In my dark past as an account handler, being a bit shy didn’t make life easy. Agencies, and client teams for that matter, are full of people with lots to say, and the confidence to say them. Getting a word in was difficult, but it showed that a few well chosen words can work far…

Since the only formal training I have as planner is a few APG courses, it’s no wonder I’m a fan of learning by doing. But is this always a good thing? I saw this big bloke the gymn the other day, trying to do sit ups completely the wrong way (and don’t get me started…

I remember reading about Jonny Hornby’s secret of success – "Surround yourself with people cleverer than you" –  whichis why I try and work with JamesB as often as possible.  We met for coffee yesterday, officially for a debrief on some research but also to pick his brains. He’s let me borrow Emergence, by Steven…

I made a tragic mistake on Friday. The motorway wasn’t moving at all, so I took one of those ‘short cuts’ only to find the traffic even worse – making it even longer to get home than it would if I’d stuck with the original route. Funny how we’ll take the most convoluted routes just…

No posting today. Not only is being a one man department taking it’s toll today, I’m sulking about the sausage fit-up. See you tomorrow.

46 million Americans do not have health insurance. Let’s hope for their sake they didn’t vote for US bacon…..

Seeing proper bacon lose to sausage was bad enough. Seeing sausage then lose to dreadful, streaky US bacon is just a little bit too much to bear. We fought a great battle, but somehow it wasn’t enough. Mortimer suspects some foul play, is Jeb Bush the adjuticator by any chance? I’ve thought hard about what…

I don’t  really but I bet a got your attention. I hate it. If you really know what problem you’re solving and you’re not kidding yourselves with the creative solution (it’s made for the audience not you) it all seems a bit pointless. BUT – it can be used to your advantage.While lots of good…

Back when I was a politics student, Francis Fukuyama’s ‘The end of history and the last man’ was required reading. I remember being impressed with his argument that the idealogical evolution of human beings was over, and western liberal democracy could well be here to stay. The joy of innocence. Back then the cold war…

Oh great, it’s Valentines. While I agree with Rob that I don’t need a day to help to show (or tell me to show) that I think Mrs NP is special, there’s another reason I don’t like this day. Valentines is fine and dandy is you have someone, or a perfect excuse to pop the…