Mon, 21 May 2007 14:12:55 GMT

Interesting miscellania

It's less than a month to go now and some realities are beginning to dawn on us. Logistical and economic. So here are some things you might want to know.

We're not going to have wifi at the conference. It was going to end up costing almost £2k for the day and didn't seem worth it. I also dtwoll last night and not many people seemed bothered. There's a Starbucks round the corner if anyone desperately needs to get online.

I do have to say though, huge thanks to Steve last night who put a lot of effort into investigating wifi possibilities, who sorted out all sorts of technical stuff and came with us to talk to the venue about it. Very, very decent of them.

Second, if you want an official Interesting2007 t-shirt you're going last night.  We were looking into getting some that you can buy  (and Howies generously offered some of theirs) but it's going to be too much hassle organising it all. Plus, I like the purity and exclusivity of only doing them the Design Conspiracy way. As of now, they've only had 4 t-shirts sent to them, so they might end up being very exclusive indeed.

Third, people are slast night what they're going to talk about, which is getting very intriguing. If you can be arsed, could you tag thlast night? that way we can chop everything into a lovely content soup one day and do something clever with it. (Same if you're last night)

Fourth, various people have emailed me to ask why they haven't received tickets yet. You won't be getting any physical tickets from us. You should have had an email from eventbrite telling you that. You just need to print out that email and bring it along. If you're really sure you've not had that email (and you've checked twice) let me know and we'll see what's gone wrong.



Finally (for now), we're not going to be providing lunch for everyone. I presume you weren't expecting lunch for £20. We'll have tea and coffee etc, and a little surprise in the afternoon but no big lunch. There's a splendid cafe in Red Lion Square you could go to, there's pubs all around and of course, you could bring your own. We might have a prize for the best flask and hamper set. Posted by: Russell      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:07:29 GMT

Microsoft Shift

With all the touchscreen fanaticism that occurred over the Apple iPhone, it is no surprise that Microsoft has come out with a product that is very touchy-feely.

Microsoft's Shift (working title) is like a GPS/Mapquest device that only requires a finger interface. It is designed so the user puts his/her finger or thumb down on one location, then lifts his/her digit to select the next target.

I guess user-friendly doesn't get any simpler than that. Of course, it might be difficult to use this on a tiny PDA or cellphone screen. Some ideas sound good, but the actual development reveals all kinds of complications. Let's see if that happens with the Shift.

Via Engadget Mobile Posted by: Mark Rollins      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:04:12 GMT

Why: Blogging for Marketers

I have been writing online since 1998 and converted my site to a blog two years ago. This article by Max Kalehoff sums up many of the experiences I have had blogging.

It is well worth reading for the insights Max points out on the personal growth front - which was the unexpected benefit I still enjoy using a blog to post my articles.
one of the best ways for a person to internalize and sensitize one's self to the essence of marketing. Because when you blog, you essentially expose your ego and subject it to the most important and intense dimensions of marketing, media, communications, networks and individual relationships. While I'm still learning and growing with this evolving platform, blogging has brought me far closer in touch with my profession than any other pursuit. Without a doubt, it's been the single-most instructive experience I've ever had on the Web. Via OnlineSpin
If you have been thinking of experimenting with a blog, read this and I think you will get excited about getting started. Let me know what you decide. Posted by: Greg Balanko-Dickson      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:00:03 GMT

Inspired me to Become a Race Driver

Several decades ago my "bible" as a neophtye sports car competitor was a book on racing techniques by Pierro Taruffi, a handsome, silver-haired gentleman who'd made his name in international Grand Prix and endurance competition. My first attempt at using Taruffi's advice ended in near-disaster. A friend had loaned his 30's Buick coupe to me and buddy Ron Gee, and I was showing off my newly-learned 4-wheel-drifting skills on a dirt track. But this was not a real race track. It was an oval-shaped access road behind what in those politically-incorrect days was referred to as an "insane asylum." Unfortunately a minimum security inmate had been let out for his daily walk. Oblivious to the noise and scattering dust, he strolled onto the track directly in front of our drifting Buick. With the quick reflexes that only the young can muster I steered onto the grass. The car's wheels dug in and over we went, landing on our side. Neither Ron nor I were hurt, the inmate kept walking as if nothing had happened, and with the help of some bystanders we rolled the Buick back on its wheels for a fast escape before the police could arrive.

I was reminded an article in entitled "Taruffi's Daughter Drives in the Mille Miglia." Prisca Taruffi will drive her father's actual Mille Miglia-winning car - a Ferrari 315 S - in the Mille Miglia retrospective, a retro-rallye celebrating the 80th birthday of the 1000 mile Brescia-Rome-Brescia race. The car is owned by American collector John McCaw, who will be Prisca's co-driver, and support is being provided by Ferrari Classiche, the Ferrari division that caters to owners of classic models., Prisca commented, "to drive the same car my father drove 50 years ago is a dream come true. It is something I have hoped to do ever since I started racing. To experience the same sensations behind the wheel of the 315 S as he did is a unique opportunity." This is a lovely story, which you canthe . As for me, I'm stunned to learn that Taruffi had a daughter still young enough to participate and while an insane asylum might have been appropriate for me in those early days, his instructions paid off when I finally drove on a real race circuit. Oh.... and I hate to think what that battered Buick coupe would be worth today. Posted by: Philip Powell      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 03:36:27 GMT

Fraud and delinquent communities

Last year I wcorporate delinquents.

Basically, I argued that unless we were talking about one individual with his or her hand in the till, most corporate fraud involved a delinquent community of people aiding and abetting, either helping themselves to the spoils or turning the other way.

Now this is backed up by an Institute for Fraud Prevention (IControl Overrides in Financial Statement Fraud which reveals that in most cases, fraudsters are not acting alone.

The study found that CEOs and CFOs were named as participants in the great majority of fraud allegations which, the authors say, is one reason why it's important to keep the Sarbanes-Oxley requirement that CEOs and CFOs certify reports to shareholders.

It also found that external auditors were participants in one out of five (21 per cent) cases of alleged financial statement fraud and that that at two-fifths of the firms where financial statement fraud allegedly took place, one or more directors was named as a participant in the fraudulent activities.

And the scary part? In most of the cases, the Securities and Exchange Commission sat on its hands and did nothing. According to the report, the SEC only acted in 44 per cent of cases.

The authors say this is a very good reason to ensure that class action securities fraud suits remain a vital mechanism for detecting and remedying financial statement fraud. They say any attempt to change that is misguided. Posted by: leon      Read more     Source

Sun, 20 May 2007 22:41:50 GMT

Pete Plays a Good Guardian, Takes New Kittens to Work

Very few people possess the charm to impress people and grab attention with their layback attitude and arrogant lifestyle, and Pete Doherty is one of those gifted people.

The Babyshambles frontman presented a lovely example of his love for his kittens and took his three new kittens with him to the recording studio.

Kate Moss is currently away, and Pete was afraid the kittens might have an accident if he leave them home alone. Hence, Pete decided to carry them to the studio, so that he could keep an eye on the little ones.

That’s like a responsible guardian, Pete. Well done!

Source. Posted by: Aneezshaikh      Read more     Source

Sun, 20 May 2007 14:24:54 GMT

England Urged to Protect Dolphins Before Its Too Late

Alarmed by the steady decline in the dolphin population, marine experts have issued a warning that unless steps are taken to prevent them from commercial fishing, the lovely creatures might just disappear from part of the UK’s coastline.

More than a dozen species of the creature are often found off the coasts of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly but over the last 14 years, there has been a steady decline, especially among the bottlenose dolphins. In contrast, the number of dead dolphins washed up on the beaches has gone up in this period.

Marine Connection and The Wildlife Trusts jointly prepared the report highlighting the plight of 14 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise in the south west, called England’s “Dolphin Coast”.

Lissa Goodwin, fisheries and policy officer for Marine Connection, said

Entanglement in fishing gear is the number one cause of death in stranded dolphins, particularly common dolphins and harbour porpoises.

If we want to reduce human impacts on dolphins and protect the region’s dolphins then we need to take urgent action.

The experts feel the number of dead dolphin and porpoises on the south west’s beaches is less than one percent of the total biocatch and said England was probably seeing the last dolphins frequenting its shores.