Monday 20 April 2015

Smart phones are the new cigarettes

Smart phones are the new cigarettes

I only smoked for a short period in my life - somewhere between the ages of 15 and 23. And really, I don't think I could ever call myself a proper smoker. Even at my most nicotine infused I probably smoked no more than 5 cigarettes a day.

Back then you could smoke everywhere of course. Not just in bars, but on tops of busses, in cinemas, even in airplanes. I always thought it was faintly ridiculous to have a smoking section on planes but hey...
The thing is though, I don't think I was ever really addicted to Nicotine.
So why did I smoke? Wellsome of it was a desire to fit insome of it was a desire to rebel. But I think more importantly it was the most incredible prop.
Standing alone at the bar? light a cigarette. It will give you something to lean on - something to do with your hands. And you'll feel less awkward, less embarrassed about standing there with no one to talk to.
Waiting for the bus? Light a cigarette. Pulling on the smoke will relive the boredom and give you a focus for your wandering mind.
And of course "needing a light" is THE best excuse for speaking to someone you find attractive. In fact, Im convinced that a lot of my generation wouldn't have been born at all if our parents weren't puffing away like Serge Gainsbourg in his final years.
Ive been a non smoker for 20 years now, and Ive no intention of starting again. But it occurred to me the other day just how much the smart phone has become the modern version of the cigarette.
Youre at a conference sitting on your own. You dont know anyone and youre waiting for the next speaker to come on stage. You feel a bit awkward, a bit out of place. What do you do?
Well if youre anything like me youll reach for your phone. Sure we need to check our emails from time to time, to tweet, to textwhatever. But isnt a part of it just having something to do?
Something to make us feel a little less silly and a little less naked?
And I know Im not alone. The other day I was waiting at the platform in a suburban station. Every single person I counted was looking at their smartphones. Were they just looking for distraction on the way home, something to make the time go quicker? Or is it more than that? Are we so afraid of being fully present in the moment that we reach for our favourite prop, our electronic security blanket?
In our culture, there is pressure to interact, to engage, to doeven if we are alone. To sit and just be feels deeply alienand faintly embarrassing.
And maybe a great prop, be it a smart phone or a cigarette, helps us avoid doing just that. Being naked, facing the world as it really is in all its boredom and mundaneness.
Youre never alone with a Strand, was one of the most famous strap lines in British advertising. It referred to a brand of cigarettes popular in the 1950s, advertised by a solitary man in a trench coat and trilby hat.
The trilby hat and the trench coat are long gone now of course, but maybe the cigarettes live onin high resolution.

Sunday 19 April 2015

Are Beards OK in the Office?

Are Beards OK in the Office?
Unless you’ve been walking around staring at the floor you’ll have noticed that the beard has made a remarkable comeback as the ‘Hipster Beard’. I was at a funeral last week and of the four men under the age of 35* I was the only one not sporting such a beard. In conversation with one chap I found that his beard required regular pruning and even the application of something called ‘Beard Oil’ to give it extra shine.

It looks like I’ve missed the beard trend, not least because as a baldy with an ample post-Christmas belly, all I’d need is fingerless gloves and I’d look like a fisherman. Furthermore I’m not sure what a wiry ginger beard could do for my appearance.
Once upon a time though I remember working in an office in one of my first jobs. I’d only recently started and so didn’t know the office etiquette surrounding beards. After a couple of day’s growth, producing what is also known as Bumfluff, I was approached by my boss, “Daniel, your facial hair isn’t really appropriate in this office. Please make sure you shave tonight and in future do so daily.” After that I kept a razor and shaving foam in my desk draw just in case.
I then remarked about those chaps who do have beards. “Smart beards are fine, however the growth stage looks scruffy so if you want a beard I suggest you grow one when you next have a holiday of more than a week.” Well and truly told.
So what does a beard say about the wearer?
Well in the past people have associated beards as being scruffy, with some thinking the wearer as being lazy. Some people associate the wearer of a beard as being rough and ready. Beards have been associated with scholarly people such as professors and lecturers and also religious figures. And then there is the designer stubble, which for many is the height of trendiness. With so many people sporting the beard these days they can’t all be a result of laziness can they? As my friend with the beard oil has shown, the work which goes into such beards is highly demanding, not least because one must get through the itching stage.
So what are your thoughts? Is it ok to wear a beard to work in a 21st Century office? Or should beards be banned? And what does the beard say about the wearer?

Steven Spielberg: A Profile in Failure

Steven Spielberg: A Profile in Failure
The greatest people in history have been failures. Certainly, we remember these individuals as successes--success stories--and we treat those stories as legends and those individuals as gods. But each of them failed epically and repeatedly, more so than the combined successes of all of humanity.

Failure should not be overlooked in anyone, especially not those we admire. It is through failure that these individuals were able to learn, grow and ultimately succeed. We know this about ourselves but even as we learn to accept our own failures, sometimes we don’t recognize that the most successful people in the world have had an abundance of failure.
Our heroes need to be held to the same standard as the ancient Greek gods: awesome but not infallible. Failure is a humbling exercise, both for the observer and the observed. But learning is a humbling process. Once we realize that our heroes are just like us, we can examine how failure drives success. So I’ve started collecting stories about the failures of successful people, as a reminder that if you’re making mistakes and learning from them, you’re actually on the path to success.
Steven Spielberg is one of the lucky few who figured out his life’s calling from a very young age. At ten he filmed the adventures of himself and his friends and charged admission to the home viewings. At 12 he wrote and directed a nine-minute film to earn a Boy Scout photography badge, and at 16 he made his first full length film,Firelight, which had a budget of $500 and was shown at his local cinema.
Spielberg’s name has since become synonymous with box office gold – he is the creator of the blockbuster, having beat record after record and produced films grossing over $8.5 billion in his four decade long career. His significant contributions to film are too many to list but include Jurassic Park, Lincoln, Munich, Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler's List. There is no doubt that Spielberg was born to make movies. Yet his transition from kid with an 8mm camera to Hollywood superstar was anything but smooth, and at several points in his early career his failures far outstripped his accomplishments.
After working on short films and television, Spielberg’s first big break was to direct a small feature-length film called The Sugarland Express. The movie was well received by critics but was a box office flop and received only a limited release. The experience left Spielberg disappointed and more determined than ever to produce a hit. He expressed interest in a script about a killer shark, and was chosen to direct it. Everyone knows that Jaws was a monstrous hit, but the 27-year old Spielberg referred to it as “the worst experience of my life.”
From day one, the film was plagued with problems, most notably because the main character, played by three 25-foot mechanical sharks, declined to cooperate. “Bruce,” as the shark was called, refused to work correctly most days, causing the production’s 55 planned shooting days to drag out to a grueling 159 days, and the $4.5 million budget to soar to $10 million. The plan was to intersperse footage of Bruce with real sharks filmed off the coast of Australia, but those sharks proved to be uncooperative as well. One of them even attacked the boat, scaring the stunt double so badly that he quit on the spot.
With a lack of willing sharks and pressure from the studio to finish shooting, Spielberg had to improvise. He filmed barrels on the surface instead of the shark, and focused on above-water shots. Ironically, the images of the ocean surface paired with the haunting four-note melody that signified the shark’s presence made the movie more suspenseful than it would have been otherwise. It turned out that not seeing the shark was scarier than seeing the shark. When it was finally released, Jaws became the most successful movie of all time.
Jaws was a huge success by any measure. Yet Spielberg was traumatized: “I thought my career as a filmmaker was over. I heard rumors from back in Hollywood that I would never work again because no one had ever taken a film a hundred days over schedule – yet alone a director whose first picture had failed at the box office.” And it wasn’t just the studios that kept him up at night. He did not enjoy good relationships with the overworked crew and later stated “I was really afraid of half the guys in the crew.” For months after finishing the film, Spielberg had full-blown panic attacks.
Spielberg had made many mistakes that he knew were unacceptable, yet in the end, his film succeeded. As a result, the lessons learned—be collegial, respect deadlines, stay within budget—fell largely on deaf ears. He called the filming ofJaws “the worst experience of my life,” but without truly internalizing his failures, he moved on to his next movie, which he later described as “twice as bad and twice as expensive.” Close Encounters of the Third Kind was beset with its own litany of problems and it too went over time and over budget. It was a nightmare to direct and manage but like Jaws, it was a box office hit and earned Spielberg an Oscar nomination for best director. It proved that Spielberg was a preeminent director, with the ability to make a film that could please the masses as well as critics, and it gave him the clout to choose his next project and produce it on a free rein.
But sometimes success is a successful person’s worst enemy. It turned out that the free rein given to Spielberg was just enough for him to hang himself by creating the worst movie of his career. Declining offers for several would-be blockbusters, Spielberg instead started production on a movie called 1941, a satirical World War II movie that poked fun at American’s fear of the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was filled with bombs, riots, exploding aircrafts, and general destruction. It was a sensitive topic, addressed in the least sensitive way possible. The movie suffered from a lack of vision and purpose, and most notably, from an abundance of Spielberg’s newfound hubris after the commercial success of Jaws and Close Encounters.
The trouble began before filming starting, when Spielberg went on the record boldly pledging “I will not make this movie if it costs a penny over $12 million.” As the production tab mounted, that quote became a running joke and even ended up on crew t-shirts. The final bill totaled $31.5 million. Spielberg later admitted the cost was his fault: “I wanted it—the bigness, the power, hundreds of people at my beck and call, millions of dollars at my disposal, and everybody saying, Yes, yes, yes….1941 was my Little General period.”
The ballooning budget was the smallest problem with the movie. The script was bad and Spielberg’s directing was worse. He made the decision to reference Jaws by using the same swimming woman from the opening sequence of Jaws, having her again swim naked, this time encountering a Japanese submarine while the Jawstheme music played. Screenwriter Bob Gale later commented that “while mildly amusing, the scene went on for far too long, and it was a bit early for Spielberg to begin paying homage to his own movies.” Rather than learning and growing, Spielberg’s success had gone to his head, and he knew it by the time the film was in post-production, referring to it as “utter horror.” The irony was lost on no one, as the film was supposed to be a comedy.
Things got even worse in editing when Spielberg cut out some important parts of the character development. Specifically, he cut out big parts of the main character. The character was macho and Spielberg couldn’t relate. Bob Gale explained that Spielberg “was always afraid of those kind of guys; they were the ones who used to pick on him.” So for the sake of his own ego he cut much of the character out, replacing it with more scenes of explosions and destruction. The result was a movie that at best lacked cohesion, and at worst, was completely unwatchable. 1941 was a dismal failure, only turning a small profit because viewers in other countries enjoyed laughing at the dithering American characters portrayed. Spielberg was so ashamed of the movie that he left the country when it was released in hopes of shielding himself from the backlash.
Many people couldn’t have recovered, but Spielberg was different. Having finally made the kind of mistakes that lead to true failure, Spielberg acknowledged there were things he did not do well. It was clear that he never learned how to manage budgets or people well. His own vision was also blurred by his success. So Spielberg did what all great individuals do: he found himself a mentor and took a step back from calling all the shots. He signed up to work under George Lucas, who had just produced Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. George Lucas was an old friend, and they’d previously had a rivalry when Star Wars and Close Encounterswere released at the same time. After Lucas visited Spielberg’s set, he nearly had a panic attack having seen the elaborate production. Lucas became worried thatClose Encounters would trample Star Wars at the box office, and Spielberg responded with a friendly bet: each of them would trade 2.5% of the profits. That means Lucas would get 2.5% of Close Encounters and Spielberg would get 2.5% ofStar Wars. As we know, Star Wars vastly outperformed all rivals including Close Encounters, and that loss earned Spielberg a whopping $40 million from his bet with Lucas. A very costly failure for Lucas, but he gained a loyal friend and colleague in return.
To the outside world Spielberg was riding high, but he had failed repeatedly to deliver movies on time and under budget. Spielberg needed help and he turned to his friend. Spielberg and Lucas were competitive peers, but in a humbling shift, Spielberg became an employee again. It was quite an exercise in modesty for Spielberg to agree to take second seat behind his friend. Unlike Spielberg, Lucas was known in Hollywood for staying within budget and maintaining a disciplined schedule. Despite his passion and drive, Lucas was also well liked by actors and crew. It was exactly what Spielberg needed. He had someone to tell him “no” when necessary and to keep him on track. He also had someone to act as a guide and muse. Not only did Lucas and Spielberg complete the film under budget, but they did it in only 73 days when they had been allotted 85 days. That film, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, was the highest-grossing film of 1981. It also received half a dozen Oscar nominations and inspired three sequels.
More importantly for Spielberg, it allowed him to learn from his mistakes and come out stronger on the other side. A mentor was exactly what Spielberg needed. As Spielberg puts it, “the delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” AfterRaiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg’s career again took off. But this time, it was far more balanced. Gone were the production issues, crew problems, and ego. He was able to balance the art and science of filmmaking and went on to become one of the greatest directors of all time.

10 Toxic Words you Must not Say in a Job Interview

10 Toxic Words you Must not Say in a Job Interview
There’s plenty advice out there to rehearse what you’re going to say in a job interview: research questions the interviewer might ask, practice your answers, come up with salient questions of your own…

But what about rehearsing what you’re not going to say?
I put together a list below of some words you’ll want to try to avoid at your next job interview, because even though they seem like just ordinary words, they could be major red flags for an interviewer or recruiter.

No.

First of all, if asked even a simple question, you don’t want to give a single word answer (yes or no). But when the answer is no, definitely don’t leave it there! For example, if asked if you know a particular computer program, and you don’t, you could say, “I haven't yet had a chance to learn it but would be interested to do so,” rather than simply saying “No.”

Er… Um…

That old saying, “If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything at all,” applies here a big. Rather than hemming and hawing while you try to think up an answer, just be silent and think. Saying er or um too much could make you seem unprepared or as though you’re not paying attention.

Whatever, OMG, bae… groovy?

Lose the slang when talking to an interviewer. You want to come across as polished and professional, and you don’t want them to have to dig out their urban dictionary to understand you.

Sure, cool, kinda…

These kinds of words are just too casual, even in a casual workplace. You should be presenting the best version of yourself, not the sloppy, casual version.

We

This one seems innocuous at first, but if you use it a lot when discussing job duties and accomplishments, the interviewer might start to wonder if it was you or your team that was responsible. Try to use “I” as much as possible.

Dedicated, motivated, team player...

Lose the resume speech and jargon. Besides the fact that these words are incredibly overused in interview situations, they’re also better demonstrated than just stated. If you want to convey your dedication or motivation, share an example from your past work experience; examples will go much further to making your claims believable.

Leverage, synergy, ideation…

I’d avoid using too much business jargon. The chances that you’ll come off sounding like an idiot are just too high. Too much business buzzwords or jargon tends to make people sound pretentious, or worse, downright stupid.

“Hit the ground running,” “Circle back…”

These kinds of cliches have little to no meaning, they’re just verbal fluff, and they don’t add anything to what you’re saying. So leave them out.

Hate

I can’t think of a single instance when saying you “hate” something in a job interview is appropriate, but it’s exceptionally inappropriate to say anything about hating your former job, co-workers, boss, etc.

Perfectionist

It’s become almost a cliche in and of itself to answer a question like, “What’s your biggest flaw?” with a positive flaw like, “I’m a perfectionist.” Any good interviewer will see right through that, so just don’t do it.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Ipl 2015

Guess What This IPL Season Has Got In Store For You : http://www.iplt20.com/


You've fallen 99 times? You're hired!

You've fallen 99 times? You're hired!
Who would you prefer to hire?

Someone who has tried something 100 times and never failed or someone who's tried 100 different things, failed 99 times, and only succeeded once.
Here's why you should hire the person who's fallen short 99 times.
If you've succeeded 100 times without fail, you haven't been risking anything. You've been playing it safe. And you've never been tried or challenged. Heck, you haven't even broken a sweat. And you've never learned anything new because you've never had to. You may be successful ... but you're also static.
Now someone who's fallen 99 times has also had to get up 99 times, which shows character, determination and a strong will. If you've fallen 99 times out of a hundred, you've risked something all 100 times, which is daring. Falling 99 times also provides 99 opportunities to learn something new that can be used for the next challenge. If you've fallen 99 times, you weren't born into success - you had to earn it.
To do good things, you need someone with a consistent track record. To do greatthings, you need someone who's not afraid to take risks and will get right back up after falling down. You can pack your team with perfect people all you want, but I want to do something that hasn't been done before. I want to shake things up. I need people who think, "I don't know how many tries it's going to take but I'm going to do this eventually."

17 Evocative Images From Australia’s 2015 National Photographic Portrait Contest

‘Portrait of Ali’ 2014 by Hoda Afshar

(Credit: Hoda Afshar, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Hoda Afshar, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Blue’ 2014 by Adrian P Connelly

(Credit: Adrian P Connelly, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Adrian P Connelly, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Matilda after the match’ 2014 by Andrew Merry

(Credit: Andrew Merry, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Andrew Merry, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Catherine in black silk’ 2014 by Chris Budgeon

(Credit: Chris Budgeon, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Chris Budgeon, National Portrait Gallery)

‘HOMELAND The importance of place’ 2014 by Dave Laslett

(Credit: Dave Laslett, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Dave Laslett, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Beau & Leon’ 2014 by David Rosendale

(Credit: David Rosendale, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: David Rosendale, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Who’s that lady? 2014 by Ferne Millen

(Credit: Ferne Millen, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Ferne Millen, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Ronnie Howard still dancing’ 2014 by Ivan Gaal

(Credit: Ivan Gaal, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Ivan Gaal, National Portrait Gallery)

‘A look I’ve never seen before’ 2014 by Ketakii Jewson-Brown

(Credit: Ketakii Jewson-Brown, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Ketakii Jewson-Brown, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Cactus World, Lester Meyers’ 2014 by Man Tsun Cheung

(Credit: Man Tsun Cheung, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Man Tsun Cheung, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Now we must climb higher’ 2014 by Mark Hopper

(Credit: Mark Hopper, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Mark Hopper, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Ela Stiles’ 2014 by Max Doyle

(Credit: Max Doyle, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Max Doyle, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Feather and the Goddess Pool’ 2014 by Natalie Grono

(Credit: Natalie Grono, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Natalie Grono, National Portrait Gallery)

‘My home’ 2014 by Peter Blakeman

(Credit: Peter Blakeman, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Peter Blakeman, National Portrait Gallery)

‘Not so remote’ 2014 by Philip Myers

(Credit: Philip Myers, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Philip Myers, National Portrait Gallery)

‘The morticians’ 2014 by Rohan Thomson

(Credit: Rohan Thomson, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Rohan Thomson, National Portrait Gallery)

‘The Christening’ 2014 by Sarah Rhodes

(Credit: Sarah Rhodes, National Portrait Gallery)
(Credit: Sarah Rhodes, National Portrait Gallery)
These portraits will be featured at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia until June 8th, 2015.