The Blog...

The Random AF sessions, as in Random As Fong.

One challenge I set myself was to play a vinyl set and for people to see the glory of all my awkwardness. Confidence building but actually it's a lot more.

I used to love playing my CDs but then it fizzled out. Partly the pandemic and partly because I need to redecorate the living room with units that can take all the music. So much in boxes now and more vinyl has arrived.

I bought a mixer and another turnable. These are home turntables, belt driven and one even has it so you have to lift the platter up to change. Doesn't matter, I got the old vinyl out and started playing between them and love the process of continual play, but also the small bit of stress trying to dig out what next to play, what mood am I in, who else is in the front room, and get it all lined up before the playing track ends.

I also love a bit of word play, or to have a connection between one track and the next, no matter how tenuous it is, or if it is an in-joke with myself.

So, this is the third attempt once I sorted out an RCA to USB audio convertor to record onto my laptop with OBS.

2023 has been such a blur from a business perspective, so much so that it took a 6 hour hostage situation with my business partner, chained to a lot of cheese, which was the deal breaker as usually you can't get 15 minutes with him, to come out with any sense.

Calling it growing pains is to soften the real impact it has had on people. However, it is the biggest opportunity that we have been faced with over the past 20+ years.

In building this Collaboration Nerve Centre over at the Dorset Innovation Park, it will mark, or hopefully mark our final milestone on our business journey in seeing it through to fruition and sustainability.

2023 has been the bulk of the preparation and 2024 should see the initial electrical impulses to bring it to life. I do live near Mary Shelley's theatre hence why that analogy has dropped.

All those things that I have been talking about for a while, if you ever follow my LinkedIn profile or Twitter posts, the job creation, the local community angle, taking Digital to new opportunities, businesses and entrepreneurs pivoting or seizing new sectors, and how for us as a business we have travelled the Digital -> Data -> Defence path. The D3 of D3IP (D3 Innovation Park).

I thing I need to do a lot more in 2024 is reading. Am so good at buying the book but not so good at opening them up, There is a Japanese word for that - Tsundoku.

Thank you to BBC South Today for featuring my blood pressure monitor campaign on TV.

Blood Pressure Reading

This is an Excel spreadsheet to help you track and see an average of your blood pressure readings. If you get a high reading at the GP surgery, they will normally ask you go away and take a set of readings at home. Sometimes they give you a piece of paper for you to manually write in your readings and then work out the average. The spreadsheet is to make it easier to show your average readings.

Download Blood Pressure Tracker (.xlsx)

I was interviewed for BBC South TV new programme about my campaign to raise awareness on high blood pressure, especially for business owners and to encourage them to buy one for themselves and to give one or two away to their fellow peers.

All to often we worry about the business, the staff and then end up forgetting to check on ourselves. This campaign was to raise awareness on how the so-called silent killer can creep up on us and increase our risk of stroke, heart attacks and heart disease. High blood pressure or hypertension can be easily treated with medication and lifestyle changes.

Something that costs around £20 can show us clearly that we need to see the GP.

I am hearing too many stories of friends and their friends having strokes now.