Author Archive
The worst stuff isn’t even in there?
Wow, I thought the ‘It came from Wasilia’ profile on Sarah Palin by Todd Purdue was eye-opening. She also came off pretty badly in that book I hoovered up over a wet weekend Race of a Lifetime … but read this piece from the current Vanity Fair – ‘Sarah Palin: the Sound and the Fury’. […]
A denial and a clarification … well, not really
Just as well some people have such a GREAT sense of humour! It all relates to my ‘A little backlash?‘ post here on www.thePaepae.com … where I suggested a possible interpretation of some innuendo-laden bloggings by property spruiker Dean Letfus about holding back dirt on a ‘white knight’ was that they referred to me. [Or […]
The future?
I saw Andrew Kirtzman’s book BETRAYAL at Wellington airport recently. Striking cover. We’d already discussed Harry Markopolos’s frustrating experience in Tall poppy syndrome: last refuge of the scoundrel? Gee, I thought, what has Madoff had to build inside himself to handle this level of opprobrium? (Assuming he IS ‘handling’ the ignominy OK.) I wonder if […]
Please say sorry, and thanks …
I don’t know enough to make a judgement about Allan Hubbard, and I point to this only as an example of a journalist, in this case, publishing his (strong) personal opinions … I find that refreshing and encouraging because it’s clear he’s based them on his own considerable research and experience. Good on you Bernard. […]
And then a bug flew in the window(s)…
ATM: ‘Welcome’. Card in. PIN typed in. Oops, instant BLANK SCREEN. Keypad doing nuttin’. Hmmm. Looking, looking, then up came the NCR logo white on black. For a loooooong time. ‘Have I broken it? I muttered. I went into the bank and explained my plight. A teller went and had a look: ‘Oh it’s just […]
Tis the season?
I heard about this charges-laid-charges-dropped-investigation-re-opened circus targeting whistle-blower Julian Assange on the BBC … crikey! Remember TIME magazine’s little put-down about his mental state? Paranoid? Oh really? This extraordinarily courageous man wears a bullseye on his back. I wish him well. He’s up against people and organisations who present fake documents/bogus ‘evidence’ and pretend things […]
A little backlash?
The thoughts I’ve recently shared in these pages about the operations of certain very smooth salesmen have sparked a reaction of sorts. Oh dear. As might be expected, there are indications of some outrage and hurt feelings in the spruiker’s camp … and questions being asked, notably: Ouch! What the hell? What can we do […]
OK, it’s a little funny … Mark Zuckerberg wants privacy
On Reuters … Yeah, it’s a cheap laugh, but <snort>…“uncover unnecessary details about his private life” <chuckle>. Oh, poor Mark Zuckerberg. The indignity. I wonder how it will all work out? Lawsuits can be sooo unpredictable, I’ve learned.
Using your marketing ‘assets’
It’s OK! I’m not going to give the top ten tips for attracting more eyeballs to your website … this is just an example of good marketing, in my opinion. What worked. Well, sort of. It started at the East Village Takeaways (in Howick, not NYC, as my recent visitors from the East Village, New […]
A gushing review from Steve Goodey
Well, the reviews are in: Wellington property spruiker and US tax liens “educator” Steve Goodey tackles the complex and intellectually demanding task of identifying the raison d’être of www.thePaepae.com. (If the name is familiar, I discussed some of his past … um … ‘activities’ in this post Property spruiker Steve Goodey: let’s join the dots.) […]
Poster boy Jim Parsons WINS!
How cool. Asperger’s poster boy Jim Parsons has won an emmy for his role as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series. I applaud this talented comic who has been a real ambassador for geeks and people with Asperger’s everywhere. Along with the cast and creators of the […]
Paranoid (?) but a whistleblower
Over the weekend I read a fascinating profile of WikiLeaks.org founder Julian Assange in a recent TIME magazine. (It’s available online at TIME here.) Here’s a bit that struck me (emphasis mine): Assange has retained a hacker’s mentality. He works from secret bunkers on major leaks and is convinced he is under surveillance from government […]
When ‘gurus’ attack — HOW you do it is important
From a review of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life … It’s full of tips and advice but the one I like best comes from Buffett via Dale Carnegie, author of How To Win Friends and Influence People: “Criticism is futile, said Carnegie. Rule number one, don’t criticise, condemn or complain.” … […]
A fragment …
This document fragment found itself to my office fax machine. At the top of the first page was a handwritten note … This is much too pointed… could even be inflammatory! TONE IT DOWN, please … don’t waste ‘straight-talk’ on this rubbery character. – M.K. [fragment begins] == D R A F T _ O N L […]
