I’m a huge fan of #InsideNo9, but just watched the ‘live’ episode on iPlayer and feeling underwhelmed. It all seemed a bit obvious, with the story spoon fed to the audience and relying too heavily on pre-recorded material. Maybe it worked better on the night?
October 2018
Last week: food poisoning/flu/virus. This week: toothache and a root canal.
Eating a jacket potato, which given the last few bedridden days, is quite an achievement.
Redesign Diary: Conundrum
Who is this website for?
Quite the unnerving experience as I went to open a new carton of Oatly… what the actual fork!?
Reading the small print, it seems like they’re attempting to freak out another Paul. Phew!
The Good Place is a quirky comedy that continually reinvents itself while keeping ethics and moral philosophy at its heart. It’s worth your time… although perhaps not an entire Sunday.
In what has become something of a tradition, preparing myself for re-entry into Britain with a final taste of Europe: a Belgian waffle and a can of Jupiler.
Crisis
A two-week stay in Berlin not only gave me time to explore the city, but also space to question the direction of my career and address a growing sense of disillusionment with my profession.
What a treat, to visit such an amazing city during the most colourful time of the year. Wir sehen uns bald wieder, Hamburg!
Channel 4’s The Circle has been my guilty pleasure over the last three weeks. Finally, a reality show with funny, genuine and endearing contestants. Hard pressed to pick a favourite from the final four. #FactsAreFacts
Fernsehturm Reflexion.
Workplace topology
Some wise words from Danielle:
The end result of our attempts to work together efficiently by breaking things down is that the topologies of our workplaces are left with gaps and overlaps.
I love this post, not least because it offers a new perspective on the work we do and provides a model for talking about how different teams can better collaborate with each other. There’s much to agree with in this piece, although I found the following to be especially true:
Recognising the gaps and overlaps is only half the battle. If we apply tools to a people problem, we will only end up moving the problem somewhere else.
Some issues can be solved with better tools or better processes. In most of our workplaces, we tend to reach for tools and processes by default, because they feel easier to implement. But as often as not, it’s not a technology problem. It’s a people problem. And the solution actually involves communication skills, or effective dialogue.
Have only spent part of the morning exploring its center and still have so much to see, but Hamburg ist sehr schön! This is absolutely my kinda city.
Vice
From the director of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The Big Short, Adam McKay’s latest promises to be both entertaining and informative. Christian Bale is once again unrecognisable as the film’s protagonist, but the supporting cast looks incredible as well. I’m looking forward to this one.
Travels between Germany and Denmark have seen me spend an inordinate amount of time on DSB’s IC3/IR4, a train that combines the comfort of British Rail’s Class 442 ‘Wessex Electrics’ with the aesthetic of Star Trek and the absurdity of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.
At #confront18, @p_p_hamilton is speaking my language: about resisting the cult of the individual and building products that reflect the hero’s journey to the exclusion of others, and about having a point of view that challenges Californian ideas about society and technology. 👍🏻💯
On a train. On a ferry. 🚅⛴
And so ends two-weeks of exploration in Berlin. My thanks goes to @sjors, @mryash, @klick_ass, @paulozoom, @thismortalmagic and many others for making me feel so welcome, and giving me the lowdown on the city. Next stop: Malmö!
Tempelhof
On German Unity Day, a tour of Tempelhof Airport proved to be a powerful act of remembrance.
Potsdamer Platz.