Diversions Manifold

If there is one principal criticism I would have of my job at the moment, it would be that I do very little thinking at all. Everything I do at work is basically and simply "doing". I feel that I have lost the art of concentration, of battling with difficult problems, of really thinking things through. Photo by Karola Riegler photography Flickr What doesn't help at all at work is that there are too many distractions for me to work effectively. In an attempt to remedy that, I have taken to leaving the phone on its charging station, set to silent, finding an empty meeting room, keeping my email client unopened focussing on a particular task for an hour or two. It seems to work quite nicely, so I'll keep that up as far as I can (or until I get my own office). But the basic problem remains that what I am doing involves very little analytical thinking at all. I am positive that it a good thing to accept back some strain on the brain, something not felt since

On somewhat of a spur of the moment thought over the Christmas holidays, I ended up starting a blog that will focus on my thoughts and observations on engineering; it is what I spend a fairly large amount of my time doing, after all. It's here . Have a look in, though it's fairly unbaked at the moment!

This isn't a deeply thought-through review of 2011, merely a list of a few personal highlights from an eventful year for the family... Meeting up with the family in Istanbul to celebrate Dad's birthday Getting married in the Heidelberg Standesamt Having a second daughter (with complications soon thereafter, but all coming good in the end) Enjoying two months' parental leave during an alas rather insipid Heidelberg summer. Coming along with work, particularly the methods side (drawings change system) and DFMEAs. Not travelling too much or too widely, but still experiencing a blown taxi engine in Romania , seeing a little of Naples , Genoa and Maastricht . Losing my passport just before Christmas. Seeing Saab Cars disappear . Enjoying a wonderfully relaxing Christmas and New Year with the family in Ipswich. Roll on 2012!