I was idly tootling around Wikipedia tonight. I started reading about a person and then clicked on a link about another person in the article and so on until I was nowhere near where I started. It’s amazing where you can end up. Just don’t click on Kevin Bacon. If you do that’s game over and you can never play again. And starting on Kevin Bacon is...

I have a weird conundrum when I fly. I love planes and flying but, having done it so much, familiarly and boredom bring a weird kind of tension. Usually, as I am on approach to Edinburgh airport, I gaze fixedly out the windows for landmarks and make sure we’re heading for some appropriate strip of of tarmac. Not so last Thursday night. As we were turning over...

As we look back in history we interpret the scratches and debris left on the earth to determine as much as we can about their lives, loves and labours. This reveals much about the ingenuity of the people who, before the industrial revolution, devised a myriad of ways to survive in a far harsher world. Most of these skills are already lost to most of us, cosseted as...

When we looked at the route of our recent drive across Europe we realised that a visit to Krakow created the possibility of a stop at Auschwitz. This was something that we were all very keen to do and, despite a difficult week leading up to that point and a very long drive ahead of us, we committed to making the stop and taking the time. I’m very glad we...

As part of our fundraising for Byte Night, myself and a few colleagues agreed to get pelted in stocks with wet sponges. Please show your appreciation of my bravery in the face of cold water by donating here. Here are a few pictures of me receiving some soggy face treatment from my lovely colleagues. Many thanks to Dave Wright for the...

There must be at least 7 other blog posts on the internet claiming to hold the secrets of software development success. Well, here it is, number 8. One of the very few benefits of being an old git is that you’ve been doing the same thing for long enough to know that there is very little different as the software industry fuels itself with faddish changes of...

Had a cracking day team building in a raft on the white waters of the River Tay. Thanks to Hurricane Katia the river was big, fast and a lot of fun. Thanks to the guys at Free Spirits for a great day and looking after us so well. Here are a selection of the photos taken from the dryness of the bank. Great fun, well done...

As a keen photography type person, a wander to some of Europe’s greatest cities has always had much to commend it. I recently completed my 3rd such journey on a charity banger rally ( the details of which y0u can read about here). This was a much tougher journey than the previous ones and liberated far fewer photos; not least because the weather across Northern...

My regular reader will know that animals are one of my favourite photography subjects. Since I very rarely make it out into the wild, zoos and safari parks are my most regular source of subjects. Therefore, during my recent holiday in The Netherlands, I couldn’t turn down the chance to pay a visit to Diergaarde Blijdorp – Rotterdam Zoo (especially with a...

It was 20 years ago today I started work. Proper work, not summer jobs – the start of professional life. The 40 odd year journey that fills the gap between youthful exuberance and death. My keen eyed reader will have noticed that I started work precisely 5 days after my graduation. Not exactly a relaxing summer of sun and exploration. Thing was, I had to start...