Author Archives: Alison Kidd
Market Value?
The Larks & Ravens (of which I am one) are currently “artists in residence” for one day a week in the old Victorian Market in Newport. The stunning market building was once a thriving attraction with an abundance of stalls, … Continue reading
Role of Hydrogen in Transport – A Seminar Report
The energy for the vast majority of transport, and certainly personal transport, still comes from burning fossil fuel in vehicles. Delivering that energy as electricity poses technological challenges with few solutions that promise a complete replacement for what we have … Continue reading
A Psychologist journeying with Artists
For the past few years, I have been collaborating with two socially engaged, visual artists, Pip Woolf and Kirsty Claxton. We call ourselves The Larks and Ravens for reasons that I can’t remember but probably don’t matter! As a … Continue reading
Enjoyable, meaningful lives without economic growth or jobs?
As a behavioural psychologist, I am challenged by Tim Jackson’s book “Prosperity without Growth“. Living on a finite planet, how do we find ways to flourish in a world of less economic growth and less material consumption? At the same … Continue reading
What’s the value of your home?
Isn’t it ironic that if someone happens to ask us the value of our house, we don’t tell them how attractive it is or how warm and comfortable or how much we enjoy the views. We simply give them a … Continue reading
Identity and Narrative
“There is no complete life. There are only fragments. We are born to have nothing, to have it pour through our hands.“ For anyone who puzzles about how random or intentional our behaviour really is or the power of self … Continue reading
Natural energy storage
It’s good to be reminded every now and then how plants do energy storage over long time periods much more effectively than we ever can with batteries. The process is less efficient but the lengthy time shifting is invaluable from … Continue reading
Open eyed or open minded?
Are you open to new experiences and interpretations? Able to see both sides of an argument or imagine a different way the world could be? Do you quickly spot the humour of ambiguous situations? At one time in my (increasingly) … Continue reading
Enjoying disorder
Having published my own research on messy desks and knowledge workers an age ago in 1994, it was pleasing to see that people are still exploring this fascinating subject. This more recent article explores some of the benefits of living … Continue reading
1 Year domestic solar storage data
We have now had our 6kWh Wattstor solar battery (nicknamed ‘Bert’) for a full 12 months. (It actually holds 12kWh but only half of that is used by the system.) It was installed by Gwent Energy CIC. Previously, we simply … Continue reading
