Seeing the World Differently

We normally see the world map by size of country. Imagine if we looked at a map of the world by the relative proportion of the world's population living in each country. It would look like this:

And a world map that shows the relative proportion of Muslims by territory, would look like this:

and by water reserves:

It is fascinating. Worldmapper.org enables us to look at the world in many different ways: by resource allocation, trade, religion, transport use, income, disease, energy, etc

Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on the proposed $700bn US "bail-out" plan. Sebastian Coe and Kelly Holmes sprinted in the Tate as part of a art work celebrating humam movement.

Brilliant Business Cards

A (bad, it's the Blackberry camera again!) picture of Eco3's business cards; well, stickers really.
Eco3 are an environmental and sustainability consultancy, see here for more details. Their business cards are terrific. They re-use other bits of card, for example a train ticket or a cut a bit of card from chocolate packaging and then put their sticker on it. Brilliant!

My first question was whether the 'sticker' method was more damaging to the environment than the 'print business cards' method. Of course they had done the research and it was a third less damaging.

Wonderful stuff.

Full Moon

I like the 'inexactness' that a Blackberry camera sometimes brings to a photo.

The Conspiracy of Yes

I have theory, and I call it "The Conspiracy of Yes". I use it when trying to explain the inertia that happens in (our) business when the relationship - usually between agency and client - becomes an end in itself. Like this:

Client Manager: Can you do a campaign for me? I need it in two weeks to take to my boss.
Agency Manager: It will be tough but we'll do it for you.
Agency Manager to Agency Team: We simply have to do it. And we could do some great work.
Agency Team: OK. What's the brief?
Agency Manager: Project X
Agency Team: What about Project X?
Agency Manager: We need to do some work for it.
Agency Team: What work?
Agency Manager: Some ideas.
Agency Team: On what?
Agency Manager: Project X
Agency Team: This is useless!
(ok, you get the picture now)

Exasperated, the Agency Team start working.

Two weeks later work is shared with the Client Manager. The Agency Team have worked flat out for two weeks. After the meeting the Client Manager praises the agency, particularly the Agency Manager for getting so much good work out in such a short space of time.

The Client Manager then takes the work to their boss, subtling boasting how they managed to get all this work out of the agency in two weeks from start to finish but, though good, it isn't quite right.

The Client Manager's Boss's assessment of the situation is as follows: Well done Client Manager. You have worked the agency hard, and got all this work out of them AND had the smarts to realise that it isn't quite right. Good for you.

The Client Manager happily scurries off to debrief the Agency Manager.

Client Manager: The Boss really appreciated all the hard work and the ideas you delivered, but he thinks it isn't quite right. We need some more. You have two weeks.

And so on.

The objective of all this activity gets lost. There is a good chance that nothing will get made either. The Agency Manager and Client Manager fall into this rythmn that shows lots of industry but little else. Unless there are big changes at either the client company or the agency, this cycle could go on for a long time. Occasionally, something will be made, but it will be so safe as to be unnoticed. But by now, the Client Manager and Agency Manager recognise, even if only subconciously, that this way of working keeps everything ticking over just nicely thank you, and them safely in their jobs for the foreseeable future.

Small Pleasures

In amongst a day of overcrowded trains, grumpy gym staff with bad attitutude (why do Brits have to be so difficult sometimes, though I guess that is a case of the pot calling the kettle black) and a day long meeting on a subject that could, in the right hands be wonderful and amazing, but barely got above dull, was a little bit of walking through London. It is such a interesting place to walk. The light was good, making nice-looking buildings look even nicer. Below, as an example, is a view from where I was working. There are more views from places I have worked or stayed here.The UK govt. are suspending the practice of 'selling short'. The GB paralympics team returned home, second in the medals table at Bejing games.

Quaker Meeting House

I had wanted, for some time, to visit the Quaker meeting house in Chappaqua. For a start, it is one of the oldest buildings in Chappaqua and though we had lived in town for almost five years I had not visited it. Also, earlier this year, Graham Turner, the creative director at work had been enthusing about a Quaker school in Manhatten as he had done the rounds looking for a school for one of his daughters, which reminded me of my interest. Additionally, I felt some bizarre, though distant, connection with the Quakers as one of the few interesting things about my home town in England, Hertford, was that it was the home of the first Quaker Meeting house built in Britain. But as well as visiting, I also wanted to go to a Quaker service, or meeting.

One Sunday morning, whilst on a cycle ride, I stopped by the Meeting House and was shown around by a friendly Englishman, who worked for the UN, called John. He told me what happened at the meetings. I thought I would attend one. A week or two later I went.

The meeting room has no obvious alter or focal point. The friend who leads the meeting could sit anywhere. There is no 'set' service. People are encouraged to speak when they feel like saying something, and they stand when they do speak. However, nobody may want to speak at all, as was the case at my first meeting. There was 50 minutes of silence, only broken by the sound of people moving quietly on their seat or a muffled cough. Those 50 minutes of silence were interesting. They were simultaneously duanting and liberating; in the same way that following instuctions or a set of directions - like writing a creative brief with a series of boxes - can be comforting, whereas having to make it up yourself from scratch - like having to write on a blank sheet of paper - can be very challenging. Initially, I didn't know what to do with all this space. Quite quickly, I began to enjoy the openness within which to reflect.

I returned to the Quaker Meeting House twice more before we left Chappaqua. The first time was with George and Ollie, whom I persuaded to come with me. They managed to sit in silence a little before leaving the meeting to go to the kid's 'meeting' which they seemed to enjoy. The second time was the last weekend I was in Chappaqua, after Jill and the boys had gone. I stood up in the meeting to say "thank you". I had only been to the meeting house three times but there was something good happening there and I had been touched by it.

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This post is a revised version of an unpublished post I started in June 2008, whilst we were still in Chappaqua.

Henry Blofeld

My Dad and I went to see Henry Blofeld in his one man show last night. 'Blowers', as he is affectionally known, is the senior member of the Test Match Special (TMS) commentary team on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live Extra. I have tried to explain to those who have never heard TMS, the ability, and pride, of the commentary team in not only commentating on a five day cricket match but also in commentating through delays, rain, and other odd incidents, but it is usually in vain. Explaining the sport itself, let alone the cult of the radion commentary, particularly the notion of a five day game between different countries that could end in a draw, is a challenge for a start.

I remember trying to do just that with Stephen Sonnenfeld and Ken Segall in a wonderful steak restaurant, Lambert's, one evening in Austin, TX. I thought I was doing ok until Stephen asked if there was any particular food that was associated with cricket, a little like hot dogs are associated with baseball and tailgating with (American) football. When I started talking about the players coming off for tea and sandwiches (cucumber ones in particular) he started to laugh. When I explained that due to the hours of play they had to come off for lunch as well, he started to fall about with laughter. The idea that the game is so long that it has to accomodate two meals a day for five days was too much. I didn't even begin on the commentators having to deal with covers being taken on and off!

'Blowers' was pretty good value, though we thought he may have had a little more content in the two hours; perhaps he is holding some back for a later tour or book. His most interesting stories were how Ian Fleming's Ernst Stavros Blofeld was inpsired by his Dad and how he passed the 'audition' for TMS as the BBC producer who auditioned him thought he was very good at 'locating' the listener. The analogy he used was that of trying to describe a picture of a horse to someone over the radio. Whereas most people would start with the horse itself, Blowers started with the frame, the background, the situation before getting to the horse. This also explains 'Blowers' penchant for talking about seemingly random things like passing buses, pigeons, and other scene setters.

It is also a good tip for any speaker trying to convey a setting, regardless if there is a radio or not involved.

St. Albans

St. Albans is where we now live. It is a good town; lots of history (third largest Roman town in Roman Britain, death place of first saint from British Christian martyr and a jolly good catheral), close to London (20 mins fast train to central London), and has some youthful energy about it (busy market a couple of days a week, strong local music scene, lots of Goths hanging in Catheral grounds). Apparently house prices are the highest in the country outside of central London (gulp!) and its people are 9th most active in the country. Here are some shots:

Inishturkbeg

Imagine owning your own island. 63 acres of island off the West Coast of Ireland in fact. Imagine that when you bought it, the only buildings were the remains of some stone cottages inhabitated over a hundred years ago and a little stone jetty: no running water, no power. That is what Nadim Sadek, the owner of Inishturkbeg did. He has spent the last four years turning it into an amazing place for companies to get away, for large parties to holiday and for his family to get away. And what's more he is giving it an identity, which was created by my new employer, Coley Porter Bell. It hasn't been officially launched yet so I daren't post anything prematurely. I will do in time. Instead, here are some pictures of the weekend we spent there as part of a thank you from Nadim.

This is the view from the Pavilion of the jetty:

And the sunset from the main house:

And a different view from the main house the next morning:

And the small motor boat dropping us off on a nearby island for in the afternoon. The weather had deteriorated a little.

A great couple of days, and what's more, a great idea.

What's Your Story?

I was in a Waterstone's recently, trying to buy a basic book on economies for inquisitive eleven year old when I saw lots of 'story cards' on the wall. Here are a couple:

Though the photos are pretty bad, taken with my 2 megapixel blackberry camera, the stories and the idea behind it is really good: people sending in their story on a card. The competition is now closed, but the website is still up, have a look, here.

It reminds me a little of the American Visionary Art Mueseum, and in particular the Post Secrets exhibit which people post cards anonymously of their secrets.