Piece of Mind

Chuckle

Be like the Internet

Occasionally I meet someone who makes me want to be a better person.

This slideshow makes me want to be a better planner.

Honest advertising

Spotted this hotel in Kilmarnock at the weekend (click on the picture to expand).   

I guess they figured it was cheaper than a paint job.

Reincarnation now illegal

This must be the best new storyline for a Monty Python sketch in ages.

"In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is 'an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.'"

You gotta hand it to the Chinese government; they can be amazingly creative when it comes to sticking it to the Dalai Lama.

Hat-tip to KurzweilAI.net for this one.

Sorely tempted...

This has to be a first.

IBM are now offering a downgrade from Vista to XP for customers who've bought an IBM/Lenovo machine with Vista pre-bundled. I ordered my CD today.

Given the horrible Vista experiences of some folk, the IBM website copy is a wonderful example of first class euphamism... 

"Have a Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Microsoft Windows Ultimate system, but need to continue using Microsoft Windows XP for awhile? For a limited time Lenovo is providing Windows XP Recovery CD media as a way to downgrade from Windows Vista"

Can I be bothered to go through all the pain involved in downgrading? Not sure at this point, but if I continue to have the same levels of Vista pain after I've had my ThinkPad T60 motherboard replaced (don't ask...), I probably will.

I really like the user interface, but am beginning to loathe the slow applications, endless 'not responding' messages, frustrating home networking and moody PDA connectivity.

Where did it all go wrong Microsoft?

Sublime

I SO love this beautiful ad.

Fake.

I know it.

You know it.

Everyone knows it.

Keira Knightley doesn't have these particular assets.

Disappointing.

But I'm blogging it. So is it working?

(No, I'll never buy Chanel again. I prefer authentic brands.)

Sad (but necessary) innovation

First of all, let me say state that I am a huge fan of innovation. I find most 'new stuff' pretty exciting - and worringly seductive. Which is why I was surprised to be almost in tears on the tube earlier today reading a couple of articles in Metro.   

There are two new products for kids/teenagers on the market.  The first is UK made - a knife-proof hoodie made from Kevlar (like military body armour in Iraq), which recently protected a 15-year whilst he was slashed at a cash machine.

This is his hoodie. His back was OK, but his hands took a bit of punishment.

It would appear that "the hoodies have also proved a hit with female joggers and dog walkers - prompting makers Bladerunner to bring them out in baby blue and pink".

The second is from the US, and as this youtube promo shows, just as bleak.

Sigh.

Brevity and Elegance

"I’m going to make a long speech because I’ve not had the time to prepare a short one" goes the famous saying of Churchill.

The same applies to charts, graphs and visuals. I don't know about you, but in my time I've seen way too many graphics (usually embedded in scintillating corporate Powerpoint presentations) that reflect half-formed thinking.

At the other end of the spectum is this wonderful visual by James Dutton.

Many marketing folk are trying hard to figure out how to measure the elusive 'customer engagement' metric.  James moves the discussion along with insight and elegance.

Social Media 101

There's lots of discussion, navel-gazing and general gnashing of teeth in the advertising world about the growing impact of social media on traditional marketing models.

This insightful (and beautiful) presentation by Alain Thys of Futurelab does a superb job of explaining how the old rules are being re-written. 

Hat-tip to James Dutton at Slicecast for this.

No more wiping hands on trousers...

Is it just me, or do you find advances in toilet-related technologies weirdly appealing too?

Check this baby out. The Dyson Airblade forces unheated air through a 0.3mm gap at over 400 miles per hour, to create a high velocity blade of air that wipes hands dry in just 10 seconds.

Must find one - I'd love to try a 'one wet hand, one hand holding whistle' experiment!

Innovation - Military Style

I had a cracking day at the Edinburgh Festival yesterday - blue skies, T-shirts, tasty nosh, a so-so comedy show and a great play.

The play, Breaker Morant, told of how three Australian lieutenants were court-martialled for executing prisoners and a German missionary as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers during the Boer War.

Harry Morant, the leader of this bunch of 'Bushvelt Carbineers' (commandos who make mayhem and kill behind enemy lines) was also a poet whose touching blunt Australian lines make for many a wry smile.

The play is essentially a fast-paced courtroom drama - think LA Law in 1902 army uniforms. Highly recommended.

The obvious parallel is with Abu Ghraib and Donald Rumsfeld's shenanagins, but I was also struck by another military milestone - the formation of the SAS by David Stirling in the early 40's during the Second World War.

One of the many subtexts running through Breaker Morant was the disdain that the British Army held for these volunteer Bushvelt Carbineers, who were 'irregulars' without formal army training. The army especially disliked the informality of the relationships between the officers and the men, which if you've ever worked in any antipodean organisations, you'll immediately appreciate (vs. the sometimes stilted worker/manager relationships still existing in many British organisations).

These irregulars however, were experts in their craft - living off the land deep behind enemy lines and killing Boers. They employed unorthodox and highly successful tactics; sitting Boer POWs in open carriages at the front of trains to stop them being blown up for example.

Jumping forward 40 years - David Stirling formed the SAS to operate deep behind German lines in North Africa. His unit also employed unconventional and highly successful (although not always) methods that came to the attention, and disdain, of a few senior army officers. His view of warfare 'just didn't fit' with how it 'should be done' and many tried to have his maverick unit disbanded. It took a personal intervention by Churchill to keep them going, and onto greater things.

I'm pretty sure that this scenario still plays itself out in many organisations today.  Someone with a bit of passion at the sharp end of the business has a well-considered slightly risky idea that the CEO would love to see piloted. But it doesn't get off the ground because there are too many vested interests in the way.

Plus ca change...      

The 8 principles of fun

This made me smile.

Welcome to the world Kyla!

I'm a dad again!

Kyla Rose Logan Hannay. Born 9.51am, 24/4/06, 7lb, 7oz.  Everyone healthy and happy.

More pics here.

A difficult Easter conversation

Thanks to Tom Asacker for this one.

Haggis Pizza

And very tasty it was too!

Ambient Information

This is very cool technology.

"For some it's the status of their portfolio, or the health of an aging parent. Others want to know if their friends are online, the upcoming weather, the score of a game, if the fish are biting, or if there's heavy traffic on their drive home. These are examples of information that is neither worthy of interrupt (push), nor worthy of investing time (pull). This type of information should be glanceable, like a clock or barometer. We call this ambient information, and we've created the technology to deliver it".

Thanks to Russell Davies for his recent post that got this on my radar.

Damn. I've been found out.

Powerful advertising

Imagine coming back to your parked car with this stuck on the windscreen...

The text reads 'Please slow down near schools'.

Works on me.

Courtesy of Ads of the world via Adrants.

Heading home...

All the programmes I came to New Zealand to deliver are done. Hurrah!

It's been a enjoyable and full-on couple of weeks in lots of ways. I'll probably post more about this when I get back home.

Talking of which, I've been missing Fio and Callum like crazy. Can't wait to see them again.

I have one more business meeting over lunch today then it's off the the airport to puddle jump via Melbourne and Dubai back to Glasgow, arriving Tuesday lunchtime.

See you on the other side of the planet...