At this point, and if anybody has been reading the last few posts, I will say something about my history. In order to answer one question which is 'from what standpoint does this person speak to me?, should I listen?' This is my biography in less than 1000 words.
By some fluke or other I seem to have done a few things, and along the way made every cock-up in the book. With the difference that in most cases I managed to avoid facing the consequences. My major skill is in avoiding the consequences. The biggest consequence I have faced is the loss of one eye, but I must explain that elsewhere.
After an apprenticeship with British Leyland, a degree in engineering and a postgrad at the Royal College of Art in industrial design, I built a business to 30 people and £4m a year turnover. Then went spectacularly broke on the first day of the 2008 crash. I teetered on the edge of alcoholism, made a fool of myself on innumerable occasions, put myself through mental torment by speaking at endless conferences including at the QE2 hall alongside Lord D'Arzi, where the words 'shitting yourself' came true. I have been to court for the theft and got off scot free, ridden motorcycles at high speed all over Europe, stuck my fingers into electric plugs whilst up a 20 foot ladder, suffered from severe clinical depression and brought up three lovely intelligent fantastically well balanced children. The latter is my masterpiece.
My favourite saying is something I wrote myself. 'It was horrible at the time, I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, and I wouldn't change it for the world'. I have a chip on both shoulders and one on my elbow caused by falling off 650 BSA in Greece drunk. I gave up alcohol and I can tell you why. I started smoking dope and I can tell you why. I once had a shelf of products in Boots I had designed, the Clearblue pregnancy test and Persona contraceptive system still being on the market. My overriding passion is to use design as a means to reduce the cost of healthcare to the point where the NHS continues to remain viable for the next 60 years, sufficent until the rest of the world looks upon the UK with agog fascination.
I have the most amazing workshop with equipment ranging from an anvil to a state-of-the-art 3-D printer and everything in between. I live on a gorgeous three quarters of an acre in Surrey, as I sit here I can look over the Surrey Hills in a bungalow I am modernising, in a studio I built with my own hands, from bits I bought on eBay, following a move from a lovely house on the river in Hampton Court, necessitated by the demise of my business, which at the time felt like a death thrust. I have dined on Trinity College top table, sat on Cabinet Office commitees (boring) and made a fool of myself on every occasion. I've been to Buck House (very impressive), conducted business all around the world, and travelled enough to make me hate it.
I love music and listen weekly to each new release from the Qobuz catalogue weekly. Through my trendy son, who lives in a penthouse on the corner of Brick Lane (he is a student at present you see?!), I try to keep an eye on what he is listening to. As I said earlier I smoke dope for the simple reason it helps me, in part because it is a form of serotonin replacement. If I say I wrote most recent posts whilst intoxicated I think I've come to appreciate how best to use it. I have been paid to study drug abuse and think smoking dope should be illegal, until you are over 50. Over the last 30 years I have learned to navigate my way about every flavour of opertaing system from Linux through IRIX to Windows 10, OSx, IOS and Android, from necessity. I am a technolgy nerd and hate technology. I use a complicated Computer Aided Design package called ProEngineer - Creo3 to close to its limit. I convince myself to sample new technology and try to break it, and then mend it, both prove useful. Never lend me technology!
I have a 1942 Harley WLA mid restoration, a 1948 Ferguson T20 tractor with working digger and a collection of interesting clocks and watches. I collect interesting technologies. I am a skill junkie, I can weld, panel beat, spray and make models to a professional standard. I have tried most sports except running and jumpin and was selected for the county at tennis and my mother died, so that went tits up. I am a sculptor in reductive methods eg carving and additive methods like clay. I am currently designing several products aimed at revolutionising healthcare, if you ever hear of MonitorMe, Sanandco or BOD in the future, thats me.
I have faith, I'm not sure what in, it may not be in a God anyone recognises other than me but I'm fine with that. I have too much time on my hands so I turned to writing.
In the future I plan to add posts about other ecapades and persona rants from motorcyles, CNC machining,model aeroplanes to political views and morality in a modern world. A lot is very old and before I learned how to get thoughts down on paper (and how weed helps). Much stuff is un-edited butthat takes twice as long as writing this way, which is pure steam of conciousness.
I will even do requests, i.e. post on specific, please ask. Please respond if you wish. I will post pictures and video. there may be long gaps, I am shortly off the Greek island of Patmos (next to island where the the refugees came ashore) to see what the view is there. I am a Europhile and now in a minority.
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