Hello, let’s give this a go!
Welcome to my new endeavour: Weeknotes with Tom.
Weeknotes aren’t new, I know. However, I’ve been threatening to give this a try for months, if not years. And it’s got to a point that I’m so embarrassed with myself that I haven’t got round to doing them, I don’t even enter conversations with others about them anymore!
I’ll be trying different ways of doing them to work out what my weeknote vibe/jam/schtick is. So without much further a do let’s get it on.
What am I working on
Currently, I’m working on 2 projects, one in its death throws, the other an established team that I’m being parachuted into. The context shifting between the 2 is making me a wee bit dizzy.
Getting dropped into work that is partly done is always a struggle for me. I feel like I’m just doing stuff without knowing the full context of the why, where and how did we get here. I am building my knowledge of the scope of the team, but each bit of knowledge makes me realise how little I know about the new space I’m working in.
The project that is ending is one I have been involved in on and off for nearly 2 years. It’s been a pretty steady team in terms of who’s been working on it. So I’ve got to know and become pally with them, so it’s a wee bit happy sad saying goodbye and good luck to them. On top of that, there are a couple of bits of work that are currently going through the governance process that I’m scared will come back with a load of comments and/or changes that will push the deadlines within an inch of failing!
What have I been reading
This New York Times article really got me thinking about what type of time manager I am:
I totally forgot that I had preordered this book way back before Xmas. But what a wee treat it is. I’ll probably have more to say about it once I’ve finished slowly reading it:
What I’m listening to
I love The Rest is Politics and Leading podcasts, where ex-politician Rory Stewart and ex/current master of spin Alastair Campbell disagree agreeably on a range of issues. This week’s Leading interview with George Osborne was a cracking listen and whilst I disagree with pretty much all of his policies, listening to him made me yearn for the days when politicians could string 3 near sensible sentences together.
Music-wise, I have been seat dancing and accidentally kicking Murdo the dog along to the following gems.
I’m a member of a couple of album clubs, mainly so that I can listen to music that I might not normally listen to. Saying that Rat Saw God from Wednesday is right inside of my comfort zone, and I’ve been describing it as alternative Dolly Parton singing over a soundtrack of a hardcore Tom Petty covers band, It’s awesome and you should listen to it!
Good Lies from Overmono is so far from my comfort zone, It’s bleepy, bangy and clubby, but I love it.
After a Facebook chat with a pal from Melbourne (hiya Maree), I dug out this oldish gem from Aussie musical legend Tim Rogers.
Stop it, please!
I'm sick of seeing people hating anything to do with AI.
I'm equally sick of seeing people who are overly optimistic about AI.
To the haters, the cats out of the bag, people. We are not going back to a time before AI. Let's understand it, let's use it, play around with it, and see how/if/when it might be of help.
To the lovers, open your critical eyes, people. What are the potential ethical concerns surrounding AI and its uses? What should we be doing about regulation?
Mini rant over.
Have a great weekend, and see yous next week!