Yes, it's taken a new install of Mac OSX as well as five days of leave to get them ready, four of which were spent doing other things.
Enjoy!
New York - Summer 07
New York - Fall 07
Winter coming soon, I'm waiting for some more snow.
Christmas got off to a rocky start today, with my first NY accident.
Bec and I finally made our way to Brooklyn Bridge on a very sunny Christmas Eve. There are two distinct lanes on the bridge, pedestrians and bike riders. I wanted to get a better view of the Manhattan bridge that is just off to the side. Forgetting my "Crossing the Street 101" lessons, I looked one way on the bike lane and forgot the other. I only took one step forward before I heard a "Watch out!!", and the distinctly unpleasant sight of a bike rider going over his own handlebars.
Nasty stuff, having experienced that type of fall myself.
The guy was bleeding from his nose, with scrapes on his arms and legs. Luckily the clothing shielded him from some of the damage. The strange thing was that the guy went into the closest thing I have seen to shock, not being able to breathe or stand properly. We had to lie him down, and get him to calm down a bit. Called 911 - also a first - and they arrived very promptly, within 10 min. Glad to know that my NY tax is paying for some decent service.
They strapped him up and carried him off to the ambulance. I just hope that he's ok, with no lasting injuries, and that I didn't ruin his Christmas.
On a brighter note, our Christmas Eve home cooking was a marvelous success.
Have a wonderful holidays everyone, I hope you'll still be reading in the New Year!
I kept hearing that 'Shake Your Tailfeather' song as I stepped off the plane. At least it was a decent temperature, better than that -2 degrees we had in New York.
Two things that struck me about Miami; the vibe around South Beach with no honking and cars slowing down for pedestrians; and the oversized boobs on display - from women (real and fake) to mannequins (definitely fake).
The beach was calm, low waves and a stretch of sand as long as Gold Coast. It was a wonderful place to read and relax.
Bec and I ventured into a club - Mansion - as well as a boutique hotel - Delano - where Jamie Foxx had his 40th birthday the night before we went. $20 to get into Mansion was money well spent, that place was as close to a 'superclub' as I have seen. Plus more oversized boobs on display at the club.
I would recommend the stone crab as Joe's Stone Crab, if you come during the crab season, and make sure to order the large claws. I wonder, in a restaurant that could seat 300, and each person orders 3-5 claws each, and there's 3 rounds of people eating night, how many crab bodies do they chuck away in one night??
Check out Flickr once in a while, I'm still working on the photos.
I always wanted to go overseas, to experience new things, meet new people, visit new places.
Have a chat to Bec the other day, and when asked "are you really happy here in New York?" my answer was "it's ok".
Is New York what I expected it to be? What did I expect to achieve in the first place? Why did I want to come here?
Going overseas to me was always a chance to refresh myself, to get that "newcomer" perspective that I did not have when in Sydney. Part of the "living overseas" need was from friends who had made the jump aready, and their "experiences" and (when I was a single man) their "escapades" aka hoey stories.
Given that the hoey stories is now not part of the equation, what "experiences" would I want, especially in the New York?
It's strange, I haven't had the urge to read up on the goings on here in New York, prefering the trusty www.smh.com.au. I don't know what's happening, I don't know what's good to do. Lucky for me Bec has made a lot more inroads in this part, so I'm still able to get out there and do new things.
Work has been fairly slow, so it hasn't motivated me to any high level (damn delayed projects).
I would like to meet more people, and I'm beginning to realise that this is a slow process:
Georges Seurat was showing at MOMA. Better known for his dot paintings, he did do a lot of sketches during his short career. The exhibition focussed on those sketches, as well as how those sketches contributed to his final paintings.
So of the stuff he sketched was amazing, and the word sketch doesn't quite describe it. It was more of a tone on tone shading, and the differences between certain sections was what defined the shapes. The subtlety of where the shades changed was very impressive.
I've always liked the use of charcoal and graphite in paintings, because of the diversity of the product. There can be a sharpness and intricacy in the picture that brushes would be hard pressed to achieve. And, as shown by Seurat, a blending of shades that rivals mixing paint.
What was also great to see at the exhibition were all these amateur artists bringing in their sketch books and mimicking some of the drawings there. A few of them were really skilled! Made me want to buy a sketch book and get into it.
MOMA is a great place to spend the afternoon, especially when it was snowing outside. The more I live around Midtown the more I like the fact that so many of these places are accessible by foot. I'm pretty sure I don't want to move for a while :)
Having done a reinstall of my Mac, I was going through some old photos that I've imported. I miss my karaoke buddies! Special shout out to Simon "Skeet Skeet" Watt, whom I couldn't find a photo of.
It's always fun to see old friends, especially coming to visit us in New York. This week we had Reenie, Andrea, Cheyne and Mel all loitering around the Big Apple for a few days. We have the pleasure of Reenie and Andrea staying with us for the next few days. The pad is slightly squeezy, there have been some "are you finished with the toilet?" calls, but on the whole it's been fine. Definitely glad that we have a one-bedder, I just feel bad that they don't have much privacy!
People always ask us about the friends that we have made here in NY. I would say that it's a hard thing to do, because:
a) There are many good friends we already have trouble keeping in touch with.
b) Bec and I, being a couple, can hang out together and do things, and not feel as much the need to meet up with others.
Perhaps in time, one will find better friends in new cities. I do remember one my friends who moved overseas a few years ago telling me that there is always a greater comfort level with some people back home than anyone you meet in your new city. Maybe you just don't share that "growing up" stage, and the memories are not as emotionally strong.
Meanwhile, I take this opportunity to hang with some old friends and share some new memories!
An Aussie work friend of mine was describing to a US colleague that there is a pattern in how Aussies make nicknames out of their friends. There are four categories:
There's always something happening in our lives here. Previously it was moving to our new place, then it was buying furniture for our new place, then it was travelling for work, this week it was buying coats in preparation for winter (40% off, by the way!).
What I have found is that I've been very bad at keeping that promise I made to myself a while ago. There seems to be no time for it, or rather I'm still not very motivated to do anything about it. I don't know how to make it more of my life, or maybe the issue is that I'm still not sure what problem I really want to tackle.
All I know is that the problem should be addressed at increasing the ability of people to be given an opportunity to succeed, whether that be education, or cultural change, or financial means. Perhaps I'm thinking too globally, where there are plenty of opportunities here in New York. Just have to find the right trigger for myself to kick into gear.
Halloween brings all sorts of strange characters out during the night. It's surprising how into it the people in New York are. We went to a night club, and practically 95% of the people there were dressed up, even though it was not mandatory. I saw Where's Wally, a banana, Sccoby Doo, Cleopatra (hot!), and a whole lot of short-skirted and busty women :)
As Bec and I walked to the night club, I was thinking this would be what frat or sorority dress up parties would be like. I thought that I would be too old for this, but it was actually a lot of fun, especially since everyone else was so enthusiastic.
And in case you were wondering....
I visited my grandma again last weekend. It was her 86th birthday.
It's a strange thing to see someone who is still alive, but fails to respond to any outside stimulus. The Alzheimer's has definitely taken its toll, with Grandma asleep most of the time. She woke up for about 10min, and then went back to sleep again. And by "awake" I mean she opened her eyes, but did not say anything, did not move, do not live.
Realistically, I know that she does not hear me, doesn't feel me holding her hand. But then we have to be positive, and think that each visit registers somehow in her brain, and that she still feels the love. Perhaps if she still had the power of speech she might convey what we are trying to convey to her.
The one thing I did come away with was that she looked at peace. Maybe she's soaring through the skies, wandering the galaxy, and got annoyed that she had to come back to see her grandson :)
I hope that's the case.
I wrote about being a gentleman a while back, and how I thought I would step up to the plate when there was a need to stand by my girlfriend.
I failed.
It's shameful to admit, but it happened. Whilst (thank goodness) there was no violence, the potential for it was enough. Looking back on it, I remember thinking should I say something, but it seemed to go very fast, and nothing came out.
I am a naturally non-confrontational guy, but this is too much.
So going forward, it's definitely moved up in the "areas to improve on". Bec's right, all the inbox clearing abilities matters not if I don't have the courage to stand up for the things that are important in life.
Strangely enough, when I have confronted people, I seem to be quite eloquent in my manner and my speech. It's just a matter of utilising this skill, and making myself apply it when I should! At least I passed a test yesterday :)
The first step is to acknowledge, and sometimes that's the hardest bit of all.
Ikea sometimes sucks, or maybe I'm just bad at reading instructions.
Sunday was a day of frantic activity to build all the furniture, all in time for Monday's big arrival. I had a budget for my LCD coming over here, but lucky for me I only had to use half of it to get myself a Sharp Aquos 42in bad boy. Having played my Xbox on a normal TV, I'll be the first to say that High Definition makes a massive difference to the visual splendour, especially on a game such as Gears of War.
We are now all set, pictures of the apartment to come real soon!
Plus I am hooking up XBox Live. Does anyone else play, and if so, what's your profile name?
*Bonus post*
I've had a bit more time to review my inbox processing since I'm just starting work. Saw a video about it the other day, with the majority of the information at a website http://www.inboxzero.com/.
A few points that I thought were worth remebering:
With these, I'm doing email less, ie check only once per hour. Will see how this goes !
It took about 2 weeks of taxi rides from the serviced apartment to the new place, but we've finally checked out of 777 Sixth Ave, and moved to our new building, called the Biltmore (yes, the views are great. No, we don't have those views from our apartment). After the Bed Bath and Beyond adventure, we embarked on an Ikea one to get the furniture pieces such as the bookshelves and tables. Side note: Ikea has the cheapest food I've seen for a long time. $1.95 for a full plate of breakfast!
So the weekend was spent unpacking goodies and allocating areas to put it into. Ah the joys of moving around. I don't understand how some people can do this on a regular basis. It's just too annoying.
We've got a guest arriving next Friday, so there's still a few days to get everything sorted out. As part of the rent of staying here, people are going to have to help out with the construction of our furniture!
Photos to come soon. Of course, since I haven't even done my London pictures yet, it could be a while :)
EDIT: Just put up the London photos. Enjoy!
Even fitting out the basics of an apartment costs quite a bit of money. I am now a lot more appreciative of hand-me-downs when I first moved out a few years ago.
Bed Bath and Beyond is a quality place for both kinck knacks and decent furniture items. Bec and I spent a solid 4 hours there to get our stuff. It was good to know that our tastes are relatively similiar, with minimal arguments over the fitout of the apartment (although there was a substantial amount of indecision over a cooking pot). The great thing is they package it all up for you and deliver it on the same or next day, depending on the time you purchase, for a relatively cheap amount.
So whilst Saturday was the purchasing, Sunday was the unwrapping and the beginning of the actual settling down into New York. The serviced apartment has always been temporary. Now that there's furniture and other things like toilet brushes in our new apartment, it's feeling a lot more like home. The more I see this apartment, the more I realise that of the ones that we were deciding upon, it was the best choice.
So for all those coming to visit, we'll look after you :)
And I'm down for watching the Yankees live, especiallly beating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 today. I have my own hat!
Since coming to New York, we've been trying to make the most out of the summer days we have left. This includes walking around Central Park, going to rooftop bars, eating at outdoor cafes etc. Joining this list of summer activities this Saturday was skirmish.
It's been a while since I've played and a few things are the same as remembered them:
Picked up a new mag the other day (yes, we've already started hanging out at the Barnes & Noble to read mags for free!) and read about the TR35, MIT Technology Review's perspective of the most promising technology people under 35.
I was thoroughly impressed by what some of these people are doing, from making bacteria that eats specifically at cancer cells, to the guy who invented those verifcation word images when you sign on to new website. The scope of science and where it's going is amazing to read about, and they are all under 35!
There was one guy who was developing ways to use mobile phones to manage business and documentation, in conjunction with the phone camera. It's really taken off in developing countries, especially assisting with the microfinance industry.
I think we're living in an age where the advances in technology are getting bigger and bigger. All these things will further other advances, building upon itself. And it's the practicality of some of these inventions that will benefit us greatly.
I made a promise to start focussing on one of the world's problems and getting the most knowledge I can about it. This article has given me that necessary boost.
There is a strange transition period when moving to a new city / country, where one feels like a local and a tourist at the same time. Things that have been achieved this week:
The first week in our new city is coming to an end, and it feels like I've been here for a while already. Highlights to note:
It has been a blast coming to London and seeing old friends and checking out the place. Whilst sight-seeing has been good (Tate Modern, London Eye, British Museum, Portobello Markets etc) the real reason has been too catch up with people. Having gone to a party on Saturday, it was amazing how many Sydney-siders have made this journey over to London to do their thing. It made the concept of living here a lot easier to imagine for me.
There were a few special people that made this trip worthwhile, and I was glad to have spent some decent time with them in terms of outings, dinners, lunches and poker to see how their lives are now. I have to admit that I'm not that good with emails (2 months between replies is a fairly standard time period) so seeing them face-to-face was a real joy. It's also great to know that even without that regular contact, there are friends who will always have something to share, something to laugh about, something to remember.
Thanks to everyone I saw for making the effort to come out and taking time to see us. You've made me feel like I'm back home :) Please come and visit me in New York!
Yes, I missed out on a Honkers post, but I'll post up my diary entry for Sunday 12 Aug.
"Barcelona definitely lives up to the party capital moniker. We were out till 1:30am last night and it felt like Sydney on New Year's Eve! There were so many people out and about...of course there were the usual drunken louts, but nothing threatening.
We found some new age tapas restaurant last night (Bubo's) that didn't quite hit the spot, but they did have some of the best looking desserts I have seen, and the taste wasn't too bad. We did find a more decent tapas afterwards and ordered a jug of sangria. The combination of thirstiness and easy-to-drinkness of sangria meant we downed it very quickly, and boy was I shattered afterwards! Straight to bed :)
Today was all about the sights in Barcelona, but with the holiday season, we had to queue to get into places. Checked out the majority of the Gaudi exhibits, and am very impressed with his mix of functionality, asthetics and design. He was definitely ahead of his time.
Would recommend to people the Casa Batllo, even if it was a bit expensive. The audio guide was very good, and the place is very cool. Still very livable to this day.
Noticed that there weren't many cars of the roads, perhaps because the Metro is so efficient? Maybe they have one of those congestion charge things like in London.
We also went to the Museu Picasso. Am becoming more of a fan, as he was skilled in all types of art. Liked his initial cubism work, but the latter stuff was a bit too abstract / strange for me. What stood out was that he was mind-blowingly good even at the early age of 15! Maybe in those days people died younger, and hence they needed to be all over it in their teens as opposed to now when teens still have no idea what they want!"
We're hitting the final stretches of this move, and compiled is a list of things done over the past week that I won't be doing for a while:
All good memories. Next post will be from Honkers. The adventure has started!
Apologies to my avid readers that I'm behind on my Sunday post by a factor of two days. The administration over the last few days coupled with work has made blogging a lower priority, but I will endeavour to keep up the postings (especially in Europe!)
Having some of my good friends over for a BBQ on the weekend made me start to realise that it's going to be very sad to leave Sydney. My friends are my lifeblood, and moving to a new city, whilst exciting for Bec and I, will mean a lot less good friends around. I'll miss the poker games, the X-Box nights, the board games, the dinners, the Singstar/Guitar Hero, the general hanging out with people that I've known for a very long time. Sure we'll meet new friends there, but it will take a while (if ever) to get to know them to a point of sharing old jokes, laughing at stupid things and generally being as much as myself as I can be. It hit me pretty hard.
However, I realise how lucky I am to live in an age where email is a click away, I can hook up a video link via the internet, and even airfares are affordable enough for a visit. But it's not the same as being together in one city. I'm sure a lot of my other international friends have gone through this ritual and survived, so I'm sure there is light at the end of the tunnel. I did it once before, going to Sweden, it should be ok.
To all my buddies, I'll miss you all, take care of yourselves, and more visits to New York! :)
We won the Copa del Rey 3-2 in a nail-biting game, with the winning goal scored in the 112th minute of the match. It was a long hard struggle for our team to make it to the finals of the tournament, but it was worth it. We even did the Spanish double of winning the Segunda and the Copa Del Rey.
Of course, all of this occurred in FIFA 05 for the PS2, in the comfort of the St Leonards couch. We used gamepads instead of our feet to score goals but the feelings of scoring a goal in the game were much the same as in a real life soccer match.
I find it strange that there are articles out there saying that kids these days are more anti-social because they spend all their time playing video games, and that it's the video games that are to blame. Judging by the amount of camaraderie and team work that FIFA 05 created for between my friends, I would say that there is nothing wrong with the medium. One only has to look a bit further at the Nintendo Wii to realise the power that an interactive device such as a video game has to bring people together to have some fun. It's the new-age board game, enjoy it!
However, whilst video games may not make you anti-social, it will make you paisley white and weak if you don't out during the day and do some real exercise. Everything in moderation.
I apologise that my Sunday post was delayed to Monday. Part of the issue was that I spent my Sunday night watching Entourage on DVD (thanks Boges!). It's a funny concept, one guy gets famous and his friends are basking in his limelight. There's a lot of cheap calls in this series, and a ton of hot women!
What I thought interest was for the guys who are his friends. They are basically living off his successes, and if he fails, they fail. For my, I would find it very hard to be in that position where so much of my life is dependent on another. In such an imbalance of earning capacity and power, would I become a "yes-man"?
There is a lot of "what do you think, Vince?" (Vince is the successful star) in the episodes, that, if I was Vince, would make me feel weird. No one would disagree with you, no one would question you. It's not surprising that some stars would get such big heads, if they are surrounded by people like that.
However, one of the characters makes a point to Vince's best friend that Vince and his best friend are "co-dependents". The successful star needs those people around him as much as they need him. Why? Because they are insecure about themselves and need that validation. I wonder if that is the case?
I've already finished season 1. Need to buy season 2 when I get to NY. Bring on more of those pool scenes!
I use a lot of computers and build a lot of applications. There is an expectation that things will work as designed, and when they don't, or users complain that the system is not working as they think it should, I never doubt the application.
As we move towards the future, and computer intelligence becomes more and more advanced, there will be a point where computers can think for themselves. Whilst this will be a major breakthrough in technology, I can't help but wonder whether the trust in future systems will be compromised.
If a system has the ability to think for itself, would they be the equivalent of a human decision maker? Given the amount of 180 degree shifts in decisions that I have seen from business reps, business sponsors. and everyone else, will this become an issue? Even when the same data is presented to people, they can changed their minds. Will we allow the same kind of flexibility in our systems?
US has sent robots to Iraq to fight the war there. Whilst these are still human operated, there may be a time when the robot makes its own decisions. Will they make the same mistakes that humans will make, and shoot an innocent when they shouldn't?
I forgot to take a horse out of the car when I swapped it over today. It was the same mistake I made last time I switched to another car. Two times is a bad thing.
I have never thought that gifts should be rated on the cost of the gift. However, I have considered that practical gifts are better than sentimental ones, due to my nature. I have realised that when the gift is more ornamental, I tend to forget about it, or not remember having it. I need things to be visible to me to keep it in mind.
What I do need to start to appreciate is that all gifts come from the heart, and anytime the giver sees that I'm not putting a value to it, or discarding it, it hurts. If I was in the same position, I would agree that would stop me from giving gifts!
So going forward, all gifts will be remembered and cherished (especially the mushroom :))
It's been 5 days into a 8 day holiday in Vietnam, and we've covered the country from bustling Ho chi Minh city to quaint Hanoi to relaxing Hoi An.
I'm glad I have come on this trip for several reasons. One is to relax and get away from work for a week (although sadly I still have been checking my email). Two is to spend some quality time with the boys (Boges, Anton and even the BJee in HCMC) before I head off to New York. But the third is that it forces me to read up and learn about a country. I have learnt more about Vietnam in the last 5 days than I have in my whole life. It reminded me once again what joy it is to travel to new destinations, meet new people and see that humanity is really not that different elsewhere.
Highlights have been many:
I just read Bill Gates' speech at Harvard, when he has been given an honorary degree. I have a lot of respect for the man, no matter what others say. The amount of charitable work he does, the dedication and resources he brings to it definitely is making a difference.
I remember reading once about the fact that previously Gates donates 1/3 of his total income to charitable causes. Granted, he earns bijillions a year, but 30% is a lot in anybody's earnings.
The speech was very inspiring, with two points that stood out. The "from those that much is given, much is expected", and the challenge to focus on one complex problem in the world.
We live in a privileged world, and it's very easy to get caught up in the material lifestyle and saving up for the next big thing to add to the house (42 inch LCD, here I come!). I do tell myself this from time to time, that we have to make the effort to give back, to contribute, to make the world a better place.
In most cases, the usual way to give back is through material means. But the challenge that Gates gives is this: you are not just privileged economically, but mentally, creatively and socially. So put those other facets into use by concentrating on one problem in the world and becoming a specialist in it, and try to solve that problem. Use all the abilities you have, and see how far it takes you.
I'm going to use my Vietnam trip to do some thinking. I hope you do too.
I had previously been trying to write once a day about project management for a while now, and what I have learnt from it. As I come to the conclusion of this project, I need to take some time to reflect on those things.
I met a taxi driver today who had just completed his masters of accounting in Adelaide. His parents (from Pakistan) sent him here to do his degree. What struck me was that his family is very well off in Pakistan, doing that import/export business (one day, I'll do that and get rich!) and had offered to pay for all his expenses here. But this guy was very adamant that he would make his own way here, that he wouldn't ask his parents for money. And so he works nights as a taxi driver, and studies during the day. It makes for some hard hours, and I asked him about his grades, but he believes (barring one subject) he's doing pretty good in general.
That rite of passage, to prove that one can live independently of one's family, is something most young adults do during those uni years. I remember my own episode in those uni years where I felt I had to prove to my dad that I was financially independent, that I didn't need his car or his place to live, that I could find my own way. It was a foolish quest, and it failed spectacularly (I didn't move out nor give up the car :)) but it must have somehow laid the foundations for my belief that my parents don't owe me anything, nor for me to be stuck in a position where I continue to depend on my parents.
I'm glad that I got a scholarship during uni, as it meant that I was able to spend my own money, and do what I wanted to do. I think that Asian families don't quite have that Western mentality of "you're 18 now, you're on your own", but some of that Western upbringing must have rubbed off on me.
Having moved out about 5 years ago, and now about to move overseas, I definitely feel that I am an independent young adult, making my own way in the world.
There may be a time when I will see my parents as equals, but not yet. I may have passed my rite of passage, but I'm still a kid in the family.
There has been significant investments from China to the African nations. In this article outlining the effects and impacts that Chinese investments have had, it has struck me that China is taking a much more global role. Whilst the majority of the efforts are for profit, much like the United States, it seeks to influence in other geographical and political areas outside of its direct control.
Where the difference lies is the lack of transparency and lack of accountability in the way these things are done, on both sides of the world. In China, the driving motive of profit has led to a very "no meddling" policy for the money that China provides, in return for the raw materials. This in turn has allowed many African rulers to funnel this money for their own uses, or to ignore rules placed on them from other Western donors.
It is like colonialism, but a much more hands-off model. Will China be able to influence the direction and course of Africa this way? In the global arena, having allies in the form of African nation votes would definitely balance out the US and European voting block.
But will this new type of "colonialism" be workable? I think the memories of previous colonists are still there in the minds of those people. Nothing comes for free...
It would be surprising if the African nations let it happen again.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a confrontational kind of guy. And hence it's always with trepidation that I went into my negotiations for the US transfer. What they had given me as the first offer was a bit light on the transfer allowance...actually super light on the transfer allowance.
I was planning to talk to my financial controller (who is the one arranging this transfer and he was the one who gave me the initial offer) but was pulled aside by my CIO to ask what's wrong with it.
The funny thing was that I had prepared all these answers, but in front of the CIO, they just didn't come out! What came out was putting numbers on the table, discussion of things that I was training myself not to talk about ie Bec's transfer. I'm just glad I didn't sign anything!
Still, all is not lost, and I subsequently had my meeting with the financial controller and have made my requests (without giving away all my numbers yet). Fingers crossed!
The things that I have learnt from this experience:
It's been too long since i have watched Fox 8! There was this show called "Beauty and the Geek" that features 8 hot chicks paired up with 8 nerds. It's some quasi-Survivor type show, with people winning immunity from challenges.
But the main thrust of the show is to demonstrate the "other side of the coin" for those people who have not encountered such hotness/geekness before.
By far the best one from my intensive research (ie it was the only one I watched) was the first season. It was a strange thing, but I felt a certain sense of pride for those "geeks" that were willing to have a go at some reality TV show. They made it to the end, and from what I saw, they seemed like better people for it.
I remember doing a self assessment and one of my traits is "includer", and part of the descriptions was as follows:
Your accepting nature does not necessarily rest on the belief that each of us is different and that one should respect those differences. Rather, it rests on your conviction that fundamentally we are all the same.In the interviews afterwards, the contestants were saying "oh, we had nothing to say when we first met, but we built up a rapport as we got to know each other". It has been my sincere belief that everyone can relate to each other, if you make the effort. There are no people out that that you cannot find some commonality with. It's good to see a show that demonstrates that (and have some random hot tub scenes with the 'beauties' :))
I'm a big fan of technology and am always amazed at how far we have come as a human race to rely on technology. Sadly that "digital divide" exists as much as the monetary divide in our world today.
Hence I've wanted to know how technology can help those people who need help the most.
Would providing computers such as those $100 laptops be what developing societies need to improve their standard of living?
Having pulled out an old Economist magazine (2005!) and reading one of its Technology Quarterly sections, it pointed out that for some really poor people, computers do not even rate on their radar of things. The sad part is that it is not that they are rejecting technology, it is that they are oblivious to it. They are more concerned with sanitation, land, health, things that matter to their very survival.
Of course, technology does help those who have that basic level of literacy, to assist them with crop prices, exam results (for the school kids) etc. This does mean that it is helping those that are well off become more well off.
It just seems that there is a cut-off from where it cannot directly assist. In those cases, the investments in technology may be better used in health. Other low cost options such as radios may already provide that communication link that many developing communities lack.
It could be in this area of communication that technology may be able to radically assist. Wireless communication could reduce the costs of transactions for all sorts of people. From this question and answer on what factors will affect developing countries using mobile phones as point of sales devices seems to have a bright future.
I am sure that going forward, there will be many more advances in technology to help developing countries, but until we get some of the basics worked out, it won't help those that really need it.
I admit that I enjoy the odd Guild Wars game once a week. It's a good chance to meet up with some overseas friends, take out some monsters and generally have a good time.
I earn Guild Wars gold from killing monsters and such, and use this gold to buy goodies such as better armour, better weapons, more skills, and other things. For me, though, I don't place any real-world value to this gold, except to get more stuff.
However, it seems that for others, a real world value can be found. Search Ebay for "World of Warcraft Gold", and there's a ton of guides. However, there are sites where you can see that the they list an exchange rate (currently it is $0.50 USD per 100 Gold)
There are now people who classify their "job" as making virtual money. They log in to World of Warcraft, and "earn" virtual money to exchange. Are they, in the words of Peter Drucker, just a new type of information worker? Do they do what we do in the real world ie transform information and add value?
Take a look at Second Life. It is a virtual world, where people can create and charge for their own creations. Last year there was $20m worth of transactions on the game itself, and $3m in currencies. Yes, this is a miniscule amount compared to the trillions that are traded on the normal currency exchange, but the mind boggles!
So what is the difference? Our current monetary system is not backed by gold anymore, so both Linden Labs (who own Second Life) and Zimbabwe can print as much money as they like (often with disastrous consequences). Our currencies are backed by the country's economic growth, inflation and productivity, as well as cross-border trading of actual financial assets. Can these be related to a game such as Second Life?
Will there be a day that people will hedge their currencies against a virtual one? Will traders work the arbitration between the virtual currencies to make a profit?
How regulated will these virtual currencies become? I think that the more people start getting into these until they sort out these other things such as intellectual rights, user rights within the system and ownership, it will continue to be something that is a anomaly, rather than a norm.
A while back (about 2 months), I bought the Getting Things Done book, and attempted to do some cleanup of my life. The book's aim in on teaching how to make sure that all the things that are inside your head are written down somewhere, so that when you do need to focus, you can, without having the "psychic stress" of keeping track of all these different things.
So has it worked? I would say yes. My email inbox last year had 500 odd emails in it, and I had this bad feeling that there were things in there that I had missed. Nowadays I make it a daily ritual to make sure that I have got ZERO emails in my inbox. All the emails are now either filed away for reference or put into an action list. It is a great feeling for me to be able to leave work with a clean inbox.
My filing system has been simplified. What used to be many subfolders under generic folders such as "Personal", "Work", "Projects" have now all been consolidated into one flat heirarchy. Every folder is by topic. Same for my physical filing as well. It was put under the test and I got the relevant document out in 20 sec. Not too shabby :)
Things to note: it is sometimes overwhelming to see how many "to-do" action items there are, but the feeling that you know just about everything you need to do at a certain time brings forth a calmness. There is no more of that "oh no, have I forgotten something that will bite me in the ass later?" feeling.
The book emphasises a weekly review to make sure that the stuff in the folders remains fresh. This is something that I've been a bit lax on. Need to keep doing that, or else I won't trust the system.
So for anyone that feels the need to get their house into order, I recommend this book. Get it and see if it helps!
Damn! four cheap calls already:
are you just moving your emails to another folder so you can't see it :) i started doing this after my inbox got to 1092 (unread) messages but they just sat unread in other folders instead!I got through a confrontation today. I was told that I was going behind someone’s back by reporting that they were holding up their section of the project. I was told that I was lying, but I said the facts as they stood to me. She asked for my apology, but I said “not yet”, not until it was proven that there were no issues with what she had written down.
After the workshop, it was clear that there was a lot more work that needed to be done to get the requirements into some form of specifications. Even she said so. So at that point, I felt it was a good time to apologise, for giving the impression that I was going behind her back.
The aim here is to get things done. Not backing down in the morning was a good move, as she’s the type of person who would get focussed when challenged. However, it’s always a good move to apologise, it smoothes the way for more positive interactions.
I’m proud of myself for being strong in that situation. Always stay professional.
Damn! two cheap calls already:
I'm proud of you babe! That was one ballsy, smart and very effective move. See how exciting confrontation can be?! :)As if I am an expert on feminism! But now that I am exposed to more literary works (thanks Bec!) my perspectives have widened, at least.
It was an interesting book, Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy. Quite articulate, well written. with the argument that raunchiness is not liberating in the feminist movement sense of the word, and that there actually isn't any real power and freedom in having an asipiration to be a sex object. Interviews with teenage girls who are all into being the skankiest dressed, and having sex but not really knowing what was pleasurable for them was quite sad. I totally agree that abstinence as an educational tool seems a bit out of whack with what is going on in teenagers these days.
One part of the book that I did find very interesting was the part about lesbians that had assumed a dominant (or even the expected man-like) role in their relationships, previously known as "butch" but now also known as "bois". The fact that they were turned off with having relationships with other lesbians who were also butch or bois, referring to them as "faggots", was strange when I read it. Now that I think about a bit more, is it similar to me saying someone likes cutey women, but not really aggressive women?
Women have to know what they themselves want before they can push for it. Raunchiness turns men on, more so than women, and that's a big problem if women are espousing that as the answer. But who am I to complain? :)