O' Yee Of Good Faith

Greetings,

I got held up in traffic the other day, mainly because there was a building fire close to where I live. What got to me was the new fire department uniforms. For some reason, it looks like we've roped in Andy Warhol (and maybe his weight in coke) to design these colour swatches.


You call that a colour pallet?

I can't understand what they were going for. Fire cameo? If it was me, and I was headed into a blazing inferno, I'd like to do it knowing that if I fell over or something, that my buddies would be able to find me in all that smoke and flames and stuff. That's why a lot of first responders and other jobs that require high visibility get issued clothing with luminescent strips. So that they are visible.

Lets look at a simple comparison here. I'd make a uniform that stands out in a fire. A fire where, the bulk of the basic colours you'll be seeing would be either red, orange, red AND orange, and thereabouts.


Bob, Bob! What are you DOING? I can clearly see the guy through all those flames! Jesus man, what have you been smoking?


So lets go with what we have instead:


Oh. My. God. Bob, that is PERFECT! Lets just add in a little more red and orange, and we can safely camouflage ourselves in that fire!

Well I'm pretty sure that will work out real well in practice.


Damn, I should have put on my smoking jacket instead


Dav out


I know the things you wanted
They're not what you have
With all the people talkin'
It's driving you mad

Greetings,

Something I shared internally, maybe also good if it went "external". I'm not the best person out there to approach someone and start a conversation, but I think this is one of those "do or die" kind of things in the world of business (or daily work, its not pleasure, so I'll not lump it in that category).

Most of the time its hard to make the first move. Coming from a technical / IT background, I had to think of steps, test said steps, review, update, and try again. Results of these trials are the holy grail to basic communication and networking with people below.


Q: I don’t know what to say, or how to start the conversation
A: No right or wrong way, but why don’t you start the convo the normal way, by introducing yourself, where / what you do and shaking the other person’s hand. An additional tip is to approach someone you feel comfortable with, is not engaged in any conversation with other people, and also looks lost like you.

Q: Ok, shook his / her hand, now what?
A: You can speak about anything, but since you don’t know the other person, it would be hard to guess a topic that would interest him / her. Stay neutral for now, and maybe talk about the weather. Then, move on to what the other person does / where they work etc.

Q: Check, now there’s an uncomfortable silence for the both of us. Help!
A: Ask them a simple question that’s bound to get them talking, IE: ask them about themselves. You’ve learn what they do from the earlier conversation, maybe try “So how’s business in these days?” or “I don’t come across many people in , is it a very niche / special market?”. Don’t forget to give the other person queues to show that you’re listening, like you agreeing, and maybe nodding.

Q: OMG ITS WORKING! What now?
A: Tell them what you do. Don’t just read from the company brochure

Q: Great, I told them what I do in 10 words. Now its quiet again :(
A: Be truthful. If the other person mentioned something / some feature / concept that you’re not sure of, ask them about it. EG: "You know, I've seen a lot of stuff on Business Intelligence (BI) lately, thing is, what REALLY is BI anyway?"

Q: Sweet! More talking
A: Yes

Q: And?
A: And, don’t forget, introduce people you know, to the person you’ve met. If you came to the function with a group of consultants for example, bring the new person over and introduce them to the party. This can also be based on the wingman concept.

Q: Lastly, what if the other person is BOOOOOOORING and stops talking?
A: Unless you’re attending a function with ONLY TWO PEOPLE, you can always excuse yourself, and go speak to other people. Remember, other people there are just like you, they are also hoping to speak to someone but haven’t had the chance to. The recommendation here is if you excuse yourself, and them bump into the same person later perhaps when you are leaving the function, is to greet the person and say something like “it was nice talking to you earlier, maybe we’ll bump into each other sometime soon”.


The above is not easy, it only comes with a lot of practice, and sometimes you end up in a very short 5 minute conversation. You have to keep working at it. Some people end up liking it so much that they go on to speak to people in non work environments. Or maybe even make a profit out of it.

Maybe I should turn this into a flow chart . . . . .

{Edit - In response to the ONE comment I've received from Hurk, I'd like to present to you a custom flowchart aimed at this blog post}


Click for bigger image


Dav out


We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Greetings,

Well its all over the news by now, but those fake Apple 'Stores' in China are being closed down as we speak. Oddly, they are being closed because some of them do not have a license to operate, and not because they are infringing on any rights of the principal company.

Is this a case of 'creative license' gone too far in terms of mimicking an Apple store, or is really more of "imitation is the best form Of flattery"?

Kudos to the original blogger that brought this to light, but I'm pretty sure this was already known by the locals though no one really bothered to act on it.

Strangely so, Apple has also been mum on this. As long as they are selling genuine products maybe?

*shrug* Welcome to the new world order.

Dav out

Greetings,

The recent news on people brought up for wrong doing (during work at an ex company location) has me thinking, is there even a statute of limitations on what you've done, and if there is, how long back does it go?

Alcatel Lucent, NoW and other companies are feeling the brunt of these issues, but its the people working under the management that's being offered as sacrificial lambs. I'm not saying that these people DIDN'T know what they were doing, but in some cases its what you do on a day to day basis at work and never really think about it later.

No, I don't go around bribing people nor do I hack phones. Haxx0r!



Its just, how long back in time do the need to look before they find something incriminating? I don't want someone to go back 15 years in my past and say they found me drinking a can of Coke at my first job as a store boy just because someone dusted off a VHS of a security cam.

Its an interesting notion, but its something I'm trying not to dwell on.

Dav out

Greetings,

Overheard @ the restrooms of a hotel after a business meeting:

[A] Uh, this Thursday, besides the afternoon, when else are you free?
[B] Well, the morning I guess.
[A] That's no good. I'm meeting someone in the morning. What about later?
[B] Um, no, I'm not going to be in the office during the afternoon. You already know this.
[A] Ah, yeah. Hey, what about 2pm then? The client's available at 2pm.
[B] I'll text you, ok?

Now, let me be clear. I'm one of those people who think personal time at the restroom / urinals is just that, personal time. Don't encroach on it by striking up a conversation with me, even more so something related to work.

The thing is, guy [A] obliviously did not really grasp what 'afternoon' means. Or perhaps in their environment its something else all together.

For me, afternoon is anything after 12pm (or 1200 hours). Guy [B] must have had enough and couldn't concentrate on the job at hand, hence him agreeing to what came across as absurd to me.



*shrug* I'm just saying, you know?


Dav out


I remember how we used to talk
about the places we would go when we were off
and all that we were gonna find.
And I remember our seeds grow
and how you cried when you saw
the first leaves show.
The love was pouring from your eyes.

Greetings,

Recently I've been wading through some cruft and trying to sort out what works from the bits that don't.

It's been . . . . challenging.

Actually, no, that's not quite the right word. If I had some duct tape and was able to tape together challenging, painful, confusing, and downright insane, I'd be able to come up with the word I need here.

I'm going to ease off work for a bit.

Just a little bit.

Dav out

Yea right picture that with a kodak
And better yet, go to times square
Take a picture of me with a kodak
Took my life from negative to positive

Greetings,

Canada Day is celebrated on 1st July, the official independence day of Canada. The day commemorates the founding of the Canadian federal government by the British North America Act of 1 July, 1867.

That's for the rest of us who didn't know that it was Canada's birthday last week.



CDN Edit:
Rumor has it some other obscure country in that region will shortly be having its own annual celebration of itself. Have not been able to find anymore information about this. Stands to reason though.

Dav out

Greetings,

Here's my very own personal steps on how not to have a grape great day:

1. Go to the store. See South African grapes on sale
2. Spend 10 minutes trying to figure out which sack of grapes have the least mushed up grapes on the vine, only to settle for a prepacked tray
3. Take grapes home
4. Set grapes (in tray and cling wrap) on counter top, ohh and ahhh at the thought of eating these in front of the telly
5. Peal off cling wrap
6. Have grapes fall down the counter top to the floor in a cascade of luscious, juicy globes of goodness
7. Dance away and backwards to avoid falling grapes, like they were globules of VX gas (See the movie 'The Rock' for vague reference)
8. Mash and squish 10 - 15 grapes with step # 7 above
9. Stop. Stare. Facepalm at mess
10. Spend the next 20 minutes cleaning juice splatter from floor, cupboards and every-god-damn-where else
11. Eat remaining 10 grapes
12. Rue buying grapes

Dav out

Greetings,

I don't really watch all that much TV, and god forbid if it was American Effigies (Idol, Latin!). The thing is, I was watching this documentary on TBM's and there was an advert for the American Idol finals.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this guy's photo:


Hey ma, look at me!

I've never heard him sing, but the only thing that comes to my mind when I look at that photo is Alfred E. Neuman. If you don't know who that is, then you're way too young!

Come on, look at the similarities!

What? Me worry? Only if I don't win in American Idol

Its hilarious that they've made that 'Reality TV' show last this long. What is it at now, Season 11? I can't even remember all of the Idols.

Dav out


If you think you're getting away
I will prove you wrong
I'll take you all the way
Boy, just come along
hear me when I say
Hey

Greetings,

Has anyone ever watched this movie? America 3000. It must be, and this comes from watching Flash Gordon many, many times, the most camp-est (is that a real word?) movie ever!



I watched it, and of course I overanalyzed it by wondering what the females did if they had a male child (toss him out I guess?), how the male's reproduced (from tossed aside male children?) and if the females were hell bent on killing the males in wars, then why not fix the problem at the root, stop tossing out male kids maybe?

UNLESS! Unless they knew it was some how related to perhaps a 'rule of diminishing returns' that if they started killing males and / or male children, they wouldn't have any more breeding stock?


Uh, sir, I think that' way too much analysis

All in all, I enjoyed the movie enough to want to hunt down a copy of Flash Gordon for a great movie weekend.

Now where did I save that torrent application again.....


Dav out

Greetings,

That's it, its official! Charlie Sheen's out, Ashton Kutcher is in.

.....

Its a break from the norm, I know, but its all over the news!

Ashton Kutcher has like, a bajilion Twitter fans. I think the big thing producers from the Two and a Half Men sitcom are aiming for would be for him to be able draw in his large younger following to the series. Not to say its a great idea, but just how are they going to write him in?

I've never been a fan of the series, in fact I've only watched it on and off as it is. I never quite found it funny, then again I'm not a die hard Sheen fan as most of the hardcore viewers are (or were?).

What I'm sure of is that Charlie Sheen wouldn't be too happy to hear this. Ashton you've just made a new enemy, one with tiger blood and Adonis DNA.



Would be pretty good to see what goes on now online.

Dav out

Can you meet me halfway, right at the borderline
That's where I'm gonna wait, for you
I'll be lookin' out, night n'day
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay

Greetings,

I frequently laze around the house sans watch. I've enough references to the current time as it is (wall clock, 2 phones with huge time displays, the TV, set-top box etc) that I rarely feel the need to wear a watch at home.

The thing is, sometimes I head off to lunch (this is mostly over the weekends) or off to something or another, and I realize that I've gone off without my watch.

For some odd reason, I find it weird not having a watch on but only when I'm out. Its a somewhat . . . . naked feeling. At the same time, when you're out somewhere, and you make that very natural wrist tilt to look at your watch, and then realize its not there. That's ok, till you catch a glimpse of a few people wondering what you're up to.



I think I'm starting to see a wrist watch as something to keep my wrist occupied.

Lets not talk about people with wrist watches that do EVERYTHING and also brew coffee.



Dav out

Greetings,

Have you ever taken time off to think about how rough your local coffee Barista has it?

He (or she) has to put up with line after line of pompous, pretentious coffee and tea guzzling drones, each with a unique but not almost on the menu order. I've always wondered how they cost and calculate revenue for a normal Chai latte when someone comes up to the counter and asks for half half cream with two pumps of Chai, one shot of expresso and a twist of lemon.

Is that even tea anymore?

But I digress!

A recent study has shown that sex and coffee may 'trigger a stroke'.

. . . . . . . .

I'll let that sink in for a while.



Your local Barista's life has just become a little more darker and colder now after seeing that in the BBC news. Of course, blowing your nose might even do you in, but lets not worry about that shall we? ;)


Dav out


Ja ja jaded
You got yo mama's style
But you're yesterday's child to me
So jaded
You think that's where it's at but is that where it's supposed to be

Greetings,

I caught a movie the other night on TV, interestingly titled 'Men who stare at goats'. And what really closed the deal for me was the synopsis on TV that read:

A reporter gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit.

At the end of the movie, I was a little confused.


Don't shoot! I'm confused as it is!


Just WHAT was the movie about anyway? Was it a feel good military movie? A hippy life finding tour of a down and out journalist who finds camaraderie with a off beat ex military guy?

Or just how the Govt is really doing weird mind games with everyone?

A worry was cloud bursting, damn, what if he hit a plane? I already hate flying . . . . .


Dav out

Greetings,

Wine drinking, or "Boire du vin" in French! Part two of the last post on buying wine in bulk.

So the first wine bottle I bought was something I tasted, twice in fact!

Hey, it was free, and there wasn't anyone there, ok?

Its a Grand Sud Merlot (2009) produced by Grands Chais de France (red - Merlot, duh). I've not had all that many French wines lately, as its been Chillien or Aussie wines for a long time during dinners, and I must say, I was very, very impressed with this wine.



I'm going to try my best to explain the wine in my own words, pardon the wine-lingo.

The wine was dark red, close to purple, but I could not really say much more (legs etc) as it was served in a small sample cup. I found the wine sweet (but not cloyingly so) and in terms of taste, it was a medium body wine that stayed in the mouth for a while. The after taste would linger (but not for long, perhaps medium?) and over all it was fruity to me. Did I mention that it was sweet? I think (after the second go) it was a dry wine. Hey, I've not opened my bottle, so until I do so, we're sticking with dry!

I think the bottle looks pretty much what a wine bottle should look like, label is clear, though figuring out who makes the wine took a little work and unlike Aussie wines, there wasn't really a logo or an image on it.

Also, its a corked bottle. I'm pretty 50/50 on bottles with cork's or caps, though cap's make it much easier to just pick a bottle up and open. *shrug* The cork industry in Portugal needs the work I guess.

1 bottle down, 3 to go!


Dav out


Oh, it's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing that you've ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing you've had has gone away

Greetings,

A friend invited me over to a wine sale in a local shopping mall over the weekend, and needless to say, I could not say no to the offer.

What I had in my head was an interesting afternoon, sampling wines and cheeses while acting all hoity-toity to the miscellaneous rabble along the shopping mall concourse. I eagerly brushed up on my wine lingo, ready to ever impress:

• Palette
  
• Roof
• Bouquet
• Body
• Aroma
• Legs
• Breathing the wine

With my bag of word-tricks, I was off, credit card in hand, to meet my destiny.

Little did I know, things would change that day.....


[more coming soon]

Greetings,

Just felt like trolling around today. And since I haven't gotten off my Inception kick yet, I present you with the below!



Dav out

Greetings,

It feels like every time I start the damn thing up, there's an update. I'm talking about the PS3 here. Sure, 'Sorney' wants to make sure their system and software is updated and there are those pesky hackers running around trying to crack the consol, but why, dear lord WHY are there so many updates?

Pirates? Oh come on!
New features? Oh come ON!

Anyway, long story short, not having a bigger bandwidth sucks, its like trying to suck quick drying cement through a crazy straw.

Lucky for me, I found out (OK so I'm slow, sue me)that you're able to download the update to a USB stick and then run the update off that instead of directly downloading the update via the PS3. EVERYONE must already know of this, but here's a link to the Sony PS3 site anyway.

I'm cooking with gas now!



Dav out

Greetings,

Oh. My. God.

It is here, Quantum computing.

One of the most complex efforts toward a quantum computer has been shown off at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas in the US.

It uses the strange "quantum states" of matter to perform calculations in a way that, if scaled up, could vastly outperform conventional computers.

The 6cm-by-6cm chip holds nine quantum devices, among them four "quantum bits" that do the calculations.

The team said further scaling up to 10 qubits should be possible this year.

Rather than the ones and zeroes of digital computing, quantum computers deal in what are known as superpositions - states of matter that can be thought of as both one and zero at once.

I'm already drooling.Imagine the technological push this will give us, cancer research, gaming, etc.


Dav out

Greetings,

Its shaping up to be a pretty good day. So far its just been a lazy morning, a slow breakfast and now a margarita with a random book I bought at a sale (Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres).

Think I'll continue to take it easy, the month owes me that much at least.

Dav out.