typing the void

This is one of my favourite scenes from one of the ten top films of all time.

Fantastic story, brilliant script and a cast that grits and grumbles through a film that will leave you drained. There’s no high-speed fight scenes, no time/space/body-shifting heroes, no fantasy land; but since 1976, Network feels as modern a story as it did then. It informs us deeply about the world we live in, the machinations of the powerful and the television that dominates our lives now. Crammed with intelligently written scenes, full of a richness of meaning and purpose. Not to mention a very embryonic form of  social media.

The full scene, below, is brilliant if you have the time, but the clip above gives you the meat of the argument.

Apologies for the  French subtitles as everyone else only shows the truncated scene. Only the French understand mise-en-scéne and the clip below captures the drama and operatic scope of the scene, from Howard’s lonely, determined, rain-soaked march to the thunder and passion of the entire city screaming into the night.

If only the current Australian election were able to elicit passion on this scale.

Tags: and I'm not gonna take it anymore., anger, Beale, Howard, I'm mad as hell, network, passion, social

Even though I moved to Australia almost two years ago I still get the occasional email form London, UK Recruiters. I usually bin them after I tell them I moved and they should drop me off their list. The following I just HAD to post as it would have been an insult were it not real. They obviously dug out my 1999 CV as there’s no way I would have included Quark after that time.

I do have experience in all of these, I just can’t imagine I would happily take on all these roles at once without a 70% share in the company!

Roles I discovered in the requirements:

• Senior Business Analyst
• Graphic Designer
• Quark Designer
• Database Manager
• Web developer (front and back end)
• Website editor
• Information Architect
• Workflow/Traffic manager
• Project Manager
• QA, Fact Checking, Copywriter

In fact it made me think it might have even been lost in a time warp from 1999, because of the Quark/Filemaker and FrontPage/Dreamweaver references.

===========================

Dear Joseph
Contract Vacancy – Senior Analyst – Quark Xpress production
(N.B. If you are interested please respond with your availability, required rate and an up to date CV asap)

Your details are currently on our database, and your skillset has brought your name forward in my search.

Please let me know by return e-mail whether the role attached is relevant/of interest you:

Role: Senior Analyst
Location: Surrey
Reference: xxxxxxx
Start date: asap
Duration: 12 months
Salary/Rate: Excellent rates for the desired level of experience

Global Investments Management Company are searching for a Senior Analyst for a contract role based in Surrey.

Purpose of your role
In this role, the candidate will be responsible for the co-ordination, technical graphic development and production of business related materials like fact-sheets, performance reports, fund reviews, peer-group graphs etc. within tight monthly deadlines. The jobholder will also assist in the identification and implementation of online efficiency improvements. The role also involves working very closely with other team members and across different departments to assist in the implementation of projects relating to fund reporting and business related publications.

Key accountabilities:

• To build Quark documents using automated and semi-automated processes, perform manual amends as required and produce PDF output for director level sign-off, translation, printing and shareholder mailing.
• With other team members to support and develop FileMaker and SQL database systems for publishing purposes.
• To assist in the building and maintenance of departmental website.
• Prioritisation of allocated workload to meet objectives and ensure accuracy, quality and timely production of reports.
• Assist in the co-ordination of timetables and work within agreed stakeholder and legal filing deadlines.
• Maintain strong liaisons with stakeholders to obtain required input data and information.
• Proof read and peer review of reports.
• Ensure procedures are kept up to date and followed within the daily production processes.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships and process understanding towards external suppliers.
• Assist in the identification and implementation of efficiency improvements
• Assist in the day to day (style-sheet, grid, colour management, library) improvements of existing quark templates.
• Assist in the implementation of project initiatives cross all stakeholder teams.

Skills and experience:

Essential skills:

• Strong QuarkXpress (Mac platform) production experience using style sheets, grids and libraries
• Strong PC experience, including Excel and Word
• Working experience using FileMaker or SQL databases
• Working experience of website builds using FrontPage/Dreamweaver, HTML, on IIS.
• Ability to work to deadlines in a fast moving multi-project environment (Strong multi-tasking ability)
• Methodical approach with excellent attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (daily international interaction with people from all levels)
• Positive attitude, flexible and adaptable to constant change
• Strong planning and organisational skills
• Inquisitive and problem solving interest and skills
• Teamwork, commitment and self driven personality

Desirable skills:

• Exposure to MS Projects, MS Access, Oracle
• Exposure to .Net technologies; ASP and PHP.
• Exposure to financial services industry
• Appreciation of Project Management methodology
• Interest in foreign languages

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE REPLY BY E-MAIL ASAP (ideally) with an up to date CV.

Should you no longer be available please supply your latest CV, your availability details, preferred role, location and rates etc in order that we can update our records.

If this is not currently of interest to you, but may be to a current or former colleague, please feel free to pass my details on.

Best regards,
A Recruiter
Consultant

===========================

If you know anyone who might be interested, let me know. I think he’s having trouble filling the role.

Tags: contract role, contract vacancy, director level, investments management, salary rate, senior analyst, skillset

As I was wandering the lanes and back-streets from a great afternoon at the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale, I decided to stay in the lanes to see if I could recognise the backs of the houses I knew well from passing them so often from the front.

After stopping to consider if seven potted pansies left in a row behind a back gate were intended for public consumption, I spotted these fine boots.

Contrary to my usual practice of leaving these discovered footwear pairs undisturbed, I slightly rearranged these so you could see that they were infact, intact and not damaged in any way.

The story of these must be interesting, so near the gardener who so generously offered up a string of plants for people to take. Maybe she felt extra generous and started to put out some of her superfluous wardrobe for general consumption.

Having snapped that pair, slightly pleased that the week has not passed without a footwear find, I continued on, enjoying the laneways and architectural oddities of the back of Wilson St.

It was then another pleasant moment to see this mad collection of footwear, telling it’s own story of loss, adventure and missed solace!

This pair of slippers, plus a practical boot and a single flashy heel almost could be lined up to a narrative of it’s own, which I hope you will attempt to supply in the comment area below.

Happy writing!

Tags: abandoned shoes

Another pair I found today

Tags: shoes

In the past few months I have been noticing pairs of shoes left in the outdoors, snug, together, as if in the closet or by the door. They all look wearable and usable, but alone and apparently un-claimed. Here’s a pair from yesterday.

This pair was at Bondi Beach, a short walk from the beach, near the showers. A warm winter day with some people still swimming and playing in the surf. No-one anywhere near them, which was odd as there were many people who would have considered taking them for themselves in the area.

But it’s not the first time.

it’s the 7th pair I have noticed in two months.

Here’s the pair that started it off, found in the Domain, across the roads from the Art Gallery of NSW.

Sitting tidily at the side of the park, as if their wearer came from the road, slid them off and ran into the grassy park, never to need shoes again. SO between late April and yesterday I have 6 pairs to show you, listed here, in order. Each one must have a story of its’ own, a narrative that digs deep into someone else’s life. These shoes tell more than any Manolo Blahnik could.

Tags: abandoned, lost, odd, pair, shoes

Provocative presentation from Brett Solomon, Campaign Director at Avaaz.org about Citizen Journalism and Democracy. Great stats, interesting and useful facts, and an intelligent view, based on fact, not rhetoric. Covers several different issues in one sweep in 14 minutes. well done!

Too many people spend too much time:

working long hard hours  at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. It’s my contention that going to work on a Friday in jeans and a t-shirt isn’t really getting to the nub of the issue.

Tags: balance, TED

Tuesday June 1st is Corporate Tuesday, according to my chums at the Inspire Foundation. So in order to convince you to part with your lovely waterproof Australian money, I will be wearing a suit for the day.

If you already wear a suit to work you will be aware of Dress Down Fridays, where the normally be-suited wear casuals or jeans and shed some money for a noble cause. Well Corporate Tuesday is both similar and different. Similar in that it is in order to raise funds for a charity, different in that it involves wearing a suit instead of casuals. You probably already know I’m most comfortable with ancient trainers, comfy scruffy jeans and some sort of comedy t-shirt. I don’t even wear ties to interviews! So on 1/6/10 I’ll be wearing:

• a suit
• tie
• polished shoes
• crisp white shirt
• starched boxers

BUT: If you want me to wear something more, ahem, embarrassing, (it must still b a “suit”) well that comes down to what you’re willing to part with. There will be no shortage of cameras on the day (no-one at inspire wears suits!). So offer me a challenge and put your money where your mouth is if you want to embarrass me in front of my work colleagues.

The reason I am doing this is because suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people aged 15-24, alongside road and traffic accidents, and 75% of mental illness begins before age 25, so helping young people find a way through tough times is one of the best things we can offer the world.

So if you want my attire on Corporate Tuesday to be different to the usual “Whistle and Flute”, please visit my donation page and see what you can offer.

Tags: charity, community, engaging, fun, Inspire foundation, reachout

I bet this is not what you thought I’d be posting about Social Networks, here, namely as it is not about digital Social Networks but physical and tangible ones. These people actually touch each other.

Tags: community, engaging, TED