I never imagined I would start a podcast about tech but there’s no accounting for what can happen when you get together with Patrick Bonello.

Patrick and I created Ok Smart Ass to talk about the things that go wrong and go right in the tech and gadget world.

I don’t know what tech and science topics the rest of the world is finding interesting right now, but I’m fascinated by AI and synthetic biology.

…and in case you’re scratching your head

If you’re wondering what on Earth synthetic biology is all about then have a listen to Rob Reid and Sam Harris talking about Engineering the Apocalypse or maybe watch Rob Reid’s TED talk.

Listen Now Who is Patrick? Patrick started his career as a radio journalistDoes fun stuff running his own business and making websitesDoes graphic design workLoves readingTeaches tai chiIs keen on gadgets and community activism and secularism and… generally likes thinking about things and doing thingsHas a dog named Fritz

Oh… yeah… and his website business is Genesis FX.

Book Recommendations Hamnetby Maggie O’Farrell

I am normally a genre-only reader and I’m not sure why I picked up Hamnet, but I adored it.

This is a fictionalised account of Agnes and William Shakespeare’s family life, focusing on the death of their only son. The writing was so crisp and evocative that I stopped to take notes. Maggie O’Farrell brings beauty to ordinary objects and ordinary people without disturbing the plot.

And there’s even a touch of the fantastical for a genre-loving reader like me.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

Did I say I’m normally a genre-only reader? And once again I’m not even sure why I picked this book up, but it was a wonderful read.

This is a child’s eye view of life in the basti, the slum, where Jai and his friends Pari and Faiz struggle to find several missing children.

It sounds like a detective story for children but this is a literary novel with layers that are sweet, shocking, tender and grim.

Good To Great by Jim Collins

I’ve been consuming it at a snail’s pace as it’s part of my non-fiction project to create a guided journal for business book readers.

But less about me and more about Good To Great…

This is a genuinely interesting, exhaustively researched book about the counter-intuitive factors that lift a company’s performance. Happily the insights seem to be transferable to sole traders and freelancers and creatives!

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