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Showing posts from June, 2013

Photoshop Confessions

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I have a confession to make. I photoshopped myself. Yes, it is wrong and shallow. We don't want the mass media to photoshop women into perfection. So how was I hypocritical enough to edit my own image? It is not completely right. But I am starting to see why it is so tempting. Why it is hard to say no to a bit of airbrush. To an extent, we all edit ourselves these days. Only the more flattering photos would be tagged on our Facebook profiles. Instagram can change the light, crop the picture, or go black and white. Things get cut out or changed. You could be standing next to someone in a snap shot, and then chop that person out of the image. It becomes just a fragment of reality. Then you realise one photo just isn't as flattering, so it doesn't go online at all. Chopping away another angle of reality. We all do it. And I got used to colouring up the evidence of life. Why not? Then I saw a picture of myself in which I'm just posing badly. The photographer i

Be Ready to Vote

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The latest situation in Australian politics is all through the news now. Yes, we have a new Prime Minister. Or an old one who's back again. Kevin, enjoy it while you can. Because you could potentially get replaced later this year. Tony, give it your best go in September. But there is another hidden issue people should know about right now. So please stay with me as we suddenly turn our focus from politicians to a musician. Missy Higgins made a very important point in her silent video Be Heard on Youtube. The talented singer is sending out a message by literally pressing the mute button. She thinks not enough voices will be heard through democratic election. It's because 600 000 young Australians are not properly enrolled to vote. Hang on. People roughly my age - with an internet connection informing them enough to pick a pollie - just don't feel like voting? If there was ever a time to vote, it is now. Our country has ended up getting an 'emergency' replacem

Having the Udacity to learn

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Udacity is a brilliant free online school which gives access to anyone. This is a brilliant flexible concept. It doesn't matter how old you are or what your qualifications are. It's as simple as signing up.  My experience of using Udacity is with the subject Introduction to Psychology. It is run by expert professors and academics at the Udacity HQ in the USA. So they know what they're talking about. It is highly interactive with lecturers presenting videos as though they were on TV. They don't read from a book. They speak as though they area talking straight to you. It uses online whiteboard technology to draw something or write notes. The Sense Olympics was a fun way to learn how sensory perception actually works. They got groups (presumably students) in to compete in contests like depth perception  and hearing really quiet sounds. Distance learning has never been so lively.    Everything is explained as simply as possible so anyone can understand. The disc

Lessons from Temple Grandin

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I recently had the privilege to hear a keynote speech and Q&A with the highly successful Autistic Professor Temple Grandin Phd. She did not only develop a career teaching people about Autistism. Her work with cattle revolutionised an industry. She is an academic professor in this area. And remember she was born in the 40s. So she worked in a male-dominated (at times discriminatory) environment. By the way, Clare Danes acted in a movie about her. And Temple Grandin was in Epping to discuss the entire Autism Spectrum. So if you had a world renowned speaker right in front of you, what would you do? Did I sit quietly and listen? Yes, that. But I also asked questions. It could be daunting. I felt star-struck. But if I didn't reach out to this guru, I would regret it. Some of her lessons are applicable for anyone. I asked with microphone in hand, "I'd like you to please help me choose a career." This was a serious life question. The relevance to her is th