Letter from the Editor - Edition 53

"It's made me a better parent..."

I had a coffee last week with best selling author Marty Wilson at the Dymocks store in George Street and we discussed the upcoming release of Marty's new book entitled What I Wish I Knew About Motherhood due for release in 2011. Marty said that the process of interviewing many, many mothers to research the book had undoubtedly made him a better parent. As soon as Marty said this it struck a chord with me and I thought to myself 'I wonder how many parents each day or each week look to meet new people, read something, discuss something or chat amongst others in order to become a better parent?" In todays multitasking, overpacked and stressful world we are so focused on getting everything done from early morning to late evening that we often forget about the learning process, particularly in respect to being an outstanding parent. Now, some may say that Marty is fortunate because he got to do it for his book but he really did learn from it and he continues to find other parents that he admires, sits with them, talks with them in an open way in order to continue the process of becoming a better parent. As I was leaving the store Marty offered the following advice... 'Go through your telephone book and pick out the five parents you admire, who you think are doing a great job as parents, buy them a cup of coffee, sit, ask questions and listen. I thought this was a simple yet very powerful activity that we can all undertake that can help make us all better parents (or aunts and uncles!). There are loads of books, podcasts, video's, support groups, friends, relatives and even taxi drivers who are willing to share their story in order to be able to make you a better parent, but you do have to be open to it, it has to be important to you, you need to ask open-ended questions and most importantly you have to be prepared to really listen - there is a difference between listening and truly hearing what someone is saying. I guess this is why Marty has become a best selling author for his books like What I Wish I Knew When I Was Eighteen.

Telecommunications

Foot Power

It had to happen. It isn't enough these days to charge your mobile phone through the traditional powerpoint, now they have discovered a way to charge your mobile phone while you walk! Created by Orange in collaboration with Got Wind, Orange Power Wellies target Glastonberry festival attendees in the U.K with a power generating sole that converts heat from the wearers feet into an electrical current that can be used to charge a mobile phone. The concept is based around the fact that festival-goers spend hour after hour on their feet moving from gig to gig (and dancing), and the thermo electric boots provide enough charge to power up your phone for one hour. Start dancing and you get extra charge! Orange will be showcasing the Orange Power Wellies at the UK festival later next month. Of course to leverage their discovery they have created the Orange Chill 'n' Charge tent with free charging!

Technology

Traffic Accidents

Everybody knows the anguish of trying to draw a sketch of a traffic accident. Accident Sketch is a free online tool that allows users to graphically document car accidents with ease. Designed for simplicity it's a drag and drop template system that helps you re-create the circumstances of a collision. Accident Sketch also allows users to create a text report explaining the details of the accident. You can then print it out or download it as a pdf file. This is a great example by German claim management services provider ClaimsMS of how even insurance companies and service industries are looking to innovate.

Retail

Gifts by Text

With the ever-increasing speed by which business and our lives are run, it was only a matter of time before somebody jumped onto the gift concept delivered by text. L.A based Giiv offers a service for U.S citzens nationwide. You can send a gift by text message. Although still in beta Giiv lets users surprise each other with real time tokens of affection anywhere, anytime. You can deliver things like flowers, gift vouchers, movie tickets, health retreats plus other typical items only via text. Once you find the suitable present you enter your friends mobile number along with a little note, pay for it and then send it. Giiv then sends that person a text message including a special code that can be redeemed at the participating store or online retailer. Naturally there is also a free iPhone app too which has been developed to further enhance the company's offering.

Environment

It's In The Bag

There is no doubt that urban farming is a trend right now. Our latest offering the French bacsac which offers a line of textile bags that can be used to transform any space into a workable living garden. It's a lightweight and portable bag that you can use indoors or outdoors, at home or in the office. You simply fill the bag with soil and off you go. There are different shapes and sizes depending on your garden. The bags are made of double walled and fully recyclable textile fabric that maintains the necessary balance between air, soil and water. It's also resistant to sun, frost and tearing. Sounds like an interesting idea for those Espresso readers on the go!

Books

Rework

I was doing a job with a very in-touch group of young online content managers when one of the young team members suggested I might enjoy a book entitled Rework - Change The Way You Work Forever by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, so I bought it the next time I was at the airport. This is a great read. The book was written by two guys who started out in 1999 as a three person web design consulting firm who did a great deal of their work together by e-mail. Many years later, they now have over half a million people signed up for their software backpack and people have sent more than 100 million messages using their software campfire . Yet with all this going on they have 16 staff with only 8 in their head office the rest spread throughout the world in 8 cities on 2 continents, all communicating online. In essence these guys take all the corporate bunk and debunk it. Their principles like fire the workaholics, emulate drug dealers, fight bloat, planning is guessing and out teach your competition is gold. The Espresso rates this book highly and should be a must read for anyone running their own business and a definite read for someone working amongst the corporate jungle.

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