All day I have been trying to find a moment to publish a quick post, giving a shout out to Google for another awesome product that's in the works. We already use analytics, webmaster tools, gmail etc and think this is probably one of the most exciting announcements since search. As a company this offers us exciting collaboration options to supplement what we already have, but it's even more exciting when you consider the integration with our wider community. Well done Google ... simply awesome. Mashable have 4 great articles on Google Wave http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-guide/ the To View More >>

Finally the OCR (Official Cash Rate) in New Zealand has been dropped to 8.0%. As an exporter we have been doing it tough for years now and maybe this is the relief we need. http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/news/2008/3376920.html I used to joke, in a black humour kind of way, that what exporters needed was a "mad cow" to take the edge off the economy. Nothing else seemed like it would work ... Then with some sadness I realized we already had one, but she was running the country, time would not be on her side forever ... Unfortunately our relief comes only because the economy overall seems to be screwed. To View More >>

I was walking my dog today, as I do every morning, and walked past a woman whom I've said hello to virtually every morning for a year. As I got close I looked at her and smiled as I said hello, but she kept walking as if I didn't exist. As usual, I wondered, has something happened to make her so distant or is she just practicing a learned but rude habit? You need to understand we live in a semi rural area and almost everyone says hello. Today I remembered "That Woman at Grand Central Station" About two years ago, while visiting New York, I was sitting having lunch at one of the two-person tables To View More >>

I love my wife: she is brilliant, a beautiful and most incredible person ... She is however a moving freak ... Where some guys might drink beer, watch sports or play video games for fun she likes to rearrange the house. That isn't me in the photo but it's how I feel when any sentence starts with "This weekend I want to ..." because I know the next word will be "rearrange". If she really wants to do something, and I am resisting, that just adds to the challenge, and she recruits her partners in crime, Brenda and the kids. It got so bad that one day when she went away I rearranged the house just To View More >>

My career started the traditional way, many moons ago, running a lemonade stand, collecting coke bottles, mowing lawns, and basically doing anything I could to turn a dollar. While at university in the late 80s I installed computer systems for a legal firm, and worked in hospitality as a waiter at the Regent Hotel in Auckland. I also worked in the family handcraft/souvenir store, Earthworks, in Parnell, Auckland. Computers were my favourite toys. My Dad had been into computers since before either the Mac or the PC (those were the days), so even though there were no computers in schools I was a To View More >>