2025-10-30 21:36:00
2001 was when blogging grew up. What started as scattered personal diaries and link dumps suddenly became something bigger. People started writing in real-time about world events, with tools like RSS and Movable Type giving blogs the platform and momentum to get their message out there easily.
This is a great post and a walk down memory lane from around the time I became interested in reading blogs. Although my own blogging came much later, in around 2011, I was a consumer long before then.
More broadly, Richard’s Cyber Cultural site is a fantastic resource for all kinds on web nostalgia. It’s one of my favourites.
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2025-10-27 19:31:00
Thomas reckons our phones aren’t the real problem; the trouble comes from the systems behind them that fight for our attention. But the phone? That’s just a tool.
I strongly agree with Thomas’ thoughts here. When I thought I was addicted to my phone it turned out my paltry 1.5hrs/day was way below the 4.25hr/day average. Even so, I think that’s too much, and my screen time has actually reduced to around 1hr/day now.
I’ve fallen foul of “I need to implement [thing] to force me to use my phone less” in the past, but it’s bollocks. We just need to have more willpower and not pull our phone out every time there’s a moment of silence. I consciously do this now - when I’m alone, my initial pang is to pull out my phone, but I deliberately don’t. Over time those pangs have reduced, but they’re still there.
Thomas mentions turning off notifications in his post. I did that a few years ago now, and it’s done me a lot of good. These days, the only sound my phone makes is when someone calls me. And the only notifications I see are from Signal and WhatsApp, but because they don’t make a sound, I check them when I want to, not when my phone tells me to.
Just writing that last paragraph (in the office, on my lunch break) I’ve heard 4 different phones beep.
Turn. Notifications. Off.
You can thank me later. 🙃
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2025-10-25 22:05:00
The last post was fun and it's seemed to have garnered a few replies so I thought I'd do 10 more pointless facts about me. Because why not. 🤷🏻♂️
Since so many people have took part in this now I figured I’d do some more just for the lols.
I can do crappy magic tricks that kids love. I can find their card, every time. I can pull coins out their ears, and I can make coins miraculously disappear up my sleeve. I can also juggle.
Kids think I’m a wizard, while their parents just roll their eyes.
I’m allergic to bananas, but I absolutely love them. They make my tongue swell and my lips itch, but I sometimes put myself through the pain (and the slurred words) for a few hours, just because it’s worth it.
If this isn’t proof that there’s no God, I don’t know what is.
So it’s around 16 years ago, my wife and I had been seeing each other for a couple years and she invites me to a family wedding as her +1. It’s an opportunity to meet her extended family, so I had to be on my best behaviour.
For the most part it went well, until I met one of her aunties. You see, her family are huggers, but my family aren’t. So I went for the handshake, and she went for the hug. I completely mistimed it and firmly planted my open hand right into her groin.
Fantastic.
She said “ooooo” I said “ohhh, shit.” then pulled my hand away and awkwardly hugged her. My wife, her sisters, and all her cousins fell about laughing while I wanted the ground to swallow me up. They still laugh about it today, and I still can’t look her aunty in the eye.
We have never spoken of it.
I’ve written about this before, but I’ve made many life changing decisions with the flip of a coin. I even created a simple little site to do this for me.
My theory is that if I can’t make a decision, I flip a coin. If I’m comfortable with the result, all good. But if I’m not comfortable, that’s kinda making the decision for me anyway as I’d clearly had an opinion, I just didn’t want to admit it. Either way it helps me make decisions.
Shampoo and conditioner have to be used at the same rate. If one runs out before the other, it throws me off completely. I’ll even ration them to keep things balanced.
I know it’s really weird, but I cannot use one more than another. Because who knows what craziness might occur in the world if my shampoo and conditioner get out of whack.
When I deployed to Iraq in 2006, my nan gave me a Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) 25 cent coin for good luck. It seemed like a weird trinket, but she was superstitious like that, so I kept it.
It survived 9 months of Iraq in my pocket, so when I got home, I drilled a hole in it and attached it to my keys, where it still lives today, nearly 20 years later.
My uncle lived in Zimbabwe and she got the coin when she was out there visiting him. So although I don’t believe in luck, the coin does have a lot of sentimental value.
My Rhodesian 25c coin
Eye contact makes me very uncomfortable. My wife once told me that I need to make eye contact more, as people can think it’s rude. So I made a concerted effort to make eye contact when I was talking to people.
But then, months later, my wife told me I had gone too far the other way and my constant staring into people’s eyes was too intense. So now, when I’m talking to people, I need to think about making eye contact, but not too much. So I consciously have to look back and forth to the person I’m talking to so I don’t come across as rude, or too intense.
It’s very complicated and I sometimes miss things in conversation because of it. Being a person is hard!
I did one of those juice diets that promised “detox and clarity.” After 3 days of drinking nothing but vegetable juice, I passed out while bending down to put my walking boots on.
After 3 stitches above my eye, and a very bruised ego when explaining it to the nurse, I never tried a fad diet again.
Well, I physically can. And what a beautiful ginger (with some grey) mane it is! However, as my beard grows, I have this horrible habit of chewing the hair at the side of my mouth. The longer it gets, the further to the side I can chew. So I inevitably end up with a gap in my beard at either side of my mouth.
Me with a beard
I’m talking full conversations, too. Not just a bit of muttering, but proper back-and-forth dialogue.
That’s fine though…right?
There you go, folks. That’s 10 more useless facts about me. You now have 20 of them! These ones aren’t really repeatable by other people, as they’re very personal to me. But if you want to do a similar post, as we’re all weirdly wonderful in our own ways, please do so and don’t forget to let me know.
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2025-10-18 21:36:00
After years of climbing the ladder in cyber, I’ve learned that sometimes the best move isn’t up. It’s stepping back to make life sustainable again.
The corporate ladder is less of a climb and more of a game of Snakes & Ladders. Moments of progress, setbacks, and the occasional lucky roll where everything just seems to align. Sometimes you go up, sometimes it’s a move sideways, and sometimes it’s a move down.
In August 2024 I was offered a promotion at work that moved me from a “senior manager” position to an “executive” position. It came with all the cool perks one would think an exec-level role should come with; a nice corner office, a personal assistant, the kudos of being one of a few very senior people, and of course a salary to match.
I took the role, but the expectations of a senior manager versus an executive are very different. I work for an American company, so a lot of the people I work with are based across the US. That means lots of late evenings.
But I also have a team in Singapore, so that means early mornings too. Then there are my teams in the UK, Ireland, and India, so I’m busy during my core working hours as well.
Running a global team is hard enough, but add to that the fact that I work in the cyber security industry for a large American bank that’s a huge target. Shit gets busy.
Then layer on top of that regular travel to America, a young family at home, lots of pets to look after, and a disabled brother who my mum and I both care for. It’s a lot.
When I took the role, I had a feeling that this promotion might be a step too far. I knew what I was getting myself into, but I had to give it a try to see if I could do it. I’m one of only two executives within the cyber team where I’m based, the other being nearly 20 years my senior. This was a huge mark of success for me, and I was incredibly proud of what I’d achieved.
But as time went on and I spent more time at my desk and less time with my loved ones, it became clear that I needed to re-frame my measure of success. Plus, I was burning out.
I vividly remember the moment it clicked that I was messing things up. I’d had a string of particularly late evenings working on a project we’d been running for a few months. It was a Thursday evening, and I signed off around 9pm. On a Thursday, my kids have swimming practice and it’s usually a late night for them. They got home at around the same time I signed off, and my youngest came up to me, gave me a big hug and told me he’d missed me.
I didn’t understand. I asked why he’d missed me when I hadn’t been anywhere. He said:
Yeah you have. You’ve been in America again, haven’t you?
I hadn’t been in America. I’d just been working such long hours that I hadn’t seen the kids for four days.
It wasn’t a dramatic “breakdown” moment, just a calm clarity. The realisation that being present with my loved ones matters more than being important.
So I decided that the exec role wasn’t for me and it was time to step back to a senior manager position with a smaller scope, less stress, and most importantly, more balance. This wasn’t a failure or a retreat, but a deliberate move toward sustainability.
I set up some time with my manager and broke the news to her. She told me she understood my decision, that I’d clearly put a lot of thought into it, and she was happy to support my stepping down.
We agreed that she would speak with HR and make the arrangements so I could transition out of the role while supporting whoever took over from me. We estimated six months for this process to happen.
But then my sister took her own life and everything was turned upside down. While off on bereavement leave, I caught up with my manager and explained that I needed to take a step back ASAP because I didn’t have the capacity to carry on with the exec role.
She was a few steps ahead of me and had already arranged cover so I could step down. A week later, I did.
I’ve never felt so supported by any employer I’ve ever had. Anyone who’s worked for a large enterprise will know that things move glacially slow, so for my manager to get this squared away in a couple of weeks felt like she’d moved mountains for me.
That right there is the kinda shit that makes me want to work somewhere for the rest of my career. The pay, the benefits, the corner office — it’s all just bullshit and noise. The work is important, but the humans are what matter most.
Sometimes sliding down a rung is exactly what keeps you in the game. I’d much rather be in the game, albeit having slid down a snake, than be up another rung of the ladder; overworked, miserable, stressed, burned out.
As a result of all this, I’ve realised that success isn’t just about upward motion. It’s about endurance, purpose, and perspective. It’s about being content in the work we do. Being challenged but not overworked. And most importantly, being in a position to spend time with loved ones.
Because let’s be honest, people: no one ever lay on their deathbed and thought “I wish I’d joined that meeting at 9pm.” But I’m sure plenty of people have laid there thinking “I wish I’d spent more time with my wife and kids…” I refuse to be that person.
So I’m now back to being a senior manager and proud to be doing the work I do. More importantly though, I’m still in the game, just playing it on my own terms.
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2025-10-16 19:45:00
I've seen this doing the rounds on a few blogs recently, so wanted to add my own version because I'm a narcissist. 🙃
Pete Moore did his version yesterday, and David did his version all the way back in April. I actually had this in draft from around then, but never got around to finishing it (there’s always something more fun to write).
Well, I don’t have anything more fun to write at the moment, so Pete’s post prompted me to get it done. So here’s Ten Pointless Facts About Me…
Kinda. A pet hate of mine is having food stuck in my teeth. So I always clean them out with a toothpick every time I eat. 🤢
All 3. I mostly drink water and coffee, but do enjoy a cup of tea with breakfast at the weekend.
Crocs! I love Crocs! But I don’t wear them outdoors - they’re more like comfy slippers for around the house for me. When I’m out of the house, it’s usually trainers or walking shoes. Usually the latter as I’ll take comfort over fashion any day. My personal favourites are Merrell and Columbia.
Anything lemon flavoured. Usually lemon drizzle, or lemon cheesecake (not the America kind though 🇬🇧).
I always have a pint of water next to the bed. So the first thing I always do is to take a drink to freshen my mouth, then go to the bathroom to get rid of the water I drank the night before.
Probably 28…ish. I think late 20s is a good balance between health, disposable income, and level of responsibility.
I actually don’t know. 8 maybe? I have a few winter hats, a cap, some summer hats, and my old beret from when I was in the Army.
A photo of one of the watches that I’m selling. I don’t take a lot of photos really. When I do, they’re mostly of my pets, my kids, or my motorbikes.
No idea. I have a pretty low bar when it comes to TV and movies. I can usually find something I enjoy in pretty much everything I watch. The worst movie I’ve watched though was Dog Man; absolute steaming pile of dog shit (pun intended). 💩
I didn’t have any serious aspirations to be honest. I was too busy being a child to worry about adult stuff. I did want to be a doctor for a while, but then I realised that I don’t like blood, and that I’m not clever enough.
And that’s it, those are the Ten Pointless Facts About Me. Maybe you found it interesting and learned something about me?
If you want to take part, here’s the questions in a copy/paste format to dump into your own blog post…
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2025-10-14 18:34:00
I have too many watches in my collection, so I'm trying to reduce it down to around 24 watches. As a result, many of them are for sale if you're interested.
I think it’s time to drastically reduce my watch collection. You see, as I started getting into watches, I bought everything I came across that piqued my interest. But now I’m a few years into this hobby, I have a much better idea of what I really like to wear on my wrist.
Fact is, I only wear around half of my collection on a regular basis. Many of my watches have never worn, or only worn once or twice. So they’re mostly brand new, and frankly, a waste.
So I figured instead of dumping them all on eBay, I’d list them here to give you fine people first refusal. Here’s how it will work:
This will be a first come, first served process and as the watches sell, I’ll remove them from the list.
So please, take a look and if you’re interested, make me an offer. I’m planning to donate all proceeds of these sales to a local mental health charity, Open Door in memory of my sister, Lisa.
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