Hybrid Competence: harnessing the workforce of the future

What do LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, and Apple all have in common?

They all give their employees time and space to work on their own projects, usually on company time. What did this achieve? Well, apart from numerous innovations that we all use today (Gmail anyone?) it did one very important thing. It gave their employees freedom. Freedom, it’s the thing we all crave. And when we are given it by our company, it does wonders for the headspace.

The Glasgow Writer: Singl-End

With a firm commitment to The Glasgow Writer, I began with a recommendation to Singl-End (not a typo) in Merchant City from a friend. And I’m glad because I had never noticed it before I went looking for it. Not that it’s hidden away, but just because I wasn’t too familiar with the Italian Centre. Situated on John street, on the left-hand side of a Tryptych of businesses; the other two being Katie’s Bar and Osteria, it’s not immediately obvious that it’s a café. But is it a good writing spot?

Reviewing Comics: Year One

So about this time last year, I started reviewing comics for Comic Book Yeti, a small, independent review site. I really enjoy reviewing things, and my Master’s Degree with Honours in English Literature has convinced me that my opinion on matters of art is worth listening to. (It’s definitely not. But just try to stop my rampant narcissism).

This was during the last major lockdown in the UK so I had very little else on at the time. Unfortunately, I only managed a few months before returning to work and all my time being swallowed back up, and sadly falling away from it all. So in this pointless little article, I’m revisiting each comic to see if they made a lasting impression.

Best of 2021: Films, Albums, Games, and TV

What. A. Year.

Before the first month was over, we watched a bunch of extremists storm the seat of the US congress, and a bunch of fed-up Redditors used Gamestop to get revenge on hedge funds to the tune of billions.

And it didn’t let up: military coups in Myanmar, relentless bombings of Palestine, the rise of NFT’s and the Metaverse, a bunch of rich white guys had a dick measuring contest in space, and of course, that little thing called covid.

Yes, another plague year is over and we are still here, consuming media like it’s the only thing worth doing. So without further ado, let me dive into the truly subjective, most likely controversial, list of my personal favourites from the unforgettable 2021.

7 Random things that helped me through lockdown

Lockdown for me feels like a distant memory already, but things are by no means normal yet. As the threat of a potential lockdown over winter looms, here are some things that helped me kill time, while keeping my brain engaged and happy during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

Killtopia #3 Review

This review was initially for Comic Book Yeti, but since they normally only review #1’s I figured I would post this here and hopefully convince a few more people to get in on #4 Kickstarter. Check out Comic Book Yeti as well!

Get your Kickstarter Comic Reviewed!

Having run several successful Kickstarter campaigns over the past few years, one thing that always took the most time was getting reviews. Many review sites disregard Kickstarter comics for their lack of exposure to the wider community, the lack of big names attached and the varying degrees of quality produced.

I’m here to change that.

Vault Comics FREE FIRSTS – Top 10

As I enter my third lockdown of the year, I made a resolution to read more comics. And it seemed like my lucky stars had aligned as publisher Vault Comics opened their doors and made issue 1 of 30 titles free to download. So after reading all three, I figured I’d spotlight my top ten to encourage others to seek them out too!

Read on to see the criteria and the final rankings!

The Art of Conversation Part 2, representing dialogue in comics.

One of the greatest limitations of dialogue in comics is the lack of space. The general rule of thumb is as follows; up to nine panels a page, with up to fifty words per panel. What you don’t realize until you start writing comics is that fifty words is not a lot. Especially if you are trying to depict a conversation. But you don’t have to feel like you are constantly butting up against an upper word limit. Read on to see some of the ways dialogue can shoulder more narrative weight than just the words written on the page.