# Technology

Writing

Technology is a defining attribute of humanity. We have evolved with tools, extending our capability well beyond our physical form. If we can think it, we can do it.

MY HIGHLIGHTS OF TECH HISTORY

Areas of Interest

TECH & SOCIETY

We shape our tools, and they shape us. The Amish people are very deliberate about the tools they introduce into their lives. No mainstream Western society is that discerning, to my knowledge. We prefer to let the market decide what’s good for us.

Market economics has incentivised the creation of many brilliant tools, and some harmful ones too. Market economics defines the good in dollar-terms, measured in the relatively short term. This is not a reliable barometer for broad social good, even accounting for the benefit of profits.

ENGINEERING SOFTWARE

All engineering is fascinating, but my career has happened during the boom of cloud software. Consequently my expertise is centred here.

I’m particularly interested in how human groups, usually companies & their subset teams but also open-source groups, make software and handle its complexity. These human systems are interesting microcosms for understanding how we think about and manage technology at the societal level.

I also, more simply, love building new things, and learning new things.

THE BUSINESS OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology drives human progress. It makes sense that this is big business.

The dynamics between innovation and commerce are interesting because it is the only place where genuinely new comes to market, where that new-ness can reshape all our lives, and where managing that reshaping falls into the hands of product creators.

what else

HRV & Me: Taming a messy stressy mind - [Mar 8, 2026]

Resonance - [Feb 8, 2026]

Where Angels Fear to Tread -- EM Forster - [Jul 13, 2025]

Steve Jobs -- Walter Isaacson - [Jul 10, 2025]

The Fifth Risk -- Michael Lewis - [Jul 10, 2025]

The Ride of a Lifetime -- Bob Iger - [Jul 10, 2025]

James -- Percival Everett - [Jul 3, 2025]

Great Expectations -- Charles Dickens - [Jul 1, 2025]

Hillbilly Elegy -- JD Vance - [Jun 23, 2025]

Principles - [Jun 10, 2025]

Revenge of the Tipping Point -- Malcolm Gladwell - [Jun 9, 2025]

The Grand Babylon Hotel -- Arnold Bennett - [Jun 6, 2025]

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo -- Taylor Jenkins Reid - [Jun 4, 2025]

Rebecca -- Daphne du Maurier - [Jun 3, 2025]

A Promised Land - Barack Obama - [May 29, 2025]

Less - Andrew Sean Greer - [May 29, 2025]

Careless People - Sarah Wynn-Williams - [May 13, 2025]

Looking Glass War - John Le Carre - [May 7, 2025]

A Murder of Quality - John Le Carre - [May 4, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Training Retrospective - [May 1, 2025]

The Human Factor - Graham Greene - [Apr 29, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Race Review - [Apr 28, 2025]

Photos: London Marathon 2025 - [Apr 27, 2025]

Spectating the London Marathon 2025 [Sunday 27th April] - [Apr 27, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 16 - [Apr 26, 2025]

Call for the Dead - John Le Carre - [Apr 23, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 15 - [Apr 21, 2025]

The Manchurian Candidate - Richard Condon - [Apr 16, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 14 - [Apr 13, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 13 - [Apr 5, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 12 - [Mar 30, 2025]

Effortless - Greg Mckeown - [Mar 26, 2025]

Leading - [Mar 26, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 11 - [Mar 23, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 10 - [Mar 16, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 9 - [Mar 9, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 8 - [Mar 2, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 7 - [Feb 22, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 6 - [Feb 16, 2025]

Problems & [Meta] Problem Solving - [Feb 16, 2025]

Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson - [Feb 14, 2025]

Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel - [Feb 10, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 5 - [Feb 9, 2025]

Three Zero - [Feb 9, 2025]

The iPad mini has genuinely changed my life [no hyperbole] - [Feb 3, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 4 - [Feb 2, 2025]

Coming AI: Valuing Humans in a world where they have no economic value - [Jan 28, 2025]

Value & Price - [Jan 28, 2025]

The Vegetarian - Han Kang - [Jan 27, 2025]

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel - [Jan 27, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 3 - [Jan 26, 2025]

Deriving my own proof for Unitary matrices - [Jan 19, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 2 - [Jan 19, 2025]

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - [Jan 17, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Week 1 - [Jan 12, 2025]

NYC & DC '24 - [Jan 9, 2025]

Linear Algebra Playground - [Jan 8, 2025]

Configuring an IKEA wireless light switch: Saving you the pain - [Jan 7, 2025]

Goals & Goal-setting - [Jan 7, 2025]

Organisation - [Jan 7, 2025]

Digital Feeds - [Jan 6, 2025]

London Marathon 2025: Training Begins - [Jan 5, 2025]

Everything I've read in 2025 (so far) - [Jan 1, 2025]