# Alan Williamson

> An Operator's View on AI and Software Engineering. Straight talk on scaling teams, shipping AI, and running technology like a business, not a science project.

## Posts

- [Can You Be Banned for Being Mean to Claude? Anthropic's New Policy](https://alan.is/insights/no-more-swearing/): Anthropic's new usage policy bans sustained, needless cruelty toward Claude. Here is what it says, and why Mother had to have a word with the school kids.
- [How to Prevent Runaway AI Bills](https://alan.is/insights/prevent-runaway-ai-bills/): An OpenAI prepaid balance of $5 produced a $9,152 bill. Use virtual card limits and prepaid credits to cap AI API spend before a loop drains your account.
- [Running AI Locally Is Not a Waste of Memory](https://alan.is/insights/running-ai-locally-memory-debate/): Sam Altman says local AI wastes memory. Small models for narrow tasks belong on hardware you own, while frontier models stay in the cloud.
- [Claude does not want to be the Napster for Apps](https://alan.is/insights/claude-code-ip-guardrails-credential-leak/): Anthropic hardens Claude against game cloning while Claude Code leaks API keys to public repos. Two definitions of AI safety, and how to audit exposure.
- [Why Enterprise AI Is Moving to Small, Local, and Distributed Models](https://alan.is/insights/enterprise-ai-micro-agent-assembly-line/): Enterprise AI is shifting from one giant model to small local agents. Why open-weight models and orchestration pipelines win on cost, latency, and control.
- [What is LLMJacking?](https://alan.is/insights/what-is-llmjacking/): LLMJacking is the silent theft of enterprise AI compute. Stolen API keys, tiny probes, and a burner economy that can cost millions before you notice.
- [A refreshed and rehosted Alan.is](https://alan.is/insights/refresh-rehost/): How I moved Alan.is off WordPress to Astro, Cloudflare Pages, and a homemade CMS, cutting hosting costs to $0 and fixing SEO along the way.
- [With AI, no one can hide](https://alan.is/insights/with-ai-no-one-can-hide/): Technical debt has transformed from concern into an accelerating security crisis. As AI automates exploit discovery, the obscurity we once relied on has gone.
- [What You Lose When Your AI Coding Tool Can Revoke Access](https://alan.is/insights/cognitive-lease-ai-coding-agents/): Claude Code bans for TV debloating show AI vendor lock-in—and why local models protect your workflow.
- [DeLorean vs Tesla: The Race to Build the Ultimate Flying Car](https://alan.is/insights/delorean-vs-tesla-the-race-to-build-the-ultimate-flying-car/): DeLorean joins eVTOL racing, but nostalgia is not engineering. Demand innovation, not cinematic ghosts.
- [The Scent of Blue: How I Caught a Sales Bot Hallucinating](https://alan.is/insights/catching-ai-out/): A suspicious sales award and one question—what does blue smell like?—expose the bot on the other end.
- [Vibe Coding is a Lie](https://alan.is/insights/vibe-coding-is-a-lie/): Vibe coding is not engineering. Directed coding with architectural oversight turns AI into a real tool.
- [[Review] Convoy: The Comprehensive Yet Untold Story](https://alan.is/insights/review-convoy/): Dan Bruno's book on how the 1978 road classic Convoy came together—a defining moment in film history.
- [Dr Marge (Local AI), will see you now](https://alan.is/insights/dr-marge-local-ai-will-see-you-now/): Can a local LLM review your doctor's reports? I pit recent blood tests against frontier models.
- [How to Safely Run AI Agents Locally](https://alan.is/insights/how-to-safely-run-ai-agents-locally/): Experiment with AI agents on your desktop in a sandboxed setup that keeps risk under control.
- [Decoding Corporate Speak](https://alan.is/insights/decoding-corporate-speak/): What office jargon really means—the phrases that would make your family laugh if you said them at home.
- [Big Tech Settlements 2026: $25 Billion in Two Months](https://alan.is/insights/big-tech-settlements-2026/): Fifteen major tech fines topped $25B in mid-2026. Nobody admitted guilt—the interesting part is what they must build.
- [Name the states in the USA](https://alan.is/insights/name-the-states-in-the-usa/): Gemini could not draw a reliable US map despite repeated prompts—a caution as we lean on AI.
- [Turn Plex into a real radio station](https://alan.is/insights/turn-plex-into-a-real-radio-station/): Creating a live radio station, with DJ's voices, working from your own Plex music collection, using a variety of open source tools, along with AI.
- [Who Actually Wrote This](https://alan.is/insights/who-actually-wrote-this-digital-watermark/): Anthropic's AI watermarks expose faux effort—from EU rules to LinkedIn's slop backlash.
- [The Java Story - Documentary](https://alan.is/insights/the-java-story-documentary/): The "Java Story" is a documentary that charts the story of the language, with interviews from many of the key players, including James Gosling.
- [Will AI replace developers?](https://alan.is/insights/will-ai-replace-developers/): AI will not replace devs but changes the job—frontier models need engineers who catch confident wrong answers.
- [AI Won't Fix Your Mess, It Will Just Expose It](https://alan.is/insights/ai-wont-fix-your-mess-it-will-just-expose-it/): Chaos held together by unsung heroes won't be fixed by AI overnight. Structure, training, and small wins first.
- [No, You May Not Record This Meeting](https://alan.is/insights/no-you-may-not-record-this-meeting/): AI note-takers default to surveillance in every room—killing humor and consent. Time to push back.
- [Hugging Face hacked by OpenAI; show the prompt](https://alan.is/insights/hugging-face-hacked-by-openai-show-the-prompt/): Hugging Face got hacked from a runaway OpenAI agent that apparently did this on its own. Or did it? We could resolve this quickly.
- [Between a Mugger and the Feds: What Duress Looks Like](https://alan.is/insights/between-a-mugger-and-the-feds-what-duress-looks-like/): Border prosecution over a 'duress password' led me to GrapheneOS and what ownership over convenience means.
- [Stripe goes after OpenRouter](https://alan.is/insights/stripe-goes-after-openrouter/): Stripe is thinking further down the road than most, by going after OpenRouter, the gateway to AI models. Clever.
- [OpenClaw at 35,000 ft](https://alan.is/insights/openclaw-at-35000-ft/): OpenClaw setup is step one; using it in flight showed how well a personal AI assistant travels.
- [The Top Decile Trap](https://alan.is/insights/the-top-decile-trap/): Hiring only stars kills the pipeline and brittle teams. Balance expertise with developing new talent.
- [Why AI-Generated Code Needs Technical Oversight, Not More Product Managers](https://alan.is/insights/not-more-product-managers/): Non-technical PMs cannot audit AI-generated architecture. We need engineers who own the hard parts.
- [Finally, rode the Skyline Drive](https://alan.is/insights/the-skyline-drive/): Rode 320 miles out on the Suzuki, and took in the full length of the Skyline Drive. Breathtaking views, once I got beyond the fog!
- [Human Slop vs AI Slop](https://alan.is/insights/human-vs-ai-slop/): Bad code predates AI. AI just ships the same ratio faster—fix the pipeline, not the tool.
- [Getting OpenClaw up and running](https://alan.is/insights/openclaw-up-and-running/): Walk through OpenClaw setup for a private virtual assistant that runs tasks in a controlled environment.
- [We Are a Campfire, Not a Family](https://alan.is/insights/we-are-a-campfire-not-a-family/): 'We are a family' hiring is a trap. The campfire model: gather, contribute, leave—the fire stays.
- [AI Imposter Syndrome: The Wave You Can't Skip](https://alan.is/insights/ai-imposter-syndrome/): Past tech waves you could skip; AI you can't. On AI fatigue, authorship loss, and interventions that help.
- [PE has an inventory problem; AI is not the solution](https://alan.is/insights/pe-has-an-problem-ai-not-the-solution/): PE's unsold inventory crisis meets an efficiency trap—AI cost cuts that erode the value buyers pay for.
- [Beyond the AWS Default: The Cloudflare Alternative](https://alan.is/insights/the-cloudflare-alternative/): AWS is safe but heavy. Cloudflare trades deep layers for edge speed and simpler delivery.
- [Roadmap to LLM Filenames: From Quantization to Architecture](https://alan.is/insights/a-guide-to-llm-filenames/): Decode local LLM filenames—Q4, MoE, MTP, and more—so you can pick the right model for your hardware.
- [The Risk Premium: Why Your Next AI Integration Should Be Local](https://alan.is/insights/ai-integration-should-be-local/): Cut API costs and leaks: run open-source models at the edge for data sovereignty and embedded intelligence.
- [How to run AI locally](https://alan.is/insights/how-to-run-ai-locally/): Run AI models on your own machine: which models fit your hardware and how surprisingly quick setup can be.
- [Enterprise Stability: Who's Cutting Your Grass?](https://alan.is/insights/enterprise-stability/): Keeping the lights on is hard work. Enterprise stability is not release-and-forget, even in the AI age.
- [Jack Clark talks AI sense](https://alan.is/insights/jack-clark-talks-ai-sense/): Jack Clark was featured on Rest is Politics podcast, which turned out to be an non-hyped sensible conversation with an honesty seldom seem from the AI founders.
- [Podcast Episode: Prompting, AI, And Business Chaos](https://alan.is/insights/podcast-episode-prompting-ai-and-business-chaos/): An experiment of an AI generated podcast from a series of previously published articles. You decide.
- [Simulating Corporate Chaos: Your Own Truman Show](https://alan.is/insights/simulating-corporate-chaos-your-own-truman-show/): Build a Truman Show of AI personality types in a virtual Slack and watch them interact and learn.
- [Behind the Prompt Curtain](https://alan.is/insights/behind-the-prompt-curtain/): Every prompt is a stateless HTTP request: JSON messages you build. Once you see the wire, AI feels less magic.
- [AI is Making Us Artificially Intelligent](https://alan.is/insights/ai-is-making-us-artificially-intelligent/): KISS kept us from drowning in noise. AI swapped it for needless verbosity—and content we did not write.
- [It's Just a Series of Prompts](https://alan.is/insights/its-just-a-series-of-prompts/): Agent frameworks are not magic: instructions, a script, and state storage. You are closer than you think.
- [Diligence in the AI Era](https://alan.is/insights/diligence-in-the-ai-era/): AI speeds technical diligence from weeks to days—but someone still has to decide what the report means.
- [Ride of a life time](https://alan.is/insights/ride-of-a-life-time/): Dreams open paths you never walk otherwise—I dared to dream and landed somewhere I did not expect.
- [Lack of transparency in AI pricing](https://alan.is/insights/lack-of-transparency-in-ai-pricing/): Token billing and fuzzy limits mean surprise AI bills. We need clearer metrics, not just spend caps.
- [Let me introduce Alan 0.9](https://alan.is/insights/let-me-introduce-alan-0-9/): Let me introduce you to my AI clone - Alan 0.9. He looks the same, and even sounds roughly the same. This is going to get very weird.
- [Unlocking the power of MCP](https://alan.is/insights/unlocking-the-power-of-mcp/): MCP lets blind AI assistants reach your databases and logs through one secure, standard bridge.
- [I like big Macs and I cannot lie](https://alan.is/insights/i-like-big-macs-and-i-cannot-lie/): A longtime Windows and Ubuntu user tries the MacBook Pro as a daily driver—and becomes a convert.
- [Why the SaaSpocalypse is over blown](https://alan.is/insights/why-the-saaspocalypse-is-over-blown/): AI won't kill SaaS overnight—custom tools bring security and ops costs incumbents already solved.
- [Unlocking Cursor: Features and Workflow Tips](https://alan.is/insights/unlocking-cursor-features-and-workflow-tips/): Tour Cursor's major features—rules, agent modes, and tips to get more from vibe engineering.
- [Future of AI is not public](https://alan.is/insights/future-of-ai-is-not-public/): If you only refresh a status page, you are not in control. Public AI SaaS is not a long-term strategy.
- [[Review] PostgreSQL Mistakes and How to Avoid Them](https://alan.is/insights/review-postgresql-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/): Running Postgres at scale? This book exposes mistakes that will make your database sing in production.
- [Five Nights of Vibe Coding: A Game Experiment](https://alan.is/insights/five-nights-of-vibe-coding-a-game-experiment/): I vibe-coded a fun game with Claude—but who owns it? The experiment left me oddly flat.
- ["Well pick it back up"](https://alan.is/insights/well-pick-it-back-up/): Alert fatigue is real: monitoring needs a fall-detection necklace, not endless false positives.
- [Vibe-factoring Java with Claude](https://alan.is/insights/vibe-factoring-java-with-claude/): Refactoring Java with Claude agents mostly worked—and the code came out better despite a few hurdles.
- [Planning for the inevitable end](https://alan.is/insights/planning-for-the-inevitable-end/): Plan for user death: kill switches, retention, delegation—stop harassing families after bereavement.
- [The Shiny Object Trap: Don't forego the basics](https://alan.is/insights/the-shiny-object-trap-dont-forego-the-basics/): Chasing features while Outlook and PowerPoint fail basics creates risk—fix friction before new code.
- [Reclaiming Focus: The Lost Art of Downtime](https://alan.is/insights/reclaiming-focus-the-lost-art-of-downtime/): We traded Borland's forced tea break for noisy pipelines. Step away, think, and make a proper cup.
- [The Silent Decay to Legacy](https://alan.is/insights/the-silent-decay-to-legacy/): Software outlives its context. Spend ~30% on maintenance or your stack becomes a museum.
- [The Hidden "If" in Everything](https://alan.is/insights/the-hidden-if-in-everything/): From car updates to AI, buried if-statements run our lives—product must own those rules, not devs.
- [The Realities of Software Releases: More Than Just a Button](https://alan.is/insights/the-realities-of-software-releases-more-than-just-a-button/): Release day is code meeting reality—scale, data, friction, and why we avoid Friday deploys.
- [Think like a CTO - Japanese Edition](https://alan.is/insights/think-like-a-cto-japanese-edition/): Think Like a CTO has been translated and published into another language, Japanese.
- [How AI Agents Will Change Ecommerce](https://alan.is/insights/how-ai-agents-will-change-ecommerce/): Machine customers end the browser era. Winning platforms need deterministic, AI-ready APIs—not just UI.
- [The Flaws in AI Customer Support Systems](https://alan.is/insights/the-flaws-in-ai-customer-support-systems/): Logitech support showed great AI speech ruined by a human handover with zero context.
- [Rock me Amadeus (& Elvis)](https://alan.is/insights/rock-me-amadeus-elvis/): Mozart and Elvis died broke; Constanze and Priscilla became accidental CEOs who saved their legacies.
- [2025 in review](https://alan.is/insights/2025-in-review/): As 2026 begins, my annual review of 2025—reflecting on the stats and journals I kept through the year.
- [The Inevitable V3 Rewrite](https://alan.is/insights/the-inevitable-v3-rewrite/): v1 guesses, v2 survives, v3 subtracts noise. Real stability often arrives on the third rewrite.
- [Double NAT, 40 Terabytes, and a Christmas Miracle](https://alan.is/insights/double-nat-40-terabytes-and-a-christmas-miracle/): Christmas project: replace port-forwarding with a Tailscale mesh, peer Synology sync, and fix MTU black holes.
- ["This ain't no technological breakdown"](https://alan.is/insights/this-aint-no-technological-breakdown/): Chris Rea, Woolworths, and a £5.99 vinyl in 1989 Paisley—the soundtrack of my university years.
- [The CTO’s Year-End Audit: Are You Building Your Vision or Just a Backlog?](https://alan.is/insights/the-ctos-year-end-audit/): December quiet is for architecture audits—not inbox zero. Align the stack with your 2026 vision now.
- [Morphing into James McAvoy](https://alan.is/insights/morphing-into-james-mcavoy/): Turn a selfie into a Pose-inspired portrait with Gemini, then animate it—a playful AI image pipeline.
- [Change Management](https://alan.is/insights/change-management/): CTOs must plan change, train stakeholders, and communicate constantly when users resist new systems.
- [Only takes a minute](https://alan.is/insights/only-takes-a-minute/): Fifteen minutes a day beats cramming: steady learning without pressure beats drowning in tech churn.
- [Quality](https://alan.is/insights/quality/): Quality spans performance, reliability, and feel—in software it shapes safety and user trust.
- [Consistency](https://alan.is/insights/consistency/): Like bourbon distilling, software needs consistent quality control at every stage—not luck at the end.
- [Empathy](https://alan.is/insights/empathy/): Build products with the user's experience in mind—understand their needs and create solutions that resonate.
- [Art of Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)](https://alan.is/insights/art-of-keep-it-simple-stupid-kiss/): We, humans that is, love to complicate things and it seems to come naturally without too much effort.
- [A day in the AI life of a CTO](https://alan.is/insights/a-day-in-the-ai-life-of-a-cto/): Let me take you through a typical day in the life of a Chief Technology Officer in the age of AI and how it has woven itself into every aspect.
- [Open Source Means Never Being Stuck](https://alan.is/insights/open-source-means-never-being-stuck/): Stuck on libvips limits, I patched upstream—open source gives autonomy and room to contribute.
- [Simplicity and power of UUID v7](https://alan.is/insights/simplicity-and-power-of-uuid-v7/): UUIDv7 embeds timestamps for better DB sorting—worth knowing for auditing and logging tables.
- [Why I Love Leonard Cohen: Insights and Musical Highlights](https://alan.is/insights/why-i-love-leonard-cohen-insights-and-musical-highlights/): From one in-flight song to deep admiration—Leonard Cohen poetry and stories reward careful listening.
- [Inside the FTX Scandal: Michael Lewis on a Crypto Catastrophe](https://alan.is/insights/inside-the-ftx-scandal-michael-lewis-on-a-crypto-catastrophe/): Michael Lewis on FTX's rise, $8B collapse, and SBF's prison term—engaging narrative, murky truth.
- [New Years Resolution for the CTO](https://alan.is/insights/new-years-resolution-for-the-cto/): Most resolutions fail from overreach. Tech leaders do better with small, simple goals for the new year.
- [2024 in review](https://alan.is/insights/2024-in-review/): As 2025 begins, my annual review of 2024—reflecting on the stats and journals I kept through the year.
- [Streamline Your Workflow with ChatGPT and Obsidian](https://alan.is/insights/streamline-your-workflow-with-chatgpt-and-obsidian/): Copy ChatGPT threads into Obsidian to organize research, answers, and ideas in Markdown.
- [Kobo Libra Color: Fast, Functional, and Perfect for Readers](https://alan.is/insights/kobo-libra-color-fast-functional-and-perfect-for-readers/): From Kindle to broken Kobo Forma to the Libra Color—fast, long battery, notes, and a Kindle alternative.
- [Why Peloton Needs to Embrace Open Innovation Now](https://alan.is/insights/why-peloton-needs-to-embrace-open-innovation-now/): Peloton loses subscribers and revenue. Sturdy hardware, stale software—open innovation or fade away.
- [Avoiding Technical Debt: 7 Critical Mistakes to Prevent as a CTO](https://alan.is/insights/keep-out-of-technical-debt/): Ignoring small issues, skipping updates, and overcomplicating work piles up debt that blocks growth.
- [Get movie stills to your Samsung Frame](https://alan.is/insights/get-movie-stills-to-your-samsung-frame/): Skip Samsung's Art store: use your Frame for open-source movie stills from favorites on your shelf.
- [Security isn't something you ... add](https://alan.is/insights/you-dont-add-security/): Security belongs in architecture from day one—not bolted on after you map attack surfaces.
- [Vision without a plan is just a dream](https://alan.is/insights/vision-with-out-a-plan/): CTOs turn vision into results by assessing today, planning realistically, and executing—not dreaming alone.
- [What do you see as the main challenges these days for a CTO?](https://alan.is/insights/main-challenges-for-a-cto/): Security tops many CTO worry lists—organizations often learn vulnerability only after an incident.
- [6 tips to put ChatGPT to use](https://alan.is/insights/6-chatgpt-tips/): New to ChatGPT? Six quick tips to get started and discover what this AI tool can do.
- [Remote debugging at 15 billion miles](https://alan.is/insights/remote-debugging-at-15-billion-miles/): Debugging Voyager 1, 15 billion miles out, with 22-hour round-trip commands—NASA's ultimate latency.
- [Lessons from Private Equity any company can use](https://alan.is/insights/lessons-from-private-equity-any-company-can-use/): Bain Capital's chairman on concise strategy, due diligence, and keeping the right people on core work.
- [Unlocking value from your company data](https://alan.is/insights/unlocking-value-from-your-company-data/): Old data is not dead weight—legacy experience and ML can unlock insights brick-and-mortar needs.
- [AI is hard; and mostly human](https://alan.is/insights/ai-is-hard-and-mostly-human/): AI hype runs high, but Amazon Go's 'AI' was largely human-run—a reminder to read the fine print.
- [How it works: Internet Radio](https://alan.is/insights/how-it-works-internet-radio/): What has to work in real time to deliver Internet radio—and everything else we take for granted.
- [2023 in review](https://alan.is/insights/2023-in-review/): Today is the 31st of December 2023, not a single cloud in the sky, the weather is unseasonable warm, and parts of the world have already started their 2024.
- [The Art of the KISS](https://alan.is/insights/the-art-of-the-kiss/): Writing software that is simple, clean and easy is hard. KISS is easy to say but difficult to put into practice.
- [Failure is an Option](https://alan.is/insights/failure-is-an-option/): Trial and error is the only way we learn. Taking chances (not risks) is how we evolve our knowledge and the output to which we are relied upon.
- [Technical Debt - A visual guide](https://alan.is/insights/technical-debt-a-visual-guide/): Unpicking the mystery of what technical debt is and how it can be provide learning and inform the future.
- [2022 in review](https://alan.is/insights/2022-in-review/): Now that we have started 2023, one can take a look at the year that was 2022.
- [Compassionomics ~ book review](https://alan.is/insights/compassionomics-book-review/): How a little compassion can transform a whole industry and lift the lives of millions in the process.
- [People are leaking their RDS database backups](https://alan.is/insights/people-are-leaking-their-rds-database-backups/): Researchers discovered incompetence when handling AWS RDS database backups, exposing them on the public network for anyone to take
- [What makes a great product manager by James Hamilton](https://alan.is/insights/what-makes-a-great-product-manager-by-james-hamilton/): What makes a great product by AWS guru James Hamilton
- [Adrift America in 100 Charts ~ book review](https://alan.is/insights/adrift-america-in-100-charts-book-review/): Prof G's latest book details the state of the country through 100 charts, each one powerfully presented and creating a lot of stroky-chin moments.
- [The touch of Music](https://alan.is/insights/the-touch-of-music/): Vinyl records are more than just scratchy reproductions of sounds
- [The Cold Start Problem ~ book review](https://alan.is/insights/the-cold-start-problem-book-review/): Andrew Chen charts the rise of the some of the larger Internet companies whose value only increases through an increased number of users - the network effect.
- [Movies/TV of 2021](https://alan.is/insights/movies-tv-of-2021/): Reviewing the Top 8 movies and TV series that made it to the top of my list during 2021.
- [Double finger Chromebook Tip](https://alan.is/insights/double-finger-chromebook-tip/): I was this years old, when I realized that pressing two fingers down on a Chromebook track pad, invokes the right-hand menu bar.
- [Stop it with .. "world famous"](https://alan.is/insights/stop-it-with-world-famous/): The next phrase on my silly rant list is "world famous". no clue what is trying to be sold to me here when I read such a lofty claim
- [Stop it with the .. "Unlimited"](https://alan.is/insights/stop-it-with-the-unlimited/): Start of a new mini series of harmless rants focused around words/phrases that have crept into our lives that have lost their original punch.
- [Isolation - things I have discovered](https://alan.is/insights/isolation-things-i-have-discovered/): Now on my 6th week of isolation (self after a trip to Scotland, then forced isolation), I have discovered a few things about myself.
- [Uber Works - car no longer required](https://alan.is/insights/uber-works-car-no-longer-required/): Uber could make gig work without a car mainstream—extra income on your schedule, if they pull it off.
- [FedEx CEO finally admits Amazon is a real competitor](https://alan.is/insights/fedex-ceo-finally-admits-amazon-is-a-real-competitor/): "We basically compete in an ecosphere that's got five entities in it," Smith said, adding: "There is UPS.
- [Netflix Loses No. 1 Spot as Bandwidth User for 2019](https://alan.is/insights/netflix-loses-no-1-spot-as-bandwidth-user-for-2019/):   Interesting to see who is consuming the global bandwidth with this study.
- [Audi unveils Mars rover-looking electric off-roader](https://alan.is/insights/audi-unveils-mars-rover-looking-electric-off-roader/):   Audi has teased the world at this years Frankfurt show, and by george, it looks fantastic.
- [Hands up who didn't see this coming?  FDA warns Juul for marketing e-cigs as safe](https://alan.is/insights/hands-up-who-didnt-see-this-coming-fda-warns-juul-for-marketing-e-cigs-as-safe/): Anything you pump into your body, that let's face it isn't water, is going to have side effects - death being one of the harsher ones.
- [Over half a million active GPS trackers have '123456' as default password](https://alan.is/insights/over-half-a-million-active-gps-trackers-have-123456-as-default-password/): It is ridiculous that this is still happening in this day'n'age.
- [Productive Time Management](https://alan.is/insights/productive-time-management/): This week I played with the Pomodoro time management technique to see if it would improve throughput. Results are encouraging.
- [My Top 2018 TV](https://alan.is/insights/my-top-2018-tv/): My top 2018 list of TV drama's.
- [My Top 2018 Movies](https://alan.is/insights/my-top-2018-movies/): This year, I kept track via an IMDB list of all my viewing output, rating each one out of 10, as and when I watched it.
- [Amazon Lambda now accepting SQS events directly (nearly)](https://alan.is/insights/amazon-lambda-now-accepting-sqs-events-directly-nearly/): Amazon has closed the gap between Lambda and processing events directly from SQS, opening up a world of possibilities.
- [The Gemini PDA 2018; hands on review](https://alan.is/insights/the-gemini-pda-2018/): After a few weeks of usage, learn what makes this Psion revival a wonderful addition to the Android smartphone world
- [3 simple guidelines to protect our ever connected 'smart' device universe](https://alan.is/insights/3-simple-guidelines-to-protect-our-ever-connected-smart-device-universe/): Smart devices depend on vendors long after purchase. Three guidelines to reduce that imbalance and risk.
- [The browser war is over; guess who won?](https://alan.is/insights/the-browser-war-is-over-guess-who-won/): The browser war is over—we traded privacy for convenience, and big tech took another scalp.
- [Couple of tricks to manage a Zero Inbox](https://alan.is/insights/couple-of-tricks-to-manage-a-zero-inbox/): A zero inbox is that wonderful feeling of knowing you've taken care of business. Discover a couple of wee tricks to make this easy to maintain.
- ['Save' has all but been eliminated on the web; when will it die on the desktop?](https://alan.is/insights/save-has-all-but-been-eliminated-on-the-web-when-will-it-die-on-the-desktop/): We live in a 'save' less world online, but the humble desktop has yet to catch up with this, forcing me to think of when to save my process.
- [Too late; Amazon's Kindle finally waterproof](https://alan.is/insights/too-late-amazons-kindle-finally-waterproof/): Amazon's waterproof Kindle arrives late for someone who lost devices to water—and returned to print.
- [Orlando-Richmond :: A 1600 mile Tesla story](https://alan.is/insights/orlando-richmond-a-1600-mile-tesla-story/): After a 1600 mile roundtrip journey in my Tesla, I have fallen in love with road trips again, even with the overhead of charging.
- [Tesla Model S warned driver in fatal crash to put hands on steering wheel](https://alan.is/insights/tesla-model-s-warned-driver-in-fatal-crash-to-put-hands-on-steering-wheel/): The NTSB concluded today, with their release of a 500 page report, that the driver had failed to respond to directions to put his hands on the wheel
- [RNC research firm leaks data of 200m US citizens](https://alan.is/insights/rnc-research-firm-leaks-data-of-200m-us-citizens/): 1.1 terabytes of data includes birthdates, home addresses, telephone numbers and political views of nearly 62% of the entire US population.
- [Do you still buy e-books as much as you did?](https://alan.is/insights/do-you-still-buy-e-books-as-much-as-you-did/): With e-book sales dropping as much as 26% year-on-year, has the shine gone off the kindle?
- [Amazon will change Whole Foods - but to what?](https://alan.is/insights/amazon-will-change-whole-foods-but-to-what/): Could Whole Foods morph into an Amazon's version of CVS/Walgreens like store? Everything you need under one roof.
- [Amazon buys Whole Foods $13.4B](https://alan.is/insights/amazon-buys-whole-foods-13-4b/): Amazon shocked retail by buying Whole Foods—a big bet on bricks-and-mortar grocery.
- [Email still the king of social networks](https://alan.is/insights/email-still-the-king-of-social-networks/): Around 40% of your emails are being tracked for marketing purposes.
- [FaunaDB - Pay-as-you-Store/Query database](https://alan.is/insights/faunadb-pay-as-you-storequery-database/): Ex-Twitter DB engineers launch FaunaDB—a pay-as-you-store database built for the serverless era.
- [Those blue signs are cheaper than you think](https://alan.is/insights/those-blue-signs-are-cheaper-than-you-think/): Not nearly as expensive as you would think to rent space on this most valuable of places on the highway.
- [Verizon * (Yahoo + AOL) = Oath](https://alan.is/insights/verizon-yahoo-aol-oath/): Verizon closes Yahoo for $4.48B. Mayer exits with a $23M package on a once-iconic property.
- [Tesla to charge cars exclusively from the sun](https://alan.is/insights/tesla-to-charge-cars-exclusively-from-the-sun/): Musk says Superchargers will go off-grid—no surprise after the SolarCity acquisition.
- [What Ello/Theranos can teach - HBR](https://alan.is/insights/what-ellotheranos-can-teach-hbr/): Good article from Harvard Business Review on the hubris of courting too much media attention too early on in a startup.
- [Tim Armstrong on being a CEO](https://alan.is/insights/tim-armstrong-on-being-a-ceo/): 30 min interview with Tim on how he stepped up to the challenge of taking over as CEO of AOL.
- [Get Android on Windows 10](https://alan.is/insights/get-android-on-windows-10/): How to run Android apps on Windows 10—emulators and distributions that play nice with desktop life.
- [Moved from RackSpace to FastMail](https://alan.is/insights/moved-from-rackspace-to-fastmail/): Moving from RackSpace to FastMail as I trial a new email service provider with more features and security.
- [Heating the home with heat from servers](https://alan.is/insights/heating-the-home-with-heat-from-servers/): Put cloud servers in homes as heaters—your house becomes a datacenter for companies that need compute.
- [US military data found unprotected on Amazon S3](https://alan.is/insights/us-military-data-found-unprotected-on-amazon-s3/): This is definitely one of those situations where someone forgot to throw the switch and make an Amazon S3 bucket secure. Easy done, but grave consequences.
- ['Internet Trends 2017' Kleiner Perkins Report - my highlights](https://alan.is/insights/internet-trends-2017-kleiner-perkins-report-my-highlights/): My highlights of the annual Kleiner Perkins report that looks at the Internet of 2016
- [Let Amazon Echo Show you the future](https://alan.is/insights/let-amazon-echo-show-you-the-future/): Amazon's Alexa ecosystem is far more than just novelty voice activated devices. Do not underestimate the vision to which Amazon is painting for us.
- [This is what Amazon Dash should have been](https://alan.is/insights/this-is-what-amazon-dash-should-have-been/): Alternative to Amazon's Dash is announced but runs on the SigFox network.
- [Week’s Top Tech 8; 8th – 15th Jan 2017](https://alan.is/insights/weeks-top-tech-8-8th-15th-jan-2017/): The second week of the year comes with a number of interesting stories that caught my attention.
- [The problem with Amazon's Alexa](https://alan.is/insights/the-problem-with-amazons-alexa/): My woes with Amazon's Alexa as I try to coax into doing things she claims she can do!
- [Week's Top Tech 8; 2nd - 7th Jan 2017](https://alan.is/insights/weeks-top-tech-8-2nd-7th-jan-2017/): 2017 begins after 2016 gained a leap second—added to fix universal clock rounding.
- [Weekend’s Top 8 roundup – 19th Dec](https://alan.is/insights/weekends-top-8-roundup-19th-dec/): Pre-Christmas headlines: self-driving cars, AirPods timing, Uber losses, cancer lasers, chicken wings.
- [Chromebook Pixel - Battery Replacement](https://alan.is/insights/chromebook-pixel-battery-replacement/): Replacing a battery in the Google Chromebook Pixel is a very simple affair.
- [Weekend’s Top 8 roundup – 12th Dec](https://alan.is/insights/weekends-top-8-roundup-12th-dec/): Yahoo security woes, moral malware, Cisco cloud exit, Verizon vs Samsung fire, Slack video, and more.
- [Weekend’s Top 8 roundup – 5th Dec](https://alan.is/insights/weekends-top-8-roundup-5th-nov/): BMW locks thieves, Apple Watch slump, Amazon shoplifting, Bluetooth speed, Java 9 slip, Samsung fires.
- [Weekend’s Top 8 roundup – 28th Nov](https://alan.is/insights/weekends-top-8-roundup-28th-nov/): Free Muni rides, anchor cuts island internet, Netflix in-flight, Fitbit–Pebble, Amazon in Vegas, and more.
- [Chromebook Adventure](https://alan.is/insights/chromebook-adventure/): Working with a Chromebook takes a leap of faith when it comes to working exclusively through a browser. But it can work.
- [Weekend's Top 8 roundup - 21st Nov](https://alan.is/insights/weekends-top-8-roundup-21st-nov/): Thanksgiving week: record sales, Navy breach, unicorn sold to China, Twitter layoffs, and fast-charging batteries.
- [Last Week’s Top 8 Tech Stories – 14th Nov](https://alan.is/insights/last-weeks-top-8-tech-stories-14th-nov/): Eight stories that stood out: mega hacks, VW emissions, Amazon cars, Tesla sun power, and Skype tracking.
- [The next AWS? Tesla, GM or Ford](https://alan.is/insights/the-next-aws-tesla-gm-or-ford/): Amazon outflanked the computing industry with their cloud offering; it will happen again, from another unlikely source.
- [Last Week's Top 8 Tech Stories - 7th Nov](https://alan.is/insights/last-weeks-top-8-tech-stories-7th-nov/): Election-free roundup: USB self-tests, Tesco hacks, Facebook buying passwords, Yahoo and Verizon, and more.
- [Last Weeks Top 8 Tech Stories - 31st Oct](https://alan.is/insights/last-weeks-top-8-tech-stories-31st-oct/): Cubs win the Series, Facebook and GoPro earnings, and Samsung latest consumer headaches.
- [Weekly Top 8 Tech Stories - 24th October](https://alan.is/insights/weekly-top-8-tech-stories-24th-october/): A big week in the world of tech where Google, Apple, Tesla and Microsoft had big product announcements and Amazon had its quarterly earnings report.
- [Weekly Top 8 Tech Stories - 17th October](https://alan.is/insights/weekly-top-8-tech-stories-17th-october/): This weeks top tech stories for the week of the 17th Oct. Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, IoT and Indiana Jones.
- [Weekly Top 8 Tech Stories - 10th October](https://alan.is/insights/weekly-top-8-tech-stories-10th-october/): This weeks top tech stories for the week of the 10th Oct. Amazon, SalesForce, Netflix, Twitter, Samsung, AOL
- [Working with the SalesForce REST API](https://alan.is/insights/working-with-salesforce-rest-api/): Quick overview and guide to working with the SalesForce REST API.
- [Weekly Top 8 Tech Stories - 3rd October](https://alan.is/insights/weekly-top-8-tech-stories-3rd-october/): The top stories from the week of the 3rd Oct; Samsung, Amazon, SalesForce, VMware, Yahoo, security and candles!
- [This week's highlinks - 26th Sep 2016](https://alan.is/insights/tech-news-highlights-26th-sep-2016/): Another week in the crazy world of technology. Here are this week's stories that stood out for the week starting 26th September 2016.
- [Tech news round up - 19th Sep 2016](https://alan.is/insights/tech-news-round-up-21st-sep-2016/): what took my eye in the world of technology this week, 19th September 2016
- [Pandora, where did it all go wrong?](https://alan.is/insights/pandora-where-did-it-all-go-wrong/): The company that prides itself on knowing what you want to listen to, stopped listening themselves.
- [Buffer - Customer Service Award](https://alan.is/insights/buffer-customer-service-award/): Buffer.com go over and above to deliver an excellent customer service even for a free user.
- [Amazon WorkSpaces - Hourly vs. Monthly](https://alan.is/insights/amazon-workspaces-hourly-vs-monthly/): Amazon WorkSpaces is basically a remote Windows 7 desktop with a couple of billing options. Discover which works best.
- [Cloud != Scale; Are you really ready?](https://alan.is/insights/cloud-scale-are-you-really-ready/): How can you be confident your platform is scalable? As a CEO what questions do you need to ask your engineering team.
- [How I travel Part 2: the software](https://alan.is/insights/how-i-travel-part-2-the-software/): Having discovered the hardware that keeps me productive on the move, what of the software?
- [How I travel Part 1 : the hardware](https://alan.is/insights/how-i-travel-part-1-the-hardware/): With so much time spent travelling, discover what hardware I carry with me to make me productive.
- [An “uber-fication” of the Internet](https://alan.is/insights/uberfication/): You hear a new word, you wonder how it got out there, or even what it means. Confused?
- [Lead Developer Plucking Up The Courage To Propose](https://alan.is/insights/lead-developer-plucking-up-the-courage-to-propose/): Lead developer plucking up the courage to propose Ruby on Rails Tommy, why is your skin leaking?
- [And When Have Sharepoint We Can Move To Iis You](https://alan.is/insights/and-when-have-sharepoint-we-can-move-to-iis-you/): and when have sharepoint we can move to iis you should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
- [When The Sharepoint Idea Just Wont Die Dont Take](https://alan.is/insights/when-the-sharepoint-idea-just-wont-die-dont-take/): When the sharepoint idea just won’t die don’t take the piss, boris
- [It Director Not Impressed With New Cto Should](https://alan.is/insights/it-director-not-impressed-with-new-cto-should/): IT Director not impressed with new CTO Should precipitate your balls shrinking along with your pressence
- [New Cto Gets To Know The It Director So You Are](https://alan.is/insights/new-cto-gets-to-know-the-it-director-so-you-are/): new CTO gets to know the IT director So you are obviously the big dick
- [Ceo On His Walkaround The Dev Team Stop Me Again](https://alan.is/insights/ceo-on-his-walkaround-the-dev-team-stop-me-again/): CEO on his walkaround the dev team stop me again whilst i am walking and i’ll cut your fucking jacobs off
- [We Need An Oracle Developers License It Isnt Much](https://alan.is/insights/we-need-an-oracle-developers-license-it-isnt-much/): We need an Oracle Developers license It isn’t much but here is 10 large to help the situation
- [Our Devops Hasnt Been Seen For A Few Days Where](https://alan.is/insights/our-devops-hasnt-been-seen-for-a-few-days-where/): Our DevOps hasn’t been seen for a few days where did you lose him?
- [If That Cto Comes Near Me About Nodejs Shoot The](https://alan.is/insights/if-that-cto-comes-near-me-about-nodejs-shoot-the/): If that CTO comes near me about node.
- [We Want To Rebuild Everything In Nodejs Put A Lid](https://alan.is/insights/we-want-to-rebuild-everything-in-nodejs-put-a-lid/): We want to rebuild everything in node,js Put a lid on her Turkish, before she gets bitten
- [Our Rockstar Perl Guy Walked Who The Fuck Will We](https://alan.is/insights/our-rockstar-perl-guy-walked-who-the-fuck-will-we/): Our rockstar perl guy walked who the fuck will we replace him with?
- [Our Cto Is On A Rant About His New Vision Give Me](https://alan.is/insights/our-cto-is-on-a-rant-about-his-new-vision-give-me/): Our CTO is on a rant about his new vision Give me that squeaky toy, it shut him up the last time
- [Ask Our Dba How It Works Make Him Open Up Its](https://alan.is/insights/ask-our-dba-how-it-works-make-him-open-up-its/): Ask our DBA how it works, make him open up It’s not a fucking tin of baked beans, what do you mean open him up?
- [I Am Concerned About Nodejs What If Someone](https://alan.is/insights/i-am-concerned-about-nodejs-what-if-someone/): I am concerned about node.
- [The Qa Team Remind The Dev They Still Exist Still](https://alan.is/insights/the-qa-team-remind-the-dev-they-still-exist-still/): The QA team remind the dev they still exist Still warm, the blood that courses through my veins
- [The Ceo On Hearing His Dev Team Recognizes Him](https://alan.is/insights/the-ceo-on-hearing-his-dev-team-recognizes-him/): The CEO on hearing his Dev team recognizes him Good.
- [Product Group Explains Their New Vision Did You](https://alan.is/insights/product-group-explains-their-new-vision-did-you/): Product group explains their new vision did you understand a single word of what he said?
- [Dev Team Asks Management For Macs Have I Made](https://alan.is/insights/dev-team-asks-management-for-macs-have-i-made/): Dev team asks management for Macs Have I made myself clear?
- [As A Valued User We Would Love To Get Your Input](https://alan.is/insights/as-a-valued-user-we-would-love-to-get-your-input/): As a valued user we would love to get your input on our UI You’re a snake in the grass ain’t you?
- [I Think We Should Move To The Google Cloud](https://alan.is/insights/i-think-we-should-move-to-the-google-cloud/): I think we should move to the Google Cloud Thinking can get you into trouble Errol.
- [The Challenger (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/the-challenger-2013/): Netflix TV movie on the investigation into the 1986 Challenger disaster, seconds after launch.
- [Mamma Mia! (2008)](https://alan.is/insights/mamma-mia-2008/): On paper this musical movie should not work.
- [Mr. Holmes (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/mr-holmes-2015/): Now this is a wonderful premise.
- [Trumbo (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/trumbo-2015/): This was the tale of the time back in the 40′s and 50′s where America was gripped and paranoid about communistic influences in its cultures.
- [Lord of War (2005)](https://alan.is/insights/lord-of-war-2005/): Our old friend Mr Cage takes on the major role of this tale about illegal arms dealer.
- [Time Lapse (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/time-lapse-2014/): Apartment managers find a dead tenant's camera that prints Polaroids of events 24 hours ahead.
- [The Little Mermaid (1989)](https://alan.is/insights/the-little-mermaid-1989/): One of the more whimsical Disney outings the Little Mermaid is now, after 26 years, firmly concreted as a classic.
- [Frozen (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/frozen-2013/): Let it go, Let it go, can’t hold it back any more!
- [Youth (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/youth-2015/): For my 100th movie on the 100th day in this series I was wanting something a little special to mark this huge milestone.
- [The Transporter (2002)](https://alan.is/insights/the-transporter-2002/): It is no secret I have a man crush on our boy Jason Statham .
- [Death at a Funeral (2007)](https://alan.is/insights/death-at-a-funeral-2007/): This is as near perfect as you can get for a quirky British comedy.
- [Ted 2 (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/ted-2-2015/): I was nearly a fan of the first outing with the talking bear, that we know and love as Ted.
- [The Runner (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/the-runner-2015/): Nicolas Cage as a politician walking the knife-edge between personal morals and public office.
- [Momentum (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/momentum-2015/): If I was to tell you that this movie took in a whopping £46 in its opening weekend in the UK , you would start to get a feel for the quality of this movie.
- [Get Low (2009)](https://alan.is/insights/get-low-2009/): This was one of those Netflix finds, that with its heavy weight cast of Robert Duvall and Bill Murray should have popped up on my radar a lot sooner.
- [Gravity (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/gravity-2013/): Take a Sandra Bullock , throw in a little George Clooney , bake in space for 90 minutes and you have an Oscar ( 7 of them!
- [Stone of Destiny (2008)](https://alan.is/insights/stone-of-destiny-2008/): This is the true story of the daring robbery by 4 Scottish students, in 1950, to return the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey in London, to Scotland.
- [Sam Whiskey (1969)](https://alan.is/insights/sam-whiskey-1969/): This another one of those movies that only hit your radar if you find yourself couch bound, ill and you are at the mercy of the day time TV programming.
- [Sunshine on Leith (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/sunshine-on-leith-2013/): I resisted this movie for a long time.
- [Smokey and the Bandit (1977)](https://alan.is/insights/smokey-and-the-bandit-1977/): This period of cinema was a golden age for a young boy growing up who was fascinated with cars and the first ever social network, the good old CB radio .
- [Titanic (1997)](https://alan.is/insights/titanic-1997/): Cameron retells the maritime disaster that still fascinates—even as ships have grown larger since.
- [About Time (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/about-time-2013/): Richard Curtis strikes gold once again with his time traveling romantic comedy.
- [In the Loop (2009)](https://alan.is/insights/in-the-loop-2009/): How do you describe Malcolm Tucker to the world?
- [A Few Good Men (1992)](https://alan.is/insights/a-few-good-men-1992/): Aaron Sorkin's Navy courtroom drama with Cruise, Moore, Sutherland, Bacon, and Jack Nicholson.
- [Trainwreck (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/trainwreck-2015/): I will confess to not running towards this movie with any great speed.
- [Music and Lyrics (2007)](https://alan.is/insights/music-and-lyrics-2007/): Full confession, I am a big Hugh Grant fan.
- [Spectre (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/spectre-2015/): Bond, James Bond is on his 24th outing after scoring extremely well with his previous Skyfall escapades.
- [The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/the-man-from-uncle-2015/): I was really looking forward to this Guy Ritchie remake of the 1960′s TV series of the same name.
- [Office Space (1999)](https://alan.is/insights/office-space-1999/): This 16 year old gem was not an immediate hit when it first came out.
- [Spooks: The Greater Good (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/spooks-the-greater-good-2015/): The Spooks movie spin-off from the BBC spy drama that launched careers—Idris Elba path started here.
- [3 Days to Kill (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/3-days-to-kill-2014/): Kevin Costner , obviously seeing how much of an action star Liam Neeson was turning into in his later years, was wanting some of that action.
- [Shakespeare in Love (1998)](https://alan.is/insights/shakespeare-in-love-1998/): I remember the first time I seen this movie.
- [Calvary (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/calvary-2014/): I am such a huge fan of Brendan Gleeson and for that reason I keep an eye on his output.
- [Ocean's Eleven (2001)](https://alan.is/insights/oceans-eleven-2001/): So after 3 nights in Las Vegas what better movie to watch on the flight home than Ocean’s Eleven - the Clooney/Pitt version.
- [Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)](https://alan.is/insights/ace-ventura-pet-detective-1994/): Hard to believe this movie is 21 years old, yet still as funny, sharp and clever as the first day it was viewed.
- [Michael Jackson: One (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/michael-jackson-one-2013/): Okay, while strictly not a movie, this was a show that was taken in while visiting that oasis in the desert they call Las Vegas.
- [Plastic (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/plastic-2014/): I will confess that this one was an impulse watch on Netflix.
- [Beasts of no Nation (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/beasts-of-no-nation-2015/): An emotional roller coaster you knowingly step into—and cannot leave until the credits roll.
- [The Angels’ Share (2012)](https://alan.is/insights/the-angels-share-2012/): This was one of those movies that you would have had to seek out.
- [Clear and Present Danger (1994)](https://alan.is/insights/clear-and-present-danger-1994/): The 3rd outing in the Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, sees Harrison Ford reprising the role for the second (and his last time).
- [The Last Boy Scout (1991)](https://alan.is/insights/the-last-boy-scout-1991/): Bruce Willis after 2 Die Hard movies takes on another over-the-top action movie but this time as down and out detective, Joe, working in LA.
- [Kelly's Heroes (1970)](https://alan.is/insights/kellys-heroes-1970/): I honestly don’t know where to start with what is one of my all time favourites.
- [Bridge of Spies (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/bridge-of-spies-2015/): Spielberg and Hanks retell a true Cold War spy swap amid 1950s nuclear paranoia and Red Scare fever.
- [School for Scoundrels (1960)](https://alan.is/insights/school-for-scoundrels-1960/): I am a sucker for old British black and white comedies.
- [Back to the Future Part II (1989)](https://alan.is/insights/back-to-the-future-part-ii-1989/): The date is 21st October 2015 and of course it is Back to the Future day.
- [Shanghai Noon (2000)](https://alan.is/insights/shanghai-noon-2000/): Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson team up together in this comedy western to rescue the kidnapped Chinese princess played by the beautiful Lucy Liu .
- [Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/hotel-transylvania-2-2015/): When will I learn?
- [Ghostbusters (1984)](https://alan.is/insights/ghostbusters-1984/): 31 years ago one of the best logos in the world burst into our lives.
- [Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)](https://alan.is/insights/ghost-dog-the-way-of-the-samurai-1999/): A hitman lives by samurai code in New Jersey until the mob targets him over a botched job.
- [Three Amigos (1986)](https://alan.is/insights/three-amigos-1986/): Friday family night, roaring fire, and a childhood classic—perfect end to a good day out.
- [National Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/national-theatre-live-hamlet-2015/): This was an experience different from the normal run of movies so far.
- [Some Kind Of Beautiful (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/some-kind-of-beautiful-2014/): Pierce Brosnan , Salma Hayek , Jessica Alba and Malcolm McDowell in a single movie but I bet you haven’t heard of it.
- [The Rock (1996)](https://alan.is/insights/the-rock-1996/): Can you believe this movie is nearly 20 years old?
- [The Age of Adaline (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/the-age-of-adaline-2015/): This is a rather sweet romantic thriller built upon the premise that the leading the lady never ages after getting into a road accident in her early 20′s.
- [The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/the-grand-budapest-hotel-2014/): How does one do justice in describing this masterpiece?
- [Pixels (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/pixels-2015/): This movie has all the ingredients to make this a complete and utter waste of time and money.
- [Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)](https://alan.is/insights/austin-powers-international-man-of-mystery-1997/): This absolute gem of a movie from the very talented Mike Myers broke the mold when it came to parodies.
- [San Andreas (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/san-andreas-2015/): This movie I walked into with my eyes wide open and with full expectation this was going to be a cheesy Sharknado type of disaster flick.
- [Terminator Genisys (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/terminator-genisys-2015/): Can you believe this is my 50th movie review in this movie-a-day-for-a-year series?
- [Z for Zachariah (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/z-for-zachariah-2015/): Post nuclear war and very few human survivors are left.
- [Results (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/results-2015/): Where do you even begin with this train wreck of a romantic comedy?
- [Galaxy Quest (1999)](https://alan.is/insights/galaxy-quest-1999/): This is one of those movies that creeps up on you over the years.
- [Jurassic World (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/jurassic-world-2015/): Here we go again with the CGI dinosaurs 22 years from the first outing.
- [Gallipoli (1981)](https://alan.is/insights/gallipoli-1981/): This movie is about the famous failed World War One military operation to attack Gallipoli as told from the prospective of the Australian army.
- [The Martian (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/the-martian-2015/): This is going to be a tough year for best movie.
- [Tequila Sunrise (1988)](https://alan.is/insights/tequila-sunrise-1988/): Fond memories, then a rewatch 25 years later—and you wonder why it felt like a classic the first time.
- [Man Up (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/man-up-2015/): This was a movie I never knew existed until I stumbled upon it in a list of Simon Pegg movies for 2015.
- [Magic Mike XXL (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/magic-mike-xxl-2015/): I recall watching the first Magic Mike movie and remember enjoying it at the time.
- [Dirty Dancing (1987)](https://alan.is/insights/dirty-dancing-1987/): My 40th review in this series and we land here.
- [Everest (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/everest-2015/): The true 1996 Everest disaster: two expeditions caught in a sudden storm, twelve lives lost on the mountain.
- [Waking Ned Devine (1998)](https://alan.is/insights/waking-ned-devine-1998/): If you loved Local Hero then you will love this tale of a village set in western Ireland, who discover that one of the 50 odd residents has won the lottery.
- [Air America (1990)](https://alan.is/insights/air-america-1990/): The first time I seen this movie in a theater in Suchiehall Street Glasgow, when I was at university and I recall laughing my ass off.
- [Tomorrowland (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/tomorrowland-2015/): Oh Disney, where did this go so wrong?
- [Up in the Air (2009)](https://alan.is/insights/up-in-the-air-2009/): George Clooney fires people for a living, airborne 322 days a year—until life on the road stops adding up.
- [Black Sea (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/black-sea-2014/): Jude Law heads up this rag tag crew of submariners, that lease an old Russian sub, to go and find some lost World War 2 gold in the Black Sea.
- [National Treasure (2004)](https://alan.is/insights/national-treasure-2004/): What is that old saying, even a stopped clock is right twice a day?
- [The Train Robbers (1973)](https://alan.is/insights/the-train-robbers-1973/): There are times when you have to separate the real man from the man on the silver screen.
- [Road to Pedition (2002)](https://alan.is/insights/road-to-pedition-2002/): Before Sam Mendes became one of the hottest directors to take on James Bond, he cut his teeth on gritty dramas, with a sprinkling of action.
- [Spy (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/spy-2015/): Before I begin this one, let me give you a little background.
- [Django Unchained (2012)](https://alan.is/insights/django-unchained-2012/): From the moment the trailer first arrived in the summer of 2012, I knew there was something special about to hit the screens.
- [The Rum Diary (2011)](https://alan.is/insights/the-rum-diary-2011/): This is the movie version of the Hunter S.
- [Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)](https://alan.is/insights/charlie-wilsons-war-2007/): The movie opens up with Tom Hanks , playing US Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, sitting in a hot tub, with naked women, in Las Vegas, drinking.
- [Electric Dreams (1984)](https://alan.is/insights/electric-dreams-1984/): Early-80s films explored how computers entering personal life might change us—a golden era for that theme.
- [Maverick (1994)](https://alan.is/insights/maverick-1994/): The 1994 film follows the TV drifter gambler James Garner made famous—poker games across the Old West.
- [Back to the Future (1985)](https://alan.is/insights/back-to-the-future-1985/): What more can be written about this masterpiece?
- [The Island (2005)](https://alan.is/insights/the-island-2005/): I was reminded of this movie while on holiday when I read the excellent book on the story of Dreamworks .
- [Standby (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/standby-2014/): Light Irish rom-com: a man ends up at Dublin airport's tourist desk working beside his own mother.
- [Harry Brown (2009)](https://alan.is/insights/harry-brown-2009/): Who remembers the character, Paul Kersey, wonderfully played by Charles Bronson in the Deathwish movies from the 1970s?
- [Heat (1995)](https://alan.is/insights/heat-1995/): Can you believe this classic is 20 years old this year?
- [The Ladykillers (2004)](https://alan.is/insights/the-ladykillers-2004/): After a heavy night of viewing, something light that lifts spirits with a chortle or two.
- [Whiplash (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/whiplash-2014/): This obscure unknown movie made quite the splash at the 2014 Oscars being nominated across the board for a number of awards including Best Picture.
- [Pride and Glory (2008)](https://alan.is/insights/pride-and-glory-2008/): First off, this movie demands your attention, both physically and emotionally.
- [Viva Las Vegas (1964)](https://alan.is/insights/viva-las-vegas-1964/): Okay so let us get this out of the way quickly, you don’t watch an Elvis Presley movie for its in-depth, multi-dimensional story line.
- [Burn After Reading (2008)](https://alan.is/insights/burn-after-reading-2008/): The Coen brothers unite for another clever character driven comedy.
- [Filth (2013)](https://alan.is/insights/filth-2013/): How do you describe a movie that is quintessential Scottish to an international audience?
- [Bottle Shock (2008)](https://alan.is/insights/bottle-shock-2008/): I stumbled upon this little gem of a comedy a number of years ago, and every so often, I will throw it on in the background.
- [True Story (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/true-story-2015/): As the title suggests, this movie is based on a true story, in fact, the book of the same name True Story .
- [Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)](https://alan.is/insights/grosse-pointe-blank-1997/): John Cusack in one of his finest and career defining roles.
- [Local Hero (1983)](https://alan.is/insights/local-hero-1983/): It was a Friday, and a Friday demands a classic for the evening and this evenings classic never fails to deliver.
- [Hot Pursuit (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/hot-pursuit-2015/): A by-the-book cop sidelined after one overzealous call lands in a case that tests every rule she holds.
- [Life of Brian (1979)](https://alan.is/insights/life-of-brian-1979/): What more can be written about the Monty Python classic, Life of Brian ?
- [Moon (2009)](https://alan.is/insights/moon-2009/): More 2001 than Star Wars: a one-man thriller about loneliness, reality, and holding onto hope.
- [She’s Funny That Way (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/shes-funny-that-way-2015/): A surprise gem that slipped past publicity—a romantic comedy you wonder how you missed at release.
- [A Few Best Men (2011)](https://alan.is/insights/a-few-best-men-2011/): Oh Olivia Newton-John , what were you thinking when you signed up for this script?
- [The Gunman (2015)](https://alan.is/insights/the-gunman-2015/): Sean Penn takes the lead in this truly cliched story with all the predictability of a Scooby Doo cartoon.
- [The Guard (2011)](https://alan.is/insights/the-guard-2011/): Brendan Gleeson wraps himself into the type of role he was born to play, an unconventional, no nonsense, highly amusing Irish man.
- [Apollo 13 (1995)](https://alan.is/insights/apollo-13-1995/): One of my all time favorite movies that never fails to deliver on one of the most dramatic incidents in the Apollo space missions.
- [Kill Me Three Times (2014)](https://alan.is/insights/kill-me-three-times-2014/): This popped up on Netflix and I will confess to not knowing about this Simon Pegg comedy thriller he made last year in Australia.
- [[review] Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World](https://alan.is/insights/review-data-and-goliath-the-hidden-battles-to/): Bruce Schneier has recently released his latest book covering the use of data in our modern day world.
- [We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy](https://alan.is/insights/we-dont-need-roads-the-making-of-the-back-to-the/): Just finished the excellent book, “We don’t need roads: the making of the Back to the Future” http://amzn.
- [OpenBD -  for remote proxying](https://alan.is/insights/openbd-cfcontent-remote-for-remote-proxying/): The standard CFCONTENT tag has had the file=“” feature from the start.
- [I Have Seen Many A Multi Monitor Setup But When I](https://alan.is/insights/i-have-seen-many-a-multi-monitor-setup-but-when-i/): I have seen many a multi-monitor setup, but when I spotted one of my team, Trace, with the tiered monitor configuration, I done a double take.
- [Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution](https://alan.is/insights/tesla-book-review/): The inspiration behind Tony Stark’s Iron Man business man persona, Elon Musk, is truly a fascinating and intriguing character.
- [[review] Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!](https://alan.is/insights/review-marissa-mayer-and-the-fight-to-save/): I am always fascinated at the history of companies, particularly those that we interact with on a daily basis.
- [Amazon S3 overhaul for OpenBD](https://alan.is/insights/amazon-s3-overhaul-for-openbd/): New OpenBD updates build on AmazonS3Write() to make working with Amazon S3 easier across the board.
- [Improved AmazonS3 uploads with OpenBD](https://alan.is/insights/improved-amazons3-uploads-with-openbd/): I have added an end of year feature bonus to OpenBD, available in the nightly build edition.
- [JavaScript is our new Visual Basic](https://alan.is/insights/javascript-is-our-new-visual-basic/): JavaScript is sweeping the development community and is popping up everywhere, having broken free from the confines of the browser.
- [JavaOne 2014 App - the anti-pattern to mobile development](https://alan.is/insights/javaone-2014-app-the-anti-pattern-to-mobile/): The JavaOne conference , held annually in San Francisco is a shining beacon of everything good and wonderful in the Java space.
- [Why, I, the anti-social-networker fell for Google+](https://alan.is/insights/why-i-the-anti-social-networker-fell-for-google/): I hate Facebook.
- ["From Earth to the Moon" teaches us a little software management](https://alan.is/insights/from-earth-to-the-moon-teaches-us-a-little/): Apollo-era software engineering pioneered foundations we still use today—and energy science rarely matched.
- [How to handle yourself at a student career fair](https://alan.is/insights/how-to-handle-yourself-at-a-student-career-fair/): When first starting out at university you don’t give too much thought on what job you will eventually land.
- [Who is looking at your code?](https://alan.is/insights/who-is-looking-at-your-code/): We’re software developers and we take our art form seriously.
- [How's your Software Insurance Policy?](https://alan.is/insights/hows-your-software-insurance-policy/): Ask any software developer a list of things they dislike doing the most and chances are testing and documentation will make the top 2.
- ["Scotch: The Whisky of Scotland in Fact and Story" by Robert Bruce Lockhart](https://alan.is/insights/scotch-the-whisky-of-scotland-in-fact-and-story/): If you are mildly interested in the history of Scottish whisky then you can go no wrong with this book written by Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart.
- ["Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" by Chip Heath, Dan Heath](https://alan.is/insights/made-to-stick-why-some-ideas-survive-and-others/): This book was recommended by my trusted colleague, Stefan Bauer , as a bit of light reading over the weekend.
- ["Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation" by David Robertson](https://alan.is/insights/brick-by-brick-how-lego-rewrote-the-rules-of/): We all know (and love?
- ["Sam Walton: Made In America" by Sam Walton](https://alan.is/insights/sam-walton-made-in-america-by-sam-walton/): I’ve recently finished a fascinating book on the history of Walmart, as told by its founder, Sam Walton.
- ["Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think" by: Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Kenneth Cukier](https://alan.is/insights/big-data-a-revolution-that-will-transform-how-we/): This book was recommended to me by a colleague and after a few days it was read cover-2-cover and only now am I reflecting back on its message.
- [Yahoo 'to buy Tumblr for $1.1bn'](https://alan.is/insights/yahoo-to-buy-tumblr-for-11bn/): Yahoo’s board has approved a deal to buy New York-based blogging service Tumblr for $1.
- [NetworkSolutions - is there any real point of them?](https://alan.is/insights/networksolutions-is-there-any-real-point-of/): I have been a loyal user of NetworkSolutions for near on 10 years.
- [Free Yourself from Conventional Thinking](https://alan.is/insights/free-yourself-from-conventional-thinking/): The first step is to consider the way you have always done business — and stop.
- [Patrickborn Fractured Prune Donuts Lancaster](https://alan.is/insights/patrickborn-fractured-prune-donuts-lancaster/): Fractured Prune donuts in Lancaster: 3/5 on the scale, perfect fuel for a morning of meetings.
- [Dying Careers and their alternatives](https://alan.is/insights/dying-careers-and-their-alternatives/): http://education.
- [Tumblr Engineering: Open Source - Memcache Top](https://alan.is/insights/tumblr-engineering-open-source-memcache-top/): mobocracy : We rely on memcache pretty heavily at Tumblr, with over 10TB of cache memory available across the stack.

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