Kevin Rudd has a new priority every week. His priorities are defined by a heady mix of political opportunism and media tactics. Rarely (never) are they a product of “what’s best for Australia”. The Daily Reckoning has set a priority so simple and amazing, that like most brilliant ideas, it’s bloody obvious: Financial Independence for Every Australian.
The best defence of liberty begins with financial independence. And taking care of your own money and your own life is something you dont need to go to the ballot box to do. And you dont have to take anyone elses money either. It also puts you in the position of helping people you really can help – your friends, family, and neighbours.
the only thing is – there’s no way that KRudd would go for it. Why? He’s totally against independence of any type. He is obsessed with controlling the lives of every Australian. From what we see on the internet, to what bank we use, to what buildings schools are allowed to build, to how we invest our super – he wants to rob us with taxes and debt and spent it on his own “China-esque” plans. Financial Independence is not something that he’d like. Read More at The Daily Reckoning – Cost of Debt Tipping Point.
There’s a lot to be said about simplicity. It’s the sign that someone “gets it”. The simpler, the better. As Albert Einstein said: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”.
Alan Siegel gave this speech about simplicity at a recent TED conference. I love it, it really struck a chord. We spend too much time talking massive reams of rubbish. Companies spend billions of dollars bombarding people with words – when only a few will do. A bank gives us millions of reasons to join, and when we do, it suffocates us in millions of words of terms and condition.
Siegel argues:
“There is no way that we should allow government to communicate the way they communicate. There is no way we should do business with companies that have agreements with stealth provisions and that are unintelligible. So, how are we going to change the world? Make clarity, transparency and simplicity a national priority.”
In another piece, he describes why there is so much complexity in Goverment:
…many Americans are watching their credit card fees rise without understanding why. We get health care bills and benefit statements that read like gibberish. And we struggle with incomprehensible government documents.
Yes, there are reasons why government and complexity go together like dogs and hydrants. First, many public officials think that everything they say must sound “official.” Second, new laws keep getting passed, old laws keep getting amended, and all laws generate reams of regulations. Third, there’s individual and institutional self-protection — covering your posterior, rather than communicating with the public.
Still, in a democracy, government must communicate clearly. When Americans can’t figure out how to answer census questions, complete tax forms or qualify for small-business assistance, the economy suffers, federal revenues decline and confidence in government sinks to new lows. But, when our leaders communicate clearly, Americans answer appeals for action, from President Franklin Roosevelt’s declaration, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” to President Kennedy’s call, “Ask what you can do for your country.” In fact, President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took only two minutes and 246 words.
Too many words, too much complexity. Why not cut it right down to the core and have faith that people will understand, that we don’t have to spell everything out in complex jargon?
Footy’s back, and wasn’t it a wonderful weekend of footy! I was lucky enough to be able to have watched five games in full – footy bliss. I also watched highlights of the other matches, and “On The Couch” and “Footy Classifieds”, so I feel I’m in a position of authority to put together my AFL team of the week for round one – the best players from across the AFL – in every position, across every line, as based on their performance in round 1.
Here it is: B: Alan Toovey (Coll), Simon Prestigiacomo (Coll), Tarkyn Lockyer (Coll) HB: Harry O’Brien(Coll), Nick Maxwell (Coll), Heath Shaw (Coll) C: Luke Ball (Coll), Dane Swan (Coll), Ben Johnson (Coll) HF: Josh Fraser (Coll), John Anthony (Coll), Alan Didak (Coll) F: Paul Medhurst (Coll), Travis Cloke (Coll), Leon Davis (Coll) Foll: Darren Jolly (Coll), Scott Pendlebury (Coll), Dale Thomas (Coll) I/C: Shane O’Bree (Coll), Sharrod Wellingham (Coll), Steele Sidebottom (Coll), Leigh Brown (Coll) Emerg: Kane Cornes (Port), Michael Barlow (Freo), Luke Hodge (Haw), Jared Brennan (Bris)
Unlike many, I think the Apple iPad will be a revolutionary product.
As I said in my summary on the iPad on it’s announcement, I think it will change the way many people / organisations function. Here’s a wonderful (and very cool) example – putting a DJ mixing desk into an iPad, the iPad Mixr DJ App. This App is bloody lovely, and if they give me a free copy, I’d happily review it on an iPad (when I get one).
To think that instead of carting milk crates and heavy equipment around, DJs will now be able to turn up to gigs with just their iPads and headphones, and play sets from there. Nice.
Looking at it from another perspective – it’s another great example of a technology undermining the current business. In the same way emails have undermined Australia Post, the way digital cameras have undermined Kodak, the way that Skype is undermining business travel, this app may well undermine Technics, Vestax, Pioneer and other manufacturers of DJ equipment. What these manufacturers should do is create high quality apps of their own, bringing in their experience and customer base and ensuring their relevance within this changing environment.
I‚Äôve said a few times that 2010 is the year of data visualisation ‚Äì ways in which ordinary information can be visualised in a way that is practical and informative at a glance. In the old days, we were limited to visualising only small amounts of information, due to the cost of the materials. Time is money, so only thing we’d pay for, the only thing we could practically use to track and visualise is a diary – a way in which we could visualise our time in blocks over a day, week, month, year.
Now, technology is allowing us to track and visualise almost anything. This is now leading to an explosion of data visualisation (or visualization if you’re American) tools, and now merging art with data.
David McCandless
Here are a few ways people have made data visualisation beautiful:
David McCandless is a guru in this area. He’s a London-based author, writer and designer who “loves pie, hates pie charts”. http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
Information Aesthetics is designed and maintained by Andrew Vande Moere, a Senior Lecturer at the Design Lab at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning of the University of Sydney: http://infosthetics.com
Turn any website into a graph – the simpler the graph, the better the website. A giid way of explaining to a client if their website has poor navigation http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/
Every so often, a technology comes along that redefines competition within markets:
Email redefined the way people communicate, and in doing so, undermined the letter delivery service forever.
Phones are in competition with coffee shops.
Skype is in competition with domestic airlines.
Now, with the iPad, Apple’s “magical and revolutionary product“, Apple is in competition with TV broadcasters, newsagents and printers as a source of media. Print media organisations aren’t dead – their distribution model is. TV stations aren’t dead – if they produce content – but they are if they simply broadcast it. The iPad represents an opportunity for people to access professional content from anywhere in the world from anywhere. Video, audio, photos, music, games and books.
Where individual songwriters can record and release a song for $1.99 through iTunes, where individual developers and content creators can release individual iPhone Apps for sale, now content creators can release books and other written content through a secure payment and distribution system. Apple’s new iBookStore will erode the print publishing distribution model in the same way digital recording from a laptop , iTunes and peer-to-peer file sharing has eroded the record company business model. It will open up opportunities for organisations and individuals to create and release content of all types.
In 2004, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that you can listen to music in the background, while movies require that you actually watch them, and that the size of the iPod is not conducive to high quality viewing. With the iPad, Apple has created an almost perfect video (and gaming) device. I believe we will see further opportunities including:
Channel iPad: Live content streaming of TV shows, direct from producers – either bypassing or augmenting traditional TV viewing
Vote now: Realtime interaction with mass media events and live TV shows – eg: voting
Get used to seeing them on people’s laps at the footy / cricket: Sports teams providing rich in-game experiences and interaction via wireless networks in-stadium straight to iPad
Other random thoughts:
It will change the way in which we design websites, as fingers become the navigation tool rather than the mouse. This has happened on the iPhone, there’s no reason why we won’t see a similar shift with the iPad.
Video will be even more important in the communications mix – iPhone / iPad Apps will use more in-app video, and moreso considering YouTube is integrated into the device.
As people will now have a large keyboard on glass (silent typing versus a physical keyboard with buttons), we will see iPads:
Becoming more popular than laptops in Uni lecture theatres
Being used as a silent replacement for normal notepads in meetings, interviews and presentations
Being used as a big screen, synchronised (via Wi-Fi and 3G) version of our everyday notepad
I also see the iPad in the following roles:
Being used as a display / interactive device at retail – instantly synchronised, providing personalised product information for each customer
Being used as the ultimate device for sales reps – giving them a big screen for videos, presentations, sales charts, images and the synchronisation and connectivity for productivity on the road.
The ultimate “Doctor’s friend”, in the form of a one size fits all repository for scans, images, medical history and in-patient records
Apple’s massive repository of education content on iTunes U will find a logical home – the iPad is the ultimate education tool – relatively inexpensive and simple (restricted) enough that anyone can use it as a learning tool.
It will be a hit with the world’s ageing population. Larger screen means larger type which means less strain on eyes. A great platform to build solutions and content for the older generation.
Here’s a ranting list – a collection of my highlights for 2009, in no particular order or sequence. As my friend Martin Reid said of 2009: “CTRL-ALT-DELETE”. I won’t go that far, but it did have it’s share of shitful periods, on a global and personal level. However, these are the things that inspired and motivated me over the year.
Song – RAED’s ‘Gotta Love This City’ – the funniest, most incredibly strange thing I’ve ever seen.
Concert – Sound Relief. Incredible lineup and over $8m raised for Bushfire Relief.
Laugh – Miles Munn @ Rob’s 21st, The¬†Trixie on Frappe Show, other random stuff that just made me laugh every day…
Meal – Taramosalata at Hellenic Republic. It’s the best I’ve EVER eaten by far.
Night out – Canberra, cold August Friday night on the town with Al. Who would have thought Canberra had so much to offer after dark?
Movie – The Hangover. Should win “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards.
Idea – Take advantage of ridiculously cheap flights to Europe. Did I actually do it? No. Proving the point that an idea isn’t worth shit unless you put effort into it.
Rediscovery – Michael Jackson’s incredibly rich, wonderful and brilliant career.
Word – SHAMON! A close second was “Totes”. As in, “totally”. As in, “Are you going to see The Hangover?” “Totes”. Preferably spelt with a lower case “t”, “totes”, if in written form, eg: when affirming a Facebook status update.
Expression – A toss up between “Hells yeah” and “Loves it”. Redundant plurals really were big in 2009.
TV Show – Chamone! Mo’fo Selecta – A Tribute to Michael Jackson, followed by Entourage, and others: 30 Rock and V 2009.
Cool thing – So many to choose from, but this would be up there: a machine that makes floating smiley faces – Happy Clouds – out of bubbles.
Website – Facebook. It gets better and better.
Clever, witty thing – Daniel Kitson’s show: “We Are Gathered Here“. I haven’t missed one of his shows in 8 years, and I don’t intend to – ever. He owns this category.
Purchase – my iPhone, PlayStation 3 and Piaggio MP3 250
iPhone App – Wunderradio or Evernote or Ustream Broadcaster
Geeky achievement – Three #1 trending topics on Twitter. #soundrelief, and also #heyhey & #plucka when I was working on the Hey Hey Reunion shows.
Feeling – Sound Relief – Towards the end of the night, Ant Hampel and I were sitting in the Red Cross box at the ‘G, watching Split Enz belt out “Message to My Girl”, having played a major role in putting together the gig, thinking, “we did a very good thing”. Closely followed by five babies being born into my immediate friendship group – very cool.
Person – The Victorian CFA. Incredible work from these great people under the most horrific of circumstances, and no assistance at all from the inept Victorian Government / DSE (referred to by the CFA as the “Department of Scorched Earth”). A difficult one recognising a single person who has done more than any other to impress this year – but I’ve got to nominate Simon Prestigiacomo, Collingwood’s veteran full back. Despite the fact that a number of us created a Facebook Fan Page advocating his selection, he was ignored by the AFL All-Australian Selectors (again), Prestigiacomo was brilliant at full back this year for the Mighty Magpies.
a blog by Con Frantzeskos about all things FUTURE, FREEDOM, FUN and FOOTY, encompassing: Digital Media, Marketing, Trends, Music, Culture, Entertainment, Politics, Business and Liberalism.
...and sport, particularly Collingwood!
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