Si Jobling - Micro

My gran left me this poster

2026-11-14T13:18:00Z

My gran left me this poster: The Beatles at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Friday 17 August 1962. Tickets 5/-. Licensed bar “applied for”, so a gamble from the start.

It was the night after Pete Best got sacked. The band had no drummer, so a bloke from The Big Three filled in, and Ringo’s first official gig was the next night. “Beatles’ Night Out” was really “Beatles’ Night Without A Drummer”.

Then I looked up what these go for.

A poster from that autumn’s Tower Ballroom Arts Ball was estimated at £15,000 to £18,000 at Bonhams. A Little Richard night there sold for $14,700 with a corner missing. One dealer says they’d pay £8,000 to £10,000 for the April 1962 gig. A Cavern Club poster made £27,500.

My first thought wasn’t what to spend it on. It was whether my home insurance covered “a Beatles poster that might be worth a small car”.

Then I looked closer. It’s a 1997 reprint, worth about a tenner.

Insurance enquiry cancelled. It’s still on my wall with a cracking story, and I’m now the proud owner of a 29-year-old reprint of a 64-year-old gig.

I’m quite happy with this Claude automation

2026-11-11T12:55:00Z

I’m quite happy with this Claude automation I’ve configured on my blog. Every wed morning, it runs an audit of packages, updates and creates a PR for me to approve. I’m not the best at maintaining my 11ty sites so at least this should be one less (boring) thing to do.

https://github.com/si/11ty/pull/110

Thoroughly enjoyed the George Michael Faith tour

2026-11-08T20:11:00Z

Thoroughly enjoyed the George Michael Faith tour movie with Mrs J this afternoon. I'm a life long fan of his music so it was highly indulgent and the footage they managed to pull together was incredible, such high fidelity and so immersive.

Weirdly rewarding to get feedback

2026-11-06T19:50:00Z

Weirdly rewarding to get feedback from my mum on my YouTube series (playlist). Six points, including 'too quiet on one', 'more humour please' and a suggestion to cover old-school KPI traffic lights. She also subscribed for the first time. Favourite subscriber.

How can airlines like Ryanair

2026-11-01T14:42:00Z

How can airlines like Ryanair expect older passengers to go digital-only with boarding passes?

I've just helped my in-laws check in for their trip to Pisa, shown them how to use the app, and paid a premium so they could check in early. They were worried they'd be unable to check in for the return flight while away.

Who's signing off these mandatory paperless experiences? Digital by default is fine; digital only isn't. If a good chunk of your customers can't use it without help, that's a design failure, not a customer failure.

It's something I'll be keeping in mind in my new role at Warner Hotels.

I was today years old when I realised the “Revival House Project” is the legendary Mousse T

2026-10-31T10:14:00Z

I was today years old when I realised the “Revival House Project” is the legendary Mousse T. No wonder I love their music.

Looking forward to Chris Ramsey in Leicester tonight

2026-10-31T09:44:00Z

Looking forward to Chris Ramsey in Leicester tonight. We love Shagged Married Annoyed so it’ll be weird seeing him without his wonderful other half for once.

What does International Vlogging Day mean in 2026?

2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

On International Vlogging Day, I decided to record a single-take, unedited vlog after spotting the day in my calendar, because it reminded me of the early era of regular, raw video blogging.

Day 2 of #LDX3 2026: Engineering leadership, AI in hiring & juniors and manager burnout

2026-06-06T00:00:00Z

LDX3 2026 Day 2 Recap:

After 2 days of LDX3 2026, I shift focus to the people side of engineering leadership and how teams are adopting AI.

Day 1 of LDX3 2026

2026-06-05T00:00:00Z

End of day one at LDX3 Conference 2026, I head back to the hotel early to unwind after spending the day catching up with fellow Rightmovers, former ASOSers, and other friends, noting that networking is one of the best parts of conferences.

Is AI video killing the podcast star?

2026-05-21T00:00:00Z

We're at a pivotal moment in the podcasting industry as Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music are finally implementing alternate (HLS) video support in their native apps.

Apple are going all in with video podcasting - and it could be a game changer

2026-03-23T00:00:00Z

Apple Podcasts is bringing HLS video to their platform by partnering with some heavyweight hosts - here are my thoughts on how this could be a pivotal moment for the industry.

Could AI be the answer to 4 day weeks? #rambles

2025-10-13T00:00:00Z

Following the Metaverse team's push to 5x output from their engineering teams using AI, it got me thinking about how we could actually recognise and reward the humans with 4 day weeks to balance it all out.

Product on a Page - Done app

2025-07-14T00:00:00Z

Why are we so obsessed about getting the next thing done when we rarely reflect on what we have already done?

How can Milton Keynes become a tech hub?

2025-01-16T00:00:00Z

Today, I was invited to a Protospace Roundtable discussion with fellow tech leaders from around Milton Keynes to discuss how the city can become a tech hub.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.15

2023-05-02T00:00:00Z

This is Weekly 2023.15, recorded on Monday 1st May 2023.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.14

2023-04-23T00:00:00Z

This is Weekly 2023.14, recorded on Friday 21st April.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.13

2023-04-16T00:00:00Z

Inner source projects, the end of Make Life Work, Notion app and Brian Cox on Mars.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.12

2023-04-02T00:00:00Z

Career milestones, plenty PETALS, diving back into code and Race Across The World.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.11

2023-03-27T00:00:00Z

Serendipitous water-cooler moments, sharing Make Life Work editing duties with Adrian and QI chargers for wired headphones.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.10

2023-03-19T00:00:00Z

Youtube engagement beats podcasts, difficult work-life balances across the pond and improving smart speaker locations.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.09

2023-03-13T00:00:00Z

Speedback or forms, side projects on Linkedin and transcriptions on Pinecast

This is Weekly 2023.09, recorded Friday 10th March 2023.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.08

2023-02-26T00:00:00Z

Onsiters, breaking down siloes and how to automatically syndicate podcasts to YouTube

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.07

2023-02-20T00:00:00Z

Awkward conversations IRL, design by committee and is Kindle Unlimited overpriced?

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.06

2023-02-13T00:00:00Z

Birmingham offices, House Finesse summer events and budgeting side projects

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.05

2023-02-06T00:00:00Z

Hybrid workshops, dedicated side project time and being remote not distant

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.04

2023-01-30T00:00:00Z

This is Weekly 2023.04 with Guz Khan, well-being day of records and lots of Adrian as I wrap up January.

Si'Cast Weekly 2023.03

2023-01-23T00:00:00Z

A quicker Weekly, getting my head down on content alongside a much-needed office trip to London.

Si 'Cast Weekly 2023.02

2023-01-15T00:00:00Z

This is the awkward follow-up to the original pilot of audio & video weeklies.

Si 'Cast Weekly 2023.01

2023-01-09T00:00:00Z

This is a pilot video for a new audio and video format weekly update, reflecting on Week 1 of 2023.

Si 'Cast - All The Side Projects

2019-03-29T00:00:00Z

An impromptu recording to talk about all of the side projects in my life and how they're rejuvenating some of my passions.

@Si ‘Cast 2 - Monzo, Amazon & #ASOSWC

2018-01-29T00:00:00Z

The awkward follow-up to the original pilot episode of my video podcast, talking tech, design and (now) some entertainment.

@Si 'Cast 6 - The State of Social Media with Simon Hamp

2017-12-02T00:00:00Z

A new (longer) format for the podcast, this time an open discussion with Simon Hamp about the state of social media (is it even social anymore?), the impact it's having on society and how we can make things better going forward.

@Si ’Cast 5 - Team Leadership

2017-11-15T00:00:00Z

Episode 5 of Si ‘Cast where I give you five tips for better team leadership.

@Si ’Cast 4 - Wellbeing with Work

2017-11-01T00:00:00Z

Episode 4 where I talk about wellbeing with work, some of the key issues I've come across and how I've tried to find a healthier balance.

@Si ‘Cast 3 - Finding time for side projects

2017-10-14T00:00:00Z

Episode 3 of my fortnightly podcast, this time talking about the challenges of side projects, how we can find the time for them and even when to admit defeat.

@Si 'Cast 1 - Acting Agile (Pilot)

2017-09-30T00:00:00Z

The first in a (hopeful) series of regular posts about tech and personal news that inspire others.