Here's a preview of my new digs:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Meeting in the Aisle has moved
You know how it is, not enough space, too far to public transport, dodgy hot water system, whatever the reason, sometimes you just know it's time to move on. The time for this blog to move, stretch its legs, and decorate other walls has come. From now on you can find Meeting in the Aisle at Tumblr, come drop in, say hi, and even stay a while. I'd love to hear what you think.
Here's a preview of my new digs:
Here's a preview of my new digs:
Thinking in threes #1 :immigration, solutions for the first world & teletweeting
While I was taking Sally, the family beagle, for our afternoon walk around the neighbourhood today, I decided to experiment with narrowing down all the information I come across each day into the three most interesting/noteworthy things I've come across that day. It's an exercise in focus, and day one is proving quite challenging, but here goes:
1. Why are Australians so afraid of immigrants?
This question actually has its origins in my dismay at the public discussions going on surrounding Asylum Seekers at the moment. Yesterday, I decided I would try and find out how Australia compares to the rest of the world, but then Dr James Arvanitakis wrote this blog post, doing the hard work for me. So now I know for certain that what we are dealing with in Australia is so, so minimal when compared to the rest of the world (big, sweeping generalisation, but not by much), I looked instead to what I worry are the underlying causes.
One of them is racism. The other is patriotism (and the sense of ownership over 'nation' that can accompany it). And the last one is fear. Fear of the other, fear of the unknown, fear of fear even.
And that scares me.
2. Design for the First World
This project is seeking solutions to first world problems by people in the developing world. After my year in Bangladesh, I can certainly vouch for how full of problems our society is from their point of view, and I think it will be fascinating to see what comes out of it. Watch this space.
3. The experience of teletweeting
Last night I was one of the many people both watching and tweeting about Q and A on the ABC. It's not the first time I've tweeted as part of my TV experience, having joined the Crikey Oscars blog and the twittering going on during the Rudd v Abbott health debate. I couldn't help but notice how much more fun it was to watch TV 'with the crowd', laughing at quips, nodding at sound judgment calls and questions, and generally feeling part of a nationwide discussion, live. Bugger the next day water cooler, I reckon, teletweeting is way more fun, and has even encouraged this TV skeptic to reconsider how satisfying a night in front of the box can be.
1. Why are Australians so afraid of immigrants?
This question actually has its origins in my dismay at the public discussions going on surrounding Asylum Seekers at the moment. Yesterday, I decided I would try and find out how Australia compares to the rest of the world, but then Dr James Arvanitakis wrote this blog post, doing the hard work for me. So now I know for certain that what we are dealing with in Australia is so, so minimal when compared to the rest of the world (big, sweeping generalisation, but not by much), I looked instead to what I worry are the underlying causes.
One of them is racism. The other is patriotism (and the sense of ownership over 'nation' that can accompany it). And the last one is fear. Fear of the other, fear of the unknown, fear of fear even.
And that scares me.
2. Design for the First World
This project is seeking solutions to first world problems by people in the developing world. After my year in Bangladesh, I can certainly vouch for how full of problems our society is from their point of view, and I think it will be fascinating to see what comes out of it. Watch this space.
3. The experience of teletweeting
Last night I was one of the many people both watching and tweeting about Q and A on the ABC. It's not the first time I've tweeted as part of my TV experience, having joined the Crikey Oscars blog and the twittering going on during the Rudd v Abbott health debate. I couldn't help but notice how much more fun it was to watch TV 'with the crowd', laughing at quips, nodding at sound judgment calls and questions, and generally feeling part of a nationwide discussion, live. Bugger the next day water cooler, I reckon, teletweeting is way more fun, and has even encouraged this TV skeptic to reconsider how satisfying a night in front of the box can be.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Human Rights Arts & Film Festival
Human Rights Arts & Film Festival making its way around Australia from 23rd April to 30 May, with this film from CARE Australia being screened alongside some other cool offerings. It's going in the diary.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
on cliches
"People always whinge about the price and the quality of cocaine in Australia as they put half a Jetstar flight to Japan up their nose. Such complaints are a consequence of distance and market size: there simply aren't enough advertising executives in our cities to convince a ring of ass-kicking, goldtooth-grinning, machine-gun-slinging South Americans that a proper drug cartel export to Australia is worth their while."
- Chris Barton at Two Thousand letting down the usually witty and enviable style of the Two Thousand team with this cliched copy.
- Chris Barton at Two Thousand letting down the usually witty and enviable style of the Two Thousand team with this cliched copy.
why planes aren't flying
"...lots of dead people are very, very bad for brand value."
-Ben Sandilands in 'Ashes and angst as airlines navigate holes in the clouds' on Crikey
saturday night slip ups
Me: [to girl in the Kudu Lounge ladies loo with can of hairspray]: Wow, hairspray? I'm impressed!
Girl: Um, yeah, I thought it was a hairspray kind of night
Me: I can't be bothered to bring it out with me
Girl: smiles [dealing very well with my public dissing, upon reflection]
Me: [pause] you know, you look so much like this girl from a band I really like, Bridezilla
Girl: Um, I am the girl in Bridezilla
Me: Oh, wow, well no wonder you look like her. Um, I never would have said that if I thought you really were the girl
Girl: [graciously] I'm impressed you've even seen us
Me:.....[embodying sycophantic creepy slightly drunk girl in stupid shoes, laughing awkwardly] Oh, yeah, at the Annandale, I've seen you a bunch of times!
Girl: Yeah, cool [looks for escape]
Me: Yeah, cool [looks for escape]
Girl: Um, yeah, I thought it was a hairspray kind of night
Me: I can't be bothered to bring it out with me
Girl: smiles [dealing very well with my public dissing, upon reflection]
Me: [pause] you know, you look so much like this girl from a band I really like, Bridezilla
Girl: Um, I am the girl in Bridezilla
Me: Oh, wow, well no wonder you look like her. Um, I never would have said that if I thought you really were the girl
Girl: [graciously] I'm impressed you've even seen us
Me:.....[embodying sycophantic creepy slightly drunk girl in stupid shoes, laughing awkwardly] Oh, yeah, at the Annandale, I've seen you a bunch of times!
Girl: Yeah, cool [looks for escape]
Me: Yeah, cool [looks for escape]
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tuna: to eat or not to eat?
wash your conscience
Wash my clothes with nuts and save the world = best idea I've had today
(via the New Internationalist)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Digital Citizens “Social media for social good”
Things I wrote down from the Digital Citizens “Social media for social good” event in Sydney, 13 April, 2009.
Disclaimer – these are my rough notes, and there was wine.
“The average blog is read by six people,” “the future will be angry with us for demonetization,” and foursquare has some secondary uses which could be interesting i.e. urban planning and health scares– Kim McKay [@redshoes on twitter] (who heard these at South by Southwest this year).
Alan Jones [@bigyahu] (who mediated) made the point that “people are the media” which is in line with what I’ve been reading by Jim Macnamara [@jimmacnamara] who says we are living “in the media” in his book “The 21st Century Media (R)evolution.”
Karalee Evans [@Karalee_] from Headspace had some interesting things to say about:
• reaching the youth demographic who don’t read papers or watch TV. She talked about the need for a strategy around social media, and also about the importance of getting the whole organization on board from Board and CEO level to clinicians etc.
• They only have 300 followers on twitter, and are more interested in the quality engagement in this forum than numbers
• Facebook acts as a solid referral page to their website, which acts as their main call to action.
• “Social media is a long term investment”
Disclaimer – these are my rough notes, and there was wine.
“The average blog is read by six people,” “the future will be angry with us for demonetization,” and foursquare has some secondary uses which could be interesting i.e. urban planning and health scares– Kim McKay [@redshoes on twitter] (who heard these at South by Southwest this year).
Alan Jones [@bigyahu] (who mediated) made the point that “people are the media” which is in line with what I’ve been reading by Jim Macnamara [@jimmacnamara] who says we are living “in the media” in his book “The 21st Century Media (R)evolution.”
Karalee Evans [@Karalee_] from Headspace had some interesting things to say about:
• reaching the youth demographic who don’t read papers or watch TV. She talked about the need for a strategy around social media, and also about the importance of getting the whole organization on board from Board and CEO level to clinicians etc.
• They only have 300 followers on twitter, and are more interested in the quality engagement in this forum than numbers
• Facebook acts as a solid referral page to their website, which acts as their main call to action.
• “Social media is a long term investment”
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Which crazy writer are you?
...and I so wanted to be Hunter S Thompson... (via twitter, take the quiz here)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Migration is no joke
Jill dies and goes to heaven. She gets up above, and God says to her "Welcome mate, glad you made it. Now how would you feel about a holiday?" Pulling out his iPhone, God shows Jill a YouTube video of a night in hell: images of gorgeous people dancing and partying all night long is enough to convince her to take God up on his offer.
The next day Jill wakes up in Hell, finding herself in the middle of what looks like the most happening nightclub she's ever been to. Gorgeous people everywhere dancing it up to rockin' beats, mojitos on tap, flashing lights and sweat and man oh man, she was feeling alive with the buzz, the pulse, the vibrancy of the place. When the sun came up the next day and it was time to go back to Heaven, Jill was a little sad.
"What's wrong Jill? You look disappointed to be here" said God when Jill returned to the calm, quiet and orderly pastures of Heaven.
"Oh it's just that hell was so much fun! There was so much to do, and it was so loud and alive and colourful and I felt inspired! Alive!"
"I see", said God. "Well how would you like to go back?"
"Go back?! I'd love to! What's the catch?"
"This time there's no coming back. If you choose to go back to hell, then that's where you'll stay. Think about this carefully, Jill. It's a big decision."
God gave her the day to think about it, and came back in the evening to find out her answer.
"I'm going," she said. "Don't take it the wrong way, Heaven is lovely, but Hell is the kind of place for me."
"No hard feelings," said God. "Good luck."
And with that Jill descended down into the depths of hell.
Now, God being the two-way communicator he is, decided to check in with Jill a month later, and see how happy she was with the sea change.
"So Jill, it's been a month, how do you like hell?"
"Oh God, it's so hot down here! And it's so loud! The noise never stops, I can't get any peace, I never sleep, everyone is tired and cranky and stressed and hungover all the time, and no one cares! Why didn't you tell me Hell was like this? It seemed like so much fun the first time I came?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," says God, "did you think tourism and migration were the same thing?
A variation of this joke was told to me by A french man as I sipped cheap Bordeaux red and rushed to express how besotted with Paris I had become. Check. Mate.
The next day Jill wakes up in Hell, finding herself in the middle of what looks like the most happening nightclub she's ever been to. Gorgeous people everywhere dancing it up to rockin' beats, mojitos on tap, flashing lights and sweat and man oh man, she was feeling alive with the buzz, the pulse, the vibrancy of the place. When the sun came up the next day and it was time to go back to Heaven, Jill was a little sad.
"What's wrong Jill? You look disappointed to be here" said God when Jill returned to the calm, quiet and orderly pastures of Heaven.
"Oh it's just that hell was so much fun! There was so much to do, and it was so loud and alive and colourful and I felt inspired! Alive!"
"I see", said God. "Well how would you like to go back?"
"Go back?! I'd love to! What's the catch?"
"This time there's no coming back. If you choose to go back to hell, then that's where you'll stay. Think about this carefully, Jill. It's a big decision."
God gave her the day to think about it, and came back in the evening to find out her answer.
"I'm going," she said. "Don't take it the wrong way, Heaven is lovely, but Hell is the kind of place for me."
"No hard feelings," said God. "Good luck."
And with that Jill descended down into the depths of hell.
Now, God being the two-way communicator he is, decided to check in with Jill a month later, and see how happy she was with the sea change.
"So Jill, it's been a month, how do you like hell?"
"Oh God, it's so hot down here! And it's so loud! The noise never stops, I can't get any peace, I never sleep, everyone is tired and cranky and stressed and hungover all the time, and no one cares! Why didn't you tell me Hell was like this? It seemed like so much fun the first time I came?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," says God, "did you think tourism and migration were the same thing?
A variation of this joke was told to me by A french man as I sipped cheap Bordeaux red and rushed to express how besotted with Paris I had become. Check. Mate.
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