Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.
Nils Bohr
Can we predict the future of humankind in the same way that we forecast the weather?
In an article published in The Guardian, the journalist Laura Spinney discusses how historical data could be used, not only to predict the future of humankind but to save it as well. The piece titled “History as a giant data set: how analysing the past could help save the future” discussed how a small group of academics had come up with the notion that the analysis of historical big-data could be used in useful ways for the common good. At least that was my initial takeaway.
Britain’s Labour Party has been besieged by
a continuous barrage of accusations alleging that the party is anti-Semitic; that
it is institutionally racist and that its leader is somehow turning a blind eye
to it.
This is a very serious and weighty
allegation, with potentially devastating implications.
So, what does this deluge of accusations of
anti-Semitism in the Labour Party tell us about racism in Britain and in British
politics?
Coffee and cakes for breakfast On the Way of Saint James
Martyn
Richard Jones
Brussels, 10th July 2019
As George Burns put it “the key to
success is sincerity” and “if you can fake that you’ve got it made.”
He was right, and you don’t need to go any
further than the bizarre world of information technology, with its plethora of
professional bulllshit artists, to work this one out.
The other day, I heard the aimless,
timeless and fatuous claim that data is like an onion, and as you peel away the
data-layers of the data-onion the data-onion-detail will become clearer.
Is it me, or is this someone who has never
ever chopped up an onion in their life?
The Uruguayan writer Mario Orlando Hamlet Hardy Brenno Benedetti Farugia, better known as Mario Benedetti, is no longer with us. Born in the small town of Paso de los Toros in the department of Tacuarembó, on the 14th of September 1920, he died in his home in the city of Montevideo, this last Sunday (17/5/2009), at the age of 88.
Oh dear, whatever happened here? After years of over-borrowing and under-saving, the plentiful supply of cheap and easy money, the enthusiastic recklessness of a number of financial managers, and the complaisance of governments, the inevitable happened, and panic ensued.
In 2016 the UK held what was called the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum the objective of which was to gauge public sentiment about the UK leaving or remaining in the EU.
It was a non-binding consultation, which
means that regardless of outcome, it can be legitimately ignored by MPs.
The generally accepted nonsense about the referendum being legally or constitutionally binding was just that, nonsense.
In 2016 the UK held what was offically known as the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, a non-binding consultation with the people of the UK on the question of the UK leaving or remaining in the EU.
51.9% of those who voted supported the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Today I want to talk with you about energising
the Agile Way of Working brand.
Sadly, the Agile Way of Working movement
seems to be temporarily on the wane. The adoption rate of AWOW has not risen in
line with expectations. It’s stuck in the doldrums between Scylla and Charybdis.
Which makes for frowns all around.
But, me being me, I didn’t leave it at
that. That’s a challenge, right there! Let’s go for it! Let’s turn those frowns
upside-down
As result, I searched for a way to help the
Agile@Scale crowd out, and I eventually came up with ten amazing pieces of incredible
advice on how to easily make ‘Agile Way of Working’ truly something worth
having around.
So, here we have it:
First, change its name from the
Agile Way of Working to the Agile Way of Whacking Off (Agile WOWO), you know, a
touchy-feely way to “sex up” requirements. Bush and Blair style.
Epics will be referred to as
Dodgy Dossiers, User Stories will become Curated Jokes and Sprints will become Streaks.
People working on Streaks will
be known as Streakers, chapter members will be known as Schleppers and guild
members will be known as Schmucks, everyone else will be referred to as Bernie
or Helen.
Every morning Dodgy Dossier Owners
must repeat the term “Agile Operating Model” until they puke their
guts out.
All Scrum and Kanban boards are
be replaced with life-sized wack-a-mole models.
Only those kitted out as My Little
Pony or Princess Line can use coloured post-it notes.
Anyone caught using the names
Google, Spotify, Netflix or Zappos.com will be denied the oxygen of publicity.
Anyone evidenced repeating the terms
“by design”, “learning journey” and “minimum viable
product” will be denied the oxygen of oxygen.
Anyone caught using comic images
of rockets, astronauts or planets (including the sun) anywhere in their
“content” will be forever referred to as a feckin space-cadet.
If you can’t defecate rainbows on
demand then you have no right being involved in Agile at Scale or the Agile Way
of Whacking Off.
There you have it. Ten jolly and sensible
policies for a happy world of Agile at Scale and Agile WOWO.
Many thanks for reading,
This is Martyn Jones of goodstrat.com – THE
GOOD STRATEGY COMPANY
Until next time.
Contact me at martyn dot jones at goodstrat
dot com
