A review of my 2025 resolutions

Me and Alison sat at a bar looking at the camera
Me and Alison earlier this year

Well I did say in 2024…

This year has been full of ups and downs, its a year I’m not going to forget.

2025 likely took on the challenge and hit it out the park. Talking of highs and peaks something big happened in 2025.

2025 was a struggle emotionally and practically while I faced for the first time my position being made redundancy, Last time at this time of the year, I was told the week before it was happening for sure. I then needed to pull myself together and plan for my uncertain future. Regardless I went ahead with my almost 3 months of paid holiday, had 5 different redundancy parties (why not?) and planned for what next.

Next included a heck load of travel! I visited Bristol, Lancaster, Amsterdam,  Henden Bridge, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bath, Buxton, Harderwjik, Berlin, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sheffield, Barcelona, Helsinki, Espoo, Portishead, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Zwolle, Weston Super Mare, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Saint-Emillion, Berlin, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Gzira, Silema, Brussels, Breman, Soltau, Hoofddorp, Huddlesfield, Newport and London; this year.

Sadly I spent a lot of it on planes, my carbon foot print wasn’t good (a total of 14 trips on planes, mainly on KLM via Amsterdam). HS2 to Manchester, therefore to Europe is a but a distant dream, for now?

Sleep has taken a bit of dip again, likely due to the stress of redundancy and setting up a limited business. From average of 6.8 hours to 6.5 hours.

My Trakt time says, I watched way too much drama, and watched 161 movies, and 454 shows.

So what about my 2025 resolutions?

Eugen Rochko and Myself at Fosdem 2025
Eugen Rochko and Myself at Fosdem 2025
  1. Find a new position of employment
    Last week was the week last year when I received the official letter that my position in BBC R&D was being made redundant. The word was out and I looked at my options, picked up a few of the projects I had in mind forlosi personal and work.
    I’m working part time for New_Public on their open source plans for the Public Service Incubator, its great working with them and the 6 other public service broadcasters (most I knew already)
    In between I am doing bits of work here and there including lectures & talks. The other projects I’m working on is digital legacy via the machine readable wishes and the online dating manifesto.
    The most stressful part is running a limited company, I feel like I jumped into deep end of freelancing as it took forever to get setup and feel like I wasn’t prepared for the huge change but hope next year will be more settled.
  2. Finish my dating book
    While all the massive amount of changes, I also spent quite a bit of time working on the dating book. I even gave a sneak peak of the cover during the publicspaces conference in June (if you were there during lunch). The struggles of the book name, subtitle, cover, etc has been covered. The stake to publicly release before Hannah finishes her PhD is pretty much been won, as the final cut is Hannah now.
    I have made one last decision on the self publishing side. I’m going to spend part of the festive period and January going through the writers and publishers book to give it one more try before going the self publishing route for sure.
  3. Head even further a field with the scooter
    This didn’t happen, I had the opportunity to head to the Netherlands via the scooter but the costs of getting across channel to Europe was too high at the time (I was being careful with money having no solid income at the time). Another one for next year?
  4. Learn to drive a car
    As my partner keeps reminding me, driving a car would be really useful. However although I had more time as such (although job searching is super stressful and requires a lot of time) I had far less funds and wasn’t high on my list. Who knows maybe it might happen next year but unlikely.
  5. Listen to 25 Audiobooks in the year
    Currently I am on a train listening to audiobook number 27 (Cooked a natural history of transformation by Michael Pollan). So I have pretty much blazed through the 25 and thats with my old spa closing down and the lack of regular audiobook time.
  6. Go to a new country
    Yes I went to Malta surprisingly, with my partner. Not really a place I planned to visit but who knows maybe I’ll pop back one day in the future? This year my carbon footprint has not been good, with a 14 trips mainly via Amsterdam. I wish HS2 was happening up to Manchester because I would have happily got trains.
  7. Go to a new Rollercoaster park
    Yes marked off, I ended up going to Heide park near Hamburg, which is owned by Merlin (same as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park in the UK). Two rides of note are Flug der Dämonen and Colossos – Kampf der Giganten (I only got 2 rides before a film crew took it over for the rest of the afternoon.
  8. See more of my friends further a field
    This started to happen, there are quite a few I haven’t seen in ages but a lesson for me is to be better at planning a head
  9. Personal knowledge management and task rethink
    I started using Vikunji for tasks and Anytype for longer notes. Its working but I’m having issues with Vikunja flatpak as a client currently (think its a flatpak issue), the CALDav support does work but I find it iffy when using another CALDav client on Android and Linux. I’m going to try self-hosting it again.
    Anytype is good but I find some of the ways things work a bit strange. For example trying to invoke a type on the Android app is more painful than it should be. Even creating bullets is more pain than it should be. I was also lead to believe the collaboration options didn’t need the full app to work, like it would create a web version if shared. This isn’t true from what I can see and from my tests.
  10. Be more active about my personal health
    Some good news on this front. I had a coach for a short while and he suggested I was doing everything right but I should do some weights to move things around my body. So I gave it a try and its happening. Then my spa shutdown but after a lot of hassle I found an alternative (Nuttfield heath) which works.
    Generally I’m about the same weight but my clothes are dropping in size, meaning things are moving to the right parts of my body.
    I’m also leaning more about what it means to be older and using my quantified self approach to full understand certainly aspects of what is happening. Of course I’m seeking professional advice from NHS doctors too.
  11. Create a new social event
    I thought a lot about this one but I just didn’t have the energy and time. Had a lot of thoughts and maybe I should look through the notes soon .
  12. Do my bit for others in the community
    This didn’t happen but something weird happened. A couple of friends who are mothers, got in touch over the year because their sons have gone through university and struggling to find their way into the tech industry. Long story short, I have been doing my bit by working together loosely Its not what I was originally thinking but life takes you to different places if you let it..

Smart rings turns your thoughts into text?

I had to share how different the approaches of both Sandbar Stream ($249) and the RePebble’s Index 01 ($75) are.

Sandbar’s stream ring is closed, propriety, beautiful, add day battery and uses AI.

RePebble’s index 01 ring is open source, funky/fuggy looking, battery which lasts years? and avoids AI

For me the Index 01 calls me (although I do worry about the battery as smart rings don’t have a good rep in this space) , because it has a vision of openness. I expect Index 02, 03 and others who build on top of it will do things which will be super interesting and useful. This is what made the Pebble super interesting and why I find Eric Migicovsky, such a fantastic designer/developer/creator. His values are infused through each project he’s started.

Some news about me and my wonderful partner, Alison

Me and Alison sat at a bar looking at the camers

I have some news to share and have been sharing it slowly when meeting people since Summer. After 3.5 years of being together, you can guess me and Alison are now engaged! It was Alison who proposed to me, which is a thing as it runs in the family, with her mum and grandma proposing to their partners too.

We recently changed our relationship status on Facebook, but I don’t think Facebook should have a monopoly on this, so here is a short blog post.

This is a solid commitment to each other. Especially as a lot has happened recently with my family, my position being made redundant and starting my own business.

We plan to have a long engagement as we would like to live together before officially getting married. Ultimately we are committed to each other and would like people to know how we feel.

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Dec 2025)

Traffic jam of cabs in New York shot from the back with red lights from the cabs
Cars everywhere: (cc-by-nd) https://www.flickr.com/photos/strolicfurlan/24747443097/

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed seeing the questionable AI courtcase in the UK, Zuck running an illegal school and big tech refusing to talk about election influencing in the Netherlands.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with Android supporting airdrop, The Eurosky sovereign bluesky project now has open code and Dr Ruha Benjamin’s unlearn speech from Mozfest 2025.

The future of addiction

Ian thinks: I found this conversation spot on, as it touches on many things I find really interesting right now and links them up. From the problems of mass social media to weaponized addiction being generated on mass. Addiction is always a contentious point but regardless, it all points to a future where our revealed preferences are indulged without friction for profit and control..

Why we need a war on cars

Ian thinks: I don’t drive a car, and this episode is full of interesting points including the one about superman, electric cars effect on space and the city and the social impact on loneliness.

The characteristics of a AI bubble

Ian thinks: If you are in the tech field or even looking in, its clear everybody is talking about the AI bubble but this podcast from Wired again, really breaks down the characteristic of a bubble.

Keep Android open

Ian thinks: Great site, seems Google might have listened to the pressure in recent days. What they mean by an alternative is a big question however.

Reasons for divorce: AI relationship

Ian thinks: We all new this was coming. You message first thing in the morning, last thing at night, you message on the toilet! That relationship seems so innocent but engaging. Now there is legal challenges a foot, which could make that relationship grounds for a divorce.

Digital legacy and death tech overview

Ian thinks: This video from Wired magazine, starts off with the usual cryogenic nonsense  but then grief bots and AI avatars suddenly become a lot more real. I especially like the shout out to get a will and manage your digital legacy. This is something I am working on with a project called Machine readable wishes.

NSA’s mobile phone guide

Ian thinks: The NSA’s mobile guide is interesting reading, there are nuggets of information such as restart your phone weekly and have a case which block room audio. Paranoid or just good advice?

Bots are the future of social media?

Ian thinks: I recently gave a talk about AI to a health insurances. I talked a lot about loneliness and bots. Although I didn’t include it, this detailed video forecasts the logical end of social being the dead internet theory but far far worst.

What does 47,000 conversations with ChatGPT tell us?

Ian thinks: Remember when OpenAPI was sharing chatGPT conversations? Well analysis of the conversations by the Gerrit De Vynck tells us exactly how puppy like and integrated it is with peoples lives. Counter to what the AI companies have been saying, this is worry-some to hear and read.

Like this newsletter? find the monthly archive here

Best tips for dealing with your digital legacy

Wired magazine has a good summary of the death tech or I prefer digital legacy space. I can believe the sector is worth  125,000,000,000 dollars but people are throwing money around in the wrong places I feel.

The best part of the video comes when talking about what people can actually do to take some control over their digital legacy. First step get a will, talk with your family and finally take some control of your data now.

This is why I have been working on machine readable wishes, which work alongside a will. It could be super useful to help people take control of their legacy in the future. The beauty of it is, that it is legal now (in common law countries), doesn’t require any major changes and is open source.

To learn more check out the link site, blog, slides explaining the project and the github code which works with N8N.

The past and the future of portable DJing in one shot

A Pacemaker device and the Drift Zero one sat next to each other on a table top. Both are turned on
The past and the future of portable DJing in one shot.

A post was recently share on the Drift DJ discord.
The pacemaker when djing went pocket sized and the world wasnt ready

Its a really good piece about the massive leap the Pacemaker device provided way back in 2008. In short the device was up against smartphones like the iphone. Smartphones turned everything down to software.

…the idea of carrying a dedicated device for DJing felt quaint when your phone could theoretically do the same thing via an app

Theres mentions of Tonium’s attempts with the Blackberry playbook, something I used and absolutely hated after my bad experience. Then the change to software, on the iOS platform with the first to have Spotify integration. But I do like the nod to the community and people like myself who modified their Pacemaker devices with a SSD, new battery and replacing the firmware with unofficial builds. I actually use one of the unofficial ones on one device and the last official one on another for live mixing and stability.

But best of all is the ambition of the Pacemaker device. Its what got me to buy my very first one back in 2007.

Looking back at the Pacemaker now, it feels like a glimpse of a future that never quite materialised. The device represented a genuine attempt to rethink DJing for a mobile-first world, to distil the essence of club culture into something genuinely portable without compromising on functionality. It had vision, ambition, and genuine innovation behind it. The execution was largely solid, the feature set comprehensive, and the user experience thoughtfully designed. In many ways, it was exactly what it promised to be: the world’s first truly portable professional DJ system.

For those who owned one, used one, or simply appreciated what it tried to do, the Pacemaker remains a fascinating piece of music technology history. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most interesting innovations aren’t the ones that achieve mainstream success but rather the ones that push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and show what’s possible when you’re willing to think differently about established conventions.

In the picture, I put the Pacemaker device next to the Drift DJ zero and suggest this could be everything the Pacemaker promised and very almost delivered on. Its clear portable DJ systems are incredible and provide all types of possibilities not realised. Maybe its time for a #DJhackday?

Drift Zero DJ, alpha testing

The Drift DJ Zero on top of a box with Ian written on it

I have been using the Pacemaker device for I believe 17 years now but I have been looking around for the next generation of DJ tools. It was Si who first sent me the Drift DJ zero and I was sold pretty much straight away.

Under a year later, I have have signed up as a alpha tester and today it came in the post from Chicago.

Its quite an incredible device, with the level of quality I expect will last even the most crazy DJ performances. Its small (its just a bit bigger a profile than my Pixel 9 pro, likely same size as the XL one) and its lighter than I expected, not pacemaker device light but easy to carry or host on a tray table on a train or plane. (Can’t wait to see the faces of KLM staff in the near future). All the buttons and nobs are solid and tactile in a way only another DJ would understand. The weighting and feedback is just right, while the screen is just delightful to see. Navigation is pretty intuitive as I haven’t looked at any documentation at all to date.

Drift DJ in the dark on a desk

As this is the alpha, its not got a lot of the features like DJing or library control but the testers have access to a git repo to upload updates via USB. Not played enough yet but I have been told I can SSH into the device for extreme levels of control. When the official build becomes available, I will also receive one for the testing my feedback; which I feel is a fantastic deal.

One thing is for clear, I really need to sort out my music library, because the Pacemaker editor was prehistoric and I never managed it.

Expect updates and who knows a mix or two in the near future…

Fireside chat about the Fediverse and so much more

I had the absolute pleasure of talking about the social internet, public values and so much more in the Fireside Fedi chat. It was really good fun and we covered a lot in a short time. Everything from the Fediverse to CSS is covered in a relaxed and fun way.

Available on the Fediverse or if you want just the audio.(its better with the video for our expressions)

Thank you very much Ozone for the fun time we had discussing everything.

Recursive rhythms: the bring back techno ciento climb mix

Close up photo of the Pacemaker DJ device while sitting on a flight
Pacemaking on British Airlines

Conference season is pretty much over and my last event was the excellent Mozilla Festival, this time in Barcelona. I took a KLM flight via Amsterdam on the way and created the base of a interesting mix. On the way back I flew via Heathrow on BA (a reminder how much I don’t like Heathrow, and use to fly from Gatwick when I could).

On my BA flight, I re-did the mix with a few tweaks and the resulting mix was created. Created using the very ageing Pacemaker device on KLM and remix/raised on BA? as such?

Its a strange one because there is a bit of reusing of the same tunes, which isn’t a thing you do when DJing, but it kind of worked. Also maybe the early mornings, 4 hours of sleep and climbing what felt like 100 steps to the festival, had gotten to me?

What ever it is, I have been enjoying this longer mix, as it includes new tunes, especially Bring back the techno which I also heard DJ B Jones playing on the Saturday night party.

Enough typing… You can listen to the mix in full quality on my mixgarden or at reasonable quality here too.

  1. 00:00:00 – Vibration (extended mix) – Redub
  2. 00:03:16 – Intruder – Armin vs M.I.K.E
  3. 00:06:31 – My beat (jan Driver mix) – Blaze
  4. 00:11:18 – Rerflection (extended mix)  – Ferry Corsten
  5. 00:14:46 – Emotions Of Colour (Extended Mix) – Cosmic Gate & Gid Sedgwick
  6. 00:19:48 – Ecstasy – Eddie Makabi feat Einat
  7. 00:24:12 – Bring back the techno (extended mix) – Orjan neilson, Mark sixma, nilsix
  8. 00:27:41 – Eclipse – Neo
  9. 00:31:15 – Inferno – Carl Cox
  10. 00:35:43 – Mass Noise 2015 – fred baker & Seb B
  11. 00:39:35 – Whites of her eyes – Simon Patterson
  12. 00:43:59 – You (extended mix) – Cosmic gate
  13. 00:46:48 – Emotions Of Colour (Extended Mix) – Cosmic Gate & Gid Sedgwick
  14. 00:52:13 – Silver bath (Adam El-Sayed 2015 rework – Plastic boy
  15. 00:56:48 – Outlaw (extended mix) – Fatum
  16. 01:00:57 – Bring back the techno ((Extended Mix) – Orjan Nilsen, Mark Sixma (Nilsix)
  17. 01:02:40 – Anasthasia (Extended Mix) – Mark Sixma vs T99

Helsinki familiar stranger mix

Two strangers watch a cocktail being made in a dim lit bar with a bartender facing them.

About a month ago I was in Helsinki for the Mydata conference, one of the things I like to do is find new places. A guy I knew from Manchester suggested a really amazing speakeasy place to me, while I complained about the sugar-horrific gin & lemon in a can  one night.

So I checked it out and thought it was a fantastic bar, although having your phone locked away when you needed to know the last train is quite something. However I met a stranger at the bar and we talked for a while and even walked back to the train station. Then on a second night after going to the theme park in Helsinki, he was there again. Although not a familiar stranger, it was some inspiration for this mix.

Recorded on the flights back to Manchester and a bit of tweaking, I present the Helsinki familiar stranger mix at 192k on peertube and now finally on my own peetube mixgarden in full quality.

  1. 00:00:00 – Industry – Green Martian
  2. 00:05:49 – Bloodmoon (Extended mix) – Jarome Isma & Tone Depth
  3. 00:10:59 – Intruder – Armnin vs M.I.K.E
  4. 00:16:39 – Erase – Brooks Aleksander
  5. 00:20:14 – Inferno – Carl Cox
  6. 00:24:39 – Eclipse – Neo
  7. 00:28:08 – Shnokel (Thank you city remix) – Ido Ophir, Miki Litvak
  8. 00:30:56 – Open up (full vocal mix) – Leftfield
  9. 00:33:56 – Circles – Robert Nickson
  10. 00:39:02 – Seven Cities (V-one’s living cities mix) – Solar Stone
  11. 00:45:03 – Home (Cosmic gate remix – Paul Van Dyk Feat Johnny Mcdaid
  12. 00:50:50– Indigo – 4×4