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Showing posts from September, 2014

Peaceful open letter about Apple chargers

Dear Apple, Please stop changing your phone chargers.   I realise you make money when we replace our incompatible chargers. But I really believe you would be making money anyway.         As a slightly flawed human being, I am as prone to forgetting my charger as the next person. But I am also quite prepared. I try to keep a spare charger in my handbag, at home, at work, and so on. It is better to have too many than too few. And I am happy to replace them. The cost is worth the peace of mind.     I am willing to sacrifice the entire bag of compatible connectors, simply because you require it. Now I need a new adaptor to use my Apple HDMI adaptor. The cute pink charger, from the convenience store, will go to charger-Heaven (it’s like doggy heaven and kitty heaven). But this replacement will take time, something which is rarely available. As a new owner of an iPhone 6, your new type of charger is a sudden addition to my to do list. I am thankful for the one charger yo

The World Is Now Talking About Emma Watson

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It is time for me to write about one of the most viral speeches of 2014. The UN speech by Emma Watson could go down in history as groundbreaking. Audiences of all ages heard it. People from all backgrounds responded to it. Everyone grew an opinion on it. This blog post is carefully titled, "The world is talking about Emma Watson." Yes, we are all inspired by Emma's words. Yes, she reminds us of the rights of women. Emma highlighted issues of countries outside the privileged Western world. I am glad Emma uses her public profile for the greater good. That is the benefit of attention. However, let's start being practical. Let's start doing something for women. In the words of Elvis, "A little less conversation, a little more action please." Emma Watson taught us some important lessons. Now it is time to put these lessons into practice. Emma addressed a nervousness at the end, but it is highly important. She explained, "In my moments of nervousne

Richard Branson's Facebook Chat During Breakfast

Lessons from Richard Branson on Facebook Richard Branson engaged with his audience in a direct way. This was a smart move. It also taught valuable lessons about business. The billionaire entrepreneur opened up Facebook during breakfast, and wrote to his many Facebook friends. He responded to questions from aspiring entrepreneurs and independent creative. This was a PR tactic during the launch of his new book, The Virgin Way . And it is a great idea. Gone are the days of talking to or at audiences. Individuals and brands now need to listen to audiences, and interact with them.   The entire conversation can be read at a photo of Richard. This down-to-earth grandfather is reading a newspaper, eating boiled eggs, and a glass of green juice with a glass of water. Richard adds a description of his breaky, “ Anyway, vegetable smoothie, a berry smoothie and I suspect I might ruin the healthy food with a fry up! ” So we now know what Richard has for breakfast. More philosophical le

Keep Calm and Do Something

We are told to keep calm and do practically everything.    Keep calm and study.  Keep calm and eat a cookie.   Keep calm and stay positive.   Whatever your catch phrase is, there is a 'keep calm' message for it.  But let's use the most active 'keep calm' message, which everyone should hear.  Keep calm and do something.   That is quite simple. Do something. Because I simply believe in doing something. Let me explain.   In Grey's Anatomy, a few years ago, George stepped in front of a bus to save a girl's life. This girl then stood staring into thin air for weeks on end. The girl was in shock over what this person had done to help her. She did not feel worthy for someone else's sacrifice.   The amazing Izzie, played by Katherine Keigl, summarised precisely what everyone should do in a redeeming situation. Izzie was unwell, and battling to live. She was also fighting to stay involved in the commercial and social re

UTS Rotaract

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The Rotary Club of the University of Technology, Sydney, will host a landmark Charter Dinner in 2014. These young people are bringing four great pillars to UTS. They stand for community service, international service, professional development, and social involvement. Join in for this glamorous Charter Dinner.

Elizabeth Gilbert the Entrepreneur

Elizabeth Gilbert is an inspirational entrepreneur. Liz fosters a personal relationship with her consumers and audience. She creates real value between books, with a store called Two Buttons . Elizabeth Gilbert knows how to capitalise on a public identity for the world's benefit. Two Buttons is a clever online and physical store. The web site has a witty conversational style. Every word in the copy is pure Liz. The style is also quite humble. If the reader didn't know Liz is a famous author, with an autobiography which became a movie featuring Julia Roberts, one would think Liz is that peaceful flower girl next door who likes necklaces and incense. That's the impression from this down-to-earth web site. Elizabeth Gilbert knows to relate on social media, particularly Facebook , in a real conversation. Many celebrities need other helpers to write social media posts for them. That is completely fine, because it saves time. But the Facebook page makes readers feel like the

Living on the Edge of Glory

We are living in uncertain times. Several beloved friends are becoming unwell. Projects are taking extraordinary effort and resources to grow. Gen Y are mostly on the edge of their seats, living a life best represented in the show Girls. Twenties are terrifying. People from all generations are on the edge of life. This blog post is about nothing and everything all at once (sorry to sound like Seinfeld there). Everywhere I turn, people are startled by the state of the world.   What does this mean? Where do we go from here? (Say it once more with feeling, now I’m quoting Buffy). I have felt the need to blog about the general uncertainty for some time. I am seeing friends in all circles who look like they just need a hug. The best I can do is write for you instead.   I have done very little research into how to be comforting. And I won’t get out my friendship algorithm (joking, but thanks Sheldon Cooper). One can take total comfort from the cheesiest of pop stars instead; becau