A few favourite foods cost a little more, and I find myself thinking about the long systems behind an ordinary lunch. I haven't traced the price rises in my shopping basket, but they open a question: what happens when one part of a system gets too narrow?

From maritime chokepoints to electric-car charging, green hydrogen in Andalucía, AI data centres and the journey of a tomato, this episode explores how fixing one bottleneck can reveal another. Building the pieces is one task; having them ready to work together is another.

Then there's the question of backups. Two suppliers may still depend on the same factory. Spare capacity can look expensive until we need it. Could AI help us notice these dependencies, compare alternatives and question assumptions—while people make the decisions?

An everyday look at bottlenecks, resilience and keeping another workable path available.

More observations, essays, and unexpected connections on the blog: OddlyRobbie.eu

A one-minute power cut in my apartment in Mediterranean Spain got me thinking about someone I haven’t met yet: eighty-year-old Robbie.

What would I want from a home that helps me stay independent? What should it know, what should it keep private—and what happens when the electricity goes off?

Starting with a few sensors and my Guardian project, I explore local AI, getting older, and the everyday jobs technology might make easier while leaving room for human care.

There’s also a trip to Stockholm on the horizon, and a very firm position on vacuuming during siesta.

My vacuum cleaner does not need Stockholm. And Stockholm does not need my nap schedule.

Season 5 begins from a different place.

After years of moving through different countries, systems, technologies, and ways of living, I’m looking less at how to get around and more at the patterns underneath everyday life.

Why does the same action mean something different in another culture? What do classrooms, cafés, paperwork, money, technology, music, and community reveal about the systems we live inside?

This season starts with ordinary moments and follows them outward.

One café doesn’t explain Spain. Spain doesn’t explain Europe. And I’ll probably revise some of my conclusions along the way.

That’s part of the point.

Same Oddly Robbie. A different place to look from.

A podcast about people, places, technology, and the patterns in between.