…as it all too easily can.
Here’s a thought:
Focus only on the next move. The next move makes the future easier or harder.
Another book
Here’s another book that I enjoyed listening to - A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle by Julian Jackson.
The audiobook will set you back 20 hours or so but don’t let that put you off. If you were ever remotely curious about what made de Gaulle tick then this may not answer the question but it will provide a well-rounded and very engaging description and explanation of his life and work.
Book Reviews
In an effort to improve both quantity and diversity of reading, I’ve been reviewing books on Goodreads for a while. It seems to be working if the number of completed books is anything to go by.
More recently I’ve accessed some advance review copies of forthcoming publications and am working my way through these, posting reviews as I go. Here’s one I put up today for The Carbon Almanac, a collaborative effort that’s due for release in the next few weeks that will be of benefit to all.
I commend it to you (the book, not the review.)
Fixing poverty 101
The average carbon footprint of the top 1% of emitters on the planet is more than 75-times higher than that in the bottom 50%.
Lifting hundreds of millions of people out of “extreme poverty” – where they live on less than US$1.90 per day – would drive a global increase in emissions of less than 1%.
Starter for 10...so, why don't we?
The Cost of War
Someone on LinkedIn asked me about this and I sent a comment…this is the more fulsome version:
Supply chains aren't my thing really, but I'd say overall that, as far as the UK is concerned, our global supply chains have held up pretty well throughout Brexit and the pandemic. So, I'm naively optimistic that common sense will prevail and accommodations will be made on all sides to keep (most) things flowing. However, it's not clear to me how nuts Putin has become, and whether all sense of pragmatism and reason has disappeared. If that's actually the case then things could get very, very difficult for all of us, very quickly.
Assuming that he can keep his hand away from the big red button, we face the prospect of many people struggling desperately with the very high oil/gas/energy prices that will inevitably be with us for some time. Building out renewables and nuclear is not going to happen overnight - it's something we should have been doing for decades (along with insulation, conservation, education etc.) But we haven't...and we don't seem to be able to move fast enough.
Lots of oil and commodity price volatility and the continuing increase in disparity of income between the 'rich' and 'poor' will require thoughtful, intelligent governance. That is something that, to my mind, is way beyond the crowd we have in place at the moment.
1.5 degrees by 2050 is beyond us now, and it will take a miracle to hold things to less than 2 degrees. If that in and of itself wasn't sufficiently catastrophic, we now find ourselves drifting into an even more parlous state because some nostalgic monster from the Cold War thinks that invading a neighbouring country or two is going to make the USSR great again. Aside from the human cost and misery, the loss of trust and engagement between nations (or rather their governments) will set us back further.
I think we're heading into the final stages of one of the 'big' cycles that Ray Dalio writes about so powerfully, and it couldn't be happening at a worse time given the global challenge we face with the climate crisis, and the global solutions we need to agree and implement to fix it.
Tunisia
Fascinating - I visited and worked in Tunisia a lot in the noughties; his picture was everywhere. The BBC has acquired taped calls off Ben Ali’s final hours in ‘power’.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172xv32n7tyzxq
Skiing 101
This is just amazing…& I don’t even ski.
It just goes from bad to worse…
I wrote this to make myself feel better, but I may as well share it...life's too short and I'm too old to need to bother about upsetting people.
Anyone with a passing interest in politics will know things are getting choppy. For saddos like me, who've followed things fairly closely since 2016, things have inexorably gone downhill and, in the last 6 months, they've become terminal for Johnson - culminating in this evening's announcement of Frost flouncing out of cabinet due to creative differences. Johnson is wholly unsuited to be a PM...always was....he'll never change.
With the possible exception of Gove (who has other significant defects) Johnson's 3rd rate government ministers are dysfunctional, divisive and grasping lickspittles, any one of whom would be thrown under a bus by Johnson in a heartbeat if it suited him.
Those naïve enough to think of him as an asset, a breath of fresh air, someone doing his best in difficult circumstances, well think a bit deeper next time. Anyone who understood what the deal was but just went along with it for self-advancement, well shame on you.
'Getting Brexit Done' was an inane slogan that could never be made real. We never can or ever will 'get it done' - our modern, JIT, interconnected supply-chain real world just doesn't work like that.
My point?
Whichever way you look at it, despite 50% of us feeling or having been persuaded otherwise, for a modern 21st century UK, Brexit has become, and always was for those of us who made an effort to think it through from the outset, a really REALLY shit idea.
The Placebo Effect
Here’s a link to a fascinating article (2 min.)
https://atis.substack.com/p/all-placebos-are-not-created-equal
COP26
I was asked to write down some thoughts for an upcoming conference series, starting next week.
So I did.
The recent IPCC report could not have put it more plainly. Without immediate and sustained deep cuts in emissions of GHGs, curbing global warming during this century to 2C (let alone 1.5C) above pre-industrial temperature levels will be out of our reach. Things are that bad.
A rise in sea-level, too much or too little precipitation, a lack of availability or the human and financial costs of accessing clean water - all will affect us in ways that we can only begin to imagine. Temperature rise on this scale will have devastating consequences for the earth's water and the ecosystems that depend on it. Whether it be in our rivers or oceans, underground or at the tap, pump or well, our water is vital for life and for the wellbeing of all flora and fauna on the planet.
It's clear that a voice from the water sector should form a critical piece of the political jigsaw which will influence the leaders of countries and businesses. We need to encourage and support them to put in place and enact the policies and regulations that we will be depending upon to fix our climate problems. Unless we work and succeed in turning their current rhetoric into reality, as individuals we betray ourselves and hand our children an earth that, increasingly, we will be unable to recognise. The saddest thing is that we understand the problem. We understand what needs to be done and we have the technology available to us that can address it.
So now we must act, and quickly.
Availability, access, storage, production, distribution, use, treatment, habitat and the amenity value of water - all play a unique and pivotal role on our planet. In the run-up to COP 26, please join us in helping to craft a Call to Action on behalf of everyone who cares about the enormous contribution that water will play in our gathering climate crisis.
Influence the discussion and focus the urgency of our feelings into a statement of intent and commitment - something that will require a hearing and a response from those who are able to influence and make the decisions to deliver the massive short- and longer-term adjustments needed, in the all-too-short time still available to us.
Join us in capturing all the necessary water climate-related issues, help us to brainstorm solutions, and commit to a Call to Action. Click through to register for the conference, beginning next week:
https://rsc.andeye.com/WCD
Play your part and help us to make change happen...before it's too late.
It really is perilously close to the last chance we'll have.
Puffballs
Puffballs are not something that you’d instinctively reach for when considering Sunday dinner.
However…
When you see them for sale at a farmer’s market and you’re feeling edgy (as pensioners do from time to time) then why not?
An interesting dish, which would have been much improved (and vastly more calorific) by frying off with a really well seasoned breadcrumb coating.
One for the fading memory banks and probably not to be tried again prior to receiving the Queen’s telegram.
Tomorrow’s IPCC report…
…will no doubt make the hairs on the back of our necks stand on end. We really do have to get our collective shit together very soon.
No commentary necessary...
More Apps
I’m someone who, over the last 30 years, has surrendered his soul to Apple not once but twice - I had an affair with Ms. PC for a decade or so, but the university made me do it, m’lud.
I’ve seen many apps come and go and tried many apps for various periods of time, some of which have stuck whilst others haven’t. I’m forever looking for the perfect app for a particular application (as I am the perfect briefcase, the perfect omelette, the perfect lip balm and the perfect sweet-pea fragrance). I should also add that I don’t have a problem with paying a reasonable price for software and apps nor do I recoil from subscription models when they are sensibly priced and present good VFM. Everyone has to live, even developers!
The fun is in the journey of exploration and as an app becomes a favourite and relied upon tool, one that rarely gets in the way and, overall, makes life richer and easier, then so it sticks.
A few of the sticky apps on my iPhone:
Evernote - a bit expensive and with formatting issues that still make it a bloated piece of crap ™ I wouldn’t be without this. Brilliant for researching, dumping into and organising stuff, and the web clipper for all of the common browsers alone makes it worth the price to me.
Account Tracker Pro - probably my most used app. Ever. Simple and intuitive to use with just enough bells and whistles. I would be bewildered and soon bankrupt without it.
Dropbox - despite going off the rails a bit in recent years, shifting away from a brilliant and totally reliable personal file sync service to more of a business/teams product, Dropbox is rock-solid, faultless and keeps everything of mine available everywhere all the time. Also a bit expensive but you only live once. 1st world problem, right.
LastPass - I’ve always used this in preference to, say, 1Password. When it comes to password and bank card storage and form-filling I can be uber-conservative (with a small ‘C’). LP has always worked quite well enough and kept everything safe. Of late it has become slower and slooowwwwer working with Safari on the Mac (presumably because Apple keep adding more security layers in Safari itself and to their latest release of macOS) but it still works fine on Chrome and Firefox, and on iOS Safari too. A solid product that’s always proved good value for money for me.
Informant - having tried most calendar apps and separate task managers over the years I’ve always returned to Informant as the combined calendar and task manager that rules them all. Works for me - everything in one place and with enough complexity and customisation available on the back end to satisfy even the most discerning nerd. If Fanatic Software ever go bust then my life is over as we know it, Jim.
Rotterdam to Amsterdam in 4 minutes
And by canal too - an unusual and fascinating viewpoint <raised Spock eyebrow here> - even better than the defrag. program I wasted so many hours staring at.
Very relaxing as well - so much water, such a variety of bridge-types, and so much land below TWL. Full props to the Dutch.
Reeder (iOS) and Newsblur apps
If, like me, you’re still into RSS feeds and use them to serve up new postings on various websites and blogs then I think you could do a lot worse than this combination. I’ve used Newsblur for years and, whilst dead straightforward to set up and manage, the mobile interface leaves a bit to be desired.
Reeder (iOS) has a nice UI with natural gestures - all I now need are 26 hours in the day to trawl through the newsfeeds I have. Only 10,359 unread items as of right now. Maybe it’s time to cull a few of my ‘interesting-but-not-mission-critical’ sources and reduce stress a bit.
Whilst we're on the subject of podcasts... Merlin Mann in conversation with...
Whether it be eclectic discussions with John Siracusa (@siracusa) in Reconcilable Differences, or listening to the erudite, sometimes-gritty-but-always-lyrical storytelling and reminiscing of John Roderick in Roderick on the Line, there’s usually good value and entertainment in these shows.
All a bit blokish maybe…but then, since I’m a bloke, I suppose that’s the appeal.
Another podcast you might enjoy...
Hardcore History & Common Sense Podcasts - Dan Carlin’s history podcasts are something special. Evocative, punchy, graphic, captivating, informative, entertaining, thoughtful and perceptive. I recommend them, and the Common Sense cast too for that matter.
Incidentally, after trying out many podcast-catching apps, over recent years I’ve been very happy with Marco Arment’s Overcast. It does everything you’d expect and then some. So, if you’re OK with having a separate app for managing podcasts (which can be an advantage compared to simply adding them in to Spotify or using the Apple-specific app - if you subscribe to any podcasts, and have specific URLs to access premium content, Spotify/Apple can’t handle them) then give it a try. Having also tried Downcast, Castro and Pocket Casts - on balance, Overcast still works best for me.
Here's a podcast I enjoy...
Sir Tim Rice has been producing a weekly podcast now for over 40something weeks - Get Onto My Cloud.
I've always found his lyrics to be powerful and imaginative, and listening to these over the weeks has been a glorious way of letting him guide me through his fascinating life - meandering through the back stories and anecdotes associated with his collaborations with, for example, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bjorn & Benny, Rick Wakeman and Elton John.
There’s a nice summary he’s neatly captured in Episode 33, but I'd strongly advise taking the time to work through them all from the very beginning - a very good place to start.
Things kick off with Tim recounting stories behind each of the myriad items in his mantelpiece. Sounds potentially naff but it’s a delightful listen. I love his easy-going style and his generosity to fellow artistes and collaborators. Over subsequent weeks there's lots of iconic, unforgettable music for those of us who grew up in the 60s, lashings of behind-the-scenes information and some brilliant demos and early versions of his songs.
Get Onto My Cloud can be found here - or search for it in whichever app you grab your podcasts.
Incidentally, if you're into the business of discovering new and interesting podcasts then check out The Listener Podcast Recommendation Newsletter. Sign up for the free weekly email containing three recommendations or get unlimited access for $30 per year and three recs. each day. Either way, it’s curated and each link has a summary paragraph describing the podcast content.
More podcastery than you can reasonably handle.