Articles

Latest articles and thoughts

2 min read

Male Privilege is Tough, Isn't It?

Male privilege is rife in the technical and engineering world; I'm sure it is elsewhere, but this is where I see it most often, and it saddens me that the cycle isn't changing fast enough. Man stands ...

PersonalOpinionEmpathy
What is Freedom?
2 min read

What is Freedom?

![Protest sign: "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free" -- Goethe](https://bendechrai.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/309378_10150309703117063_311458947062_8564...

FreedomPersonal
Energy and Growth
2 min read

Energy and Growth

As part of the celebration, each person took a piece of paper and wrote their desires for growth in the coming year on it, or drew a picture, or both, and planted the paper under a seedling in our veg...

EnergyPersonal
Alice's Story
3 min read

Alice's Story

<span class="pullquote pqRight">I was recently contacted by Alice, who was feeling the pinch quite acutely. Here's the start of her email:</span>

ProfessionalFinance
3 min read

Avoiding Growing Pains: 3 Steps to Ensuring Organisational Change Isn't Painful

I recently had the opportunity to observe the results of a growth spurt in an organisation that grew from 10 to 400 employees in 6 years. The company was looking for a new CEO, CIO and IT Manager, who...

ProfessionalBusiness
4 min read

The Counterproductive Counter Offer

Mary has held a senior position in her team for a few years now, but feels she's become stagnant in her current position. Her employer has held out on pay rises and doesn't know how to help her grow w...

Work
3 min read

Making the Switch from Google

My problem now is they know too much. Yes, they already know a lot, but so far they only know what I make public. Now they want to know my secrets. They've indexed every web page my name appears on al...

Data OwnershipLegalOpen SourcePrivacyPrivacySecurity
5 min read

Google Double Plus Bad?

I looked at the "Share what's new" box thinking, what do I write as my first post on Google+? And I froze. I couldn't add anything. I couldn't contribute to this ever growing database of information a...

OpinionPrivacy
It Burns!
2 min read

It Burns!

I've always loved fire, whether it's starting one, taking photos of twirlers or fireworks or just sitting in front of one with a glass of red or a hot chocolate.

FriendsFunPersonal
Recouperating
2 min read

Recouperating

As I lay there 15 minutes later, wanting so desperately to fall asleep in the warm room, Jacqui walked in, turned on the lights and we all came to the middle of our mats. She's just what I needed - he...

EnergyEntryGratitudeManifestationPersonalPerspective
1 min read

Friends, Fun, Food and Fur

EntryFriendsFunGratitudePersonal
Nerves
1 min read

Nerves

No, I think the nerves were down to the unknown and uncertainty. I didn't know what I was walking in to. Was the grass really greener? Would I like the people? Would the work be challenging and intere...

EntryPersonalWork