And so to Newcastle for a meeting with North East Connects to discuss information governance. Very timely too, given that the Information Commissioner published their annual report today.

newcastle01.jpg

Two recent stories about manufacturing in the north east.

From the Financial Times on July 4th - A Touch of Glass - the story of a firm in Blaydon which produces around 70% of the glass screens for ATMS.

And from May’s Scientific American, Carbon Nanonets Spark New Electronics . Only the start of the article is available online. But it’s basically about the creating a new generation of electronics based on carbon, rather than silicon.

And one of only a handful of companies in the world involved in this is a company called
Thomas Swan , based in Consett. And what’s the source of this carbon? ….well, it’s coal, of which Durham and Northumberland still have in fantastic abundance.

Every winter, while throwing another shovel of coal on the fire, I make the same joke. ‘What happens if a future generation finds a use for coal, as yet not discovered? Will they not look back and curse the way we burnt so much of it?’. I’m beginning to think again, perhaps this winter we’ll be chucking logs on the fire - at least they’re sustainable.