Well it's been a good week. The guys got a new version of the software out, I got lots of work done and the dollar has dropped below 70 cents for the first time in almost a year. I'm about to have a beer with the crew, but will finish off the work week with a feel good video about old friends. I have a few people I need to reconnect with and this made me think of them. Have a good weekend everyone. To View More >>

It's Sunday so I am having a day off with the family. By the time you read this we are probably enjoying Brunch with Mum, Dad and my sister Adrienne. So please enjoy these images and the video below. Click on the images to go to there original websites. To View More >>

We opened a tub of ice cream tonight ... New Zealand Natural "Chocolate Ecstasy" and this is what we found ... LOL even the label was happy :-) To View More >>

This is an image of the New Zealand Tui painted by Tatiana (Tanya) Kalnins http://www.keacreations.co.nz/ I have always been fasinated by the Tui and New Zealand Wood Pigeon. As I watch them play in the trees outside our house I am always humbled by there beauty and grace. It is funny, when I walk my dog in the morning even he will stop when he hears them and watch as if in awe as well. To View More >>

Ok what else can I say except, if you want to blow your mind go to www.ted.com. Ted is an annual conference of world class speakers sharing innovative ideas, telling stories and inspiring change. I mean everything is covered and many of the speakers from conferences over the last few years have put online for your enjoyment. Over the last few months I have listened and watched fascinated to speakers from Bill Clinton to Bono. I've been inspired by new ideas of social change in Africa, Seen Statistics brought to life in a fascinating graphical display. And learnt how my children will more than likely To View More >>

Sometimes you see a music video that, although not for everyone, really hits home for yourself. This one, has beautiful cinema photography ... and as someone on YouTube commented, a voice that is "haunting beautiful" For me, since I can't understand the words I get caught up in my imagination ... and with the images and the sounds make up my own story. The coastline in this video reminds me of the places in New Zealand, where we would play as kids and you yearn for when you are away. Enjoy Sanvean (I am your shadow) - Lisa Gerrard To View More >>

Danny and I are in Germany at present, Cologne (Köln) to be specific, visiting the Photokina trade fair. It's been a whirlwind tour through Europe getting here. In 5 days we travelled through Las Angeles, London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne. What an incredible week of contrasts. The cities, especially Paris and Amsterdam, were incredible, so romantic with their old world charm and architecture, but with unfortunate modern contrasts. If Mc Donalds down the road from Notre Dame wasn't enough, how about the accommodation we have in Cologne? This is a table in the restaurant. The place To View More >>

I saw my blog traffic jump by a huge amount yesterday, with most traffic coming from Stumbleupon, and I wondered how I could check who had reviewed me, and what they had said. I found a webpage on Stumbleupon that links to this information. It doesn't seem to be directly accessible from your user account but I found part of the answer in this post. You need to build a URL using a base URL of: http://www.stumbleupon.com/refer.php?url= plus the page URL, eg http://stephenbaugh.com/2008/09/the-guy-that-turns-her-light-off/ This means the full URL would be http://www.stumbleupon.com/refer.php?url=http://stephenbaugh.com/2008/09/the-guy-that-turns-her-light-off/ To View More >>

In business there are no magic bullets, but this idea is so powerful it certainly feels like magic. I ran into an old friend yesterday, and it reminded me of a series of seminars I ran a few years ago that contained a section on how to increase profits. Especially when times are tough, it's great to be able to break things down into some simple rules that allow you to know where to focus, so I'll share this very simple but powerful idea with you now. Gross Profit is calculated on an "averaged basis" as: (Total number of clients x Average number of visits per year x Average sale x Average margin) To View More >>

Someone asked me the other day what Twitter is ... I swear my jaw almost dropped. So from the Twitter FAQ ... What is it? Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Ok I must admit when I heard of it myself, there was a bit of a yawn and disinterest stuck around for quite a while ... but for some reason a month ago I decided to go have a more serious look ... and I must say, it is strangely addictive. LOL not that To View More >>