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George Pickett, mortality and legacy
George Pickett, mortality and legacy George Picket died in July 2024 aged 85. A ripe old age, and statistically above average. He was a world-renowned physicist. I first met George when I was a first year undergraduate student at Lancaster University. I attended supervisions with him, in the company of my fellow student Graeme Plenderleith…
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Tech for Good Cymru – first meeting
Tech for Good Cymru – first meeting The inaugural meeting of Tech for Good Cymru took place on the evening of 20 June 2024. Here’s a quick summary of events. Background The Tech for Good network is an established ‘network of networks’ that has branches in different countries and regions of the UK. A steering…
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Must Everything Go? The Prospects for economic (re-)localisation in Wales
This second guest post by Professor Calvin Jones about Wales’ economy is part of Afallen’s objective of elevating the terms of the debate in Wales about how our economy operates – and what can be done to improve it. You can read Calvin’s first blog post here. Header photo: courtesy of Jim Nix. London never…
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Linux mobile; safer phones for children?
Linux mobile; safer phones for children? I have two children in primary school. They live in a world where mobile phones, and specifically smartphones, are ubiquitous. And …. that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When used ‘smartly’, mobile phones are valuable sources of information, entertainment, organisation and communication. However there are downsides, as I describe…
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Introducing; Mastodon for Organisations training
As Xitter continues to plumb the depths of free speech absolutism, empowering, enriching and emboldening far-right views, many people are starting to question whether the dominant forms of social media are appropriate for them or the organisations they work for. Afallen has long been a pioneer of open source technologies, and we are proud to…
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If we tolerate this; Wales in the world economy
This guest post by Professor Calvin Jones, published on St David’s Day 2024, is part of Afallen’s ongoing work to stimulate debate about the opportunities to create prosperity in Wales by thinking and doing differently. Header photo: the Amazon Warehouse (‘fulfillment centre’) in Swansea, obtained from Coflein.gov.uk. “The original marginality, of course, was that of…
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In praise of Mike Clubb – and volunteers everywhere
In praise of Mike Clubb – and volunteers everywhere My dad, Mike Clubb, spent his whole working life as a history teacher. Bridgend for the most part, but also Cwmbrân and Zambia. It’s hard for a son to objectively assess his father’s quality as a teacher; but from conversations I’ve had with ex-pupils, he seems…
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Preparing for 50 degrees in Wales
Could 50°C in the towns and cities of Wales be liveable? (Spoiler – yes – and with a lot of strategic thought and hard work could be far nicer than our towns and cities of today. They could be glorious 🌟🏴 Read on to find out how 👇) Summary of suggestions For any urban area…
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Changing diet
Changing Wales’ diet There was an interesting thread on LinkedIn last week, discussing things like Wales’ relience on imported fruit and vegetables. Predominantly Brexit-related issues, but it did spark a few comments about what Wales could and should be producing. And it led me to consider whether public procurement in Wales should only incorporate vegetarian…
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A radical digital syllabus for primary education in Wales
A radical digital syllabus for primary education in Wales I recently undertook some training on futures thinking. I was struck by the following statement about how to consider ‘futures’: Start with where you want to be, not where you’re coming from. The basis of this post is the sort of skills and confidence that I…