Technology and ageing: Beyond the Screen

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On Thursday evening, I went to a fascinating event at Digital Catapult Brighton called Tech Beyond the Screen: Positive Ageing.

It was to stimulate debate and discussion about how we can use technology in the social care sector to improve both older people’s lives, but also those who do the caring.

The care industry is a hugely underfunded area. People who work as carers either in a care home or visiting older people in their own homes don’t do it for the money: as Eric Kihlstrom from KareInn pointed out, you could get more money flipping burgers at McDonald’s or stacking shelves ar Asda. Continue reading “Technology and ageing: Beyond the Screen”

Why we should forget ‘our passion’

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CC photo: Renee_pirate via Flickr

At some point, most of us question what we’re doing in life – especially when it comes to our job.

We debate if it’s really what we want to do and – inevitably – the following question will pop up: “What’s your passion?” The inference being, if we find that, we can give everything up and start a new.

But the writer Daniel Pink says this is totally the wrong question to help you decide. Instead we should be focusing on the things we gravitate to naturally during our spare time.

– What did you do last Saturday afternoon – for fun, for yourself?
– What books do you read or blogs do you visit, not for work, but just because you’re interested in them?
– What are you great at? What comes easily to you?
– What would you do – or are you already doing – for free?

Then – and only then – can you be sure that your passion is more than just a dream, but actually something you actively enjoy doing.

Thinking about giving it all up. Answer those questions and see what you come up with.

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CC photo: pirate_renee via Flickr

Why the deaths of Prince, Bowie and others in 2016 are so shocking

Prince“No, no, no, no!” On learning that Prince had died unexpectedly at just 57, the response of almost everyone I know yesterday was the same.

It was awful news. It was a complete and utter shock. It seemed faintly unreal. That it was just the latest in a seeming unending line of celebrity deaths in 2016 merely compounded the hurt.

David Bowie, Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, Victoria Wood to name but a few.

But why are these deaths so shocking? In Prince and Victoria Wood’s cases it was their relative youth (57 and 62 respectively), but that could hardly be said of Ronnie Corbett or Terry Wogan.

The simple reason is this: for a generation of 30-50-somethings, our childhood and adolescent memories and heroes are being eviscerated. Continue reading “Why the deaths of Prince, Bowie and others in 2016 are so shocking”