radiobeartime

Roffa Goes to School (continued)

Once outside the front door Ben stood and waited for Alpesh while Roffa sniffed and snuffled about her. She was not too sure why she was off on an adventure today but she thought that Ben had said it was to “Show her tail” and that sounded a very good idea to Roffa. Roffa knewContinue reading “Roffa Goes to School (continued)”

A Word A Month

For 2022 I have decided to publish a poem or piece of short fiction every month at the end of the month. Ursine paws must be kept in practice least we turn them to darker deeds… January 22 – This House is not Our House (poem) February 22 – Another short adventure of Roffa (fiction)

This House is Not Our House

This house is like our house but it is not our house. It has pictures hanging on the walls, But they are not our pictures. Sometimes they are pictures of places we know But we are absent. A lake without people. A ruin without history. The music in this house is not our music. ItContinue reading “This House is Not Our House”

Newsletters

Many people want to send out newsletters to fans, readers, fellow enthusiasts. This can be quite complicated as it can be hard to format an email to look attractive and many mail services will block you if you try to send too many emails at once. So there are a number of services who helpContinue reading “Newsletters”

Mr Caution

As I write, Dominic Cummings is telling a Select Committee about the utter disaster that has been the UK’s response to COVID. And everything he is saying sounds so so so familiar. Every failure in government has the same four root causes, the only difference with COVID is one of degree. Cause One: Ownership NobodyContinue reading “Mr Caution”

Figaro-Pravda

While some people watched Eurovision or walked the dog or had the first quiet pint in months Dominic Cummings spent the weekend writing a very, very long Twitter thread on the pandemic. Yes, it’s full of ludicrous wannabe techbro nonsense, if you are reduced to approvingly quoting Paul Graham then you really need to takeContinue reading “Figaro-Pravda”

Silence. Logic. Security. Prudence.

Gales, hail, and torrential rain. Spring is definitely here and so a young person’s thoughts inevitably turn to digital government. This week has brought the launch of the new GDS three year strategy, wise thoughts on service design, and a range of questions on Twitter about where we have got to some 10 years onContinue reading “Silence. Logic. Security. Prudence.”

NDA #3 – Minded

I have written before about 2 of the programmes I have worked on where the NDAs I signed have expired. This one is different. For a start, there are no bears involved but, more importantly, the status of that NDA is unknown for reasons which will become apparent. For reasons which escape me, humanity hasContinue reading “NDA #3 – Minded”

The Naming of the Parts

Names are tricky things. Take mine, Mark O’Neill, or as gaeilge, Mark ó néill. Even the Irish original is easy enough for most people to pronounce. But what if my first name was Padraig? Or Tadhg? Or Cathal? That last name includes a shibboleth, a sound which is hard for people outside a culture toContinue reading “The Naming of the Parts”

Keats and Chapman make a bet

One time Keats and Chapman made a bet. They had been discussing the concept of “charisma”, how humans might take on that intangible glamour most usually reserved for the gods. Keats stated that charisma was an external projection, whereas Chapman insisted it reflected an internal quality. Their debate could have spun on endlessly if Keats’sContinue reading “Keats and Chapman make a bet”