Paddi the Dentist - observe and learn

This move by Paddi the dentist reinforces a very sound principal (maybe even two)... after New Years i'll expound on it, see if you can see it first. And even better, you might even recall me discussing it over coffee at the Zucchini, as i've been known to do.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of Paddi Lund... he's a dentist in Brisbane that shocked the dental world by firing his clients... he then halved his client base and doubled his profits and works half the time. You see, dentists have the second highest suicide rate of any profession. And one day paddi was going to work depressed as hell, and got to thinking... What do I hate about my business. The answer was most of his clients, the sterile environment... the whole drill, fill and bill process.

So he broke his clients into A, B and C clients. "A" clients loved what he did, paid on time and told their friends. C clients always complained, turned up late and bitched about his fees. So he wrote to all the C clients and told them to find another dentist. He then LOCKED his doors and put a sign up saying... if you're a client, ring the bell we'll let you in. If you're not a client there's a dentist up the road.

He then took an axe to his business and put in an oven and a cappucino machine.

Now here's the best bit... The only way you could become a client of Paddis was someone had to REFER you. IN fact the referral bit was a condition of doing business with him. Before he would work on you he'd say... I'm going to give you the best dental treatment and in return I have one condition that you must meet... you have to refer at least 3 people to my business.

Paddi realised that getting A customers to refer their friends would simply generate more A customers... people have friends that tend to be like themselves... good payers etc etc.

He then had a Guarantee... the FREE PRIZE!... NO PAIN!... What do people fear most about dentists? Pain... by working with less clients and in a more relaxed environment he was able to take his time and that meant better pain control.

So that's Paddi's story... fired his clients, halved his workload and doubled his profits.

Interestingly, he has been asked to tour the USA many times sharing his vision of a FUN filled work place and has written a book about it.

Hope you have a great new year,"

ripped entirely from Seth Godin's blog, originally a letter from Acland Brierty.

Paypal link for relief

Found a paypal link for giving to Tsunami relief, so that all of us ebay junkies can finally give some of that secret money we play with. No excuses now. From scrappleface, a satire site of all things.

Blogging wardrobes

i wonder if i can get this t shirt in time for new years? shnazzy no?

life of the party, in a blogger t shirt, or maybe this caffeine molecule t from thinkgeek. i like.

if you decide to order either shirt, and i suspect you will, grab one for me too, i wear a large or extra large. thanks!

Cost of catastrophe

People have been hesitant to discuss financial matters regarding the devastating Tsunami. Both online and off. That appears to have changed.

"There is no clear correlation between the magnitude of disasters in terms of loss of life covered and the damage in financial terms,"

Here
and here.
i would not have guessed that one major economic issue from this catastrophe would be chickens and eggs... prices are soaring??? Indiatimes has it all.

Catastrophe: (according to Dictionary.com) 4: A sudden violent change in the earth's surface; a cataclysm. Yeah, that fits.

Clocks on the wall

i suspect the Donald has clocks on the wall. You know, clocks hilighting the most important time zones. New York. London. Jerusalem. Tokyo. Bow Island. All of the most important world trade centers, each with their own clock on the wall. Since i was a whee child, this phenomenon of multiple clocks on the wall has meant incredible wealth and success. i do not think i am alone, figuratively.

Here are the time zones for both Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia.

what do you think of that? want time zones of your own? visit timeanddate.com

enjoy.

this internet thing might just work after all

Online Holiday Sales a Record $8.8 Billion. "The total of almost $9 billion is a record, with virtually every indicator showing growth."
- ecommercetimes.com

i've been saying all along, like one crying out in the wilderness... that this internet thing will change how we live. just watch...

/thanks R.M. for the link. and with reciprocity, here is one of R.M.'s online endevours - yourfavmusic.com well worth repeated visits!

Tsunami Death Toll Passes 120,000

nothing more really needs to be said. But for reference, click here -> Reuters

How about Gary Whelan? retro gamer

Now, just days after blogging Billy Mitchell i give you Gary Whelan,

Again, in a distinct line of classic and retro game junkies (of whom i can consider myself a life long member). Gary Whelan has said he set a world record of 399,290 points for Galaxian, beating the previous record held by a Californian.

and...

then there was me: that's right, just yesterday i set a new high score on R.C. Pro Am for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. Not a world high score mind you, just my individual game cartidges high score... woot for me! (which game to tackle next)

Many thanks

Thank you for your continued giving. Many thanks.
Last nite i posted our own Canadian Red Cross link for online donations. Your local Red Cross office will gladly accept donations as well.

From the main page of amazon.com, as of this posting, 61,000+ people have donated a combined 3,597,000.00+ dollars US to be given thru the American Red Cross. Stingy? i think not.

i would have expected paypal to provide an online link on their main page as well (and not just mention it under marketing).

Quake Changes Earth's Rotation, Moves Islands

"This week's deadly Asian Quake and Tsunami may have been so powerful, that it changed the rate of Earth's rotation. In a Reuters article, a NASA geophysicist theorizes that the quake compacted the Earth enough to speed up the planet's rotation by 3 microseconds. A second article says the quake moved undersea tectonic plates by up to 98 feet, shifting islands near Sumatra out to sea an unknown distance."

Thanks to Slashdot for the above link and quote.

Indian nuclear plant submerged by waves

consider the Indian fast-breeder nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu, whose intake tunnels were submerged by the waves. The safety systems worked; the reactors were shut down.

TSUNAMIS: the geopolitical aftermath according to Alan AtKisson at worldchanging.com

Kenya Sport: Troublesome allegations

Claims that "... sports administrators in Kenya are diverting billions of shillings meant for the development of the game to private interests amid highly damaging revelations of racial and economic discrimination, sexual exploitation and outright theft. Investigations reveal that most officials of the various sports federations in the country have, in real sense, neither an idea nor interest in the development of the sport."
The Standard

i do not know what to make of these charges... they all stem from one article that i have linked. It would appear, according to this news article, that widespread abuse is rampant in the athletic community, tho i hope that this is not the case. We leave for Kenya in 15 days. How many sleeps is that?

Tsunami disaster toll climbs

Its going to be a long nite.

Reuters update: Asia disaster toll hits 63,000.

Tsunami News Updates from the blogosphere.

Not sure exactly how i can assist, from here in Western Canada. My thoughts are there, as are my prayers.

***UPDATE***
/ 10:54 PM Dec 28th 2004
Canadian Red Cross is calling for cash donations.
Read the Canada Newswire Release right now.

quake, tsunami & Thailand

This morning, in Calgary we saw Brent and Tawm off in their return to Thailand. A somber moment.

Thankyou to everyone who has expressed interest and/or concern...

"Are they returning home to more heartache?"





Brent & Tawm, as well as family, live in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
Chiang Mai is outside of the reach of physical damage, but not emotional.

Devastating news updates and accounts are available online as this horror continues to be reported. Highlighting a disgusting loss. As we do not have television channels here at home, we have relied solely on the internet for our updates. Google News Canada

Billy Mitchell, what do you think of him?

EGM: Do you know that in these types of games, people spend hours and hours trying to break world records.

Parker: Like that guy who beat Pac-Man? With the long beard?

Garret: Billy Mitchell.

EGM: What do you think of him?

Parker: He's a complete loser. Doesn't he have a mullet?

Garret: That's bad.

Dillon: What a freak.


classic photo of Billy Mitchell...


a member of retro gaming royalty



Todays kids are subjected to yesterdays video games, and once again, kids say the darndest things! A focus group held by 1-Up with six kids age 10-13 gives us a couple pages of lite-reading and laughing. These are classic unscripted responses from children regarding the classic games from our past that we hold dear. Enjoy!

Lies, deceit... and lemmings

i will be back in front of the computer in a day or two, but i can not let this slip past. Lies, deceit... and lemmings. This is the beginning of public moral outrage.

"So lemmings do not commit mass suicide. Indeed, animals live to thrive and survive. Consider a company like Disney, where one rodent, namely Mickey Mouse, was Royalty. It's rather odd to think that Disney could be so unkind to another rodent, the lemming..."

Dr. Karl S. Kruszelnicki

Is Lemming Sunday a myth too? More later.

Christmas Day reminder

It is Christmas today. Christmas day began moments ago... i surely know this for two reasons. Firstly, my wife and i just returned from our eve of gift giving with family (i do love mince meat). Secondly, (some would say it's an addiction, but) i turned on my home computer moments after getting home. That is when i received a prompt reminder on screen "Christmas Day, December 25th, TODAY!"... it was with the wisdom of the ages that i set this reminder in " MiniReminder" which is freely distributed in the hope that it will be useful. Useful it is, it's a good thing i have technology to help me along, it would have been uncomfortable forgetting today.
Blog later! Merry Christmas.

These kids dislike Santa

Looks pretty obvious to me, regardless of the parents continual prodding, these kids just dislike Santa. Perceptive.

Some of these images would make a great T shirt. Anti-Santa maybe?

Merry Christmas & God bless

During this Christmas season, i realize you may not have as much time to read my blog as you would like. i encourage you to spend more time with your family and friends, and reflect on the meaning of Christ's birth in your life. God bless you, and thank you for reading...

most experts agree

December 22, 2004
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents.

--Nathaniel Borenstein

- Thanks Pej

Blog Disclosure, do YOU generate revenue?

Just a note, seeing as its become an issue with major blogs all over the internet: i am not benefiting financially for my posts on this site (yet), and frankly, the biggest reason is simple: i haven't figured a sure fire way to monetize my effort here (yet), but just like Seth and other bloggers, i love gifts.
Seth makes a great post on his site that just might become the rally cry of blogs everywhere...

"On occasion, I'm delighted to accept samples of stuff with very small (under $20 or so) value, just to be nice. I have to tell you, though... If any of this changes, I promise to let you know."

Seth Godin: Blog Disclosure. Read the whole thing. A bloggers manifesto maybe.

The key here, really simply, is not to avoid making money (that would be silly)... merely to give full disclosure regarding it.

For example, i spend all nite encouraging you to shop for your groceries online. It's easy, it doesn't cost any more than walking down every isle in person, and it takes infinitely less time. i tell you that the old domain of www.gardenmarket.ca is now accessible thru their site address www.shopsobeys.com. And then i continue on to tell you that all of your account information, user names and passwords will remain the same, so that you can continue shopping from Sobeys on Strachan Road, online! After all that, wouldn't you like to know whether i said all that because Sobeys gives me bags of Dempsters Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins at no cost, or did i say all that as a public service announcement without expecting any free food at all? In newspapers they call it an advertorial: Advertising that mimics an editorial. In TV and radio, we are familiar enough with the industry that we naturally assume that anyone getting name mention on either of those medias is paying (and paying BIG). With the internet in general, and blogs in particular, its still new enough, and foreign enough that taking it for granted can lead to confusion...

Full disclosure time: Sobey's didn't ask for that plug, nor am i expecting anything from them... but i do love our local Sobeys Ready to Serve!

Christmas tied up in knots

Christmas is almost upon us... does Christmas get you all tied up in knots? if so, check out Ruth Kantorovitz's quick vid.

Christmas is going to happen on December 25th whether we are ready or not, so be sure to take time to enjoy it.



Gustave Dore

Batini is Swahili

Harold Cooper, of Athletes In Action just sent me this note about his new blog Batini.

"Just wanted to let you know that we now have a weblog set up. It lets you read some of our trip thoughts, feelings and prayer items. Hope you enjoy it. Save it in your favorites so you can check on us from time to time."

Harold is a wonderful writer, and i am very excited that he has taken up the blogging challenge... well worth the read. Besides, it gives a little more substance to our mission in Kenya, departing in January 2005. i'm in! Kenya believe it?

Book a flight to Osaka

Yesterday evening, over our meal, a good friend asked me a simple question.
"jace, why do you have 19 Nintendo's? and tons of other games and systems?" - D.L.

a simple question, so i'll give a simple, honest answer...

i could start and describe my formative years, in the seventies and eighties. Years where i was enraptured by the wonder of games like Asteroid or Battle Tank. Of sytems like Atari and Coleco Vision. Or the mid eighties, when the NES 8-bit system arrived in Canada... and everyone i knew got the game system for Christmas. i still have that system hooked up right now. i've collected the games and systems from my youth, since my youth. Always for personal consumption.

My view and vision of retro games and systems has transformed to include the picture below:




i found this picture, and the associated auction on eBay. Turned out this gent (on the right) was selling his entire retro game store... hundreds of systems and thousands of games. Right away i imagined the transportation costs of getting this collection to me, and right away i imagined how i might buy such a hefty collection, and still afford to buy simple pleasures, like food. No, i was not going to get this exact collection, but the entrepreneur in me cried out " get a collection, then open a shop". Since that day a few years ago, i've been buying and collecting... and selling and trading. And its coming along just fine. (i've got a large portion of the basement full of this stuff) Now, i would love to open a retro-games museum, where the games are working, and the entire space is interactive and welcoming. One day... one day.

Until then tho, i will have to make a point of booking a flight to Osaka as soon as possible.

Choose a job you love

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life"
Confucius (551-479 BC)Chinese smart-guy

More of the good stuff from everyone's favorite. Good morning, be sure to enjoy the snow!

Super size my holiday

To some folks, this season is both wonderful and terrifying, terrifying for the actual volume of food that will be consumed. It is what drives mankinds New Years Resolutions, and it is that insatiable appetite that drives entire consumer segments. With that in mind, my wife and i spent the evening curled up on our couch. After an authentic thai cuisine, we subjected ourselves to Super Size Me. i can hardly say we enjoyed it (tho it was well done, and a strong message) and it hardly seems correct to merely say that we *watched* it...

Propaganda and PR.... oh how it spins.

Blockbuster to cancel late fees?

This concept initially appears so good to be true that it requires further reading:

"Doing away with late fees is the biggest and most important customer benefit we've ever offered in our company's history,"
John Antioco, Blockbuster Inc. chairman and chief executive.

What do you think? A wonderful gift, or merely a major company attempting to re-brand. i like the PR speak of the above link too, "Blockbuster to lose 50 Million...", donated to orphans it is not, the money is likely a budget line item re-focusing their print materials to reflect their change. Best of luck to BlockBuster in spinning this PR to make them sound like futuristic-forward thinking moguls with a real heart for the little guy. This just doesn't sound nearly ground breaking enough.

Actually looks a little reactionary, do you smell fear? In Canada, VHQ Online has made a splash with their new model rental business ( netflix for you folks south of the border... keep reading, we love ya)... anyone tried it yet? i would love to hear some local feedback.

We all want to be

"We all want to be told we're doing a good job."

—Marvin Arnpriester, Pastor, Broadway United Methodist

Who have you re-affirmed lately? Make the effort, those around you will respond accordingly, which is a good thing!

/notice the Pastors last name? ArnPRIESTer... hehe nice.

Who writes this?

"I give you what you purportedly want: Five NBA Players Not To Watch...
5. Wilt Chamberlain: Could fill it up in his day, but he's no fun to watch now that he's dead. Look elsewhere."

Who writes this? Genius. Twisted Genius.

Google unlocks wealth of knowledge

Google is moving into a wonderfully exciting new area. The pilot teams Harvard University & the New York Public Library (and other libraries) with Google and will begin digitizing 15 million + books, making them available online... available to read and available to search. There have been whispers of this in the past, now it seems, we can really get excited. How we live and learn will be changed.

Book'em Google

Flutie Flakes, Chargers & lowly Broncos

Do you follow football? CFL or NFL... it doesn't matter to me, i enjoy both leagues. When CFL quarterbacks began playing in San Diego, the Chargers quickly became my favorite team. Thats been a few years now, so it's real nice to see the Chargers winning more games than not, and finally being in control of their own playoff destiny. Current NFL standings make it even more fun to talk to those die-hard Broncos fans that i know here in Medicine Hat, (everyone say hi to D.L.) Yeah, D.L., you've just been called out on the internet, how do you feel?

As far as CFL quarterbacks playing in San Diego... lets talk about Doug Flutie. Doug put together a huge resume of big games with the CFLs Calgary & Toronto teams. Beyond that, Doug Flutie has done wonderful work outside of pro sports. Flutie Jr. (Dougs son) has Autism, and Doug has created the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. So, next time you see Doug Flutie bowling (no, i've never seen Doug Flutie bowling before either)... but, if you ever see Doug Flutie bowling, it just might be Flutie Bowl.





by the way, i actually own a box of these Flutie Flakes. These might make a great addition to the Menu some day.

Jamhuri in Kenya

This date has passed with little fan-fare:

Dec 12 Jamhuri (Independance Day) in Kenya.

Alberta Speedrail

Alberta Ponders High Speed Rail Link

"High Speed rail service in the Calgary - Edmonton Corridor is now feasible..." Read the entire Van Horne Institute PDF here, -> By clicking this!. Go on, click it, its not even 2 pages long. (lite reading really.)

i had the opportunity to speak briefly on this topic to a group in Calgary this October. i am excited to see that this *futuristic* concept is gathering steam... in fact Rich Vivone suggests that this issue may be exactly what Ralph Klein needs to cement his legacy.

For some folks, dissolving debt as Klein has, well, that's just not good enough. You know?

Mel spending any for good?

This just in: Reader R.H. has this to say regarding Fridays post on Mago!

"Is Mel Gibson spending any of the Money for good causes?

The answer seems to be yes."

Just found a full color PDF sales brochure for Mago. Looks pristine.

Vince given a bad rap

Vince Carter is grounded with an injury. Again. An achilles injury.



The image above is NOT the real EA Games NBA 2004 cover, merely a very succint fan(?) statement regarding Air Canada's ultimate vulnerability.

Vince has been given a bad rap (pun intended) but man, this guy is mr. Glass and i am not alone in wishing he were more Unbreakable!

Mago! (pronounced Mungo)

The Passion of the Christ has, among countless other things, paid for an entire island located in Fiji.







Read the details of Mel's recent purchase here: Mago! (pronounced Mungo)

Airport Inn Calgary

Our Room is booked at the Airport Inn Calgary. Great facility, and the shuttle to and from the airport is a real time-saver. This is a plug for the Best Western Airport Inn, maybe i could have sold them this advertorial space.

Our departure flight to Nairobi, Kenya leaves Calgary very early... so staying in Calgary over-nite beats driving thru the nite to catch our plane.

how slowly you go

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."

Confucius (551-479 BC)
Chinese smart-guy

The moral here: perseverance pays... whether it's Sales and Marketing, or personal relationships!

There you go, its really late at nite, and that was deep. Later.

Leadership means...

Work or Private... i'll hazard a bet that you've had an opportunity to apologize. No? are you looking hard enough?

Leadership means knowing when to say you're sorry. "Apologizing for a mistake or a misdeed is a sign of strength. It is something that should be taught, not avoided."

i read Visionary Leadership home of Aaron's Personal Growth Journal on a regular basis... well worth taking the time to look. Be sure to visit.

Air Canada to British Airways

These links may not be of any use to most of you, so if they are not of any immediate impact, they could be a lot of fun. More fun, say, than you are already having on this site, so enjoy.
i am posting these links specifically tho, in order to pass along this very specific information to our Kenya 2005 group.

Air Canada Checked Baggage: “overall measurement of each piece (L + W + H) must be less than 62 inches or 158 cm, and the weight less than 70 lbs. or 32 kgs.”

British Airways Baggage Allowance: “Two pieces per passenger, each weighing less than 32kg (70lbs) and less than 158cms (62ins) total dimensions (length+width+height).”

Air Canada Carry On Baggage:” “standard article 23cm x 40cm x55cm - Personal article 16cm x 33cm x 43cm… both a max weight of 10kgs.”

Aeroplan online registration for Air Canada

Executive Club online registration for British Airways

Please note: to fully register online for British Airways Executive Club, you will need to have the following information handy: BA Flight Number, Airport of Departure (YYZ i believe), Date of Flight. (this info is on your flight itinerary)


And after all that precise content, an aside:
According to Seth Godin: Air Canada “...is quite possibly the single worst transactional website run by a major corporation". Ouch. And from Seth too.

MSN blog spaces, wordy bitsonic

MSN has entered the blog market, providing free blog space and software. MSN blogspaces. i am not suggesting you use this over others (like blogger which i really like) but, if you do, tell me about it. it's very new and i haven't heard any good about it yet. You might want to give it some time to work out the kinks.

Bitsonic is one blog that is using MSN's new blog space. i have no idea what he is saying, but just look at how prolific his writing is. Wordy bitsonic. Wordy bitsonic, i love how that sounds, just say it silently to yourself... doesn't it sound great? Wordy bitsonic.

ATM spits out CDN Tire money, marketing works

Few things have shaped our Great White North as much as these, few things are as purely Canadian as these, few things represent our great land, and national pride as much as:

Canadian Tire Money.

i would guess that every home has Canadian Tire money in a drawer, or maybe tucked into the glove box of the family car. Recently though, it has been taken one step further, one Canadian bank has been storing Canadian Tire money in their ATM machines. Oops. Now Canadian Tire Money has been found in ATM's.

The bright colors that almost mock our colorful tender have been spewing out of select ATM's back east. Simple mistake, or fantastic marketing by Canadian Tire themselves? This PR spin, planned or unintentional, might just further boost their pivotal Christmas season. Give like Santa, save like Scrooge.

Today, modern retail has embraced the concept of money... even local retailer Garbo's Downtown created*Garbo Money* in 1995 when they opened their doors. Before them, long before them... Canadian Tire was creating a value. Since 1958, Canadian Tire has been cross-merchandising with this simple cash-like bonus. Pure Genius.

Marketers need to stop.. Seth Godin quote

Seth Godin, the man who gave us Unleashing the Idea Virus, the best selling and most downloaded (free) ebook ever, as well as five other world-wide best selling books, has this to say. Poignant words, worth reading:

"Marketers need to stop trying quite so hard to exploit every possible nook and cranny, damning the consequences. There are consequences, and you are responsible for what you market and what you sell. It's not the market, it's you.

There. Thanks for listening. Send future mail to Donald Trump or someone else."
Entire blog post here, this blog has a great picture of Seths' forehead.

Has humor left the building?

Adrants has this to say:

Simon Malls, the largest Shopping Mall owner, developer, manager & marketer in the US, ran a newspaper ad with the headline "Very inspiring. Now where's the mall?" alongside an image of the Statue of Liberty. Predictably, there were complaints and the ad was pulled. Simon Malls Spokesman Les Morris explained on ODwyerpr.com saying "This ad is one in a tourism series, using familiar landmarks in the area and playing off of the idea that visitors to any city tend to rank shopping as their No. 1 vacation pastime. We meant no disrespect to this national icon of freedom." What he should have said was, "You idiots. This ad is one in a tourism series, using familiar landmarks in the area and playing off of the idea that visitors to any city tend to rank shopping as their No. 1 vacation pastime. Has humor left the building?"

Puddin Pop

Nobody messes with Bill Cosby, and his puddin pop.
well done animation short. Bob Chiu did Cosby to a Tee. Anyone who can bring Bill Cosby and the Eye of Sauron together.... is ok in my books.

Cereal in Phily

Cereal Bars are popping up all over the US...
thanks to Rob for passing this link along to me just moments ago.
cereal in phily

Who is going to be the first to grab this concept and run with it! It could be you!

According to Dictionary.com, entrepreneur: A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.

Yeah, that could be you...

Wachira Family. Meeting a need, in love

it is human interest stories, true stories like this, that remind me again that the life we live here in Canada is so unlike lives lived elsewhere.

Cases of specific lack and distress touched Mzee Wachira, of Kenya, prompting him to begin providing a solution to local residents since 1984. Now, decades after beginning his philanthropy, and after his recent death, his family carry on the legacy.

Mzee Wachiras' solution came in a way that, for us, here in North America, may seem strange. But no-less emotional, i wonder if we can relate... Click and read this link, really! The Wachira Family has turned thier farm land into a graveyard for the landless and poor.

Meeting a need, in love. Reminds me of a quote i've had on my computer desktop for some time now...

"Serve, Love, Give."


Succint and powerful words. A lifestyle.