The Zen Koan of the Two Monks and the Woman is a well-known story that invites reflection on the nature of judgment, letting go, and the burdens we choose to carry.
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A blunt critique of organisations that claim to be resilient but have never stress-tested their systems, rehearsed recovery under pressure, or practised failure in any meaningful way. The article challenges boardroom bravado and highlights the psychological and operational consequences of untested confidence, arguing that true resilience is earned through discomfort, not declared in policy.
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Two senior leaders, Sir Charlie Mayfield, former John Lewis chairman, and Sir Dan Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation, joined BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on 1 May 2025 to discuss the impact of recent cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, and UK schools. Their stories offer rare insight into how institutions respond to major breaches and what it really takes to recover.
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Rump steak can be deliciously tender when treated right. This guide covers how to prep, season, sear, and rest your steak for maximum flavour and minimal chew.
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While applying for a parking permit, I discovered an expired SSL certificate on a council website, highlighting how small oversights in public services can expose broader cybersecurity risks. This real-world example shows why organisations must take indirect supply chain risk seriously, particularly in regions critical to national security.
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Dante’s Inferno presents the Seventh Circle of Hell as the realm of suicides and profligates, those who destroy the self, whether through despair or excess. This article explores the theological, philosophical, and symbolic dimensions of their punishment, revealing a moral economy where the will, once corrupted, leads to irreversible ruin, the ultimate truth: suicide is irredeemable.
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Romantic relationships between autistic and ADHD individuals are more common than many realise. Shared understanding, complementary traits, and the rise of neurodivergent communities all contribute to these increasingly visible partnerships. This article explores why these pairings work and what they can teach us about connection, communication, and neurodiversity.
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Linode has long been a reliable platform for hosting production infrastructure, but frequent changes to the linode-cli are repeatedly breaking SSL certificate renewals via Let’s Encrypt. This article outlines the operational impact, the frustration, and what Akamai/Linode could do to restore developer trust.
What’s that you say? Thomas Pynchon announces a new book to be released in October 2025? No frigging way, Dude. Will it be multi-episodic, akin to Gravity’s Rainbow? Mason and Dixon, Against the Day? V even? Or more accessible, Inherent Vice, Vineland, or Bleeding Edge? Am I buying a copy? Of course I am.
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For me, and for many neurodivergent people, the way we interact with technology isn’t just a matter of preference. It’s about accessibility, functionality, and ease-of-use in a world that too often ignores our needs. People like me who aren’t great at coordination or balance, and who have Autism, ADHD, Asperger’s, or Dyspraxia, struggle to use “simplified” products.
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As Chair of the West Midlands Cyber Working Group, I’ve helped lead DSIT’s Cyber Local steering group for the region over the past two years. Working alongside regional experts, I’ve supported the selection of projects that strengthen cyber resilience on the ground, including Aston University’s powerful work on cyber violence against women and girls. This experience has reinforced just how critical locally informed funding is to building practical, inclusive, and impactful cyber capability.
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So Monday we said goodbye to Anne Marie, sadly taken from us and her loving family too quickly.
Sorry I wasn’t always there, Anne. I’ll see you on the other side.
Thanks to Nick and Teresa and Grace and all Anne’s family and friends. Bless you all.
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I recently attended the CyberASAP Year 9 Kickoff as a mentor, and also took the opportunity to experience the first two days alongside the academic teams to better understand what they go through. This blog captures my reflections from all three days, covering IP, value propositions, stakeholder mapping, and some of the truly impressive innovations coming from UK universities. It also looks at the history and purpose of the programme and why it continues to matter in bridging the gap between research and real-world impact.
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What began as an exploration of two strange non-songs, “Apes Ma” and “Fitter Happier”, quickly unfolded into something larger: a meditation on memory, loss, defiance, and the strange work of sound in the spaces where meaning breaks down.
This tetralogy gathers three connected essays and the one you are reading now, not as conclusions, but as echoes. Not as closures, but as signals still carrying across time.
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A quiet manifesto for memory, resistance, and the voices that refuse to vanish. From whispered warnings to machine-read prophecies, this piece explores how songs like “Apes Ma”, “Fitter Happier”, “Trans Am”, and “Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” carry defiance through static, grief through silence, and presence through time.
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Some works don’t end. They echo. “Apes Ma” and “Fitter Happier” gave us the edge of language, the moment just after sense unravels. But what follows? What lingers in the silence after the static? What shapes itself in the quiet? Memory. Not the nostalgic kind. Not warmth. Something stranger. Something inherited. Every time I hear “New Rose”, Dave, I salute you, brother.
Some works scream. Others whisper. “Apes Ma” and “Fitter Happier” do both in a frequency that bypasses the conscious brain. What remains is a residue. A shape. A hush at the end of language. An old lover kisses slow, dayglo blue scorpions.
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The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Innovation Incoming in Space (31 March 2025, Prince Philip House) offered an insightful and fact-rich exploration of the technologies shaping the future of the space economy. With topics ranging from space-based solar power and crystallisation in orbit to modular infrastructure and lunar habitation, the panel discussed how innovation is driving space from the experimental to the operational. Set against the backdrop of geopolitical shifts and commercial competition, the event underscored the UK’s strategic opportunity to lead in agile engineering, cyber resilience, and space-enabled industrial capability. A dawning theme throughout the evening was the growing realisation that space is becoming commercial, contested, and critically dependent on cyber resilience.
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Conway Hall in London has been a cornerstone of humanist thought, secular ethics, and progressive culture since 1929. As the home of the world’s oldest surviving freethought organisation, it has hosted generations of thinkers, activists, and musicians, from George Orwell to modern-day philosophers. This article explores the rich history, architectural significance, cultural impact, and enduring relevance of this unique venue.
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A first-hand reflection on the UK Cyber Security Council’s recent “The Journey to Professionalisation” event at Conway Hall, exploring the ongoing professionalisation of the cyber security sector. Highlights include the expansion of recognised specialisms, the development of the UK Cyber Skills Framework, and discussions on AI, early-career challenges, and the need for a more inclusive, realistic skills framework to support a growing cyber economy.
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