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Moving the Goal Posts

Playing the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba is the toughest assignment in Aussie Rules Footy. Every footy fan knows that home teams have an advantage, and this is very much the case in Brisbane. The Gabba is a graveyard for visiting AFL teams, a place to be avoided at all costs. Unless you are the Melbourne Demons.

Yesterday the Dee’s travelled to the Gabba to play Brisbane in their ‘home’ game. And it was little surprise that the Lions 'took the chocolates' at the end of the game. Played at Melbourne’s true home ground, the MCG, there is a real chance that the result might have been different.

Brisbane ‘bought’ the game from Melbourne for about $250 000 when the Demons were desperate for a dollar. And under the deal, the Lions own the Melbourne home game until next year, and probably beyond. That means that the Lions will continue to have twelve home game advantages a year. That’s one, and in some cases two, more than most Victorian clubs.

And what’s worse is that the AFL lets them do it! So much for a level playing field. Why is it that the rich interstate teams (in particular Brisbane and Sydney) can buy themselves a better draw? Not only do they get an extra game at home, but also more often than not they buy themselves a win.

I know Melbourne agreed to the deal, and was happy to take the cash, but I just don’t understand why it is allowed. Say a homeground advantage is worth roughly four goals, what would happen if one AFL club offered another team $300 000 for a four goal head start? There would be outrage, that's what. All hell would break loose. It would be called match fixing.

The reality is that yesterday the goal posts were moved for Melbourne, some 1700km north, and not
surprising we got thumped. I just hope we don’t miss the finals because of one single loss.

Girls, ugg-boots belong at home

I am hardly a fashion guru. Far from it. But I think I have a bit of an idea about what looks good, and what looks crap on people.

And ugg-boots look crap on people. Once upon a time, these fluffy lambswool boots were worn exlusively in the privacy of ones home, usually by women whilst they vacuumed, dusted or tend to some other domestic duty. But apparently not anymore.

I was out at a bar last night and lost count of all the young female types who used these oversized fluffy boots as an accompaniment to their short skirts and tight tops. I don't know why they think such a combination works.

But what would I know? Apparently the likes of super model Kate Moss, pneumatic Pamela Anderson and Sex In the City star Sarah Jessica-Parker have been stomping around- outside their Beverly Hills mansions-in ugg boots.

As a consequence they are, supposedly, sexy. And now poor, young, impressionable girls think that they can walk down the street or go to a bar wearing ugg boots and not be laughed at.

Well I am laughing at you. Out loud.

Sexy trend setters? Nope, just sad fashion victims.

Adam & Eve or Adam & Steve

Now I know the Howard Government is a conservative one, and they have never bothered too much about trying to win the pink vote. Liberal conservatism and same sex relationships just don't go.

So it wasn't really surprising that it would attempt to introduce legislation that all but bans same sex marriages. But given the recent polls that show our PM in a desperate political position, I was wondering why he would weigh into the issue right now?

But then it made sense. Actually it is simple really.

The PM is floundering in the opinions of middle class Australia, and whilst gays will protest and “throw the Glomesh into the shag pile” he has a point that will be supported by a lot of middle-class Australians. Ask any baby-boomer, and they will probably believe that there are certain benchmark institutions and arrangements in our society that you don’t muck around with and children should be brought up ideally by a mother and a father who are married.

And that is the tack the PM took:

"Marriage as we understand it is one of the bedrock institutions of our society... It's very much about the raising of children ... and the continuation of our species. "

Then link the argument with another of societies hot buttons- national security, and you have almost backed a winner:

"Marriage (is) the vehicle for providing the most secure environment for raising the next generation."

While the Greens are dumb enough to have made a song and dance about the new proposals, Labor’s response as been very measured. I suspect even a progressive Opposition Leader in Mark Latham – while earnestly reading to his kids - feels the same way as the PM.

Me? I couldn't care less. Let gays get married. Let 'em adopt kids, share superannuation. Will it matter if their relationships are recognised in the same way as 'traditional marriages'?

The PM should just relax a bit. But he won't. Gays and lesbians won't vote for him anyway, but the family in outer suburban Melbourne or Sydney, they just might.

ESFP vs INTJ

I have had a frustrating week.
My boss is a classic INTJ (a scientist) and I am a steroetypical ESFP (a performer). So we often end up in a state of a deadlock when working together on projects, like this week!
He is imaginative and intellectually curious but also tends to be stubborn and unwilling to back down.
But me, hey, I am playful and impulsive, curious, and talkative; sensitive, caring, and gentle; social and unpredictable.
The most important thing to ESFPs (me) is freedom to be spontaneous. The most important thing for my INTJ's (myboss) is to analyse and judge all the data before making a final decision.
But of course I can't wait for that! I want to do it now! But he's the boss, so I have to wait, like a dog on heat waiting to pounce on what I want to do. But sometimes the enforced restrait is good for me, because I often put more importance on immediate sensation and gratification than on my duties and obligations when left alone.
But this week the restrait has caused me a bit of stress, and the ESFP under gets overwhelmed with negatives thoughts and possibilities, and that has been me this week.

No Frills Service vs. No Frills Experience

We are slow to catch on to consumer trends in this country, so when people rushed to book the really cheap seats on our new no frills airline, Jetstar, they did so without really understanding what they were buying. So when the first passengers checked-in on Tuesday they had to be at the terminal no later than one-hour before departure, then there was the reduced baggage limits, first-in-first-served seating and luke-warm coffee that you had to pay for on board. Not to mention the single leg only flights so that you had to check-in again to board your connecting flight. In the end many passengers were reportedly left a bit confused and dismayed at the overall experience. Even though we have had Virgin Blue proclaiming to be 'no-frills', it seems to offer a better experience than that offered by Jetstar thus far.
It just goes to show that whilst we might take to the 'no-frills' fares, it'll take a while for us to catch on to a real 'no-frills' service experience, like that which has been around for a while now in Europe (think Ryan Air) and the US (eg Southwest)
In the end both Virgin Blue and Jetstar offer old style no-frills: bare-bones service, garish design, unassuming food for which passengers have to pay, and on-board entertainment that mainly consists of crew members telling knock-knock jokes. But even a one-hour trip from Melbourne to Sydney isn't a 'service' that requires no experience at all, even if it is available at very little cost.
So it will be interesting to see how this one plays out as Jetstar and Virgin Blue fight each other to try and create the better no-frills experience.

The Distributor vs The Innovator

The King of personal computers, Michael Dell is an interesting bloke, who seems to polarise opinions, much like Virgins Richard Branson.
In my opinion, what Dell did- and continues to do- is outsmart his competition through effective and efficient execution of a logistics system. A system that supplies cheap personal computers to a broad market. No a lot of "real" innovation, just superior execution of product distribution. With such a fantastic business model, it was no surprise that Dell has moved into printers. The only surprise was that it took so long... So it was interesting to read Dell's comments on the move in a recent New York Times article:

"The biggest mistake I've made,'' confesses Dell, "was not getting into printers sooner."

Yep, the printers (rebranded Lexmark machines) are moving nicely. So nicely that it has caught the eye of Carleton Fiorina, the chief executive of the Hewlett-Packard, the powerhouse of the printing business. She notes that her company's printers and cartridges, especially the inkjet printheads--clusters of nozzles, each smaller than a human hair, spurting out millions of superheated droplets a second--are the result of two decades of sophisticated semiconductor and nanotechnology research.
"Somebody doesn't just come along, particularly a company that is not an innovator, and say, 'We're going to do it better,'" Fiorina said. "Dell isn't doing anything. It's just distributing other people's products."
The confrontation between Hewlett-Packard and Dell is more than a particularly lively bout of competition in the $106 billion-a-year printing industry. It is a clash--and an intriguing test case--of two different models of innovation and corporate strategy.
But according to Dell, things are just beginning, "Stay tuned. There's a lot we can and will do," he said. A better business model, he explains, will beat a better technology, and he insists the odds are on his side in the printing business over the long run. "The days of engineering-led technology companies are coming to an end," Dell declared.
For her part, Fiorina will take that bet. "We're the biggest,'' she said. "We're the best, and we're getting better in a growing market."
Poor Fiorina, she the boss of a big corporate dinosaur that obviously has its head buried deep in the sand. Is she just upset that HP can't distribute it's products like Dell can, and at the end of the day, we don't care too much about all her industrial chemists and ink gurus.
You gotta listen to the market Carleton... we couldn't care less if you are "the biggest" or not.

What a Silly Willie

How stupid are the boof-head Rugby League Players? You’d think that with all the recent attention on reckless off-field behavior that they would have learnt some lessons.

But not Willie Mason of Canterbury Bulldogs infamy. He has ensured that Rugby League scandals will continue to dominate both the front and back of the papers for the next few days.

Following the famous State of Origin "team bonding" session last week, Silly Willie partied on, and on. His sleazy all night bender involved sex and alcohol and only ended when he got off the bus he caught back to the team hotel at 7.30am the next morning.

If that wasn’t enough, Mason then appeared at an autograph session and hammed it up some more. He signed the name of teammate Craig Fitzgibbon, allegedly swore in front of children and doodled offensive picture on a tablecloth.

Then, he turned around, shrugged his shoulders and blamed it all on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Curious timing for such an announcement...

I am not a doctor, but having ADHD doesn’t preclude you from knowing right from wrong does it? You are and adult Willie, and adult who should've exercised better judgement.

But Silly Willie has a history of stupidity. When the sex scandal erupted after the Bulldogs pre-season trip to Coffs Harbour, Silly Willie showed up to a police interview in shorts and a t-shirt with the words “we like to play dirty” across the front. He probably blames ADHD for his clothing choice on that day too.

Surely they have had enough of all of this at the NRL? NSW Coach Phil Gould has. So disillusioned is he that he is quitting the game following the upcoming State of Origin series. He is upset not only by what has transpired in terms of breaking squad rules and sleazy player conduct, but it seems what really did him in was his players lying to him when asked to explain their antics.

What’s so breathtaking about this whole episode is the systemic stupidity of Rugby League players. It seems as if Rugby League scandals know no boundaries. We can only wonder what will happen next, and how Silly Willie will be involved.

I only hope that either the NRL or Canterbury show some testicular fortitute and tell Silly Willie to piss off, and the sooner the better.

Pressing the flesh

I have posted about the importance about personal image a couple of times now (like here, and here), and I was reminded today about how a good handshake is a vital ingredient. A good firm handshake is a professional greeting that begins your contact with another person, and speaks volumes about you as an individual.

Unlike the handshake I got today, I try to be firm but not crushing, grasping the person’s whole hand. I smile and establish eye contact. I try to convey a positive attitude. Oh, and make sure your hand is dry -- a wet, clammy hand is unpleasant and displays nervousness.

Remember Governor Stanton’s Handshake in Primary Colours? Now this is a good handshake:

"The handshake is the threshold act, the beginning of politics. I’ve seen him do it two million times now, but I couldn’t tell you how he does it, the right handed part of it- the strength, quality, duration of it, the rudiments of pressing the flesh. I can however, tell you a whole lot about what he does with the other hand. He is a genius with it. He might put it on your elbow, or up to your biceps; these are basic, reflexive moves. He is interested in you. He is honoured to meet you. If he gets any higher up your shoulder- if he, say, drapes his left arm over your back, it is somehow less intimate, more casual. He’ll share a laugh, or a secret, then, a light secret, not a real one- flattering you with the illusion of conspiracy. If he doesn’t know you all that well and you’ve just told him something ‘important’, something earnest or emotional, he will lock in and honour you with a two-hander, his left hand overwhelming your wrist and forearm. He’ll flash that famous misty look of his. And he will mean it."

Has Bill Gates been reading Cluetrain?

Reuters reports than Bill gates has been singing the praises of blogging at work:

Gates described to his audience, which included Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, Carly Fiorina, Barry Diller and other top business executives, how blogs worked and suggested that they could be used as a tool for businesses to communicate with customers.

(Microsoft, has more than 700 employee bloggers talking up its products and software in development)

So Bill, been reading Cluetrain have you? "Markets are Conversations", and the markets are conversing about you whether you join us or not. The internet- and weblogs- are where we do it, and have been for a while now. We didn't need you to suggest something we already knew! This from the original Cluetrain site (about 1999):

"Employees are getting hyperlinked even as markets are. Companies need to listen carefully to both. Mostly, they need to get out of the way so intranetworked employees can converse directly with internetworked markets."

Dunno how much it cost your audience to attend your presentation, but I bet it was more than the $11.20 that Cluetrain costs on Amazon. And Cluetrain is probably more interesting.

It's our ABC, Right? (or Left?)

Much to the chargrin of Fiona and many others who travel in my car, I enjoy listening to talk back radio, sometimes even the ABC.

Admittedly not too much ABC though, 'cause "our" ABC has far too much of a left lean for me; think Phillip Adams, Terry Lane, Virginia Trioli, George Negus, and David Marr, and you'll understand what I mean.

But is it trying to make ammends? Conservative writer Michael Duffy has got his own program on Radio National called Counterpoint. Apparently Duffy will "extend the already broad range of views represented on the station".

"Broad range?" Yeah right... whatever. Hopefully though, Duffy will provide some balance to Radio National, because, as one caller said, listening to the ABC at the moment is like being beaten around the head with a copy of Green Left Weekly.....

So check out Counterpoint, Radio National, Mondays at 4pm. This week Duffy will talk about another issue I have strong views on, Compulsory Voting.