Top Tips

Advice, sometimes frivolous

£18 billion scandal as Whitehall’s IT plans spin out of control – Times Online

by Steve Baker 2 February 2009 in Technology, Politics, Top Tips Comments are Disabled

It is time government discovered agile software development: Some of Whitehall’s biggest computer projects have spiralled out of control, with total cost overruns of more than £18 billion, an investigation by The Times can reveal. Plans for new computer systems are years behind schedule and have ballooned in cost; others […]

Advanced driver coaching: relax, focus, flow

by Steve Baker 19 January 2009 in Top Tips, Fun Comments are Disabled

During a good session coaching advanced driving this Saturday, I was reminded how useful driving can be in developing a different approach to doing anything well. We concentrated on personal state management, which ties in with Don Palmers’ Driving Handbook: At the core level you manage your personal state – […]

First Windows 7 beta puts fresh face on Vista – The Register

by Steve Baker 8 January 2009 in Technology, Top Tips Comments are Disabled

Everyone expects release later this year. A leaked briefing paper for OEM vendors suggests that the date when buyers of Windows Vista machines qualify for a free upgrade begins “for planning purposes” on July 1, 2009. via First Windows 7 beta puts fresh face on Vista • The Register. Hold […]

Enable innovation; don’t ask for it.

by Steve Baker 6 January 2009 in Politics, Top Tips, Business Comments are Disabled

(From my professional site) Everyone wants their staff to innovate, but how to get them to do it? It’s a popular word: it means “to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas or products”. That has consequences. Be a transformational leader Obvious? But most organisations force […]

Outpost: Basecamp project management on the iPhone

by Steve Baker 6 January 2009 in Technology, Top Tips, Business Comments are Disabled

Basecamp is an excellent online project management tool for anyone with a browser: WHY BASECAMP? Basecamp takes a fresh, novel approach to project collaboration. Projects don’t fail from a lack of charts, graphs, stats, or reports, they fail from a lack of clear communication. Basecamp solves this problem by providing […]

New Amazon Bookstore

by Steve Baker 30 December 2008 in Politics, Top Tips Comments are Disabled

Available here.

A free 20% improvement in fuel economy

by Steve Baker 19 November 2008 in Top Tips Comments are Disabled

I am pleased to report a sustained 20% improvement in average fuel economy for my Saab through the simple expedient of returning to driving for economy at the expense of lively throttle response. The speed limits are still reached briskly enough and of course, they are limits: my journey times […]

How I learned to love double glazing

by Steve Baker 19 October 2008 in Top Tips 1 comment

The Casa Rural Hospedería El Convento is charming and the staff friendly, but I thought roosters were supposed to crow at dawn, not constantly from 3 am. The blasted thing sounds quite hoarse now and I am happy to announce that I am ready to put it out of its […]