For the last few years, I’ve looked back at the events of the year in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. (In fact, in 2009, I looked back at the decade.) Tumblr’s the place I look at these days for these summaries, since it tends to have my random thoughts, ones complemented by very little critical thinking. They […]
Tag: Australia
When referring to your Australian office might not be a smart thing to do
There are some companies that do not realize that we live in a global community. And there are at least two who have done themselves a disservice by referring our account or enquiries to their Australian representative. We left Rackspace in 2013 although, for most of the 11½ years we were with them, […]
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No surprises from Ford Australia, but it sends the wrong message for manufacturing
Be stress-free
If you feel stressed out, Nivea comes to the rescue with this great new product. I can see it being a huge hit. Good on the Germans for their innovation. (Photographed by Snjezana Bobič and first published on her Facebook.) You may also like A year of random thoughts: 2014 in review Facebook hates The […]
How brands fool us
The Google experience over the last week—and I can say ‘week’ because there were still a few browsers showing blocks yesterday—reminds me of how brands can be resilient. First, I know it’s hard for most people to believe that Google is so incompetent—or even downright corrupt, when it came to its bypassing Safari users’ […]
What’s on the door can count more than who runs the shop
I walked into the National Bank yesterday to sort out something for Dad—years ago, we gave each other signing authority on our accounts. They had misplaced that authority—a bit worrying if a bank doesn’t hold on to things over 10 years old—but, with the transition of the National Bank branding to ANZ, it reminded me […]
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Wayne Sotogi’s thoroughly modern Mini (the 10 ft long variety)
When BMW showed its Mini Rocketman concept, a lot of people applauded it: here was something that was roughly (1959) Mini-sized, rather than the larger car that it has become. In fact, the Mini Countryman gets the most criticism because it is not mini at all, but 4·1 m long (the original Mini was just […]
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Intellectual property doesn’t deserve a black mark, but some powers-that-be do
After being interviewed about the outcome of the ‘Wellywood’ sign vote yesterday (a summary of what I told Newstalk ZB can be found on my Facebook fan page) I was reminded about how a few Wellingtonians, who supported my quest to stop the sign in 2010 and 2011, were not that thrilled that I used […]
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Today’s adventures with US dollars and New Zealand banks
Above: I’m Asian, and I want banking. National Bank gets me again. (For that story, click here.) Out of the businesses I have, one is unincorporated, and it has a US dollar bank account based in New Zealand. Over the years, it’s been at numerous banks, and was at the ANZ. Until the ANZ […]
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Wellington Airport flip-flops again, but pennies drop more quickly in Queensland
Today, those of us on the anti-‘Wellywood’ sign page got some welcome news: that Wellington Airport would reconsider. But, I had to point out, this is again déjà vu. Last time, the Airport flip-flopped as well, and said it would consult the public. Given that the resource consent for ‘Wellywood’ was for nine […]
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