Category: Notes

Posts which are categorised as “Notes” are my asides: brief notes which are usually just one paragraph long and aren’t displayed with a headline.

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Seriously Funny

One of the best compliments I ever received came from Andrew Roffe, an opera singer friend who, sadly, is no longer with us. “I love going to concerts with you,” he said. “You laugh at the funny bits in the Mozart.” As one should: Mozart was such a trickster!

If you’ve known me for a while, or if you’ve been reading my ’umble offerings here, I hope you’ve noticed that I treat serious matters with humour, and take my humour seriously. My approach to the world is curiosity-fuelled, playful. But like a cat with a mouse, it’s play with serious intent.

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Bigger isn’t always better

In the context of our on-going argument, it’s refreshing to stumble across the observation that bigger isn’t always better for business. “Americans think big. This has helped make them the most powerful nation on Earth, but bigger is not always better, either for our bodies or, I suggest, for our organizations. If I were to visit a symphony orchestra and ask them about their growth plans for the future, how would they respond? They would talk about their plans to extend their repertoire and to bring their work to new audiences, not about increasing the number of violinists… Why does almost every business that I know seek to grow in size, year after year, in fact, as if there were no limit? Why can’t they be content with doing more with less?” (Hat-tip to Signal vs Noise.)

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A Pause in the Jason Calacanis discussion

A note for folks stumbling across this website thanks to the Jason Calacanis / 37signals / TechCrunch discussion: It’s 4.30pm on a sunny autumn Sunday afternoon here in Sydney. I have been writing a further post which explains, amongst other things, that I’m not trolling (deliberately stirring up controversy), but passionately arguing a genuine concern. I’m amused this has turned into a global controversy, flattered even, when I reckon it’s more a storm in a teacup — though at its heart is a fundamental issue about how we do business. However for the next few hours I’ll be enjoying the remaining sunshine, doing some shopping and generally spending Sunday evening with my beloved. More soon.

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I’ve changed my mind about Newstopia

I didn’t like the first episode of Newstopia on SBS last year. I thought Shaun Micaleff was trying too hard to sound like he was being satirical. “I. Am. Telling. A. Joke. Now. And. I. Am. Clever.” But last night I changed my mind. I watched the latest episode online: he’s relaxed into the role, and much lolz. Maybe I’m finally over the fact that I found Mr Micaleff to be a painful arsehole back when he was at the Uni of Adelaide with me. (Weren’t we all, though.) Maybe it’s because I was, as Christian Kerr alleges, the first person to play him Supernaut’s I Like It Both Ways.