Making it!? (a writeup)

Making it!? (a writeup) Three months ago, Adrian McEwen and I were talking as we do about this and that. He’s been the co-founder of DoES Liverpool since 2011 and I started selling the Arduino in the UK in 2007. I never considered myself a maker but enabled others to become makers though my work running… Continue reading Making it!? (a writeup)

Sunday Scraps #3

(Yes I know, not posted on a sunday. Sue me) Hiroshima / The ugly scandal that cancelled the Nobel Prize / Sugartime / Apollo magazine / Basic Design: a revolution in Art History, the beginning of the Hatton Gallery  / John Pasmore: The Developing process video / This Is Tomorrow (1956) exhibition / Design education:… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #3

Rabbit holes & the convoluted history of modernism and home design.

Starting tomorrow I kick off the first leg of a little tour of places across Europe that have inspired me for my book on Smart Homes (which you should totally order by the way). I’ll be interviewing people along the way and recording it all for an upcoming podcast, so fear not if you hate… Continue reading Rabbit holes & the convoluted history of modernism and home design.

An extending process

An extending process In my book, I mention briefly the history of industrial design which I studied. It had never occurred to me to research the history of design education per se but this is fast becoming my newest obsession. I went up to Leeds last week and at the Henry Moore Institute, at the… Continue reading An extending process

Smarter Homes: how technology has changed your home life (an introduction)

Smarter Homes: how technology has changed your home life (an introduction) I’ve spent the last year writing a book on smart homes for Apress. It’s obviously not to get rich, but to explore some personal obsessions and share my findings in public. I’ve had the best time writing too, but I know that not everyone… Continue reading Smarter Homes: how technology has changed your home life (an introduction)

Sunday Scraps #2

Tabs from May 2018 Jardins Ferdinand Bac / How to call into the kitchen / NSBRC Self-build course / The Empty Brain / Usbourne book of the future / Laguna Art Museum / MOCA: Wellcome to the Dollhouse / The Waag Vertigo Residencies / Couple fined for using fake garage door to hide home /… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #2

Cities that make

I spent a couple of days in Liverpool this week, catching up with Adrian McEwen, an old friend, author, technical #iot consultant and founder of what I consider to be one of the most embedded and sustainable maker spaces in the North: DoES Liverpool. We talked a lot about what’s happening in his city and… Continue reading Cities that make

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Categorized as Cities

Sunday Scraps #1

I’ve handed in my book‘s manuscript to my editor so I’m having a bit of a mental clear-out.  A year ago, when I started writing, I would write down in my Moleskines the unopened tabs on my phone to ‘come back to them later’. Pah! One of my favorite places on the internet is the… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #1

So you want to apply for government funding?

So you want to apply for government funding? Since closing Tinker London in late 2010 I’ve spent my time earning money through consultancy services and assessment work. I’ve been a technical and business assessor for funding bodies like Innovate UK, EIT Digital and Horizon 2020 projects. I’ve also been a partner on two government-funded projects.… Continue reading So you want to apply for government funding?