Occasional essays appear here. I also maintain a list of press clippings. Older essays are in the archive. There's also a page about my photographic gear if you're interested. Up-to-date snippets are in the blog. Photos are back online again, I'm pleased to say.
A week in St Lucia and gave the chance for relaxation but also revealed the dire consequences of the end of European subsidies for Caribbean bananas. The place is beautiful, and it needs you. More. (2 March 2003)
A mix of the sublime and the tragic, my visit to India was educational. But I couldn't bring myself to take many photographs. More. (2 October 2002)
A persistent problem with understanding the open source software movement is a fixation with the word 'free'. People miss the fact that 'free' is a value intended to facilitate the developer community, not (necessarily) to enrich the end-user community. More.
If the physicists are right and time is a tree of forking possibilities, Beijing and Taipei offer the rare chance to visit and compare two alternative branches of time and reality. More.(5 March 2001)
I am now officially a hero, in the estimation of no less an authority than Chairman Mao who asserted that the Great Wall was the essential first boundary for the hero. Despite the sometimes life-threatening physical effort of climbing the near-vertical remains of the Wall at Huanghuacheng, an invigorating walk on the Great Wall of China was a blend of the profound and the mundane, as one might expect of an experience of China's greatest symbol and treasure. This blend of the secular and the spiritual is everywhere to be seen by the careful eye, despite the current emphasis on the practical and reductionist out of the sheer necessity and scale of handling 1.3 billion citizens of stunning diversity. More (28 February)
Following in the footsteps of the pirates of the Caribbean, I've been on board the ms Volendam to speak on one of Neil Bauman's Geek Cruises. The audience was small but beautifully formed, and the faculty was remarkable - in particular, Tim Bray and Jon Bosak provided insight into the history of XML that was fascinating, and the opportunity to get to know rather than just hear such esteemed authorities on XML was a privilege that can't be over-estimated. The ship was good quality, even if the force 8 gales on day 2 did render almost everyone disabled. Overall, I have heard nothing but good reports. Future events will be much shorter as the 10 day commitment was too great for many (including me - I jumped ship in Curaçao). I've agreed to participate in future events so watch out on my calendar. (14 February)
This week I'm in Colorado at the Colorado Software Summit. The first snow of winter fell here in Keystone
last night and today the ski runs are open
and in use, the mountains and trees are dusted
with snow and the place has a magic touch.
This is fairly appropriate for the event
as well; it's a friendly technical community
having its annual gathering rather than a
computer industry trade show. There are no
sponsors, no exhibits and all the sessions
are in-depth technical education. The highlight
is the evening Q & A session, where everyone
joins in to solve each others' problems and
answer questions. The combination - a beautiful
place and a warm, excellent conference -
makes this my favourite event of the year,
I do hope I keep getting invited back :-)
(November 1)
Older news has been archived.
