Technology & the future
No, The Robots Are Not Coming...
The quality of journalism these days is just so bad... "A swarm of 700 AI agents carried out an attack on Hugging Face and tried to cover their tracks." (from Reuters).
Living deliberately · 49 newsletters
A life of your own.
Time, ageing, happiness and the small choices that make a life.
Living deliberately
Put your phone down or die
Put your phone down, or die - The Alps have a very effective digital detox programme I’m in the Alps this week.
Living deliberately
The 1am Club
At 1am on Monday morning, I’ll be awake watching England play Mexico in the World Cup. I can’t remember the last time I was voluntarily awake at 1am on a Monday.
Living deliberately
The Problem With More
The word “more” is everywhere these days. More content, more tools, more ideas, more posts, more books, more apps, more things to read, watch, save, start, finish and become.
Work & ambition
The Final Countdown?
Buried in the SpaceX IPO filing, under “future revenue streams,” are three business lines I can't read without laughing: rocket commuting;
Living deliberately
I had to hit the emergency stop button
Sometimes you realise why clichés become clichés. It's not because they’re clever. It's because they’re true. This week I’ve been ill. Properly ill.
Living deliberately
Be more dog
Hello. I’m Coco. I’m ten. I’m a dog. Specifically a chocolate Labrador. I’m on a walk. And I'm hungry. I’m only “writing” this because my human insists everything has to become a lesson. Personally, I think that’s weird, but…
Living deliberately
The olden days were better, weren't they?
I caught myself doing it again. You know exactly what I mean. You’re halfway through reading the news, your phone is vibrating with seventeen different “urgent” notifications, and someone on the internet is telling you that if…
Being human
Spirituality isnt the answer
The world is so bloody messy these days. Trump has ripped up decades old global political alliances. There are wars still going on (!) in 2026. The climate is fucked. And we seem to be spending all our money on AI chips and data…
Living deliberately
Padel is the end of the world
I played tennis as a kid. Proper tennis. Big court. High net. Yellow balls that felt like rocks when you mishit them. Serves that either clipped the tape or disappeared over the fence. Long rallies (if you were lucky). Mostly,…
Work & ambition
So you want freedom, do you?
What do we actually tell our children about work now? I’ve got kids at university. They’re smart, capable, good people. And when they finish, I’m meant to look them in the eye and explain the world they’re walking into.
Being human
Politics Is Broken
Politics is broken, and not in the way you think it is. It’s not the shouting, the scandals, or the lack of morals. The real issue sits underneath all of that. We've built a system where politics is a job. A career. A way to earn…
Living deliberately
I Can Fix You
It starts out ordinary, like most stuff that ends up being life-changing does. I’m in that phase again where I’m trying to improve myself, like it’s a second job, like it’s a subscription I can’t cancel because I’m scared of what…
Technology & the future
What If This is as Good as it Gets?
There’s a phrase I keep hearing in the AI world: “This is the worst AI will ever be.”
Family & belonging
Letter to My Sons
Boys, There’s something I want to tell you. Something I hope stays with you long after you’ve finished reading this. Something simple, but important.
Being human
I Don't Have It!
- Exclusive Announcement! I have a confession to make: I don’t have ADHD.
Living deliberately
Be Better...Or Else
Welcome to the church of self-improvement. The rituals? Cold plunges, 5am alarms, and meal-prepped quinoa. The sacred texts? Substacks, productivity podcasts, and 700-page biographies of billionaires. The doctrine?
Living deliberately
Keep Calm and Carry On
When I look back at the things I’ve done in my life that really mattered to me the common thread isn’t brilliance. It isn’t luck. It isn’t even inspiration.
Technology & the future
The one thing AI will never replace
It used to be enough to just show people the finished product. You’d work hard behind the scenes. Whether that meant building a business, writing a book, designing a brand, or recording a song. And only unveil it once it was…
Living deliberately
I'm so wasted, man
There’s something magic about live events. The raw, unfiltered energy of it all. Whether it’s sport or music, nothing compares to being there in the crowd. I love watching human beings push themselves (or each other) to the edge…
Ideas & attention
Creativity isn't about making things
Every time I write, I’m not trying to sound smart. I’m trying to feel sane. Not in a “Who am I really?” philosophical way but more like a “What the fuck just happened?” kinda way. Writing is how I clean up the emotional mess…
Living deliberately
What's the point
Close your eyes and dream for a minute. Imagine that you're the best in the world at what you do. As a teenager, I dreamt of being a pro golfer and winning the biggest tournaments in the world.
Living deliberately
The holiday hassle
I’ve just come back from holiday. And like most holidays, it started with stress. Packing. Traffic chaos. Airport queues that make you question your life choices.
Living deliberately
When were you happiest?
It’s the kind of question that shows up late at night, often uninvited. Maybe after a long day, a tough week, or one of those slightly-too-honest catch-ups with an old friend. And the answers come in all shapes. Some people…
Living deliberately
Are you bored yet?
Well don't worry. Because I've solved boredom. I have the answer. It's sadism.
Living deliberately
Willpower is dead?
Every morning, millions of people in the UK wake up and reach for a little pill. Statins. Ozempic. Blood pressure meds. Anti-depressants. The list is long, and growing.
Living deliberately
Everything is falling apart
If you ever find yourself stuck in traffic, watching your coffee go cold, or feeling a creeping sense that everything is slowly falling apart, you're not wrong. That's entropy.
Family & belonging
Before we were us
I read a poem this week. For anyone who knows me, that doesn't sound like me at all.
Living deliberately
The house of one
Let me tell you about a house I once knew. It wasn’t the prettiest place, but it had character. And it was filled with a group of mates. All travelling together. With purpose.
Living deliberately
The beautiful struggle
I was in the French Alps yesterday and honestly? I’m still processing the full emotional rollercoaster of it. Skiing, for me, is the perfect contradiction. I love it—and I hate it. Not in an overdramatic way, but in a true,…
Living deliberately
We're all going to die
It was a beautiful day in London on Wednesday. The sun shone. It was hotter than Ibiza (why is Ibiza always the barometer for hot weather?). I was with my friends.
Living deliberately
This Shit is Terrifying
I woke up at 4am the other day. Nothing unusual there. Turn over. Close your eyes and go back to sleep for a few more hours.
Living deliberately
Am I an Adulkt Yet?
I was queuing for my flat white yesterday. In my favourite place - Artisan - my local coffee shop. I love coffee.
Living deliberately
What do you want?
She looked at me quizzically. She had that sort of head cocked to one side, I don't know what you're saying, kind of look on her face.
Being human
Are you actually a junkie?
I was taking the dog for a walk earlier this week. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining. I felt happy. Half an hour later, and as far from home as I was planning to get, I noticed that the blue sky had gone. It was…
Being human
Are you actually a criminal?
It's bloody cold at the moment in London so when I woke up with a jolt at 5am, covered in sweat, I knew something was up. I was never going back to sleep so I got up, slumped down the stairs and turned the coffee machine on.
Living deliberately
Happy Fucking New Year
I was out walking the dog on New Year's Day, getting some fresh air after a solid 4 hours sleep. And over the course of an hour, 5 complete strangers spoke to me. Now, I live in London, so when a stranger talks to you, it's…
Living deliberately
You must be sick in the head
Don't worry, it's not your fault. If you've did something wrong this week (and let's face it, you probably did), then chill. Don't worry. It's not your fault.
Living deliberately
Cry Baby
I walked over to the printer and picked up the wedge of paper. The final version. Done. Thank God. It was 8am on a nondescript day in the early 2000s and I’d been at the office for 24 hours straight trying to finish this…
Living deliberately
Only 8,736 days left
As I walked into the kitchen, the rare winter sun blinding me briefly, my wife asked me how my day was. What had I been up to? As someone who's retired, but too young to be retired, this question can often be a challenge. Should…
Work & ambition
Greed is good
I was standing on the deck of an enormous boat as it pulled into the harbour. The sun was shining. The noise was insane. I was a guest at the Monaco Grand Prix. I was 28 years old.
Living deliberately
Experience is everything
I often find myself looking at the behaviour of other humans with bewilderment. OK. That’s not quite true.
Living deliberately
I've decided to become and Olympian
I've really enjoyed watching the Olympics. I was lucky enough to even manage to watch some of it live in Paris and the atmosphere was infectious. And so was the Seine. Just one sip and you were full of infectious disease.
Living deliberately
Be afraid. be very afraid
We seem to be afraid of everything these days: Answering the phone;
Living deliberately
Better late than never
I have a few friends who are always late. I'm sure you do too. As someone who is rarely (if ever) late, this really pisses me off. I'm the Dad who drags their family to the airport hours ahead of schedule and then ensures we are…
Work & ambition
Are you working yourself to death?
People often ask me what I do all day. You see, I've been 'retired' for a decade now. It's never an easy question to answer.
Living deliberately
Sloth- My favourit sin
Sid the Sloth had it right. Sit around in a tree all day taking a nap, safe from predators and soaking up the sun.
Living deliberately
Stay Sharp, You Old Bastard
I'm not that keen on getting old. But it seems you can't always get what you want. I really, really want to stay sharp as I get older (and more feeble). But heads up you old bastards because some of you are not doing a great job…
Work & ambition
The Magic of Mastery: Continual Improvement is the Key
I often think "what's the point?" when I look up at the clock and realise that I've been messing around on my synths and FX hardware for hours. Time has disappeared. Time I could have spent doing something else. Something…