German trains do not run on time and the Berlin Wall never went away

This time last Friday I was having a beer breakfast in Berlin awaiting a taxi to take me two hours south to the iconic MLOVE conference near Leipzig… I had just arrived from Warsaw where I’d seen Italy beat Germany 2-1 at the Euros.

Suffice to say the taxi finally arrived and we drove along the spine of Germany to arrive at a castle for the final afternoon of the conference. As the car wended along what used to be the West/East German border my mind drifted back to my previous visit to Berlin almost 30 years ago. Continue reading

The Economist recognises Somaliland as a 'flawed democracy'

Somaliland is democratic, has a free press and is unrecognised by the rest of the world. It is time this ‘country’ was given support that would rid us of the turbulent Somali piracy problem… and much, much more.

This map of the continent from The Economist and its Intelligence Unit is one of the first times Somaliland has appeared on a map. About time too… fantastic people, fantastic place.

The Economist recognises Somaliland as a ‘flawed democracy’

Somaliland is democratic, has a free press and is unrecognised by the rest of the world. It is time this ‘country’ was given support that would rid us of the turbulent Somali piracy problem… and much, much more.

This map of the continent from The Economist and its Intelligence Unit is one of the first times Somaliland has appeared on a map. About time too… fantastic people, fantastic place.

Ireland's crash is bad news, but digital will save its sorry arse

Like most dark-haired* people with blue eyes, I love Ireland and the romantic bones it rattles in my soul, so this week’s invitation to do a keynote at the annual Dublin Digital Summit was accepted eagerly.

The keynote went down well, people were interesting, funny and always up for a drink… and there was great stuff shared by delegates and presenters. However it was the peripheral conversations that defined my trip because Ireland is royally screwed. Continue reading