Author: philipjohn

  • Meet Seb

    Meet Seb

    This is Seb. He is my puppy! Like any good dog, he’s jerking around on Instagram.

  • WordCamp US 2017: 5 Steps to Better WordPress Performance for Non-Developers

    WordCamp US 2017: 5 Steps to Better WordPress Performance for Non-Developers

    Below is my presentation from this year’s WordCamp US in Nashville, TN. In the spirit of democratising publishing I wanted to help non-developers and individuals/small business owners to have better performing websites with minimal effort. Here’s the recorded talk: And the slides:

  • Autumn

    Autumn

    I’ve been wanting to get back out on my mountain bike for months. As much as pulling the kids along is great fun(!), there’s nothing quite like shooting through the trees, twists and turns of a good single track. So I made a last-minute decision to go for a ride today, and what a lovely…

  • New Star Trek series confirms there is no God in the Trek universe

    After the nonsense of the “wormhole Gods” in DS9 I’m glad to read that there is no God in the new Star Trek series. It’s no surprise that Star Trek TNG was a God-free zone, given creator Gene Roddenberry was an ardent atheist. Some of his thoughts on religion were worthy of so-called “New Atheists”:…

  • Fight Dementia

    On Saturday I’ll be going for a walk, and I need your help. With me will be – at least – sixteen members of my family, all doing the Alzheimer’s memory walk in remembrance of my Dad. Amazingly we’ve already beaten our target of raising £500 for the Alzheimer’s Society. The charity helps people with…

  • Review: Rennie Mackintosh Hotel, Glasgow

    The good: Staff were friendly, the bed was comfortable and my room was reasonably well lit. All the usual refreshments were in the room, too. The not-so-good; The floors throughout were wonky and creaky, coupled with a low ceiling made it feel a bit like a fairground crazy house. There is no lift, and access to…

  • My Travel To-Do List

    Having never been much of a traveller, getting a job that means at least two trips per year has led to a big change in my attitude about travelling. In fact, the day I joined the company I was in Lisbon meeting my new team mates! Since then I’ve been to Park City, New Orleans,…

  • I voted.

    There not being a Something New candidate for Lichfield (maybe next time) I voted for; Proper funding of the NHS, An end to pay freezes for nurses and doctors and other public sector staff who make our country function, The school that my son will attend in September to have more money, not fewer teachers,…

  • Thoughts on “equal” taxation, LTV, deficits and stable economies

    Today I replied to a friend on Facebook who takes issue with Labour’s proposals to increase income tax, and he mentioned a few points which I wanted to take the time to respond to with more independent voices on those topics. I thought it worth sharing: I won’t try to change your mind, only plead with you to…