Notebook
This is a lightly curated space where I gather reflections, articles, event reports, and fragments from across my work — futures, storytelling, sustainability, and beyond. It’s not a traditional blog – more of a sketchbook of ideas.
Daily note. Sailing in Ionian 2025.
Sunrise over a yacht in a tiny cove. Francis’ paintings brought to life. Whiff of goats over a cup of tea, as they clamber the rocky slopes and pebble-beach shore. An easy departure. A creased, folded, and eventually stuck mainsail. Anchoring off Poros beach. It’s swell. There is swell. Rocking. Rolling. Heat. Sleep. Coca Cola. Bare-breasted swimming to cool down. Hell, bare everything: no one here but us fish. Swell dies down to gentle swaying. Sun withdraws. Cool. Peaceful. Voices echo from the shore. Looking out into the Mediterranean, no horizon to be seen. Still. A flying fish breaks the surface briefly, skimming the surface of the sea. Skip, skip, skip. Now the surface is unbroken.
Affordable homes: a thing of the past?
#001 // Short. Honest. Human. | Ponderings on affordable housing.
Daily note. Sailing the Ionean.
Wake surrounded by massive catamarans. So much wealth in this bay. Hard to believe that we live in a world filled with wicked probems. Hot tea. Route planning. Ithaca to Cephalonia. Still. Windless. But cool. Wasps are back. Seeking sweet water in my hair, on my feet, between my fingers holding a mug. Movement paused as their wings brush my skin. Smooth departure, no sailing. Without wind, power propells us forward over the glass-like sea. Arrive in a tiny cove, any space? Only 3 boats possible. We claim the last available spot. Careful. Too slow. Not completely prepared. Embarrassed. Worried about causing bother. M stressed. Help arrives from neighbouring boat. More speed, the check anchor. Turn faster. Secure. Day boats arrive and leave again. The whole bay is ours. Swim. Warm surface water blends with chilly (fresh?) water. Tiny fish dart past. A flounder! Evening comes, with friendly Danes. Watching the beach. Goats emerge. Goats drink sea water, apparently. Rocks appear nearer that befoe. Anchor safe? Will landlines hold? Where is the NW wind. No wind tonight. Curled up reading Matter by Iain M Banks. M drapes a sheet over me, goes to watch stars. It is fully dark when bed beckons, aside from our mast light and the backlight of my book as I try to finish a few more pages.
Telling stories at Innsbruck’s Botanical Garden | Frühlingsfest: der berg ruft
Performing under my storytelling name, Ziyadliwa, I will perform two short storytelling shows inspired by mountain and Alpine traditions at the 2025 Spring Festival.
The Great Switch: Finding Non-US Alternatives to Online Password Managers like LastPass (European and Non-US Alternatives)
The Great Switch: Finding Non-US Alternatives to Online Password Managers like LastPass (European and Non-US VOIP Alternatives)I'm back with another instalment of suggestions for how to move away from US-based tech companies and towards European companies, open-source...
The Great Switch: Switching Your Skype Incoming Number to a European or Non-US VOIP Provider (European and Non-US VOIP Alternatives)
European and other non-US alternatives to Skype Incoming Number. For people who aren’t happy about US politics, who want to put their money where their mouth is, and who want more digital resilience in uncertain times.
The Great Switch: Switching Appointment Booking Tools (European and non-US Calendly Alternatives)
The Great Switch: Switching Appointment Booking Tools (European and non-US Calendly Alternatives)And after a short, unexpected break, I'm back with a new edition of The Great Switch, where I explore how ordinary people, including freelancers and small business owners...
The Great Switch: Switching Cloud Storage Providers (European & non-US Dropbox Alternatives)
The Great Switch: Switching Cloud Storage Providers (European & non-US Dropbox Alternatives)This is the first in a regular series (weekly-ish) in which I explore how to make The Great Switch from the US-based, technology behemoths to alternatives that are either...
The Great Switch: Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is
The Great Switch: putting my money where my mouth isHow frustrated are you with the current state of the U.S.? (Which part, you ask? Take your pick.) Personally, I'm frustrated, irritated, and dismayed in equal measure. I've recently been reflecting on just how much I...
Mel Robbins’ “Let Them” theory: applying to doing climate and sustainability communication
Some thoughts on using the Let Them theory, radical acceptance and the ABT to boster your work as a climate and sustainability communicator.