Google Chrome’s new design not working for you? Do this.

So, this week Google Chrome received a design refresh for its 15th birthday.

Only, I didn’t get it.

Well, I saw the refresh on my work laptop first, and then my own laptop. But even after a complete reinstall of Chrome on my desktop PC, I didn’t see the redesign until I switched them on via the Chrome flags.

Go to chrome://flags/

Then search for ‘Refresh’ and enable the four options:

  • Chrome Refresh 2023
  • Chrome WebUI Refresh 2023
  • Chrome Refresh 2023 New Tab Button
  • Chrome Refresh 2023 Top Chrome Font Style

Restart Chrome and ta-da!

Similarly, if you do have the refresh and don’t want to switch to it yet (understanding that at some point it will be switched on by default), you can always disable these settings for now.

Establishing digital at the heart of the University from IWMW 2016

I had a bit of a surprise this afternoon when I spoke with my sister Jenni on the phone.

“I saw that lecture you gave at the university, on YouTube,” she said.

“What lecture?”

Jenni sent me the link.

It turned out to be the one above, a talk given to the Institutional Web Management Workshop (IWMW) at John Moore’s University in Liverpool in 2016, on the eve of the infamous Brexit referendum.

There was an electricity outage at Lime Street station on the day we were meant to return to Scotland, so we hot footed it down to the Liverpool docks, hired a car and I drove back to Leuchars station where I’d parked my own car. Then I drove to Anstruther to place my vote firmly in the box that said: no I do not want to leave the EU.

Anyway, this was my talk, illustrated with a lot of LEGO-related slides.

Twenty-three years ago today

Standing outside St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness after my ordination to the presbyterate with Jenni (my wee sister), Jane (my then wife), Eddie (my wee brother, Rebecca (his wife), and in the front Benjamin (my sister’s son)

Twenty-three years ago today I was ordained a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church by Bishop John Crook at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness.

It feels like a lifetime ago, and I may have moved out of full-time, stipendiary ministry in 2006, but, praise God, I am still here. And after the five years I’ve just had, I am grateful for that.

Here’s to the next twenty-three years.

Still Wakes the Deep

Those who know me will know that two of my favourite video games are from the same games developer, The Chinese Room, Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. Both are amongst the most atmospheric and life changing games I’ve ever played.

The Chinese Room have recently announced their next game, Still Wakes the Deep. Set at Christmas 1975 on an oilrig off the coast of Scotland, the oilrig workers have drilled into something that didn’t really appreciate it.

I’m not into the horror genre at all, but I will certainly be watching closely the development of this game.

Where are you going?

Logo for Where are you going? podcast

One of my recent favourite podcasts is Where are you going? by the chatty and endearing Catherine Carr.

The premise is simple: Carr approaches strangers in the street or park and introduces herself, “Hello, I make a podcast where I ask people, ‘Where are you going?'” and then she listens and gently probes and during the next 5 to 15 minutes unearths the most extraordinary of stories from ordinary people.

But, let’s face it, nobody is truly ordinary—everyone has a remarkable story to tell, everyone’s experience and perspective is unique. And Catherine Carr, who has worked her whole career in radio, has a beautiful way of drawing these stories out through genuine intrigue and interest.

The episodes, which are released each Tuesday and Friday, are short but packed with detail and charm. It’s like everything that is great about BBC Radio 4 squeezed into a pocket-sized podcast.

Subscribe to Where are you going? where you usually find your podcasts, or listen to episodes online; also check out her Instagram account.

Right now, I’m going to stay seated at my desk to update someone’s website. After that, I have dinner to make for my children.