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Solved the next problem

I was recently asked how I kept progressing in my career. After a little thought I blurted out that I first tackled the current problem, which was something in my control. I then went on to solve the next problem. I simply repeated this.

Oh and bonus round to expand that the reason I say “in my control* is that at the beginning it’s easier to solve a problem that nobody can stop you fixing. Or they don’t care either way. Fix the squeaky door, the out of date PowerPoint template that is still set as 4:3 ratio, replace the tea spoons in the shared kitchen by raiding the nearest charity shop, bug fix or sticky customer interaction.

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Amazon paperwhite to paperweight

Work(ed) faultlessly since day 1 and we had a good run together.

Dear Customer,

Thank you for being a longtime Kindle customer. We’re glad our devices have served you well for as long as they have. Starting May 20, 2026 — 14 to 18 years after their initial launches — we are discontinuing support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier. Here’s what this means for you:

  • You can continue to read books already downloaded on these devices, but you will not be able to purchase, borrow, or download additional books on them after that date.
  • If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re- register or use these devices in any way.

Affected devices include Kindle 1st and 2nd Generation, Kindle DX and DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle 5, and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation.

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The pen never forgets

I read books to get me to think. I often want to refer back “this book had some useful nuggets” but of course can’t locate the passage. To ensure I don’t forget I now force myself to have a pen handy. Spot a useful nugget, put a bracket around it and then also doodle a 1cm line on the outside of the page so that as I’m flicking through the line draws my attention more easily then the underlining (tends to blur into the text).

These days I sometimes even take a photo in the hope one day it will be easily searchable.

Sounds easy because it is. Yet it took me years to take up this simple habit for future me.

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Report: How Watershed supports creative research and development

https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/15798259/nurturing-creative-futures-how-watershed-supports-creative-research-and-development

Watershed, a cultural organisation in Bristol, UK, works at the interface between research, creative practice and emerging technologies, bringing a values-led approach to innovation. It does this primarily through its long term support of a community in Pervasive Media Studio.

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Same road different view

On a walk I typically like to do a loop instead of going half way and then back, thinking I’m walking the same route. Yet the walk back from the first half is a totally different view as the surroundings and objects in the distance will of course be different. This was doubly so when the kid was trying to describe somewhere on the way to me but from the perspective of walking from the other direction. I wonder how much of our communication has this biase which leads to confusion?

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What’s in your wake

When you make a decision you will have thought about who it will impact. Yet further away from those people will be those on the edge. The ripples of your choices may impact them too without you even knowing. If you could be aware of those caught up in your wake would you change your course?