Category Archives: blog

The Cars That Ate Paris: The Census Website that Swore at Grannies

The 1901 Census website was meant to showcase British digitisation, but instead it became a punchline: servers that buckled on launch, mismatched kit lashed together, prisoner-typed data laced with obscenities, and retired “10 till 3 grannies” and neurodiverse consultants cleaning up the mess. I was called in to write the report that unravelled the fiasco, a job that took me from QinetiQ’s “Santa in tweed” CTO to the Cabinet Office, where I first crossed paths with Alan Mather, and learned hard lessons about hubris, engineering, and failure, along the way.

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CyberFirst Celebration in the West Midlands: Reflections on What Makes Cyber Special

A reflection on the CyberFirst Celebration in the West Midlands, marking its transition to TechFirst. The event highlighted achievements, explored what makes cyber unique, and underlined the importance of maintaining the sector’s distinctive strengths, especially its uniquely inquisitive culture, as the programme broadens.

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My Years at Sun Microsystems: From Dream Job to Oracle Redundancy

A memoir of nine years at Sun Microsystems, from the revelation of “The Network is the Computer” and parachuting into nasty projects, to the culture of contrarianism, the pressures of leadership, press training in Nice, and the slow decline into redundancies that culminated with Oracle’s takeover. It closes with reflections on philosophy, craft, people, and the enduring value of diversity and neurodiversity in engineering.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Ian Dunmore’s Punk Ethos in Government IT

A personal reflection on my friendship with Ian Dunmore and the rise and fall of Public Sector Forums, exploring how his punk, do-it-yourself ethos created a space for civil servants to speak truth to power, and why those edges still matter today. Follow-up articles will touch on some of the hijinks he got me into (I got myself into), like being sacked and reinstated from my dream job, all within one day.

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Quick Start Guide to the De’Longhi Magnifica S

A simple, step-by-step quick start guide to making great coffee with the De’Longhi Magnifica S (for instance model ECAM22.110.B). Covers setup, beans vs pre-ground, brewing, milk drinks, cleaning, troubleshooting, and pro tips for perfect coffee every time.

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R.I.P. Ozzy Osbourne

A personal tribute to Ozzy Osbourne following his death on 22 July 2025. Reflecting on Black Sabbath’s industrial roots in Birmingham, the article explores Ozzy’s influence, my tenuous, familial connections to the band, first albums bought, chaotic live shows, and the emotional weight of Ozzy’s final hometown performance. A farewell to a legend from someone who grew up with his music echoing through the smog and steel of the West Midlands.

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Steve Jobs in 1983: The Future as He Saw It – And What He Got Right (and Not So Right)

A look back at Steve Jobs’ 1983 Aspen talk, where he foresaw computers becoming the main medium of communication, portable devices with wireless links, and software delivered electronically. The piece reviews what he predicted correctly, where he was too optimistic, and includes a personal story highlighting Apple’s flat management approach that preceeded Sun Microsystems’ sprawling virtual teams.

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Virgil as Reason: The Noble Pagan and the Soul’s Journey Through Darkness

Virgil, Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory, represents natural reason, classical virtue, and the limits of human understanding. This article explores Virgil as a symbol of philosophical clarity, moral insight, and noble limitation, showing how Dante honours reason, even as he insists on the necessity of grace.

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Beatrice as Beatitude: Divine Wisdom and the Soul’s Ascent in Dante’s Commedia

Beatrice is more than Dante’s muse; she is the embodiment of divine wisdom, guiding the soul beyond reason to beatific vision. This article examines Beatrice as a theological and philosophical symbol, drawing on Scripture, Thomism, and Marian typology to show how she enables Dante’s ascent toward God.

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The Empire and the Cross: Dante’s Vision of Universal Rule in De Monarchia

This article explores Dante’s political treatise De Monarchia, in which he argues for a divinely ordained universal empire distinct from the Church. Combining Roman law, Aristotelian philosophy, and Thomistic theology, Dante envisions imperial rule as the necessary foundation for peace, justice, and the fulfilment of humanity’s earthly potential.

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Fire, Exile, and Vision: The Historical and Spiritual Roots of The Divine Comedy

This article uncovers the historical, political, and spiritual forces behind Dante’s Divine Comedy, including his exile from Florence, critique of Church and Empire, and the influence of Beatrice, Virgil, and Scholastic theology, revealing the poem as both a mystical vision and a personal act of redemption.

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Despair and Doctrine: Suicide Across Religious Traditions

A comparative theological examination of suicide in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, exploring how each tradition interprets suicide through doctrines of will, suffering, afterlife, and divine justice, offering context to Dante’s unyielding vision in Inferno.

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Modern Koan from Dune of “Fear Is the Mind-Killer”: Letting Go of the Little Death

Modern Koan from Dune of “Fear Is the Mind-Killer” is not a Zen story, nor is it a koan in the traditional sense. There’s no paradox or puzzle to unravel. But it carries the same contemplative weight. Spoken by Paul Atreides as part of the Bene Gesserit litany, it is a mantra about fear, presence, and the self that remains. Like a koan, it doesn’t resolve the moment; it holds us within it.

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Mapping the Abyss: A Journey Through Dante’s Circles of Hell

This article explores Dante’s Inferno as a structured moral and theological descent, examining the logic behind each of the nine circles of Hell. From lust and gluttony to fraud and treachery, each level reveals how Dante views sin not just as misdeed but as a deformation of the soul and will.

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Zen Koan of the Two Monks and the Woman: Letting Go and Forgiveness

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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Of Course You’re Not Resilient… You Never Practised Failing

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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Inside the Breach: What M&S and the Harris Federation Reveal About UK Cyber Vulnerabilities

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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How to Cook Rump Steak So It’s Tender, Not Tough

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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When a Parking Permit Becomes a Cyber Risk: Understanding Indirect Supply Chain Threats

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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The Forest and the Hounds: Dante’s Seventh Circle and the Political Economy of Despair

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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