Mike Riversdale

This article is now at Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style: Concerns that 'in-person' social-networking could corrupt children

Straddling boundaries with Zawking Andrew

Sometimes, just sometimes, the jokelist I'm on works a treat (click for de-small)... Submarine race [19-Oct-2024: ? gone] UK 2007 summer fashion [ 19-Oct-2024: Same same]

A large part (85%+) of my work involves communication/change management and one* of the methods I use is to supply stories of where certain behaviours/features have worked at other organisations. The knack is to use stories that are current, relevant and have an "Aha!" moment within them. So where to find them. On the Web. Yeah, ok ... but where? One of my discovery mechanisms I am finding very useful and extremely focussed is to use del.icio.us . In practice what I do is: Find someone I respect that is working in a similar field Find them on del.icio.us Add them to my network Subscribe to my network RSS feed Watch the sites they bookmark It does feel a wee bit like looking over someone's shoulder but I can live with that. Some people not only bookmark the sites but add comments and use del.icio.us as a sort of blog - this is extremely useful and I will try and do the same from now on. Give it a whirl yourself and see what you click through to - the hard parts are steps 1...

And that's not comment aimed at you or your reaction but mine. Nor does my reaction to the picture have anything to do with politics, the underlying message, the reasons or anything "adult". Since becoming a father my emotional response to such images, news reports or stories told by others is much deeper, guttural and sometimes overwhelming. I am, of course, instantly putting Jack/Meg into the 'picture' and reacting to that. Someone is reacting because it's their kids - I can't imagine the pain. First seen by me Duckdown

Source (where's there's a stack more) Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers 10 Most Practical Blogs for Entrepreneurs - No philosophy, theory or personal rants/raves/ramblings here - just practical tips for business owners. Twenty Usability Tips for Your Blog - Tips for increasing the usability of your blog for your users which can lead to new and returning readers. Big list of blog search engines - a very detailed resource for blog search engines. Search Engine Submission Tips - an interesting list of techniques and strategies you can use to make your blog appear in relevant search results. How to Make Money From Your Website - a practical guide that explains the differences between the different advertising systems that you can use on your blog. 25 Tips To Optimize Your Blog For Readers & Search Engines - useful tips that help your blog stand out from the crowd. Research, Promote And Monetize Your Online Writing: A Blogger’s Guide To Twitter - a great guid...

After the initial RSS cull I noticed a huge increase in productivity as I was no longer wading through masses of feeds to get to the nuggets held within. Whilst the word "noise" is used I have to take 100% responsibility for it being self generated as not one of these sites/blogs/feeds demanded that I add them to my list - my choice. Also, to reiterate an reply to a comment left : ... the word - "relatively" - it's relative to me and my life at this moment in time - that's what I've tried to express. I will no doubt revisit these (and the others) when my life changes and probably add some back in (and remove some that I deem useful right now) - the vast majority of the content is still awesome, it's just me selecting what is relevant to me right now. Well, a few more are off the list today: Dave Barry's Blog - it hurts me to remove it as it's generally gold but it's updated too frequently and I get overwhelmed indexed - "moved on...

... eating Satsumas and keeping the pips in your mouth so you can spit them all out at once Show all | explain this

Awesome - but why couldn't NZ comedians/TV done anything similar, in fact why nothing at all ( prove me wrong , link me to anything that's a fight against this dumb ass law) [3-Dec-2024: This video service no longer exists] Thanks Alan , "our politicians for being such cocks" and NZ media for being so frickin lazy and in with the politicians that they didn't have the guts say, "Fuck off you boring bunch of idiots!"

Africa unites for 'Flood Aid' concert in Somalia Top notch comedy from the ever wonderful NewsBiscuit - sample: Following the broadcast of harrowing television pictures of flood victims in England, several African countries have joined together to try and raise awareness of the disaster. People from all over Africa united at a massive outdoor concert in Somalia under the ‘Make flood history’ banner. read on>> Stuff.co.nz: Blog Idol Ha ha ha ha ... I am so up for this ... but not as MiramarMike or anything like that - see if you can spot me! The blurb: Do you have what it takes to be Stuff.co.nz’s first Blog Idol? Do you have an opinion that needs to be heard? Your quest to become Stuff’s first Blog Idol begins here. It’s simple to enter; all you need to do is write your 1st blog entry of 100 words or less. Pick your topic and start typing. Impress our judges, including our own Entertainment Editor Chris Schulz and blogger Tommy Ill with your brilliance and you’ll make the...

When : August 18th, 11am till 3pm Where : TheNewDowse - ZoomIn map | Google map Why : Buy From local Crafters. support your community. Make a kitten smile And even more details: Craft2.0 features an eclectic assortment of fine craft and handmade kitsch by more than 30 artists, makers and crafters from Wellington and beyond at TheNewDowse, Saturday, August18th. Craft2.0 embraces independent spirit and hip expression expressed through crafting mediums like hot glue guns, crochet needles, buttons and felt. Discover fresh and funky gifts for the home, your cousin, the fridge, the kids, and even yourself! Shop by and be surprised by treats like fabric badges, magical stuffed animals, handmade stationery, unusual jewelry, colorful handbags,baby fashion, original prints, one of a kind wearables, cupcakes, comic books and things just too strange and delightful to list. The first 101 lucky folk who get there early enough will be owners of the shiny Craft2.0 bag of full o awesomeness - inside ...

This article is now at Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style: Technology for technology's sake - we, the silent majority, don't care!

It's a slaughter fest that's certainly a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it up until the last few pages and, on reflection, am feeling a wee bit let down. The end wasn't dramatic enough, wasn't HUGE enough ... just happened. As for the "19 years on" bit, who cares ... and that Ron marries Hermione and has kids (as does Harry and Ginny ... yes, he survives and Voldemort dies) I was left thinking, "Where did that come from??". I know the author's been trying to intimate that there's something going on between Ron and Hermione but, well, it didn't grow enough and there was one passionate kiss between them (base 1 only guys) in the heat of battle (as if JK Rowling had suddenly thought, "Oh shit, gotta get these together and it's 10 minutes from the end of the film 4 chapters from the end of the book). I think the ending will be much MUCH better in the film version! Ach, it's just a book And maybe Scaryduck should've writte...

It's been a slaughter house of a book so far and I'm detecting a pattern in Ms Rowling's methods of tying up "loose ends" (and boy, does she have a lot to tie). It's Thursday and no-one has let slip the final score although the secret, closed and exclusive Wellingtonista email group came close (thanks Che - I cast whatever you wrote from my mind with a simple "Expeliorum" and a gin). Haven't even read any blogs, feeds, Facebook stuff (bit today) ... back, once I'm finished ...

A friend-of-a-friend (30something female with cat) is looking to move out from where she is ASAP. If you know of anyone looking for a flattie then leave a comment or drop me an email, miramar.mike@gmail.com , and I'll pass on your details. Thanks

Kobayashi v. Joey Chestnut @ 2007 Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest - video highlights Stunning commentating - ones I heard: .. the entire world, the entire free world, is watching these two men right now! ... It might come down to the judges if it stays like this. And we have the best judges in Major League Eating ... This could be the greatest moment in American sport ... ... This has changed the course of American history right there. This man is a true American Hero! Visit and listen!

We ended the last "Oooooow" report around mid-day yesterday ... and a lot, and I mean a LOT has happened since. Before I go on - thanks for the comments and emails both laughing at and then commiserating with. Special thanks to Noizyboy for the pointer to an excellent physio, I think I'm gonna need one. The afternoon droned on , the pain came and went getting slightly more intense at times. Eventually Liz forced the issue and booked me in to the local physio. 4:45pm and into the car the whole Riversdale clan got, 45 seconds later I'm hobbling towards the front door of the physio as they pop over to the supermarket. I'm in, I'm filling forms and I'm in quite a bit of pain. Nice guy shows me through and I sit on his bed to tell him the story , do these people not read local blogs!?!? He asks me where's the pain, how intense (out of 10 ... I give it a 7-8 in the 'nice' times and a full on 10 when I drop to the pavement like a sack of potato(e)s...

Not only can you get your paws on the final installment (released 11am, Saturday 21st July - this weekend) in the saga of H Potter, Esq but you can also do good. How? Buy Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows from GoodBooksNZ , not from NastyBooksUSA Of course you can buy all your books and support "communities in need through Oxfam projects" . Thanks to many leading my by the hand to GoodBooksNZ

Pure genius - thanks Noizy over at The Dropkicks for the, "Oi, check out this" ... the evil Wizard Mortlock ... the MCG, that's Massive Convict Gathering ... Alternative Rugby Commentary (ARC) if you're in Wellington don't just listen online (for free) , be a part of it at the San Fransisco Bath House (Cuba Street)

Bathed the kids last night. Bent over to pick up Meg and on the way up ... lower back wrenched ... spasm ... lock ... paaaaaaiiiin ... fall to bathroom floor! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!! During the rest of the evening it all seemed to come right, wee bit stiff but nothing quite like the pain at the beginning. I went to bed with every intention of going to the 8am Toastmaster Committee meeting as planned and enjoying a full, productive and fun day at work. Hmm, this morning - painful, stiff and movement was slow. But I was still on track. After the shower though I noticed I wasn't really moving at anything above optimal snail speed. Txt'd Toastmaster, not gonna make it I did get out of the shower to do this!) Never mind. Dress ... need a wee bit of Liz's help with socks and putting on the shoes did give a large twinge - OOOOWWWWWW! Note to self: don't take of shoes for any reason today ... in fact stay away from bending down for stuff on floors, bottom drawers an...

Goodnight Australian ZoomIn Map API’s Seems the Australia mapping info isn't quite as easy (cheap?) to come by for the non-mega players, ie ZoomIn over at ProjectX with their closure of the Australian API . Not sure how this changes their plans of world domination (who doesn't have those) and I only hope that their excellent New Zealand based service continues unabated. Mind you, I flick between using ZoomIn (local heroes) and Google Maps (covering it all) ... tough market to be in eh? 12 July - Google ads trial TradeMe changes in a small but quite significant way with their Google Ads trial . Interesting to see Sam Morgan on TV last night talking about he'd walk if the company moved too far away from the original vision ... I should think is a small step away from "serving the users" and towards "let's make much more money for the owners". Check out Sam Morgans preso at the CEO Summit ( my posting ) as well, especially where he mentions putting ad...

I love the peacefulness of this picture, just what one wants when working like a madman both at home and the place I get paid. Pop over to the Flickr page and let them know what you think ... * TWTWTW = That Was The Week That Was. Named after a 1960's British satirical TV programme [ BBC | Wikipedia ]

My del.icio.us activity ( subscribe ) was very light this week with only four sites to choose from. I choose: Wallpapr Wallpapr is a keyword based cool wallpaper search tool. It's simple to use, just click at "20" button and you will see the magic happening. If you want, type any keyword at input field and the search will be more specific. ... Where the images come from? The images come from various random wallpapers groups on Flickr. And what about the copyright license of these images? Take care of yourself, check the licence before using it. I'll put an indicator at each image soon. I think that says it all. Another nice example of how Web 2.0 products/services let others discover interesting and fun ways to play with the data held within. * TWTWTW = That Was The Week That Was. Named after a 1960's British satirical TV programme [ BBC | Wikipedia ]

Can't pick only one so here's the three I really like from this weeks Shared RSS items ( subscribe ). 5 Alternative Ways to Browse Amazon If there's one "Web 2.0" website you really need to read it's our very own Richard MacManus excellent Read/Write We b . This article is an excellent review of how Amazon is letting other extend and build upon the data held within. The People Side of Enterprise Architecture For the techies Zawk is the blog that will tell you how it all really works. Every now and again Andrew pops up a posting that challenges all organisations to really listen to those that know and get the best out of the very expensive people that have hired - this is one such post. Stephen Larkham Career Reflection Aussie - yes. All Black line breaker - yes. Rugby legend - most definitely. Oh, and this is my favourite sentence of the week - had Duncan and I giggling for ages: The release of several pounds of pungent nutty slack into the care of Thames Wat...

The team is not connecting quite as well as it should , Dan Carter is way off his top game and certainly not ruling the roost as he has done (is he another Christian Cullen - let's hope not!) and there's a lack of "oomph". Definitely something missing from the team last night as they beat South Africa 33-6 However, I see it returning in fits and starts. The last 10 mins or so were definitely closer than the first 70 mins. Lot's of positives from various players - Joe, Doug, Chris J, Rodney and others, all played well. And, of course, there's no point peaking now with 8 more games to go before being proclaimed World Champions, is there? My only real concern is Daniel Carter ... he's not ... something. I don't know what it is but something isn't jelling in the world of D Carter; he's not as sharp, doesn't seem to have the space he used to (that could be, of course, that he's being closed down by the opposition) and isn't the "mi...

Well gents, what do we have to say about that - leave your comment It comes from an article, Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design , that tracked the eye movements of people when reading a web page. There was this about pictures: When photos do contain people related to the task at hand, or the content users are exploring, they do get fixations. However, gender makes a distinct difference on what parts of the photo are stared at the longest. Take a look at the hotspot below. Although both men and women look at the image of George Brett when directed to find out information about his sport and position, men tend to focus on private anatomy as well as the face. For the women, the face is the only place they viewed. [image] This image of George Brett was part of a larger page with his biographical information. All users tested looked the image, but there was a distinct difference in focus between men and women. Coyne adds that this difference doesn’t just occur with ...

... wobbling a loose tooth with your tongue Show all | explain this

July 15th, 2007 - chosen as a TWTWTW article Is it - please tell; leave a comment!

The best way to bring poncy gits down ... blend their latest toy! Thanks to Adam for leading to this page

These'll bring a wry smile to those that have a click with nary a care in the world - Seven Wonders of the Tech World and Study: Fellatio may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women More of this sort of fun appears almost constantly at my shared Google Reader items (subscribe) Also, in line with Web 1.0 - ahhh, the good ol' days check out (found here ):

YouTube: Miramar's Mike Should I sue someone .. or does that only happen over there?

I know this is normally Tom's area of expertise and blogage but I feel I have to cry into the wilderness and shout, "Noooo! Grey* is a crap colour to paint buildings!!" That is all. Please stop the following from spreading further than it has: * Grey was what I called our first house in Miramar (the lounge walls) ... but I was informed by someone that knows better than I that it's actually called Mushroom. Arsey eh?

The following came from Swivel - Draw conclusion from data . [10-Nov-2024: Something to do with Google and hiring, we'll never know now] I looked and thought ... OK, don't really get the data, the article or ... hang on ... which line is which. Is the red curved line "Historical stock prices ..." or is the spikey line "Historical stock prices ..."!?!?!? Usability: 0/10 [Updated - an hour or so later] Usability has shifted up to 8/10 - they've changed one to blue .

Without anything else to blog (work, work and work at the mo' - re-arranging life to give more time for ... life) I am going to tell you how the Salsa lesson 1 went. Crap. No, that's not quite true - I had experienced loads of laughter (mine), had loads of fun and loved holding my wife in my arms and fighting her to follow my lead (she's a strong willed lass). It's just that I was crap. It started well. And then 3 minutes into it we had to move our feet. I just couldn't get the concept. The rhythm baffled me and I was at 11 and 12's not 1, 2, 3, tap! But hey, I can only get better ... right? Unless I've plateaued already! :-)

UNESCO slams new seven wonders list To be fair it wasn't UNESCO that came out with the fvcking stupid thing to say ... background leading to key quote: THE UN body for culture overnight blasted a private initiative that drew nearly 100 million Internet and telephone voters to choose seven "new" wonders of the world. ... British actor Ben Kingsley and US actress Hillary Swank hosted a ceremony at Lisbon's Stadium of Light, broadcast in more than 170 countries to an estimated 1.6 billion viewers. ... ready? "This contest will not detract from the value of the pyramids, which is the only real wonder of the world," Egypt's antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass said. " This competition has no value because it is not the masses who write history." Cheers and I owe you a beer to Hamish.McEwan and his del.icio.us bookmarking activities

"What is the bounciest planet".

July 15th, 2007 - chosen as a TWTWTW article Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters - all in capital growed-up letters because it's the title of a "to be published in September" book* The key points to note follow and ... oh, you can read more at the Psychology Today site - I tell you, the things people read and then forward to me, you'd not believe it sometimes. I have added my own non-inflammatory remarks to help you along with the discussions you'll want to have with your spouses, partner(s), work colleagues, Mothers group and the person reading over your shoulder! Men like blond bombshells (and women want to look like them) I don't. I am a man. Not all women want to look like them. ... Or am I just kidding myself? Humans are naturally polygamous I have the scars and bruises to prove that this is both a truism and patently a lie! Most women benefit from polygyny, while most men benefit from monogamy I'd heard this one before ... and I'm probably...

We, here at the Riversdale residence, weren't really up with the latest Live Earth happenings and had only taken a slight glance at Morphyoss' programme listing yesterday. We were not prepared. However, good things were planned by the universe. The TV was owned by one person last night - me! Liz was out with her girlie mates and, going on the past extravaganzas, I wasn't expecting her to be back before dawn. Unfortunately, I wasn't really planning on Live Earth - I had DVDs to watch ... which I did ! This morning I had a glorious awaking (no, not that ... necessarily) as the kids slept soundly on, I had time to shower, clothe and even dose my head-cold ridden body up with enough caffeine to open the curtains. SUN! In fact, not a cloud in the sky and thus is stayed all day. I flicked on the TV to see the rugby score (Aussie win again with a massive comeback) and was pleasantly surprised to see Live Earth still plugging away. Jack brought himself in and asked what it...

They're talking about this blog, not me ...

Straight from Morphyoss ... not sure if this is stealing as they do say link if you're not going to add more value ... um, OK - go and see Morphyoss' page for ALL the dates . Here's Bangladesh and England being played in a 2008 styled Wellington: Bangladesh v NZ, Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington: Sat 12- Wed 16 January England v NZ, Westpac Stadium, Wellington Sat 9 February v NZ, Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington Thu 13 March - Mon 17 March All Test and First-Class matches start 10.30am daily (subject to change) All ODIs 2pm start (unless stated - subject to change) All Twenty20 internationals start 7pm (unless stated - subject to change)

As is plainly obvious by the lack of TWTWTW postings I have had to come up with a far easier, less time consuming and quicker to use method of letting you all know the finest and dandiest stuff I post/fall across each week. And this is it. I'm gonna re-edit anything that's actually on the my blog adding my TWTWTW picture (as per this post), label them 'twtwtw' and re-date them . This saves me re-typing and saves you following links around the blog! Anything that that I haven't blogged I will put into separate posts. These will most likely include Shared Items which are the RSS feeds I share using my Google Reader . If you want to read the Mike Made Newspaper then subscribe to my RSS feed Also the del.icio.us links are likely to need a post to guide your attention - or, simply subscribe . And finally it may include the photo I choose as my wallpaper for the week and maybe even the video but that's probably gonna be blogged. I will also be limiting myself to...

Why post ... because I can!

This article is now at Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style: It's all about the "user experience"

Now this would be fun - I can see the Wellington Stadium being used as well as various places around the harbour (weather allowing)

July 8th, 2007 - chosen as a TWTWTW article I have a Wellington SkypeIn number +64 (0)4-889 0227 "And so, just another number to use to call Mike on ... isn't it?" Well, yes and no. Call that number from within Wellington and it's a free call , just like any other person phone number - no change . The same for calling from anywhere else, it's whatever you'd pay to call me here in Wellington on any other phone. Also I can set up a free voice mail so if I'm not on my PC* you can leave me a message and I will, probably, call you back. Normal stuff. And so, there's no real benefit from having a SkypeIn number and any other Wellington telecom number. However, the really cool thing is that I can forward , for a nominal charge , all calls to any other number** - aha, now we're talking. So, if I'm in the pub I tell Skype to forward my calls to my mobile. And don't forget, this costs Wellington people nothing and others a pittance. Likewise, if I...

Yvo Schapp's page, R.I.P. - A tribute to web 1.0 is a cracking look back at the early days of the web - who remembers these: I had a GeoCities page, in fact ... [checks to see if it's still alive] ... YES, it's still there*! This, he says proudly and with chest puffed out was my** first 'blog' and attempt at a 'community' - enjoy the fun that is The Forum There's a lot no longer valid (bio, about etc - all now over here ) but it seems the " Weird But True" collection is all there. Excellent, some very funny stuff in amongst it all - I love: I am a tip-top starlet NZ's own Murray Mexted - that dates some of the emails flying around The Entertaining Customer ... but trawl the lot, some big smiles in there I think I might copy it all ( Forum and Weird But True ) across to this blog ... just for prosperity and all that. * And why is it all "mikey_boyle" but that's not my name - this is why ** Wasn't just my first att...

Then I'm one click away from finding out where someone lives (for non-stalking type activities)! Just a thought. Others thinking the same: http://stuff.rancidbacon.com/gmailmaps/ http://blogoscoped.com/forum/91950.html http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Labs/msg/012b3cd788e84de7 What do you think - leave a comment

38% Geek http://mingle2.com/geek-quiz And why did I go and find out, to prepare myself for a comment over at Brenda's posting :-) I have to say I was sweating a bit as that fella filled up ... not that there's anything wrong with being a Geek, just don't want to be one myself. Mind you you could've said it was a "SciFi lover" indicator as well ...

Well, Team New Zealand lost the final race (for them) by 1 second - shame ... for them. And I (as a New Zealand tax payer) will be stumping up $30m+ to have them racing again in 2 years time ... hmmm, not sure how I feel about that. Probably all good advertising for the country. And so, what's the update since the last posting : U19 Rugby World Cup : Winner Cricket World Cup : Semi-Final America's Cup yatchting : beaten finalist Rugby World Cup - the biggie! 8th September-21st October in France [ RSS ] World Netball Championships - the second biggie! 10th-17th November in Auckland

And yes, you do know him! Boots Randolph (died Tuesday, aged 80) was a saxophonist that composed a song called Yakety Sax - here's a wee sample of it in it's most famous setting: [23-Nov-2024: Video is no longer available]

Since the first massacre I have had call to drop one more brick (last week) and tip out yet another into the bin (this morning). And thank fvck it was dead. I was out of the house in the dark this morning and didn't fancy stumbling around the garden looking for a brick to drop on the poor sod. Anyway. If I get to kill anymore I'm going to start a tally ...

      And before you ask where the pictures of Linda (mum) is ... well, after a 3 day birthing process she probably wouldn't want them published for the whole world to see and so here's one she prepared earlier:

... putting a whole ice cube in your mouth and trying to speak at the same time Show all | explain this

As Martha says : The first Wellington Pecha Kucha night is being held this Thursday, 5th July at Hope Bros. It is a format for creative talks restricting each speaker to 400 seconds, comprising 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Some more info at the esteemable Wikipedia . Audience spaces are limited - by all accounts the Auckland event was a blast - and tickets cost 7 clams.

All Blacks losing to Australia was a fair reflection of the game ... well, the last 20 minutes of it. I don't think the All Blacks will be that worried about losing any of the cups up for grabs this year, I'm not that so that's OK then. Looks like the America's Cup is going to stay with Alinghi - a team based in Switzerland, a land locked country comprising of only one Swiss citizen. Why don't they lose the "nationality" part of the naming of boats, it is irrelevant. And no, the suggestion that only naitonals of the yatcht can race is dumb - it's yatcht club v yacht club and got bugger all to do with nations; it isn't the equivalent of the national soccer/rugby/netball suide ... On a happier note - the Ories (Miramar-based) side beat Wainui in the Hardham Cup (27-10)

The Simpsons Movie website let's ya create your own avatar ... and so I did (click for largeness): Hee hee. Shout out to Martha for pointing me towards the light .

This, Jane (and gang) 2nd placed 'animal made out of vegetables, is by far and above the most viewed picture I have up on Flickr .. what the heck is happening to everyone?!?!? Is there a large yet mostly unseen community of 'vegetable animal' people out there? Have I stumbled upon yet another weird world of wackos living amongst the electrons of the Interweb? Is it the art of the photo perhaps? The light, composition and subject matter juxtaposing with the angst of the modern existence? Do the words 'Jane', '2nd' and vegetables' mean more to others than they do to I? Explanations on a postcard or on the back of a sealed envelope to arrive no later than the end of the Friday show.