Category Archives: History

11.11.11 – The start of something

On 11.11.11 I launched a new venture called Webwiser – http://www.webwiser.co.uk @webwiserUK – a stake in the ground for something that I hope will grow to be worthwhile and fulfilling. I think this particular date had been planted in my head through a blog post I wrote earlier this year about my car hitting the 111111 mile mark and it being an omen of some sort. I’m sure this is a self-fulfilling prophecy but the timing for this move felt right for quite a number of reasons.

Anyway, it seems others had the idea of using this numerically significant date to make announcements… Continue reading →

Psychopaths need not apply

According to a fascinating Horizon programme last night, today’s business environment is ideal for psychopaths and, despite deep psychological flaws, they are often seen as charismatic leaders who know how to ‘talk the talk’.

Hmmm – who knew?

I won’t name names but I can think of a few such candidates for psychological evaluation from my time in the workplace over the last 25 years, most of whom come from across the pond.

The programme gave an excellent insight into genetic research over the last decade that shows a particular gene type (called the Warrior gene) is prevalent in psychopaths but made it clear that it is the environment in which they live that determines if or when psychopathic behaviour will manifest itself.   Continue reading →

Fad, Fashion, Fun and Fear at the NEC Autumn Fair

Since first starting work on digital projects for high street retailers a few years back, I’ve attended the massive Spring and Autumn Fairs at the NEC from time to time to keep in touch with product developments and e-commerce requirements. It’s always interesting to see how these events develop and what trends are the focus of the moment.

The Autumn Fairs are about a third the size of the Spring ones as most big retailers need to be making big purchase decisions early in the year if they stand a chance of making the most of the Christmas retail surge, so it is a more about looking for opportunities that smaller operators can respond to quickly.

As we appear to be teetering on the edge of a double dip recession, the nervousness was palpable at this year’s Autumn event with stands calling for people to ignore the ‘doom and gloom’ messages and take faith in this or that offering to earn much needed revenue.

Thinking back a few years as financial crisis hit and recessionary fears started growing, I saw the trend for wartime memorabilia first emerging at the Spring Fair with the arrival of designs based on the classic ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ Government posters. Since then, in true capitalistic style, the original design and a myriad of copies and variations can be seen on an increasing range of items in many shops around the country. Indeed, if the exhibition stands at the NEC are anything to go by, there is going to be even more of this stuff  before the ‘fad’ subsides.

In one of a few ‘laugh out loud’ moments as I walked the aisles this year, I spotted the wonderfully irreverent offerings from ‘Modern Toss’ and the design featured on the picture above. As crude as it is, the message hits at the heart of the issues we are currently facing in our societies, which on a slightly more intellectual level was examined recently in a BBC article about the ‘prophetic’ views of capitalism and its potential weaknesses by Karl Marx. Continue reading →

At 20 years old is the Web at a difficult age?

While enjoying another wonderfully sunny English summer with the kids (in between the days of torrential rain) I spotted that the Web has turned 20.

It was on August 6, 1991, that the Web made its debut as a publicly available service on the Internet when the first webpage was launched by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

For me personally, turning 20 marked the mid-point of a torturous 10 year period. Mid teens to mid twenties are often described by people as a difficult age – that often awkward transition from being a child to becoming ‘grown-up’. It seems the Web is experiencing similar growing and transitional pains as it continues on its journey to becoming a mature and totally ubiquitous environment that is an accepted part of all our lives. Continue reading →

The 'Gap' Delusion

Hold on to your seats, the rollercoaster is about to rocket skyward...definitely maybe?

The image above illustrates the current $14 Trillion debt pile being faced by the US administration. Some commentators are describing this as the biggest crisis in US history and given the influence the US has on the rest of the world, we can be sure the challenge and consequences will not be confined to within its shores alone.

To me, this chart could be seen equally as depicting the growth and reality checks resulting from the impact of the web and the world moving from a sporadically connected economy to one that is totally wired and always-on.

Hmmm – an interesting choice of words there I think… Continue reading →