Clerks and Copy-Boys or Winning the War? You can’t have both. A friend recently sent me a copy of a letter from the Duke to Wellington, August 1812, to the British Foreign Office, London. Just to put the letter in context. At the time, Wellington was on the way to Madrid, ‘dragging an army over […]
The Ministry of the Predictable. Eliminating Uncertainty, Risk, and Resilience.
For every complex human problem, there is an answer that is simple, obvious and WRONG!* But it is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Ministry of the Predictable (MOP). The MOP work by; developing universal policies, providing conditional funding, linking funding to milestones in a project plan/programme and measuring your progress against the targets […]
What does the Military have to do with Net Zero?
Quite a lot as it happens. But first, consider this… Fleet Oaks. Fleet Oaks is the name given to oak trees that are planted with the sole purpose of providing the building material (wood, specifically oak) required for naval ships. Growing oak trees isn’t a quick enterprise. My interest was triggered by a recent Tweet […]
When do we stop learning from Beneficial Accidents? Tales from the Coal Dust Cresta Run.
The answer is… When we build our first Trojan Horse. I’ll explain why in a minute, but first a “lovely ramble down to an important point…” The Coal Dust Cresta Run. When I was growing up one my favourite playgrounds was the old quarry at the top of the street. It had been partially filled […]
Why isn’t the Retail Sector doing more ‘Nudging’ of Hand Sanitisation?
Is anyone else thinking about Behavioural Nudges and Hand Sanitisation? If you’ve ventured to the supermarket since COVID-19 you’ve probably experienced some version of the ‘Hand Sanitiser Station’. The good, the bad and the ugly. My experiences have ranged from the pathetic – empty bottles of disinfectant spray lurking behind the crisps – through to […]
Going Blind on a Spacewalk. Can Simulation Training Help?
Imagine you’ve made it to the International Space Station (ISS), left the ship on your spacewalk, then you go blind. What do you do? This is a guest post from my friend Sam Williams (@SamW112358 on Twitter). It’s Sam’s first post and is a prelude to him launching his own blog. Hopefully you enjoy it, […]
Do Epidemiologists Play COVID-19 Computer Games After Work?
I’m guessing that during a pandemic most Epidemiologists will barely have time to sleep, so time in-front of the X-Box will be limited. But this is a serious question. Nobody will be surprised to hear that a bundle of COVID-19 related computer games have emerged in the last few months. Most of them ‘shovelware’. But […]
Trojan Mice in 900 Seconds
Be careful what you wish for… After blathering on about Trojan Mice for ages people have actually paid attention. Thank you Paul Taylor for the mentions in this post ‘The Complex Problem with Big Change Programmes’ and ‘People Aren’t Sick of Change, They are Sick of Change Programmes’. There’s an important point in Paul’s posts. […]
Trojan Mice and the #DollyChallenge
Does this make any sense? Or is it just a lame attempt to make taking ‘well managed risks’ sound appealing? The Dolly Challenge. If I’m having to explain this. I guess I’ve failed, but thanks for sticking with me. Basically the #DollyPartonChallenge is the latest fad that’s doing the rounds on the internet. Post pictures […]
Ray Cats. The Ultimate Wellbeing of Future Generations Job.
How do you send a message to someone who is 10,000 years in the future? It’s not a question I’d imagine most of us think about every day. Even the people who have Futurologist in their job title might struggle. The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) probably doesn’t quite stretch to 10,000 years in […]
What's the PONT 