Published in ILLUMINATION·Mar 12, 2021Member-onlyWhy doesn’t capitalism produce good kettles?No, seriously, why? — I’m not obsessed with kettles, I swear. If a kettle does the job, I’m happy. But do they “do the job”? My cheap, amazing, kettle Two years ago I bought a basic electric kettle for 19.99€. It came with a neat feature: water temperature selection. …Capitalism3 min read
Jan 24, 2021Member-onlyCOVID: when will we start thinking globally?Maybe let’s not call new strains “British”, “South African”, etc. — Referring to the “fishing” section of the recent Brexit deal, a prominent British politician triumphally proclaimed: “They’re now British fish and they’re better and happier fish for it.” An anonymous internet user ably retorted: “It’s funny how when a fish crosses an invisible line in the sea he thinks it…Covid 192 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jul 29, 2020Member-onlyIs music sounding bland to you? Try a “music fast”You may discover more than you expect. — One day in 2011, I got in my car, put on the music, started driving and… nothing. The music was doing nothing for me. I kept skipping tracks, and every track felt like food that’s just a little bit under-salted: a mix of “meh” and “blergh”. Putting on my playlist…Music3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jul 23, 2020Member-onlyWhat If You Abandon Your Smartphone?Late last year, I was at a dinner with friends and we were talking about how we use our smartphones too much. It suddenly hit me that, one year earlier, I’d had the exact same conversation, yet I was still using my phone just as much. Then and there, I…Digital Life8 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·May 21, 2020Member-onlyAre countries run by women really responding to COVID-19 better than countries run by men?The media keeps saying female world leaders have done a better job than the men in dealing with COVID-19 —without presenting quantitative evidence. This article looks at the data. Note: this story has started to get some traction and I’ve noticed it has evoked emotional responses in readers. I will…Covid 1914 min read
Apr 5, 2020Member-onlyManaging your first big project — in a pandemicEssential workers are being asked to manage complex projects, some for the first time. This playbook can help them pull it off. — Speaking to a friend the other day, I learned that she has just been asked by the government of her country to set up an emergency field hospital in a sports center to deal with the surge in patients expected as a result of COVID-19. This friend is a senior…Project Management15 min read
