Weekstarter 40/2026
Photo taken by me in Bluebell Wood, Morpeth
Intro
While I haven't got ages to write one today, I decided over the weekend that I would get back into the habit of writing weekly updates. I haven't written a weeknote since archiving my blog and spinning up Substrate.
I'm also going to do something a bit different, and I'll tell you why. Weeknotes are great, but in my case, as I tend to mix both the personal and professional, I always want to wait until Sunday to publish them. By which point, everyone's moved on and is looking to the week ahead.
Thankfully, a few months ago I came across Ahmet Sabanci's blog, Weird and Deadly Interesting. Ahmet publishes what he calls 'weekstarters' such as this one from last week, and I really like the format. You're looking ahead, but also looking back.
So that's what I'm going to do here. I'll not copy Ahmet's approach exactly, but rather adapt it depending on what works for me. With that being said, let's get on with it...
What's coming up
This week is dominated by the fact that on Thursday morning I'm flying to Toronto for a Mozilla Alumni gathering. I'm really looking forward to it, especially after last year's inaugural meeting in Barcelona, which ran the day before the Mozilla Festival. This year, and I suspect from now on, they're run separately. The weekend is being organised unconference-style, with attendees encouraged not to just talk 'shop' (i.e. tech).
It's been about eight years since I was in Toronto, that time for a conference. But I also have fond memories of my visits to the city while I worked at the Mozilla Foundation, which is based there. Also, the summer after we graduated, I proposed to my Hannah on Prince Edward Island during a backpacking trip from Toronto to Halifax. Canada is such a great country.
Before then, I've got some client work to do for INASP, as well as some bizdev to do. I'm helping INASP work with Yalla Cooperative as they replace their organisational site and their Rising Scholars community site. I'm essentially acting as a technical advisor and filling in gaps where required: for example, towards the end of last week I did a bit of user research and synthesis.
After attending #SysPrac26 last week (see my brief write-ups of Day 1 and Day 2 I'm even more determined to spend the second half of my career focused on systemic issues with organisations. To that end, I'm running an online session in November which is now waitlist-only, and I've got a new tool which I'm going to be introducing to the world tomorrow called 'Soundings'.
Media consumption
After finishing Dracula last week, I'm starting (for the fourth time!) to read The Brothers Karamazov. I love Dostoyevsky's writing, and I think Crime and Punishment might even be my favourite novel, but for some reason I just haven't been able to get beyond a hundred pages or so of Karamazov. Perhaps this time will be different.
At #SysPrac26 I picked up, and devoured the latter section of, Patrick Hoverstadt's The Grammar of Systems II. I'm particularly interested in the systems laws and principles, as they essentially allow you to create your own models of how to intervene in a system. More on that with 'Soundings' when I announce it properly.
I'm also listening to a series of James Bond audiobooks, with my current one being No Deals, Mr. Bond by John Gardner. Yes, they're somewhat formulaic, but sometimes that's what you need when you're out and about, walking or driving.
Talking of listening, after lapping up Bonobo's new album Distance in the Static, I was delighted to see Beck's new album Ride Lonesome was released just over a week ago. Very much giving off Sea Change vibes – which is good, because that's one of my favourite albums. I'm also excited that my daughter and I are going to see Bonobo in Newcastle in February 2027.
Other updates
It's getting properly autumnal now we're past the equinox. I wear shorts by default between April and September, so I've only a few more days left of that. I decided last week to come off the medication that was prescribed to me early this year. Both were precautionary and prescribed before I had a diagnosis of Overtraining Syndrome. My mental and physical health is much better now, although I still need to take it easy and can't really run yet. So I'm just doing weights at the gym, as well as occasionally using the elliptical trainer and rowing machine. Long walks are the thing at the moment.
On the home front, Hannah is currently deciding what to do about our proposed kitchen plans, which involve knocking down an internal wall. I'm encouraging her to go bold with the colour scheme, and, based on the colours in the Sagrada Familia I think our west-facing kitchen would look amazing in 'Earth Red'. The chances are we'll end up with some shade of 'beige', though...
My son, Ben, is starting the first year of a Geography degree at Northumbria University after switching from doing Sport there last year. He's only a week in but seems to be enjoying it much more, and is living at home this year while still working part-time as a lifeguard.
My daughter, Grace, is now in Year 11 which means she sits her GCSEs next year. She's very conscientious and on top of her coursework – and has even picked out her prom dress for the end of the year! This season she's playing for Gateshead in the Junior Premier League and has been selected again for the Northumberland County team.
Other than that, I've very much been enjoying using carrot the voice-first home screen I built over the weekend for my [Rabbit r1](https://rabbit.tech which I explained in this post. It's already making my life a lot easier, and I love that my data isn't going any further than Europe!
Where to find me
- Social networks: Mastodon / Bluesky / LinkedIn
- Work: Dynamic Skillset / FIELD STATION
- Bookmarks: Are.na
Also, feel free to get in touch and/or book time to chat!
Next TechFreedom cohort begins 21st October! Find out more at techfreedom.eu