Christoph Hewett
Tall INTJ Melbournian. Curious, eclectic & passionate. Occasionally mindful, often learning. Sustainable, ethical & punctual. Always Social.
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration and fuels your imagination. It's not where you take things from - It's where you take things to." Jim Jarmusch (after Jean-Luc Godard)
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- This is me... well, my avatar. I use this image any where ever I go on the web. If you see this photo, you've found me. I look better in person.
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Posts
- Oct 17, 11
I've been super-stoked this week because my Hamboard arrive from Huntington Beach. Now I've never been a skater or a surfer, and with my 6'7" frame I was worried about how easily I would pick it up. However, it has been exceedingly easy. My technique may not be great but here are some videos I took this afternoon. Apologies for the questionable camera work, we'll fix that. I'll track my progress over Summer and let you know how I go.
If you want to know more about Hamboards check out their website and tumblr.
- May 26, 11
This is a post I wrote back in 2009 in responce to watching the movie Avatar. This theme's have come back to me as I concider the role of Mindfulness for entreprenuers of the 21st Century.
As a Christmas present, my wife took me to see Avatar 3D in a Gold Class Cinema. As many have reviewed already, Avatar is a beautiful and engaging movie, and it is an agreed (al beit minor) criticism that the plot is exceedingly simple. During the movie this perplexed me, why was such a simple plot so engaging? Is only because it is beautiful, or is it because of a deeper more resonant narrative?
I must describe the moment of my realisation to explain my reckoning. The central human characters are led by Avatar driver, Jake Sully, and ex-marine who has shown strong dedication to his profession and to his commanding officer, Col. Quaritch. Quartich and head of the Avatar program, Dr. Grace Augustine both report to corporate lacky, Selfridge.
At a key moment in the 1st act, Jake Sully is caught in a moral dilemma where he is willfully serving the dual-masters of science (the benevolent Augustine)and military (the very malevolent Quaritch) yet he is never subservient to either. In this moment I thought "If the director is creating this tension between science and military with the hero in between, what is Sully meant to represent? Is he an entrepreneur?" With this realisation the entire film took a new layer of narrative and metaphor.As the events of the film played out, the Avatar, now named "Jakesully" to fit in with this new alien clan, faces the usual array off trials and challenges. In each challenge he unveils uniquely entrepreneurial traits, as well as their limitations. Throughout the first act, Jakesully is portrayed as ignorant yet determined. He garnishes knowledge from a variety of sources and swiftly applies them to his victories. He also show great ingenuity, often shown as creatively combining his various learnings in a way unique to him, as a result gaining a more heroic status. I won't go into these events here, as I want others to view the film and contribute to this discussion. (Put you thought in the comments below)Many book have been written about the role of the literary hero. A famous one, and favorite of mine, is Joseph Campbell's "Hero with 1000 faces". I joyfully credit Campbell, and his idea of the monomyth, with causing the death of my love of fiction writing, I can never read fiction without referencing his work. (This is a WARNING to those that may want to read Campbell's theories, do so and you will never read a story the same way again, and you will never be able to go back to the way you were - much like a Campbellian narrative itself, hehe).Now Jakesully's journey can be well explained by Campbell's theory. The 'boon' or prize Jakesully is aspiring toward is simple enough; Get the girl, free the people, get the respect, use the legs. It is the fact that this 'boon' is so simple to grasp and so apparent to viewer that non-entrepreneur-types find the story basic. The idea of "know the goal, chase the goal, overcome the barrier, get the goal" scenario is well used, and well explained by Campbell.But there are some key story elements that are quite unique to Avatar. Jake Sully's "call to adventure" that kicks-off the whole film, well summarised in his opening monologue. *I would love the text I anyone can find it* He mentions his need for legs as a motivator, but his driver is described as "always being up to any test" and (as he tells Augustine later), "not having doctor's tell him what he can't do". By comparison, here is a speech given by Steve Jobs to Stanford University Graduates in 2005 (Video, Script) Sharing three life lesson he had gained over the years, Jobs closes by identifying what I believe are the primary traits of the entrepreneur, "Always be Hungry, Always be Foolish." Jakesully demonstrates these traits throughout the movie.All entrepreneur's have to deal with naysayers and doubt. Trials and challenge are the name of the game, both with success and failure. The bigger your success, the bigger you subsequent challenge will be. In Avatar this is evidenced by the escalating scale of battles, as Jakesully struggles to choose his side, leading to the eventual and inevitable battle against his own race. All entrepreneurs must eventually deal with the separation from what they once were. A good friend told me that the the entrepreneurial skillset is wholly different to the corporate skillset, and in some case they are diametrically opposed. Most business fails because the entrepreneur has not realised this, and has not separated themselves from their former existence. Realising the world does change, but you do, is important to the entrepreneur in his networking and allegiances; In the case of Avatar, old allegiance fail, new allegiances thrive.Hopefully, the more I watch Avatar (and there will be much more) I want to match Jakesully's entrepreneurial skillset with the innovation bible, "The 10 Faces of Innovation". Based on the work done at innovation hotbed, IDEO, I believe that a number of the innovation types described can be found within the Avatar character Jakesully. - May 25, 11
Since the This is Mindful conference on last Saturday I've been pondering Mindfulness, particularly in relation to some themes I have been grappling with in recent weeks - the concepts of Eustress/Distress and Happiness. Many of these concepts are quite new to me and in many way this post is my attempt at assimilating the new and somewhat radical ideas into my life. If you are already familar with these ideas or feel that my interpretation is inaccurate, feel free to to drop a comment to share your perspective.
If I understood correctly, the conference defined Mindfulness as an idealised state of being achieved through a combination of regular mediation and open collaborative experiences. This form of Mindfulness is meant to bring about prolonged and more frequent peak experiences and greater rational/creative insight and is preferred to Mindlessness (demonstrated well in a group exercise by Ron Laurie).
What struck me was the high level of rationality and conscious awareness there was about being Mindful. In some ways this can be compared with the concepts of Eustress and Distress. Orginally coined by the Canadian endocrinologist, Hans Selye, who pioneered theories on the reaction of organisms to stressors in the 1970's, of which only the general term "stress' is in common use today. Distress is the most commonly-referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas the less common Eustress is a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in a person's life.
While it is logical that Eustress is more appealing than Distress (just like Mindfulness over Mindlessness) the body itself cannot physically discern between the two. Both can be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in nature. The body reaction to long-term stressors (positive and negative) is reffered to as "General Adaptation Syndrome", and it is defined by three stages, Alarm, Resistance & Exhaustion.
This lead me to an important question, if we can lose Mindfulness can we also max it out? Is there a point where Mindfulness reaches it logical (or healthy) limit
To figure this out, I started reading The Path of Mindfulness Meditation: Finding Balance in the Midst of Chaos: The Application of Mindfulness and Vipassana Meditation for Personal Transformation. Whilst I have only begun, what struck me was the book's emphasis on resisting mental constructs that may lead us to presume and pre-dictate our perceptions. The human mind is attuned to develop comrehensive abstrctions based on limited expirence, whether is be "chair", "Stegasaurus", "anger" or even "mindfulness".
It goes on to quote from prominant Indian thinker on the mind and mindfulness, Jiddu Krishnamurti:
Perception without the word, which is without thought, is one of the strangest phenomena. Then the perception is much more acute, not only with the brain, but also with all the senses. Such perception is not the fragmentary perception of the intellect, nor the affairs of the emotions.
There is some interesting research that support this. A study done by two Psycholgist at Harvard University (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/) and published in Science last year found that, on average people spend 46.9% of their waking hours thinking about about something other than what they are immediately doing. Further to this the researchers estimated that "4.6% of a person’s happiness in a given moment was attributable to the specific activity he or she was doing, whereas a person’s mind-wandering status accounted for about 10.8% of his or her happiness".This shows that your internal imagined experiences are twice as influential on your happiness as any actual experience (except sex the reseachers point out).
Currently, I am starting to question the extent to which the concept of Mindfulness is being developed and built up. Not unlike many other idealised Western traits, such as leadership, rationality and emotional intelligence. For now I think will stick to the modest concept of Beginner's Mind, and see where that takes me.
- May 22, 11
Still buzzing from the This Is Mindful conference on Saturday and mourning the terrible loss by the Western Bulldogs, I wanted to get out into the morning air and freshen my mind for the week ahead. By fortune I ended up in Birrarung Marr on the dot of 8am, just as the Federation Bells rang their first tune for the day.
Federation Bells are a hidden gem in Melbourne and it is tragic that some locals still don't know about them. Installed at the same time as Federation Square and Birrarung Marr, the Bells are part sculture, part performance and part technical innovation.
Visually they are a bold examples of scale and stature. 39 upturned brass bells on steel struts which, at certain angle appear as tall as Melborune highest towers. Their cold stillness create a sense of permanence and mystery, as many would be confused about their true utility.
But at three times every day (8am-9am, 12;30pm-1:30pm, 5pm-6pm), they perform their song for Melbourne and let their true purpose be know. The Bells ring out accross the city to entrance wanders and city-joggers alike. In a true accoustic experience the benefits are not just in sound but also in touch. You can wander through the bells and place you hand on them as they are struck, or sit at the base of the Bells and let teh sounds and vibrations surround you.Perosnally the sound of the Bells is a very spiritual experience as they are the embodiment of my personal motto, Resonant Integrity. If the soul of Melbourne had a sound (over the bussle of street and cafes) it would be the the ring of the Federation Bells
That may be all be well and good, a piece of musical public art that enriches the cities parks and spaces. Indeed, the BBC and Loney Planet have listed Federation Bells as one of the world TOP TEN pieces of public art. But there is a third demension of the Bells which is little known. The Federation Bells website.
http://www.federationbells.com.au/
This is where the art really comes alive in a 21 century sense. Not only can you see photos, read about the history of the piece, view a calendar of the music pieces performed on particular days, and even play certain MP3 versions of chosen pieces. The site has a portal where you can play the online version of the Bells and compose your own piece. These pieces can then be saved and submitted for concideration to the performance repertoire.
If you can make the time to experience the Federation Bells in any of the way I described, I believe you will be amazed by this gem, and I hope you will come to love it (like I do).
- May 20, 11
In preparation for the #Mindful conference tomorrow I found this clip of my ALL-TIME favorite film, Richard Linklater's Waking Life.
- Jan 22, 11
As a reviewer (even if an amateur one) I feel a responsibility to correct some errors in the Catfish marketing. The reason for this is that I believe the marketing is actually damaging to the success of the film in a broader non-Film Festival market (and I'll explain why).
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It is not Hitchcockian. It is a great story, but this comparison is just wrong. In a Film Festival this marketing approach works. Because of limited number of screenings, it creates a tension that draws audiences in, and most Festival audiences decide their attendance by the various comparisons reviewers and promoters make. However, in a mass market, where people are selective with their time, this approach scares film-goers away – relying on word-of-mouth to win them back.
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It is not about Facebook. Of course it is the prefect hook, with Facebook attaining a dominant position in social media, the Social Network movie and Mark Zucherberg's Time Man of the Year accolade. However, the relationship that blossoms in the documentary is initiated via a newspaper photo, and is responded to via a postal delivery painting. Phone calls follow and eventually a Facebook friendship ensued. More phonecalls, text messages, photos and paintings follow, then finally a face-to-face meeting. Facebook is but one element of this modern romance. You can debate the significance of that element, but the closer you examine the breadth of the communication techniques, the nearer you come to finding the heart of the story.
Much of the criticism and controversy of the movie (whilst not unwelcome) is due to this deceptive marketing. So am I going blow the lid? Will I be the one that tells Charlie Brown that “Rosebud is a sled?”
NO.
Catfish, is a marvellous film. A well crafted tale that should be experienced untainted and in the linear flow directed by the film-makers.
The thing that is first noticed in the film is the candid and sensitive way all the subjects are treated by the film-makers. The experiences that the protagonist, Nev, goes through are very poignant to an audience who have probably experienced sexting a lover in the privacy of their bedroom. Nev bravely reads back his messages for the the director (his brother Rel) with his retainer still in place, one of the more comical and touching scenes of the film.
Following much build up, it is the final half hour of the film that will challenge audience members in a profound way and will provoke them to closely examine their own social media presence and those of their friends. For all of us who use social media, there is a void between meaning and fact that tools such as Facebook permits us to cross with great ease. As the number of social media channels explode – Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, Foursquare, Instagram, Quora, to name but a few – when will we ponder, where is the “real me”?
As technology is making personal thoughts & actions an intensely inter-connected and supra-individual experience; where does that leave our own sense of self and identity? Authenticity and integrity are more pivotal to modern day survival, but also much more slippery concepts. Solitude becomes more difficult and personal growth becomes more challenging, as our personal history is more pervasive and networks become more entwined. Resonant integrity (or the ability to be seen and recognised, from that which you do and say online, for that which you are) becomes the characteristic of people that maintain their sense of self through all their dealings with friends and strangers. For ultimately, we do become the stories we write about ourselves and goodness is at the heart of every story.
Meeting Rel and Nev Schulman at Melbourne screening and Q&A, with signed poster (for Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus).
"Catfish" offical website: http://www.iamrogue.com/catfish.html
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- Jan 05, 11
Maybe I'm getting to obessed with game Design and Gamification, but I am starting to see it everywhere. Most notibly in this TED Talk from mid 2009. In it condutor Itay Talgam share his business leadership insight but viewing the leadership techniques of the great conductors of the 20th Century.
What struck me was at may point Itay talk about the condutor as a creator or an experience, and who does so by maniupation an shaping the expeirences of those around him to serve the piece of music being played (as he sees it). On my reading of Jesse Schell's Art of Game Deisgn, there is much "Game Desigm" at play here. Here are some choice quotes:
"This is the true experience of a live concert." "The joy is about enabling other people's stories to be heard at the same time." "You have the story of the orchestra as a professional body. You have the story of the audience as a community. Yeah. You have the stories of the individuals in the orchestra and in the audience. And then you have other stories, unseen. People who build this wonderful concert hall. People who made those Stradivarius, Amati, all those beautiful instruments. And all those stories are being heard at the same time."
"When Muti is asked, "Why do you conduct like this?" He says, "I'm responsible. If I'm responsible for Mozart, this is going to be the only story to be told. It's Mozart as I, Riccardo Muti, understand it." "Three years ago he got a letter signed by all 700 employees of La Scala, musical employees, I mean the musicians, saying, "You're a great conductor. We don't want to work with you. Please resign.""
"Let's look at the next conductor, Richard Strauss." "When he was a young man, of about 30, he wrote what he called "The Ten Commandments for Conductors." The first one was: If you sweat by the end of the concert it means that you must have done something wrong." "So, the whole idea is really to let it happen by itself. Do not interfere."
"There is a wonderful story about Karajan conducting in London. And he cues in a flute player like this.<vague gesture> The guy has no idea what to do. (Laughter) "Maestro, with all due respect, when should I start?" What do you think Karajan's reply was? When should I start? Oh yeah. He says, "You start when you can't stand it anymore." (Laughter)" "Meaning that you know you have no authority to change anything."
"But isn't that controlling in the same way? No it's not. Because he is not telling them what to do. When he does this,<wild, agressive gesture> it's not, "Take your Stradivarius and like Jimi Hendrix, smash it on the floor." It's not that. He says, "This is the gesture of the music. I'm opening a space for you to put in another layer of interpretation."
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY:
"Kleiber not only creates a process, but also creates the conditions in the world in which this process takes place. So again, the oboe player is completely autonomous and therefore happy and proud of his work, and creative and all of that. And the level in which Kleiber is in control is in a different level. So control is no longer a zero-sum game. You have this control. You have this control. And all you put together, in partnership, brings about the best music. So Kleiber is about process. Kleiber is about conditions in the world."
"You're not really given any instructions. But the forces of the process itself keep you in place. That's what he does. The interesting thing is of course the rollercoaster does not really exist. It's not a physical thing. It's in the players heads."
I don't know. Am I reading to much into this. Tell me if I am.
- Dec 31, 10
Now, this is far from being a foodie blog, but I want to recount one of my life's great food experiences, which I enjoyed (once again) last week, lunch at Just Fine Food, Sorrento. It was fifteen years ago that I first went to Just Fine Foods and I have enjoyed this meal every year since and always look forward to it. It is not complex or particularly unique meal but the talent of this small but immensely popular cafe is that it consistently provides the perfect balance of quality ingredients that make the perfect meal.
First, the smoked salmon sandwich, with cream cheese, red onion and capers. The bread is the cafe's own wholemeal bread, fresh baked everyday and hand cut in thick slices. There is (roughly) equal portions of salmon and cream cheese (although spread evenly on each slice) with the addition of red onion and capers. The balance of ingredents and softness of the bread allows the flavour to truely explode in your mouth. Each flavour reaches the tougue gradually; bread, cheese, salmon, then onion/capers. It is quite breathtaking. I find that each mouthful requires a moment of reflection and recovery before proceeding. It is a sandwich to be savoured.
My wife had the Chicken and Avocado sandwich and vouged for that equally and the San Pellegrino Water is the perfect complement on a Summer's day. Back in the day I had this with a 750ml bottle of San Pellegrino Water with fresh lemon juice. (these days it's just a smaller bottle and a lemon wedge)Once recovered from the sandwich comes the famous Sorrento Vanilla Slice. An institution in Melbourne and an essential experience for residents and tourists alike. The cafe sells 1,400 vanilla slices per day. As an idication of what this means, these two photos were take 15 minutes apart.
Now for the inexperienced there are some some simple errors that can be made. An untimely approach of the slice to the mouth can result in a rapid inhilation or expulsion of dusting sugar via one's nostriles. My wife also had trouble attacking the slice with her fork. (first photo) I feel I have mastered the proper technique; carefullly remove the top lid (with sugar), then scoop the custard and dip in the sugar. (second photo). YUM! I also normally have my doppio machiato, but this day was too hot for that. This annual event always make for a happy chappy. HAPPY NEW YEAR. - Dec 27, 10
It was last December when I first heard about the Little Diver. I pass this small piece of stencil every day on my way to work. That last 12 month has seen it turn into a dramatic story. I first worte about on another blog but reposted it below.
Source: The Age, link below.This is a short story about the power of Art, not to inspire (although it may), but to persist. In particular the relationship between creativity and preservation. In 2003 the world-renown street artist, Banksy, came to Melbourne and left his mark on the laneway and alley through a number of commissioned and uncommissioned works. One of these was affectionately called Little Diver, Locate at Cocker Alley, off Flinders Lane. Picture: http://www.melbournestreetart.com/stencil/little-diver-by-banksy/?info=on
Following this two factors came in to play. Ongoing graffiti and clean-ups by council were diminishing the number of Banksy piece, while on the other side of the world Banksy's artwork was becoming more any more lucrative. One piece posted on a public wall was sold for $450,000. This prompted owner of the building into an unusual action. The protected the artwork with a clear perplex covering. A bizarre act in itself, but it inflamed the artistic community ( particularly the street art scene) as explained in this article form the time. ( http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/15/1200159449775.html )
In it words of the founder and director of Melbourne's Citylights public art project, Andrew McDonald, "It's strange because graffiti isn't meant to last, it's ephemeral, so trying to save it is a pretty funny thing to do. I'm sure that irony's not lost on Banksy. And there's a fair bit of irony in somebody selling a wall." That act we so alien to the street art community that it was only a matter of time before someone lashed back. In December 2008 silver pain was poured down the back of the perspex screen covering the piece almost entirely. ( http://www.theage.com.au/national/the-painter-painted-melbourne-loses-its-tre... ) The tagged line "Banksy Woz Here" a signal of the clear intention.Over the last year I have been periodically photo graphing the Little Diver as it has made many change
First, the Melbourne street artist know as Phoenix preserved the work by using a paper collage with an exact stencil replica (done from photos) Pheonix was able to cover the section obscured by silver paint whilst leaving the part of the original Banksy stencil that remain exposed. When I saw it, someone was even trying to rip the paper of the wall, which has been repaired.
Over time the "vandals" took over with random scribble, damage and some minor pieces applied (but nothing coherent). In July, a second application of paper collage was done. Much tidier than the first restoring some glory to the Little Diver. The last couple of months has seens gradual take down of the piece. Nothing systematic or cincidered (Execpt for the "Fuck Banksy" tag).I hope this isn't the last we see of teh Little Diver, but it has been an interesting year in the file of this piece of iconic Melbourne Street Art.
- Dec 26, 10
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope that the season has brought you joy and happiness.
With my recent fixation on gamification, I thought I would do a little thought exercise. What are the fundamental elements (is a game sense) for Christmas? For something that captures the western world's imagination for one month every year, there must be some major game dynamics going on.
Here's my take on it. Not much but suprisingly insightful. enjoy
- Dec 19, 10
IntroductionYes, GAMIFICATION is big. I don't need to tell anyone about the various impactful videos and blogs floating around talking about Frequent Flyer Programs and Foursquare and how “Gaming will Save the World”. If you don't know this yet, take a step back, google “gamification” and start at level 1.
For my part, I am not a game designer, not even a designer, or a gamer (or even a coder). I'm a guy who wants to sort out the truth from the guff. I do come from a diverse professional background working for Government, which includes organisation change, learning & development, strategy development, human resources, information management and ICT.
I do believe that gamification has impact, especially in the service delivery area. Simply put, as information technology take the people out of services, games have the potential to re-establish the experience customers require. If not, the service industry risk a doomed fate.
After watching Jesse Schell's “Gamepocalypse” presentation I was confident that his book “The Art of Game Design” would be a comprehensive introduction to game theory. So I've set about reading it.
Now to just read it is so 1.0. For this reason I'm going to craft chapter summaries (animated mindmaps on YouTube) and blog my critique. Of course I'm also on Twitter if you want to chat about it too. (@christophhewett)
Chapter 1 - In the beginning there is the designer.
This is a good starting point for two reasons: it emphasises the role of game designer as a profession. (unlike those in social media who have gone from gurus, to strategist, to managers now realising they are about to be marginalised as trainers, then help desk. Just like the IT revolution) Game Design starts from a basic premise, “If you want to do it, DO IT” but you to be good you have to embrace many broad disciplines (explain why later), you have to listen to your community (just like nay other business), and in order to stay the distance you have to love what your doing.
Oh yeah, the other reason.
Some readers would say “why start with the designer, I don't want to become a designer, I just want a cool game (like foursquare)”. It ain't that simple, chump. Game design isn't about point or rewards, it is another service level on you business. If you're really committed to taking this path, you better do it right.
Which bring us to...
Chapter 2 – The designer creates an experience
Take away no.1 is Game Design is really Experience Design. Designer must create an artificial reality in which the player have experiences that are not naturally occurring. You would think this lead to a technological solution, but NO. This is true of all games. Touch football would have been created by someone who said, “I'm in a park with friends. I want to play football without breaking any bones. Hey, upside. Girls can play too.” Famously, Monopoly was created by the Mormon church to teach children the ills of capitalism, without them actually having to experience it. Getting it?
So, if anything, take this. Incorporate experience design into everything you do and make, and you're part way to game design.
Side note to game designers: Folks, trainers & facilitators have been on top of this for years. Remember the last corporate retreat with those ridiculous ice-breakers. Now, not all trainers & facilitators get the role of games, but the good ones do, and they rock their learning outcomes and back-at-work benefits.
- Dec 18, 10
I am sure that there are no shortage of bad urban design stories. I know in Melbourne it is a public pastime to criticise the decisions made about what goes where. The latest one seem to be about Lonsdale House, a beautiful, but derelict and over run part of Myer-Lonsdale St which is due to be re-developed. It was an Art Deco beauty but frankly, it needs to go.
Photo courtesy of www.melbourneinphotos.comMy campaign is a different one, it is advocating for a beautiful piece of Public Art that has been squandered by bad Public Planning. The "Blow hole" and surrounding playground was one of the first developments of the Dockland precinct. It is include on the recorded announcement of the city circle tram as one of the landmarks of the area, and an icon for environmentally friendly design. Here is the location (from Google Maps), and a panorama (from panedia). But only video does it justice, I found these on YouTube (circa 2006) All of these were taken prior to the construction of a number of new office towers. Here is the current map provided by VicUrban. You can see the amount of construction that has taken place on the bay side of the "Blowhole". Corporate giants ANZ, Myer, and Fujitsu have moved into the area, without regard for the local environment and public amenities. These massive glass and steel blocks (al biet curvy) are directly upwind of the blowhole, which relies on the stiff wind off the bay for it's motion (hence, blow hole). This majestic piece of kinesthetic art is now reduced to a dead and flaccid apparatus. On the 24 January 2010 I went to the same location as the panorama to show the change. On this day the Bureau of Meterology report wind at 15km/h gusting to 17km/h, you can see the tree moving in the wind. Not the way the building overlook the art and the playground, compared to the panorama, and the way the blowhole, sit there immobile. According to an article on Invest Victoria, the ANZ building is "One of the largest office developments in Victoria’s history and the largest single-tenanted commercial building in the Southern Hemisphere, the new ANZ flagship building is recognised as one of the most environmentally friendly in the world and accredited with a Six Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia." Invest Victoria In the same article, Victorian Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Ian Lenders said, "“The Docklands offers the financial services industry excellent property at an affordable price, easily accessible public transport, is close to the rest of the city, and is in Victoria – a state with a resilient economy and a highly skilled workforce,” Invest Victoria Anyone who goes to the location will be in so doubt that public interest has been moved aside in favor of the corporate image. The Blowhole is now redundant, the playground not used. What was once a lovely city park has been so impinged upon that, the tuff of grass remaining simply isn't big enough. In essence it has become a corporate BBQ area for the nearby tenants, nothing else. Help our campaign to move the "blowhole" to a more wind friendly location (Of which there are many at Docklands). I will escalate my efforts according to interest. As a start, if I can get 20 comments to this blog I will start a facebook page, and so forth. Go to the location and check it out, if there is enough interest I will approach the City of Melbourne and the Dockland authority for a statement on the future of the blowhole, as well as the surrounding playgrounds (a wondrous creation in and of itself). Find out for yourself and let me know how you feel about this wasted gem.
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Info
- ICT Project Officer at Department of Health (Victoria, Australia)Government Administration | Melbourne Area, Australia, AUSummaryI am currently working within the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the newly formed Department of Health, including being secretariat for a number of organisational governance bodies and performing the role of online community co-coordinator and moderator for these groups. This has built upon a career in organisational development through change management.
I was also privileged to be involved with the 2006 Commonwealth Games as Spectator Services Manager for one of the Games venues. This role required a strong management capability to pull off a very successful world-class sporting event. It provided me with the opportunity to work in an events environment with cross-program responsibilities.
In addition my academic qualifications, I have strong knowledge of the Australian Business Excellence Framework which is the Australian standard for continuous business improvement and training in Neuro-Lingistic Programming by Australia's leading school. NLP is a skills set commonly used by communicators, performance coaches and change agents.Experience- Sept 2008 - PresenteHealth Project Officer / Department of Health (Vic,AU)Assisted the development of the Victorian Health Sector ICT Vision & Framework 2009-13 Secretariat for the following organisational governance bodies: IM&ICT Sub-committee of the Executive (2010-) IM&ICT Advisory Committee & Reference Groups (2010-) eReferral Victoria Board (2008-09) Mental Health Information System Steering Committee (2008-09) Co-ordinate and moderate a collaborative workspace for senior executive and managers. Provide input into web 2.0 and social media initiatives, and advice to the CIO. Liaising with CEOs and other senior executive of health agencies on matters relating to state-wide information management. Assisting with coordination work for Victorian representation on national standards and strategic bodies.
- Feb 2005 - Aug 2008HR Project Support Officer / Department of Human Services (Australia)Assisted learning and development projects across the state, such as Progression, performance and development (PPD) system Implementation and Giving & receiving feedback training. Co-ordination of Department-wide Valuing achievement awards (VAAs) recognition program including promotion, management of nominations and selection process, various event management tasks, and program evaluation. Reviewed HR policies and support material, including Study Assistance policy & guidelines, and performance management/induction templates & guiding documents. OHS Representative for Human Resources Branch.
- Nov 2006 - May 2007HR Consultant / Department of Human Services (Australia)This six month internal secondment included: Conducted analysis for management of the aging workforce. Added value through systematic improvements to performance management practices in Office of Housing. Providing performance management and other HR advice.
- Dec 2005 - Mar 2006Spectator Services Manager (Venue- Melbourne International Shooting Club) / Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth GamesThis four month secondment was an dynamic and multi-faceted role: Managed 25 volunteers, including motivation, recognition and rostering (for 10hr shifts over an intensive 3 week period). 100% volunteer retention was achieved for the Games period. Trained large (100-120 people) groups of volunteers in role responsibility, skills and behaviours required on the job. Participant & peer feedback indicated high quality presentations and pleasant, friendly style. Managed work area (Spectator Services) with a venue group, which required negotiating with other work areas and co-ordinating efforts to act as a cohesive team. Also required reporting daily within two reporting structures and comprehensive stakeholder management.
- Feb 2004 - Feb 2005Victorian Public Service Graduate Recruitment Program / Government of Victoria, AustraliaA program for high-potential graduates. My placements included: Policy & Research Unit – Arts Victoria Fully implemented a project tracking database for the agency’s major strategic projects, and drafted a program evaluation framework for funding programs and operational areas. Projects, Assets & Risk Unit - Department Sustainability & Environment Assisted the implementation of a project management framework, including training and supporting resources for specialist Project development coaches. Executive Services Unit - Department Human Services Coordinated executive recruitment, and participated in the co-ordination of leadership development programs for executives.
Education-
2008 - 2008Swinburne University of TechnologyDip. Project Management
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2008 - 2008The Coaching InstituteNeuro-Linguistic Programming & Life Coach Certificates
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2006 - 2007SAI GlobalGraduate Certificate Business Excellence (Module 1)
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2000 - 2002RMIT UniversityBachelor of Business
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1996 - 1999La Trobe UniversityBachelor of Arts
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Status
- To prep you all for #Eurovision this weekend. I'll give you a clip of previous winners each morning. Enjoy.
- I'll say this, Thursday is just as much as a muthafuker as the rest of the week days. #ThereISaidIt
- That Sunday Sermon "on Influence" has changed my outlook on many aspects of my life. Phenomenal! https://vimeo.com/39398824
- Day 1 of new juicer/blender = 2x VegJuices and Pumpkin, Cauliflower & Red Lentil soup. Anyone have a recipe for Awesomesauce?
- Jeez .
- I'm joining #MindfulInMay, sharing the benefits of meditation & funding fresh drinking water in developing countries. http://mindfulinmay.com/
- Can someone explain the religious significance of Easter Monday. Is it the day Jesus called in a sickie? #deathandresurectionisagoodexcuse
- I've escaped the Black Rider reached Buckleberry Ferry. That's the 110km mark & 5% into the journey. http://takeafreshbreak.wordpress.com/walk-to-mordor/ #WalkToMordor
- It's 9 months untill The Hobbit and I've started walking Frodo's 2224km trek to Mordor. Follow me here. http://takeafreshbreak.wordpress.com/walk-to-mordor/
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Tweets
- Is actually not about snails. (watching planet of snail) http://t.co/BOcpKCUG
- Watching "Planet of snail" for Human rights arts & film festival. (@ Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)) http://t.co/KgVvgCPL
- Haha, the girl from Annie singing at the @nrl street of origin. Marketing gone mad. Classic.
- Enjoying a #mindfulmeal before a #mindfulmovie thanks to #mindfulinmay. (@ Chocolate Buddha) http://t.co/UyrNa9pA
- ...and why wouldn't you smile. < Australia is the world's happiest nation,according to OECD. http://t.co/Vazkls6YMay 23, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Fuel installation at Federation Square. http://t.co/AGS0ngIx
- Is this what "tech" really is? Use green energy. #photoadaymay http://t.co/pdKxm8yz
- "Why are governed by those who worship vanity and gold." Little Axe. <Damn good album, on @RdioAU.
- @amcal et al. Yeesh, please no wacky colour. Legit scheme would be better, like designs already in the market. #SAMP #hardtotweetincode
- @Heath_Evans An oldie but a goodie... The other is telling them to beat the flood with long kicks to the boundary.
- Wow, Where to for Facebook? - Bad signs and greed drives IPO. http://t.co/YskSzRysMay 22, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @getbiglittlekid Totally agree. Music subscription has finally arrived. Hopefully other things won't be far. #willFTATVevergetcatchupright
- .@getbiglittlekid Rdio is able to do this too. I still don't see how Spotify can claim best in class (expect for marketing spend).
- 2007 #Eurovision Winner- Marija Šerifović (Serbia) - "Moltiva". http://t.co/KLgvZX7V
- @wearahue haha. That makes sense.
- Hey, Community Lover's Guide. Y U No have Melbourne? http://t.co/yYoMqYz8 (ping @HubMelbourne)
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Checkins
- Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)Federation Square
- Chocolate BuddhaFederation Square, Flinders St.
- RACV Club - Fitness Centre501 Bourke St
- Queen Victoria Market513 Elizabeth St
- Federation SquareCorner Swanston & Flinders St.
- 1000 £ Bend361 Little Lonsdale St.
- RACV Club - Fitness Centre501 Bourke St
- RACV Club - Dining501 Bourke Street
- Muleta's422 Queen St
- RACV Club - Fitness Centre501 Bourke St
- The CommuneSt Andrews Place
- Oriental Tea House455 Chapel St.
- Maio35 Collins
- Village Cinemas (Gold Class)Crown Casino & Entertainment Complex
- RACV Club - Dining501 Bourke Street
- Wagamama83 Flinders Ln.
- Observatory CaféBirdwood Avenue
- BerthDocklands
- RACV Club - Fitness Centre501 Bourke St
- RACV Club - Dining501 Bourke Street
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Dugg
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Photos
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Posts
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Reading
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Top ArtistsBruce SpringsteenPaolo FresuDaft PunkKronos QuartetAstor PiazzollaLana Del ReyMiles DavisEsperanza SpaldingFlorence + the MachineZulyaMumford & SonsAirSoweto Gospel ChoirKimbraTyler BatesGorillazFrente!Jean SibeliusWolfmotherRadioheadRodrigo y GabrielaMonkeyMy Brightest DiamondSeeker Lover KeeperBaby AnimalsZap MamaErykah BaduThe John Butler TrioN*E*R*DEddie VedderCat StevensINXSDalai LamaSara BareillesGotyeYo-Yo MaTom WaitsSacred SpiritBerliner PhilharmonikerRy CooderThe Mars VoltaJack WhiteAngus & Julia StoneJohann Sebastian BachOK GoSupreme Beings of LeisureArt vs. ScienceDavid BowieCharlie Parker
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