Just in case you’d forgotten why design was invented… February 8, 2008
Posted by David Petherick in : Authority, Emedia, Fun, Managing Data, News, Web Audit , add a commentI couldn’t quite believe that an organisation had spent time, energy and money, but still expected me to read this web page…
I am speechless, and glad that some people study design, typography, and measure the effectiveness of how they present their messages.
I am not even providing a link to this to protect the guilty - please believe, I did not make this up. Ok - it’s here, more or less.
My Daughter’s Christmas Cards are available online! November 24, 2007
Posted by David Petherick in : Fun, Online Communities , add a comment
Buy ten of my daughter’s cards online for £6.50, and £1.50 will be donated to her school.
They’re lovely - I bought 60 already! You can also get the same design as a gift tag. On sale here: http://httv/biz/cards/
5 little-known Gmail features you may not yet know about November 17, 2007
Posted by David Petherick in : Emedia, Fun, Managing Data, News , add a commentGmail (or Googlemail if you’re in the UK) keeps on improving. And its free. And you never have to delete anything, and it’s pretty good at dealing with sp*am… yes, I like it. But I just came across a blog from Google with 5 great time-saving practical features I did not realise existed…
5. “Archive and next” shortcut
4. Share mail searches with friends
3. Browser navigation and history
2. Bookmark emails
1. “Filter messages like this”
PS: If you don’t have a Gmail account, just ask me to send you an invitation - email david dot petherick at gmail dot com
Powered by ScribeFire.
Edinburgh Book Festival: Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood virtually, really, meet Roza Nazipova. August 16, 2007
Posted by David Petherick in : Authority, Blogs, Emedia, Fun, Media 2.0, Networks, News , add a commentEdinburgh’s fantastic International Book Festival was buzzing last night, as a sell-out audience of 600 witnessed the first ever Canadian-Scottish translatlantic book signings, when Canadian Author Alice Munro, in the Bayfield Bookshop, Bayfield, Ontario, signed books for audience members in Edinburgh, using author Margaret Atwood’s amazing “Long Pen”.
The signings followed a hilarious and witty interview between the two authors, both from Canada, which included live questions from the Edinburgh audience.
Due to obvious time restraints, there were only a limited number of signings available, and high-tech met low-tech as audience members queueing for entry were handed raffle tickets for the chance to have a book signed, and Margaret Atwood, inventor of the Long Pen, and a distinguished novelist herself, drew the numbers from the hat.
Just 30 lucky audience members then were able to have their book placed on the amazing “long pen” device, and see and talk to the author signing their book from Canada - who naturally could see and talk to them - all of which was live, broadcast onto large screens, as part of the evening’s event. These tete-a-tete chats will also be added to the Long Pen web site, so that audience members will have the ability to share their chat with the author with a wider audience.
Roza Nazipova, my wife and business partner, asked a question during the audience questions sessions, which was largely, but charmingly, sidestepped by Alice Munro - as to her favourite Scottish or Russian authors, but she did confess to be working on writing about a Russian historical figure. Roza was lucky enough to have her number chosen for a book signing. In one of those odd coincidences in life, so too was a Canadian girl directly behind Roza in the queue, performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a lifelong fan of both authors, and who had the sequential ticket above Roza’s winner (103 just for the curious numerologists among you). Naturally, she had booked her ticket online… but due to a glitch somewhere, had initially received the wrong tickets - but still, here she was. Roza had queued for five hours in June to make sure she had tickets for this event. It all seems to have been worth the effort.
Here is the signing taking place, and Roza Nazipova talking to Alice Munro:
Here is the signature (the book’s action begins in Edinburgh):
And here is Margaret Atwood adding her signature and inscription:
And this is the full inscription, which reads:
‘Alice Munro
and Margaret Atwood
did via LongPen on
August 15 2007′
A big thank you to Catherine Lockerbie, Edinburgh Book Festival Director, and all of the technical staff, for a long anticipated event that will be long remembered - not just for its novelty, but also for the wit, charm and humour of these two amazing authors.
And just think of all those air miles saved… 
>> Edinburgh Book Festival
>> Edinburgh Festival (Pocket Tweetmap Edition)
Speaka No Evil: Help stop cyberbullies today with Speaka Points! August 7, 2007
Posted by David Petherick in : Authority, Blogs, Fun, Media 2.0, Networks , add a commentI hate bullies, bigmouths and know-it alls who bash people - especially those new to forums, social networks and community web sites. So you and I are going to gang up on those bullies! (And we’re also going to be nice to people who are good guys and girls).
If you feel someone has made a particularly good or bad contribution on a blog, forum or social networking site (or indeed anywhere online), why not award them ‘Speaka’ points?
Simply add the appropriate good or bad image by using the code
<img src=”http://speaka.org/minus3.gif”>
right the way up to
< img src=”http://speaka.org/plus3.gif”>
in your web comments. Simple.
You may also want to link to http://speaka.org/noevil as a reference, where you will find other tools, full codes for links, and other information.
We’re already planning Russian and Spanish versions. Sponsorship, if you are a non-evil corporation, is possible. Your suggestions are welcome.
“Try nice - you’ll like it.”
David Petherick | I am the Digital Biographer
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David Petherick’s Online Profile Masterclass: Barcelona, 12 February 2007 January 2, 2007
Posted by David Petherick in : Authority, Barcelona, Emedia, Fun, News, Online Communities , add a commentDavid Petherick, the Profile Makeover Expert, is offering a one-day Masterclass on how to edit, format and promote your business and personal brand through your online profile.
Thomas Power is Chairman of Ecademy, and Penny Power is its Founder. Together, they have perhaps the most-visited profiles online at Ecademy. However, both asked David Petherick to makeover and rewrite their profiles. Why was that?
The answer is that they were objective, and recognised that they were not the best person to author their profile. Being objective about what to include and how to structure your own profile is very difficult. Most people can not be objective when describing themselves - that’s why so many autobiographies are unreadable.
Your profile is your first and often your last chance to make an impression online. No matter how impressive your online contribution to discussions, groups, clubs, assisting and advising others - your profile is the touchstone and reference point. It’s a combination of a sales pitch, a personal presentation, a business card, a brochure, a personal statement, a list of recommendations, a mini web-site, and a wave from across the room.
It has a lot of work to do. Is your profile doing you proper justice?
Date: Monday 12th February 2007
Time: 10:00 - 16:30
Place: Barcelona, Catalonia
Fee: £97
Click here to Reserve your Place at the Barcelona Profile Masterclass today!
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Barcelona in Space: Rocket Launch Live Online 10:25pm CET, Friday December 7, 2006
Posted by David Petherick in : Barcelona, Fun, News , add a commentBarcelona Televisió will broadcast La nit aeronà utica, live,
on Friday 8 December, (10.25 p.m.). The special programme is for the
launch of the space rocket Ariane 5, which has been baptised Ciutat de Barcelona.
The Barcelona television programme will follow the launch of the rocket
from the base at Kourou (French Guyana) and at CosmoCaixa, where the
event will be shown on giant screens.
Cristina Vicente, who will lead the programme through space from the
Barcelona Televisió studio, will establish links with Silvia Carbonell
(at CosmoCaixa) and with Vanessa Petit (at the Kourou base).
The objective of the rocket launch is to put two US communications
satellites into orbit. When the nosecone is opened, it will fall back
towards Earth, and will disintegrate when it enters into contact with
the atmosphere.
You can also watch the broadcast live on the Barcelona Televisió website within the section “Barcelona TV en directe”.
- More Information on Barcelona in Space
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Why not buy me a pint - virtually? September 23, 2006
Posted by David Petherick in : Emedia, Fun, News, Online Communities , add a comment
I’ve often been criticised for being far too generous with my time and advice, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. However, there are issues with paying for life’s little luxuries when you don’t really have a ‘proper’ job…
So now, I think I have the solution - when people want to say thanks for my help or advice, they can now buy me a pint, virtually…
Well, they can buy me a pint virtually, at www.buy-me-a-pint.com and they can also advertise the fact that they have bought me a pint, and link to their own web site… all automatically, as I patiently wait the 119.6 seconds required for the next pint of Guinness to be poured…
Pouring Pints by PayPal…
What www.buy-me-a-pint.com does is quite simple - it passes payments to PayPal for services and amounts which the site visitor can define, either by selecting a ‘drink’ to buy me, or ‘mixing their own’ and setting the price. And once the payment is cleared, they can elect to add their details and a link to the web site of their choice to my site as a sponsor, or as someone who’s bought a drink!
Sponsors are those who elect to set up monthly payments through PayPal in the same way, allowing them to sponsor me, or buy me a drink regularly - I like that idea, and can have my daily newspaper, or monthly magazines sponsored!
