, or how many new ones we create, there are never enough.

Why is that?

We have so many tools that enable us to collaborate with each other now that I fear we are losing the ability to take decisions on our own. So we meet. Which is a shame, because technology delivers us the quality information in a timely way to allow us to decide and do. Yet we seem to have lost the confidence. Is this the blame culture impacting on business? Or is this just ultimate democracy?

Slum Dog Millionaire

2009-02-08T18:20:00.004Z

I know most people will have seen it, and I know it will have made an impression on all those who have, however, I have to say I really enjoyed Slum Dog Millionaire. Well acted, and most definitely not glamourised. Tension was maintained throughout, yet the ending was pure feel good. I recommend it to you. And stay for the dance sequence at the end. Brilliant!

Keep it simple, stupid

2009-02-08T18:15:00.004Z

Intranets became powerful because they were simple. And they're still powerful things, but we seem to have lost the simplicity. Worse than that, we've created an industry around the simple things and in the process, made them un-simple. As so often happens, we've lost sight of the things that inspired us all at the beginning. Some intranet managers and technologists now look upon the next wave of technology as a threat to the comfortable status quo, not the fantastic opportunity it is. Oh, how easily the machine grinds us down. Shame on us.

Shooting Stars

2008-12-31T14:26:00.006Z

Fantastic to see Shooting Stars return to our TV screens last night after more than a decade, even if it was just a one-off special. Brilliant to see that it is still as funny today as it was when it first appeared. It gave me an opportunity to introduce Reeves and Mortimer to the kids both whom are too young to have remember it first time around. If you missed it, you can see the documentar y here, and the all new show here.

Wii - first impressions

2008-12-28T10:01:00.004Z

Games consoles have been a part of my life for a long time. Starting with a ‘Pong’ machine from Woolworths back in the late 1970s, through a Sinclair ZX81, Commodore 64, various Sega and Nintendo machines (including the Sega Saturn which remains my all time favourite), and more recently the Playstation 1 and 2, a gaming PC and an Xbox 360. I’ve also had various handhelds. Bearing that in mind, getting hold of a Wii was really only a matter of time. And now I have one, thanks to my wife’s thoughtfulness and a birthday.

There’s plenty out there on the web about the Wii and how it differs from other games machines. Plenty about how it is re-defining the gaming experience. And it is. It’s the first machine that has really appealed to a broad market - kids and adults alike. To the extent that I’ve heard of plans to make them available in retirement homes as exercise for the residents. It seems the only market segment it doesn’t appeal to is the (mostly male) late teenage group, who often seem to prefer photo-realistic graphics.

My first impressions of the Wii? It’s different. It’s fun. Everybody wants to play it. And it’s harder to master than you’d expect. Don’t let the childish, primitive graphics of some games fool you. Success requires skill, dexterity and perseverance. So far I’ve tried Wii Sport and Wii Play, Super Mario Karts, Emergency Hero, Super Mario Galaxy, and NiGHTS. The two Mario games are excellent and will be getting further attention. NiGHTS will as well simply because I remember playing the earlier version on the Saturn. And the others I’ll probably dip into now and then. On the way from Play.com and eBay are Tomb Raider and The Bigs (baseball). And having spent 10 minutes playing a table tennis game I shall be bidding for that too.

So, it seems I’m hooked.

Dee Dee Bridgewater

2008-12-28T09:12:00.005Z

I've been interested in most kinds of fusion and cross over music for quite some time. From Buena Vista inspired albums like Rhythms Del Mundo, through Salsa Celtica, Paul Simon's Graceland, Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra and many others. So I was delighted to be given Dee Dee Bridgewater's Red Earth album. Dee Dee is a long established jazz singer, however, Red Earth represents a new direction for her, fusing western jazz influences and african inspired rythms, tones and harmonies. It's a very interesting experience. Most of the african musicians are from Mali, whose musical tradition I'd not explored before. Which made the recording fresh and new. It's exciting and original music and some of the tracks feel as much influenced by the asian scene as the african one. It's an album that deserves to be listened to, not as background music, but as a performance. Enjoy.

Territoriality

2008-12-27T07:02:00.004Z

Technology has allowed us to become flexible workers. It has released us from our fixed desks. It has turned work from somewhere we go, to something we do. And those of us (and I include myself) who have embraced this new way have reaped real benefits in terms of productivity and work life balance. This is been proven through many pieces of research. However, human nature doesn’t give in that easily. During recent office moves at the work place I go to most, I was surprised about how territorial people can still be and I was given a sharp reminder that even in organisations which are truly world leaders in flexible working, it is far too easy to overlook the seemingly fundamental human need for security, stability and territory. Making the transition from office based to fully flexible requires coaching, support and a little time. It doesn't always happen naturally.

Everyone Loves A Bargain!

2008-12-27T06:57:00.005Z

I’ve noticed a trend for Google searches for products to return links to voucher sites such as My Voucher Codes. What will happen when everyone is using these voucher sites to get a better deal from retailers? Where will the canny internet shopper go then? And how will online retailers be able to differentiate themselves? Until then, don’t buy anything – either online or in the real world without checking for vouchers first.

Avenue Q

2008-12-26T08:01:00.003Z

I finally managed to get to see Avenue Q at the Noel Coward theatre. Brilliant, irreverent fun involving puppets and actors sharing the stage to tell a modern tale in a unique way. Very clever, uproariously funny and with some touching moments, this is well worth getting see before it closes in March. I saw a Friday afternoon matinee which started at a very sensible 5.00pm. Tickets via Lastminute.com were not much more than the price of a West End cinema seat. It’s very rude in places so probably not suitable for kids – especially the puppet sex scene (yes really!) which is probably one of the funniest things you will have seen for a long time. Enjoy!

Joseph

2008-12-26T07:45:00.004Z

Oh dear! I bought tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End some months ago. I remember seeing it way back with Jason Donovan in the lead role and when it was revived as part of the ‘Any Dream Will Do’ TV talent show, I thought it deserved a further viewing. How wrong I was.

The production was mediocre, too many trivial attempts at humour gave it a panto-esque feel, and I’m sorry to report that Lee Mead – the TV show winner playing the part of Joseph – was very disappointing. His acting (such as he needed to do) was not great and his signing was very odd – nasal and flat. His phrasing of the songs had all the hallmarks of someone who has been in the role too long. Perhaps that’s why he’s being replaced by Gareth Gates shortly. Jenna Lee-James playing the narrator had a better singing voice – pretty good actually – but her extreme facial expressions were really off putting.

Of course, the audience loved it. A mix of kids and West End virgins almost guaranteed a standing ovation. How disappointing. If only they’d seen the revival of Evita at the very same theatre just a couple of years ago they’d have realised how very good Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Time Rice actually were.

Edinburgh

2008-12-25T08:42:00.003Z

Aaliyah once said, “Age ain’t nothing but a number”. Having reached a significant milestone – involving a ‘5’ and an ‘0’ – I have to tell you I feel no different to when I was in my forties, thirties, twenties even! In fact, I feel healthier, fitter and happier now than I've felt for a long time!

To celebrate, I was treated to a long weekend in Edinburgh. We stayed at the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street, a hotel which I used to stay at regularly many years back when I was a frequent visitor to Edinburgh. It’s where I wanted to go. I remember it as being a wonderfully Scottish hotel, all tartan, Thistle and wood-fire warm. Of course it’s changed hands since I was last there, and is now a Rocco Forte hotel. The décor has changed and is all trendy beige and chocolate, which is a little disappointing for a hotel in the heart of a great Scottish city and which very much forms part of the backdrop of the landscape. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the standard of service. It is truly outstanding. Just the right attention to detail, without being overbearing. The Number One restaurant is proud of its Michelin Star, and it’s easy to see why. Exceptional cooking, well served – by a surprisingly young staff.

I thoroughly enjoyed being a tourist for the weekend. We took a bus tour, spent time on the Royal Yacht Britannia out at Leith and trudged up the Royal Mile to spend an afternoon at Edinburgh Castle. All well worth a visit. It’s a wonderful place at Christmas.

My abiding memory of Edinburgh is the skyline at night. Standing on Princes Street, looking out towards Old Town, has to be one of the best cityscapes in Europe.

Get there if you can. And if you live there, don’t take it for granted.

Do we need words anymore?

2008-11-21T15:16:00.006Z

Earlier this week I was in a large office in Central London and I found myself listening to the things that were going on around me. There wasn't much talking, but there was an awful lot of tap-tapping as people punched out emails, composed Word documents on their computers, or entered data into web forms and applications. A huge volume of written content was being created just on that floor. Multiply that by the number of floors in that building; by the number of buildings in London; by the number of cities around the world and you'll end up with an (almost) incalculable number of words. Most of that content will be available to us via the web.

I've read reminders that Moore's Law does not and cannot apply to the human brain. Human beings are beginning to suffer from information saturation. And what about people in developing countries who cannot read or write. They don't have this skill, but they are increasingly getting access to the technology allowing them to connect to content. What use are all those words to them?

Is the answer video? We can assimilate knowledge video messages much faster than we can through the written word, and it allows an additional dimension to the message - facial expression, body language and so on. The barrier to entry has really dropped with the growing popularity of YouTube and other video sharing sites. Creating content is also easy with the wide availability of video capture capability on mobile phones and portable mini cameras such as the Creative Vado. With all these tools it may even be quicker to create video than writing the same content as words.

Hmmmm.

The longest reboot - EVER!

2008-11-21T15:04:00.005Z

Last Friday, as I plugged in the mouse to the USB port on my 5-year old Toshiba notebook computer, there was a small spark, followed by darkness. No display, no hard drive whirring, no fans buzzing. Nothing. I tried all sorts of things to bring it back to life, but nothing worked. Even though the power light was on, there was clearly no-one at home. So, I packed it up, unplugged everything rerady to take it to a repair shop and left it on the table. There followed some web searches, a trip to PC World and so on and by Sunday morning I had a fresh new Toshiba laptop. By Sunday might all the applications had been re-loaded and I was feeling quite satisfied that the house laptop had been restored with only a couple of days loss of data.

Then, without warning or being touched, the fans on the old 'broken laptop' came on. I opened the lid and sure enough it started to boot. And it has worked ever since. So well done Toshiba for building a piece of kit that seems to be able to heal itself! Even if 48 hours does seem an awful long time to re-boot.

Enterprise 1.0 won’t let go easily

2008-11-14T20:03:00.004Z

I spend much of my time talking to people about Enterprise 2.0. Indeed yesterday I was the chief ‘provocateur’ on a virtual round table organised by Career Innovation, facilitated by Jonathan Winter, the CI founder. With colleagues from organisations like Boeing, Marriott, and Allen & Overy we spent an interesting 90 minutes discussing the impact of social media in the workplace, and how that might take business to the state known as Enterprise 2.0. It was a stimulating discussion. Thinking about it afterwards though, I wonder how much is hyperbole, and how much is real. Our business language is full of words like ‘innovation’ and ‘revolutionary change’. But do those things ever really happen? I doubt it, and if they do, it’s in rare cases. Very rare cases. The fact is Enterprise 1.0 cultures have been built up (and been successful) over many generations. In big organisations particularly, the culture stems from the vary roots of the bureaucracy. Changing it is never going to be possible in a hurry. Even when there’s a ‘survive or die’ crisis. Revolution is not possible; it’s always going to be evolution. And the same will be true of the transition from Enterprise 1.0 to Enterprise 2.0. It’ll be a long slow process, requiring a huge amount of perseverance, some luck, and some real long term visionary thinking.

An example to get you thinking. There’s much talk of Generation Y (those born with a mouse in their hand) stimulating major changes to the way businesses work. Indeed, I have myself stood up at conferences and suggested the same. GenY people don’t use email. Email is Enterprise 1.0. They use social networks, text messages, instant messenger etc. to organise their lives. And, so the argument goes, they’ll want to do the same when they arrive in the workplace, and this will change the way we do business. Forever. But will it? Or will the organisation grind them down first? Especially as email is the infrastructure on which business is actually run. The Gen Y people might find they have to use email just to get things done at all. So revolutionary change is unlikely.

I hope I’m wrong as these are exciting times, but as we come down from the peak of inflated expectations, those of us involved in deployment activities need to put on our pragmatic hats, be realistic about the prospects, and try and speed up the evolution rather than trying to stimulate the revolution.

Tiger Tales

2008-11-14T19:55:00.005Z

The Tiger is not a happy beast at the moment. Since the new Megajolt system was installed it has not been running well. That may be coincidence, or it may be related. I’m not sure and will be investigating further over the winter. On the rolling road the car was re-mapped and the twin Weber 45s tuned. The dyno read-out showed power at 173bhp, up by 5bhp since the Megajolt installation. However, the car is very reluctant to start and when it does, it only runs on three cylinders until it is fully warm. There’s a spark, and there’s fuel, so it’s a bit of a mystery. I suspect either the timing is a little out – perhaps the trigger wheel sensor has moved slightly, or maybe there’s a sticking valve which only comes loose when the head warms up.

I took my Dad with me on the last track day. It was his first time driving on a race track. I think he found it daunting, but nevertheless, he drove quite a few laps and seemed to enjoy it. We shared a garage with a Holden Monaro (read Vauxhall VXR8) which is a real monster car, and shared the track with many interesting cars, including a whole set of race prepared Beetles testing for their race series. Once warmed up, the Tiger ran well for most of the day – until the alternator packed in (again) towards the end of the afternoon. This was expected (I had a spare with me), and certainly didn’t spoil the enjoyment.

So, that’s it for 2008. The car goes into storage now until the Spring and will be tucked away in a Carcoon through the worst of the weather, only being brought out when I feel like tackling the jobs that need doing.

Rain Man

2008-11-14T17:26:00.002Z

Transferring Rain Man to the stage was always going to be a challenge. Not because it’s difficult to stage, but because it has to compete against one of the best films ever made. I’m not a fan of Tom Cruise, but unquestionably his performance in Rain Man (the movie) was one of his best. Nevertheless, Josh Hartnett (playing the Cruise role) has a Hollywood reputation and so I rolled up at the Apollo in Shaftesbury Avenue expecting to be challenged with a new interpretation of the Barry Morrow story. I was disappointed. Not because Harnett has no stage presence (he doesn’t), but simply because it was a straight facsimile of the film. I was expecting a contemporary interpretation of a twenty year old film, whereas I got a replay with the only changes being reference to modern day current affairs (Osama Bin Laden) and TV (Judge Judy).

Hartnett’s performance lacked gravitas, his projection was poor and his acting somewhat wooden. There was nothing like the veiled nastiness Cruise exuded in the film, Hartnett was far more overt. By contrast, Adam Godley, playing the autistic savant Raymond was excellent. Sad, yet sprinkled with humour and warmth. Also, the stage set was very well done, not distracting from the character development and interplay. The production seemed to move from scene to scene without really building the relationship between the brothers, and it wasn’t until towards the end that is started to sense any emotion.

All in all, a pleasant enough evening, but my expectations were not met. Which I guess just goes to prove how great the original film was. Cruise and Hoffman are on my list to watch again at the weekend.

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-14T17:22:00.002Z

What happened to James Bond? The latest Bond epic is a huge disappointment. Where was the smug humour? What happened to the unreal action? And how come Bond films have suddenly decided to do way with a story line?

I’m afraid this just doesn’t live up to the legacy of earlier Bond movies. Make no mistake, Daniel Craig plays the part well – he’s moody and edgy – it just doesn’t bear any resemblance to what Bond should be. The special effects are great, but the additional realism, rather than enhancing the experience, has lined Bond up in a long line of ‘action’ movies. Indistinguishable from the rest.

What a shame!

Command and Control

2008-10-13T11:49:00.003+01:00

Management in business is based on the military command and control model. This has been refined over centuries to ensure compliance, discipline and standard ways of doing things. Often organisations have ‘ideas’ schemes and ‘innovation’ programmes that rely on such structures to assess the idea or the innovation. Those very structures that are designed to limit creativity and variety! We then wonder why few ideas make it all the way through to implementation. Hmm, I wonder.

Tiger Update

2008-10-13T11:44:00.003+01:00

After being towed ignominiously off the track at Brands Hatch a few weeks ago, the Tiger now has a complete new ignition system – Megajolt, a re-mappable 3D system – which will enable the ignition to be set up to take advantage of the power of the Pinto engine. The system is plugged into a computer whilst on a rolling road and then tailored to get the best from the engine. The rolling road session is booked with Sanspeed in Bexleyheath and the car should be fully set up in time for the next tack day on 21st October. I have also now fitted a four leg and cross-braced roll bar which will be much stronger than the single loop bar it previously had and will provide much better protection in the event of a mishap!

Employee Engagement Conference

2008-10-13T11:05:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I spoke at Osney Media’s Employee Engagement conference. I was talking about some of the practical considerations when deploying social media into a large organisation, and why doing so is a good idea.

A couple of things interested me about the conference. Bearing in mind the audience – mostly people involved in internal communications in the UK in one way or another – I was very surprised (read: startled) about how few read blogs, hardly anyone writes a blog and only two people out of about a hundred had even heard of Twitter. Like it or not, user generated content is a great way to ‘engage’ with the people in an organisation, and beyond. So why the lack of interest? Perhaps it’s symptomatic of the confusion amongst internal communications people about what the future holds and what their role might be. We seem to be working harder and harder, with less and less effect. And with the global downturn now really beginning to bite, maybe there’s some concern over job security, particularly as it’s so hard to demonstrate the direct link between engagement activity and the bottom line. I’ve blogged before that the seniors won’t need us in the future in the same way as they have done in the past. But they will still need us, and the longer we take to assume these new roles, the more vulnerable we’ll become.

The second thing that interested me was that questions were being submitted via an electronic voting system. That’s fine, although personally I prefer some interaction with the audience and was pleased when we also had questions from the floor. The upshot was that on arriving back at the office I was faced with an email from the organisers with a long list of all the questions that had been submitted electronically, all of which required answers. So, in case you’re interested, you can find my answers below.

· I thought Sharepoint was a CMS system?!
It is, but it also has team collaboration capabilities, personal content capabilities – MySite – and document management capabilities. See Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SharePoint].

· How do you control entries on wikis or blogs to ensure content is correct, not misleading?
User generated content on the BT Intranet sits under a version of the global navigation bar which indicates that this is user generated, not officially published content, and therefore care should be taken with its use. BTpedia front page contains a disclaimer to the same effect. Each BTpedia page has a ‘report this post’ button which flags it to the central intranet team. Other than that, we rely on the ‘wisdom of crowds’ to keep the content up to date, plus the red/amber/green content governance approach I outlined at the conference.

· How do you ensure the normal courtesies are applied?
Sorry, don’t understand the question.

· How do you avoid information overload e.g. 10,000 birthdays going up?
This hasn’t been a problem, and it’s unlikely that out of a population of 106,000 that 10,000 people would be seeking to make the same announcement on the same day J. If they did, however, this would be picked up by the moderator.

· Have you experienced abuses of trust or neglect of other work and how did you deal with this?
I’m not aware of any cases of people posting inappropriate material. Any ’neglect of work’ type issues would be picked up through performance management and dealt with accordingly.

· What happens if people aren't responsible participants?
That depends upon how irresponsible they are. If it was serious, it would be handled as a disciplinary matter. However, in my experience most people don’t want to harm the organisation they work for. We have a long history of openness in BT. For example, we have had a letters column in our employee newspaper for years, and all our senior executives are very accessible. This has created an environment where people are able to raise issues without fear of retribution, and to do so responsibly.

· You mentioned trust, have you had a problem with inappropriate information being published? What about employer obligations to protect other employees from some messages?
No issues with inappropriate information being published. The owners of sensitive messages would be publishing them through the formal channels, not the user channels. Also, we have done a lot of work, including mandatory training, to ensure our people are aware of their regulatory responsibilities in respect of information sharing.

· In many companies they have banned facebook and other similar sites - labelling them as social NOT-working rather than social networking. Do you have an opinion on this ?
Collaboration is of critical importance to business going forward. The social networking behaviours and norms learned on site such as Facebook should be encouraged, not discouraged. However, it’s more than just ‘Facebook for the enterprise’. See the Gartner report on the three stages of social software acceptance. http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=746017

· Any advice regarding 'managing a negative message being shared through any of your channels' - did you 'remove' it and if so what damage did that do the 'open comms' approach?
Have the conversation. Removing a negative comment would kill the conversation. If people have these issues, then they should be heard, responded to and dealt with. It’s a great opportunity to engage.

· In our org we have had to discipline then fire 15 people in the last 6 months for defrauding the company through excessive use of the social network sites before they were banned. What can we do ?
Have clear policies, communicate them and set the behavioural norms.

· What has sharepoint added to your business? is it truly embedded in workflow?
Sharepoint is still in the early phases. However, it has the potential to be transformational as it is totally embedded into the tools we all use everyday. Not embedded yet, but it will be I’m sure.

· Would you say your employer brand matches your consumer brand?
Yes.

· What topics are included in your btpedia as opposed to your intranet
The two can sit side – the formal intranet is for formal content, clearly owned by an individual and not usually up for editing by anyone except that individual. Typically, that would be policy type content. Wiki content is available for editing by anybody. Entries include things such as awards won, acronyms, building information, ‘how to’ content. It’s less formal.

· How do you ensure that people don't waste loads of time when they should be working blogging, using facebook etc etc - isn't there a danger of this?
See above.

· How would you handle on-line harassment or bullying via blogs when BT will be legally responsible?
People cannot post anonymously. I’m not aware of any cases but if one did arise it would be dealt with through our disciplinary procedure. We take any form of bullying very seriously.

· Do you 'manage' blogging or trust employees to manage it themselves? Any nightmare stories and how you resolved them?
It’s entirely self managed, but we do have content governance processes in place which are designed to ensure stale content is removed. No nightmare stories I’m pleased to say.

· Do you have any evidence (employee research or otherwise) that this is improving employee engagement or clarity of communications?
No research yet – that’s in the plan though. Plenty of anecdotal evidence that people are engaging in conversation with each other and collaborating. Also, it has opened up new channels for direct conversations with the people at the very top of the organisation. Disintermediating the internal comms people in the process.

· Do staff on the road (openreach for example) use these systems or is this just for office based staff?
They have access to them. I’m not sure what the take up level is amongst that community yet though.

· Do you monitor the usage of the BT social bits and see if someone's time is disproportionate to the time of their colleagues and what you think might be acceptable
See above.

· Would be interested to know the take-up of the different social media tools mentioned.
1300 articles on BTpedia and growing daily. Over 150 blogs and growing fast.

· Folksonomy??
User gernerated content classification. See Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folksonomy

· What were your mistakes?
Trying to introduce Web 2.0 tools using Web 1.0 processes.

· I know that you said no website demonstrations - but would love to see what some of this looks like!!
Call me.

· How has BT tangibly benefited as a business from this? Some examples please!
Faster projects and agile deliveries through better collaboration. Tangible benefits through better engagement are notoriously hard to measure, as we all know! Research is in the plan though. See above.

· You have talked a lot about the process, but you haven't touched on the output! can you give us some reference to the improvement in employee engagement and also on the bottom line of the business?
As above.

· Have issues on internal blogs made it into the public domain? If so, was it problematic internally and how did you manage it?
Not been an issue.

· How can you be sure that the information being posted publicly on the wikis is accurate? Could be spreading wrong info throughout organisation. Much of what is on Wikipedia is wrong or inaccurate!
See above. I disagree that Wikideia is inaccurate. See: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69844

· Could you please expand on the RSS comment - why is that critical?
RSS – really simple syndication. See - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE for an explanation of why it is so important.

· What if people don’t have time or the inclination to contribute. perhaps in less innovative companies?
That’s the challenge. Creating a culture which encourages, recognises and rewards collaboration and contribution to the corporate knowledge space. However, don’t assume that more connectivity is always better. It can become overwhelming and people may end up spending all their time managing their relationships which can bog down the organisation. Make sure people know how to focus on valuable connections and reduce the unnecessary ones.

Number 10

2008-09-12T15:18:00.003+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to a meeting at Number 10 Downing Street to discuss how social media is being used in communications. It was a fascinating afternoon, and I was very encouraged to see that Number 10 is using a battery of social media tools to engage with the great British public. The Number 10 website is hosted on a blog platform, and we’ve already seen the Number 10 YouTube channel, Flickr, web chats from politicians, Tweets and podcasts. However, the key thing that is missing is the ability for people to comment and enter into discussion and debate. It’s shame, but I can understand the nervousness and the need to comply with the Civil Service code. Leaving that aside, the progress that has been made would put many businesses to shame. I was impressed to see the real enthusiasm for these new ways of engaging people.

Dale Hill

2008-09-12T15:03:00.005+01:00

I spent last weekend at Dale Hill golf club in Kent with my dad, brother and brother in law. We spent Sunday and Monday on the course, playing the Old Course on Sunday and then the Woosnam course on Monday. What a terrific venue. Both courses were in excellent condition and even though we have had a huge amount of rain, in fact we were even using buggies on the Woosnam course. And the views were breath taking. The hotel was pretty decent, with food well above the standard expected in a golf club. I can thoroughly recommend it, although as you can see from the YouTube video, not everything went completely according to plan.

Sprite has a good home

2008-09-12T14:59:00.003+01:00

A few months ago I sold my Austin Healey Sprite to a chap in Spain. I was sorry to see it go, but something faster beckoned. Anyway, today I got an email giving me an update on the car. Looks like it's doing well alongside its new stablemate - A Singer 9. It'll be getting more sun than I've had that's for sure.

Barclays Bank - Rubbish!

2008-08-21T16:34:00.003+01:00

I requested Barclays Bank transfer one of ISAs to another bank in March this year. Here we are at the end of August and despite countless calls and letters, they still have my money and haven't transferred it. I get the occasional letter telling me it is taking longer than expected. Really!