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Neil's occasional blog 2008
~~~~~~ 10th December 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whilst refreshing my MBA knowledgebase I came across this surprisingly engaging video presentation on the early days of Facebook, courtesy of Stanford GBS:
The Early Days of Facebook, Matt Cohler, Facebook~~~~~~ 1st December 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, now that the UK government has reduced VAT to 15%, few are convinced that it will do anything good. The actual price drop is nearer 2.14% rather than the headline drop of 2.5%. What it has caused is no end of grief for VAT companies. Many have spent all weekend trying to update stationery, signage and computer systems. All at incredible expense. Maybe that was the idea; to get business to spend money (which they cannot currently get from the banks), rather than consumers spending more. And in 13 months time it all gets reversed.
And the UK taxpayers now own some 58% of the Royal Bank of Scotland too. Quite a red-letter day for the UK then.
~~~~~~ 7th November 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you remember the romance of cinema? You know, when going to see a film was an occasion. When entering the cinema was like entering another world where glamour and stardom and fantasy came together to provide that movie magic.
Over the last 20 years the multiplex has taken over. They provided smaller cinemas that were easier to fill; they provided bigger seats with more leg room than the old palaces; they provide somewhere to put your mega drink cup.
My first love was movie making, and the cinema opened the world of opportunity, glamour and adventure to me. I even worked in one, where the whole of the ceiling was decorated to mirror the northern night sky. Certainly beats ceiling tiles!
In cinema design, the best seat in the auditorium was always 2/3rds the way back, in the middle. Why? Because that lined up perfectly with the centre of the screen. If you look carefully at modern auditoria you'll notice that none of the seats reach half-way up the screen. So you will have to strain your neck for 2 hours looking up. Try setting up your TV or computer screen that way and see if you like it.
Well, breaking news! I have found a cinema where this romance, adventure, glamour lives on. I had the great pleasure to watch Man On Wire at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in North Sydney. The owners have taken the best of the old and the best of the new to make a stunning sensual experience. I grinned from ear to ear when I walked in, and went for a look round the rest of the building after the film.
The magic of cinema still exists. All you need to do is not accept mediocrity. Differentiate by being better at making people smile! Please click here to tour their fantastic picture palace.
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