Author Archive
Tis the season?
I heard about this charges-laid-charges-dropped-investigation-re-opened circus targeting whistle-blower Julian Assange on the BBC … crikey! Remember TIME magazine’s little put-down about his mental state? Paranoid? Oh really? This extraordinarily courageous man wears a bullseye on his back. I wish him well. He’s up against people and organisations who present fake documents/bogus ‘evidence’ and pretend things […]
A little backlash?
The thoughts I’ve recently shared in these pages about the operations of certain very smooth salesmen have sparked a reaction of sorts. Oh dear. As might be expected, there are indications of some outrage and hurt feelings in the spruiker’s camp … and questions being asked, notably: Ouch! What the hell? What can we do […]
OK, it’s a little funny … Mark Zuckerberg wants privacy
On Reuters … Yeah, it’s a cheap laugh, but <snort>…“uncover unnecessary details about his private life” <chuckle>. Oh, poor Mark Zuckerberg. The indignity. I wonder how it will all work out? Lawsuits can be sooo unpredictable, I’ve learned.
Using your marketing ‘assets’
It’s OK! I’m not going to give the top ten tips for attracting more eyeballs to your website … this is just an example of good marketing, in my opinion. What worked. Well, sort of. It started at the East Village Takeaways (in Howick, not NYC, as my recent visitors from the East Village, New […]
A gushing review from Steve Goodey
Well, the reviews are in: Wellington property spruiker and US tax liens “educator” Steve Goodey tackles the complex and intellectually demanding task of identifying the raison d’être of www.thePaepae.com. (If the name is familiar, I discussed some of his past … um … ‘activities’ in this post Property spruiker Steve Goodey: let’s join the dots.) […]
Poster boy Jim Parsons WINS!
How cool. Asperger’s poster boy Jim Parsons has won an emmy for his role as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series. I applaud this talented comic who has been a real ambassador for geeks and people with Asperger’s everywhere. Along with the cast and creators of the […]
Paranoid (?) but a whistleblower
Over the weekend I read a fascinating profile of WikiLeaks.org founder Julian Assange in a recent TIME magazine. (It’s available online at TIME here.) Here’s a bit that struck me (emphasis mine): Assange has retained a hacker’s mentality. He works from secret bunkers on major leaks and is convinced he is under surveillance from government […]
When ‘gurus’ attack — HOW you do it is important
From a review of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life … It’s full of tips and advice but the one I like best comes from Buffett via Dale Carnegie, author of How To Win Friends and Influence People: “Criticism is futile, said Carnegie. Rule number one, don’t criticise, condemn or complain.” … […]
A fragment …
This document fragment found itself to my office fax machine. At the top of the first page was a handwritten note … This is much too pointed… could even be inflammatory! TONE IT DOWN, please … don’t waste ‘straight-talk’ on this rubbery character. – M.K. [fragment begins] == D R A F T _ O N L […]
Well said, that man.
Sometimes you see what someone else has written and think: “Wow. I couldn’t say that any better.” This, from a rally in support of religious freedom in New York City does it for me… Thank you. One day it could be my freedom under threat from bigots with loud voices.
How is this clearer in any way?
Spotted on a bike ride with my son yesterday … Gee, what was wrong with ‘Howick Police Station‘? Is this newspeak really better? “Run, Jimmy! Run to the Community Policing Centre!” Er, nope. (…and what, I wonder, do they call a Fire Station these days?) Any other examples? + Update: A thought occurs — maybe […]
Facebook leaks like a sieve (Part 2)
Sorry if this reads vaguely like an echo chamber, but it’s a point that bears repeating. Everyone has something to hide — or to keep private, which is not quite the same thing. This article Tracking the cyber footprint by the NZ Herald’s David Fisher sets out to reveal something of perils of posting information […]
More good Jon Stewart on NYC controversy
Bless this guy and his team for showing the frailty of the hypocrisy and falsely alarmist nature of the ‘claims’ by the religious right … and pulling out Charlton Heston’s principled speech… … showing their attempted selective application of the ‘founding principles’ of the US Constitution so well. Watch the video below the fold…
‘The problem with Google is that Eric Schmidt is creepy’
Not just for geeks: Here’s a really thoughtful post about Google, culture, and information privacy. From John Gruber. Well worth your time to read. And I like the way he’s unafraid to mention the FACT that people’s personality, ethics and character can lead their decision-making. Good on him. – P
