Latest Posts

Last Thoughts on being a Climber

(2026-06-03)

Wed 03-Jun-2026 20:53 Aiguille Verte (in cloud) from above Lac Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France As of today I am no longer a Climber. My climbing journey began in 2017 when I first visited Redpoint in Birmingham, although it really began much earlier than that. As a child we visited Youth Hostels with a large group of my parents' friends. It was there that I first fell in love with the outdoors through walks led by my father and his close friend Steve, whose recent death was very sad. Poignantly, we attended his funeral just before I set off on...

Reflecting on generative AI and the Human Condition

(2026-05-23)

Sat 23-May-2026 08:30 I'm preparing to travel to France next week for two weeks of Alpine climbing. Last time I made this trip was in 2022. This time I'm taking the train there, whereas last time I drove. Lots of other things are different as well! It may have been just my personal situation that was different, or it may reflect a world which no longer exists, but 2022 felt like a less threatening time to be alive. We had just exited the pandemic and there was a renewed sense of optimism and purpose. Today I feel the pent-up emotion...

Silos and Collaboration

(2026-05-21)

Thu 21-May-2026 08:20 I've been thinking more and more about the challenges in getting people and teams to work together across a big organisation. I personally find it uncomfortable and difficult to introduce myself to new people and to make those connections. To some, it perhaps comes quite easily. However, even though I find it difficult I still end up doing it anyway (a common theme in my life in many areas!). It's understandable that people are reluctant to look beyond their immediate environment when work is something we'd all rather not be doing. Doubly so, if it creates more...

Big Changes on the Horizon

(2026-04-22)

Wed 22-Apr-2026 16:34 I have not been very frequent with this blog, but I want to put a quick note on here today. I feel that there will soon be big changes happening in my life, whether I like it or not. I have at times been a passive observer of events but I'm starting to take the initiative and push for things more because I think they are a good idea. This is never without its risks. My thought today: you can sometimes be the only one who can make something happen, and even though it's difficult, difficult things...

Energy for Writing and Hacking

(2025-08-30)

Sat 30-Aug-2025 17:29 It has been a long time since I have posted an update - apologies! I am now getting towards the end of my Ph.D studies at the University of Birmingham. Ph.D work takes a lot of energy which could otherwise be put towards writing blog posts and I am keen to get back to publishing more content by the time I finish. My deadline is December 2026, unless I go over – which has happened several times already! Between work and study my energy for writing and hacking in my spare time has been quite low. I've...

Control

(2023-07-11)

Tue 11-Jul-2023 15:48 Life moves quickly, and we are now almost two years since the last post on this blog. While many things have changed, many things are still the same. The theme for today's blog post is a theme that I keep encountering more and more as I get older (and hopefully wiser). Our lives can seem chaotic and disorganised, and this is a reflection of the world at large. No matter how hard we strive ourselves the world on the whole is a complex, disparate mess. There is little we can do to effect change on such a...

Competitive Dancesport, part 12

(2021-11-06)

Sat 06-Nov-2021 20:00 Pre-Intermediate Ballroom for the first time! Dancing the Samba! It has been rather a long time since this series has been updated! Rather a lot has happened since the last time I have posted. The last time I competed was at Bristol Friendly in March 2020 as a Novice. Since then we have had (still have!) a pandemic to deal with. I spent most of the time working and occasionally heading out on an adventure but managed to spend a little bit of time dancing. During the reopening in late summer 2020 I travelled to Northampton quite...

Setting up a Bastion Host

(2021-08-02)

Mon 02-Aug-2021 20:57 I plan to set up a bastion host for secure remote access to my home network. SSH access Restricting SSH access to certain IP address (ranges) is a good idea for security. I will avoid this by requiring SSH keys and setting the port number to a high value. Root login and password login will be disabled. [ ] SSH key required [ ] Disable root login [ ] SSH port on high number (50000+) We will also restrict access to the host itself. The best way will be to create a new SSH key for each client. This key...

Why do men hurt women? And what can we do about it?

(2021-03-17)

Wed 17-Mar-2021 23:11 Updated Thu 18-Mar-2021 21:38 I want to apologise to anyone who has taken my sentiment to mean that empathy towards those perpetrate abuse (towards us and towards others) is the solution and will make people feel safer. In addition, In addition, I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate the use of trauma to excuse the propagation of more trauma. I feel that this wasn't made clear enough in the first published version of this article and I have gone through and made additional, qualifying, comments in italics. No one wants to hear anyone...

Rediscovering Your Past

(2020-10-16)

Fri 16-Oct-2020 10:15 If I made a triptych that represented 2013, it would look something like this. While my life has improved in many ways since 2013, there is still a lot to learn from looking back. In 2013, I (foolishly) thought I had my life under control! I started the year in the latter half of my second year of university, enjoying the independence and freedom of living in a house with other young people. I worked on various interesting engineering projects, and was responsible for large parts of an integrated design project, during the final stages of which...