davidriddell

[davidriddell]

A Year of Pandemic

A year ago today I was sitting in my home office getting ready to prep for a Tuesday workshop with a new client when I got an email from my manager informing the team that we  were to work from home until future notice and not travel. I wasn’t expecting to still be working at home a year later. Bearing in mind that I’d been to an event the Friday before it all seemed to escalate incredibly quickly. All of a sudden something that  seemed to be happening in China and Italy turned into what has been described as a lost year. I operationally implemented part of a UK support programme for innovative SMEs, helped some of those companies with some of their Covid-19 challenges, interviewed  and accepted a new job, got married, and integrated into a new company. I’ve worked for 8 months now at the new job without ever sitting at a desk in the office. I regularly have meetings with people who I've never met in person. I have seen precisely 14 people who I work with, most for just a few minutes at a distance. It's actually quite hard as it's difficult to form decent relationships with people and pick up non-verbql cues when everything is on Teams

This year has been utterly bizarre. I'm getting to the stage that I can't stand the sight of my house and I struggle to think of anything to do that doesn't involve Netflix or running. I can't be bothered talking to other people socially as I don't really have anything that interesting to say - I work, eat and sleep. I think I actually often prefer weekdays as I have some structure and routine. I keep thinking that I should start an online course but it feels like a lot of effort. I just want to go out somewhere, even sit in a cafe and do some work.

There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel though. I can't t understand people who don't want the vaccine - I don't know what's in any vaccination I've ever had so why should this be different? All we can do is to hope that the release from restriction timelines stand and by summer we'll be able to get back to some semblance of normal, whatever that will be.

[davidriddell]

Doing things that give you child-like joy

I read a forum post the other day about questions that you can ask to get to know people better, possibly on the subject of job interviews. One of the questions suggested was ‘what was the last thing that you did that gave you childlike joy?’ and it got me thinking.

Life, particularly during Covid-19, has become pretty hard for most people. I’ve found it particularly difficult as I’ve been working from home for almost a year and, between work and home life, things always seem to be serious. There never seemed to be a break from either the stress or the mundanity of it all. Netflix was OK but there was still a decision to be made, an agreement to be reached, a risk in whatever you watch not being any good.

Maybe kids have the right idea. They can run and play with each other, get into the moment, with no worry about the long term or things on their mind. When was the last time I spent time as an adult and just enjoyed being in the moment? Probably quite a while ago if I’m honest. But there have been occasions in the past few weeks when I’ve had fun, without the worry about the rest of the things in my life.

The most recent was probably going for a run in the pouring rain. I could run and splash in puddles without caring about getting wet because I was absolutely soaked within the first 5 minutes. Everyone probably thought I was mad but I was out there, clearing my head and just enjoying doing something.

I find that I can feel like that a lot when I ride a bike with no particular agenda. Hitching up the trailer to the bike to do the supermarket shopping has the same effect. I am doing something for me, something that other people think is crazy, something I enjoy just for being able to do it.

Maybe it’s about not having an agenda or much of a reason being doing these things. Maybe it’s that fun is the main purpose and I don’t feel any pressure to achieve something. Whatever the reason is I should definitely do more of it as it helps keep me from getting too down and helps break my mood.

[davidriddell]

The perils of smartphone life (and how I thought about avoiding it)

A very stressful period of my life (culminating in some time off work) led me to have a think about the various stresses I have and how life used to be a lot simpler. Years ago I used to carry a book around with me, write in the paper journal that I had in my bag, make lists on various post it notes. It just seemed easier than when I have two phones vibrating in my pocket (work and personal), with multiple communication channels on each,  and seem to feel the need to take out my phone whenever I have a moment. After having a few days break I noticed that I had been ignoring notifications and just swiping them away, letting my email build up and processing messages that weren’t important in batches (because how many messages that we receive are actually important?). So this led me to wonder if life without a smartphone might actually be easier.

When I first started work there wasn’t email (although it arrived pretty soon after) and there certainly wasn’t the incessant number of emails that I seem to get just now. I may write another blog post about work email culture and the fact that sending an email is often a brilliant way to get something off your to do list and onto someone else’s but it’d be digressing from the point just now.

Back in the day (around 2000) I had what, at the time, was my ultimate mobile phone, the mighty 8210. With a 650mAh battery (less than a sixth the size of most modern smartphones) it lasted a few days without charge easily and fitted very nicely in a pocket. Yes making calls on it was an exercise in avoiding hand cramp and it lacked any features that we’d expect nowadays but it worked, was perfectly acceptable for calls and you could send texts (remember when an unlimited text package was quite the contract feature).

Whilst I’d love to go back to something like that for just carrying around, most of my communication is on WhatsApp rather than text now so I’d just be cutting myself off from the benefits of (a limited number of) group chats. So what’s the answer for me? I figured that it may be a lower spec smartphone than I’d normally have, probably with a 5” screen or less, and a massive battery (>4000mAh ideally but 3000mAh may work) that had a limited number of apps installed. My vision was essentially a dumb phone but with WhatsApp - what I started calling a ‘dumbish’ phone. I’d get all the benefits of a modern phone (WhatsApp, camera, calendar) but with none of the distractions. I’d also buy a tablet, preferably with a pen, that I could use for email, Twitter etc. and tether to the phone when necessary. I figured that it would all cost about the same as a smartphone replacement (in my world that’s around £500 - 600).

So where did I get to with this? Whilst there were a lot of positives in my mind (and in others after reading some blogs) there were also downsides. The positives mainly revolved around a lack of distraction, beginning to take focussed time to deal with email and social media, and living more in the moment. But the negatives started to mount up:

The number of apps that I’d want on the phone started to increase. For example Spotify, a podcast app, maps, Instagram (makes it easier to post images)...

I actually use my phone a lot to pay for parking so I’d need to carry around  lot more change (remember how much of a pain that was, particularly for work expensed parking?)

What about loyalty cards? I’d need to revive the little card carrier for those.

What 5” phones are there actually for sale nowadays? Maybe I didn’t have that good a look but I didn’t see many (that weren’t bloatware ridden Samsungs anyway)

Looking at the costs it’d work out quite expensive. For a decent 10” tablet I’d be looking at £500ish, more if I wanted a pen. I have an expensive MacBook that I don’t use enough so I’d struggle to justify around £1000 for the Google Pixel Slate.

An incidental finding from my research: I wanted to stay Android as but I’ll give it to Apple that they have cornered the market for a small phone and a combatively inexpensive tablet that work well together. But I have a very old iPad so have used iOS and just couldn’t face learning a new ecosystem.

So what was the conclusion of my thinking about this? Basically it all just seems a lot of money for very little benefit. Financially I’d be better keeping my current phone going for a while longer and then just replacing it with a not huge but decent smartphone. The big conclusion was that what I needed to do was to turn off all unnecessary notifications to minimise the distractions - pretty much everything aside from WhatsApp, texts and phone calls. I’ll carry around a paper notebook and write in it and set aside some focussed time for dealing with email (I already try to do this at work so why not at home?). Also I’ll carry around my MacBook when I am planning on doing some writing and try to not spend my time trying to do stuff on a 5.5” screen.

Time for a new phone is due in a couple of months so we can see how i get on until then. A delayed GWR train on Saturday evening gave me time to turn off all the app notifications and, three days in, it all seems to be working. I guess I’ll find out!

[davidriddell]

Is the way to reduce congestion in cities to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists? 

Particularly at traffic lights and crossings. As insane as this sounds I wonder if it is the way forward. All the initiatives that I remember don't seem to have worked and they're not dissuading people from driving. The cost of parking hasn't stopped it, the promotion of alternatives hasn't succeeded, so is the way to get people out of cars simply to make driving such a painful experience that they just can't face it. It would have the additional benefit of making walking and cycling so much more pleasant as well as making all non-car options seem a lot more time efficient and cost effective. 

I'll admit that our cities will suffer from decreased air quality for the transition period but that is surely something that we can handle for the better end goal of reduced car use. Our current attitude towards cars is insane and needs to change. Maybe as a society we need a disruptive kick like this to make us change. The ways we've tried to change things before have obviously not worked so maybe it's time to try something very different. Take Extinction Rebellion - it feels like action on that scale is what we need to make change happen. 

[davidriddell]

So you’re thinking about cycle commuting?

Right so your commute each day is getting you down. Maybe it’s just the sheer amount of traffic and the queues, or the bus might be really crowded and slow. But in any case you’re curious about giving it a go but son’t really know where to start.

Many of us have been in the same situation — there’s a big difference between cycling a lot for leisure and actually making it a daily part of your life. Where is safe to keep your bike at work? Is there somewhere to get changed? How do I carry all my stuff? What happens if it rains? What about punctures? And, often the big one for people, what about the route to take? Hills, traffic, how long will it take…

There’s a lot written on the internet about cycling and cycle commuting but it can be difficult to sort out what is absolutely necessary from what are just people’s opinions. If you search then you’ll read a lot of discussion about various types of lights, various types of bikes, panniers versus rucksacks for carrying stuff, how to cope if there is not a shower at work (or even if you need to shower at all). Thankfully a lot of these are quite easy to answer but a lot depends on your situation. I was very lucky when I started cycle commuting to have a friend and colleague who helped me with the planning (and encouragement!).

In that first job I had a huge desk space for hanging up wet clothes and showers but there are loads of options. I’ve ridden in slowly and in work clothes, I’ve done sponge baths and changed in the disabled toilets, I’ve taken bikes on trains, I even had a ferry journey mid-commute.

The main thing is just to get on and do it. Ride On — Cycling for All in Exeter can help here (disclaimer: I’m one of the trustees so I’m biased). We‘re a charity that try to get and keep people cycling. We run a range of bike maintenance courses to help you keep your bike on the road and our staff and volunteers are always happy to have a bit of a chat about options.

[davidriddell]

Innovation — and How To Stifle It

There’s been a fair amount of change in my life; I’m now living in Exeter working for a business support company helping other companies with their innovation processes. It’s an interesting job and has caused me to think back on the good and bad of innovation in previous companies that I have been involved with. As the company is based in Bristol (although I’m not there every day) the drive home on the M5 gives me plenty of time to think, not that I have many answers.

When considering barriers to innovation, it’s been useful for me to think of how I felt as an employee in my various roles. The number one barrier I found is the lack of management engagement in innovation from all staff. Anyone can have good ideas but if there is not a method for these ideas to be considered (and, crucially, some progressed) then staff just disengage with the process. The most dispirated I have ever been at work has been when micromanaged and my creativity was not considered. I think this applies to a lot of staff.

The other barrier that was always prevalent is just being too busy with the day job and just not having time or the headspace to be innovative. This applies even if companies have an innovation management process (but you’d have to ask if this process is fit for purpose).

[davidriddell]

Hi Tumblr it’s been a while!

I’ve not blogged for over a year and felt that I should get back to it after a social media workshop with work by twitter.com/cosmickated.

There’s been a fair amount of change in my life; I’m now living in Exeter working for a business support company helping other companies with their innovation processes. It’s an interesting job and has caused me to think back on the good and bad of innovation in previous companies that I have been involved with. As the company is based in Bristol (although I’m not there every day) the drive home on the M5 gives me plenty of time to think, not that I have many answers. 

When considering barriers to innovation, it’s been useful for me to think of how I felt as an employee in my various roles. The number one barrier I found is the lack of management engagement in innovation from all staff. Anyone can have good ideas but if there is not a method for these ideas to be considered (and, crucially, some progressed) then staff just disengage with the process. The most dispirated I have ever been at work has been when micromanaged and my creativity was not considered. I think this applies to a lot of staff.

The other barrier that was always prevalent is just being too busy with the day job and just not having time or the headspace to be innovative. This applies even if companies have an innovation management process (but you’d have to ask if this process is fit for purpose).

Anyway some initial ramblings there, I’m sure that there will be others!

[davidriddell]

Digital Photography and the Traditionalist

Those who have known me for a while will know that I have deeply held views about digital cameras - well I certainly did have. They could be summarised in short by "digital is cheating", "I don't see the point" and "it's not really art though is it?". Well I'm big enough to admit that I may have been a little hasty in these proclamations. I have recently bought a digital camera (micro four-thirds, D-SLRs are still too bulky) so I've taken some digital photos. You know, I've found that I sort-of like it. The definite benefits for me are the ability to try something out and instantly review what happened. No more shooting a couple of rolls of film then suffering the disappointment in the darkroom when you find they're utter rubbish. Although you still need to wait until you get back to a computer to review the shots properly. Also being able to shoot in either colour or black and white and at different ISOs negates the need to carry several types of film on a trip - and either a couple of camera bodies or suffer the frustration of seeing the perfect shot, just with a different film. And there is always the benefit of being able to upload photos to the web without needing a scanner. So I guess most of my objections still stand, although I can see the attraction: * Monkeys and typewriters. My brother and I have this argument often. He shoots digitally and on automatic  on a D-SLR but has no interest in photography away from taking cool pictures. There is more skill to photography than just snapping away. Whilst I'm no Cartier-Bresson, I take photos for a reason, because they say something, because I've sought out the opportunity. It's the old argument of art versus recording moments and I'm not sure it will ever be resolved. * Creating cool looking effects in Photoshop but not knowing the photographic history that goes behind them. What is a sepia print? It's not just an effect.  * The general faff of the huge number of settings - my film cameras have aperture, shutter speed and film speed, not several menus full of modes! * D-SLRs are so big! They're hardly discrete for reportage and I couldn't put one in a jacket pocket. * I'd rather spend two hours in a darkroom than sitting in front of a computer. I realise that this is a personal choice but I spend far too much time at work working on computers. * I'm a bit of a luddite at times when it comes to technology, strange as it might seem. I love it when technology makes our life easier, but hate it when it adds complication. I don't care which is the computer with the best performance or screen, it's a tool to allow me to interact with the world.  * I like loading film and the mechanical nature of my cameras. It satisfies my tactile, making-things nature. I enjoy spending time in the darkroom and I just don't think that I would get that level of satisfaction from digital post-processing. So there you go, maybe I am a camera snob. In fact I very probably am - but I'm working really hard on just letting it all wash over me and not get annoyed by other's claims of photographic genius!

[davidriddell]

Growing up and getting younger as a thirty-something

I'm going to be turning 38 in October and something doesn't feel right. A large number of my friends have kids and plan their social lives months in advance. They go our for bike rides at 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning so they can make the most of the day. I can't remember the last time one of them phoned up and asked if I fancied going out for a beer at very short notice. There seems to be no spontaneity. I've never had a 5 year plan. I've always had things that I'd like to do but I've always kind of decided on the hoof about what I wanted to do. I've got a pretty good job but I got that by taking opportunities and understanding who I am and what I enjoy rather than any big plan. I'd be happy to say if this isn't for me and find something new, even if it meant taking a pay cut. I seem to be unusual in that I demand that I enjoy what I do rather than feel trapped by the salary. I'd be happy to live in a shitty flat if it meant that I was having fun. I'd be happy saving up all year to go backpacking in Europe on the cheap for a holiday rather than stress about the next adventurous place to go (on a travel agent arranged trip). When did we all get so obsessed about material things? Selecting just the right paint colour, watching cookery programmes where chefs have wet dreams about a jus or something, deciding that you absolutely must have an ice cream maker. It's made worse by the feeling that you should always be looking over your shoulder to see what other people are doing and secretly (or not so secretly) comparing your life to theirs. When was the last time I got an email about a cool new band? Who was the last person to suggest to me that we should go to a gig? Or, God forbid, a club. No,  it's all going out to 'nice' restaurants and taking about pensions. When was the last time you went on an impromptu night out and got hammered? It's not the drinking I want, it's the enthusiasm, the surprise, the seizing an opportunity because, damn it, it's fun! And fuck the wasted next day - because all you were going to do anyway was cut the lawn. Yes, yes, you think that I'm having a mid-life crisis. You think that I'm the one going insane. I'd argue that I'm the one who has realised what is important to me, what makes me happy and I don't give a toss about society thinks of me. Since when was putting everything else other than your dreams a sign of sanity?