The start of a new academic year reminds me of my own time at school and, more specifically, which learnings have stayed with me.

Watching the Paris Olympics, it was hard not to notice the athletes’ sponsors. Product colours have become more prominent, advert locations are more diverse, and placements are more orchestrated.

But perhaps most remarkable is you can now identify a brand simply from its logo or slogan, thanks to familiarity with the company or organisation...

Last week’s general election made me think about what was scrutinised more closely in the run-up to the vote: the parties’ policies or the opinion polls?

The UK general election takes place in two weeks. For many, mention of this political event might provoke a heavy sigh, but for anyone fascinated by numbers, the nationwide ballot is heaven-sent.

Today’s artificial intelligence (AI) services are remarkable things. They can write. They can draw. They can even speak. And thanks to their training on large volumes of data, they can produce answers to a wide variety of questions.

Last month’s blog about Birmingham City Council’s financial woes inspired me to delve deeper into the issue of IT in local government – and, in fact, IT solutions more widely.

I won’t stray into political discussions about funding for local government in England. But one of the most striking aspects of Birmingham City Council’s recent financial problems was a (very) large cost overrun associated with an IT project.

Last month’s blog about reimagining IT systems started out with a slightly different introduction from the version eventually published.

But even though I could see the need for the change, I was still slightly disappointed at having to let go of my initial inspiration. When I said this, my colleague mentioned this was an example of the old writer’s adage: ‘kill your darlings’...

When I see how organisations approach their IT system implementations, I often think, “There has to be a better way."

The approaching winter solstice has got me thinking about the different traditions and festivals that have light and reflection as central themes. There’s Christmas of course, and also Diwali and Hanukkah, to name just a few. And as well as the many words associated with each event, there are numerous pictures, symbols and icons, too...