My submission to the Haass process

Send your views to the Haass enquiry: pic.twitter.com/EeicgOXtzN — William Crawley (@williamcrawley) September 27, 2013 Here’s what I sent in. I’m not afraid of argument or debate. I’m not afraid of polarised opinions and I’m also not afraid of causing offence to those who consider the exercise of their culture to trump the rights of everyone … Continue reading “My submission to the Haass process”

Here’s what I sent in. I’m not afraid of argument or debate. I’m not afraid of polarised opinions and I’m also not afraid of causing offence to those who consider the exercise of their culture to trump the rights of everyone else. I’m also not afraid to admit I may have gotten it wrong.

I am afraid of the status quo.

I’m very concerned about what the last year has brought as I am seeing a rapid brain-drain and loss to the net industry of skilled workers. This is greatly affecting the ability of our local industry to grow and expand our markets. The troubles of the last year have also affected our ability to attract significant FDI into the local industry because, despite our expertise and talent, the message that was received in Japan from a recent Nintendo FDI visit, was “Belfast Mean Riot”. Similar visits from Bohemia Interactive and Square Enix in the last year turned out the same. The opportunity cost of this runs into the tens of millions in FDI alone.

I express our disappointment that our elected leaders continue to attack each other even while they are in a shared coalition government. I note the rising discontentment within the “Other” community who never get invited to the table to talk. More than 50% of Northern Ireland is not “green” or “orange” but no-one consults them because they don’t carry guns under the table.

I would beseech you to give recommendations on these contentious issues that support the rule of law, that give considerations to the population who do not take offence at the actions or words of others in celebration of culture and who truly understand that tolerance is something you seek within yourself and not something you demand of others. If we continue to capitulate to the threat of civil unrest masked as demands for “tolerance”, we can never move forward as a nation.

On Parades and Protests:

I fully support the rule of law and the rights of individuals to peaceful protest. We would consider that once a protest has become violent, that the security forces should move in to disperse or contain the unrest. To do otherwise is seen as appeasement by the “other” side which encourages them to further test the limits of civil society. These parades are defended as “tradition” but tradition in a country that is less than 100 years old is a sham.

My recommendation is that we can do something with the Maze/Long Kesh site in the provision of a parade ground and that parades are located there. It will bring much footfall to the rural area, providing a contained opportunity for tourism and concessions. If people must parade in this country, let it be a net gain and not a net loss for the nation.

The flow of public money to cultural organisations to organise parades and events should predicate on their cross comity involvement. There is an opportunity for either side of the struggle to take the high road and be inclusive. But if they will not take it voluntarily, they must be persuaded.

On Flags, Symbols and Emblems:

A US citizen appreciates the power and respect of a flag. In my time in the US, I witnessed how flags and emblems are to be respected. I do not see that in this country. Our streets are festooned with rags, some of our national flag and some commemorating terror organisations from our dark past. Civil society should treat signs and emblems of the IRA and UVF and other terror organisations as Germany treats the Swastika. These emblems represent our terrible history and serve to open wounds on all sides of the community. People who are not opposed to them still feel intimidated by them.

Flags should be reserved for flagpoles. They should fly during civil celebrations and they should be removed not more than one week after the event has passed. Flags that are not tagged by the erecting organisation should be removed immediately. We cannot legislate on flags on private property but the Council should have a record of every flag erected and have powers (and protection) to remove flags that are placed inappropriately.

Murals should be messages of solidarity and peace, not threats of war. They should not depict skulls, weapons or masked men. Slogans and emblems of intimidation should be banned. Councils should have the responsibility to deal with this and we would look to the Minister for Justice to enforce this.

On Dealing with the Past:

There needs to be a policy of seeking healing rather than justice (or retribution). We cannot forget the sacrifice of many in the defence of peace but some cannot forgive the transgressions of others. Our society must realise that as we pick open wounds, we cannot heal and move on. We have to recognise there were many victims of the Troubles, physically and mentally, but the response to this must be a conscious decision rather than an emotional one. Victim groups that are allied to one side or the other are counter-productive. We also have to accept that a mother killed in a bomb in a town centre is different to a son killed while trying to plant a bomb. We have to realise that we cannot continue to glorify individuals who spent a lifetime propagating horrors. We cannot congratulate terrorists for laying down their arms when they brought us into terrorism in the first place.

That said, the work of the Historical Enquiries Team is important because it highlights the transgressions of the past. Justice is needed if only because members of the security forces colluded to kill civilians. Justice must, however, be blind to the demands of victims and responsible only to the need for society as a whole. Criminals should be punished and shamed.

We are ashamed that there is a need for external intervention in Northern Ireland but we acknowledge that it’s necessary and we hope that there is a result from this.

The Saturday Night Really Tedious Film Club

I’ve got some documentaries on DVD that I’d like to watch in company. In essence to stir up some conversation. In fact, it’s not necessary to agree with everything that is said, but it would be nice to have the opportunity to discuss it. Maybe get a group of folk together once a month? I … Continue reading “The Saturday Night Really Tedious Film Club”

I’ve got some documentaries on DVD that I’d like to watch in company. In essence to stir up some conversation. In fact, it’s not necessary to agree with everything that is said, but it would be nice to have the opportunity to discuss it. Maybe get a group of folk together once a month?

I was thinking of calling it the “Saturday Night Really Tedious Film Club”. Think it’ll catch on?

Here’s the DVDs I own a copy of.

Add to this COSMOS, maybe Wonders of the Solar System, maybe some of the futurist documentaries out there. Happy to have other suggestions.

Education should not be an assembly line at a factory

This is an RSA Animate video of a talk by Sir Ken Robinson. Jim Montgomery tweeted this to me: The main message is that our current education system was conceived to support the Industrial Revolution. Education should not be an assembly line at a factory. And that’s utterly unsuitable for the 21st Century. We need … Continue reading “Education should not be an assembly line at a factory”

This is an RSA Animate video of a talk by Sir Ken Robinson.

Jim Montgomery tweeted this to me:

The main message is that our current education system was conceived to support the Industrial Revolution.

Education should not be an assembly line at a factory. And that’s utterly unsuitable for the 21st Century. We need to embrace the aesthetic and not anaesthetise our children through their childhood. We need to stop treating ADHD as an epidemic and embrace the changes our society has wrought which are the cause of it. Drugging our kids to fit into an 18th Century mould of educational theory is not going to benefit them or society.

You can get the RSA iPhone app here

Vocation

Dictionary.com: Vocation n. A regular occupation, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified. An inclination, as if in response to a summons, to undertake a certain kind of work, especially a religious career; a calling. [Middle English vocacioun , divine call to a religious life , from Old French vocation , … Continue reading “Vocation”

Dictionary.com:

Vocation
n.

  1. A regular occupation, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified.
  2. An inclination, as if in response to a summons, to undertake a certain kind of work, especially a religious career; a calling.

[Middle English vocacioun , divine call to a religious life , from Old French vocation , from Latin voc?ti? , voc?ti?n- , a calling , from voc?tus , past participle of voc?re , to call ; see wek w – in Indo-European roots.]

Thesaurus.com:

Main Entry: vocation
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: life’s work
Synonyms: art, business, calling, career, craft, do*, dodge*, duty, employment, field, game, handicraft, job, lifework, line of business, line*, mission, métier, nine-to-five, occupation, office, post, profession, pursuit, racket, role, thing*, trade, undertaking
Antonyms: entertainment, fun, pastime

I was reading The Top Idea in your Mind by Paul Graham and it was that which started to spur me on to my earlier blog post (Food for Thought).

I think everyone should search for their vocation; a type of work which moves them to more than just financial remuneration but also provides a deep level of satisfaction. Code4Pizza works because, like with The Top Idea in your Mind, it is not bogged down in money thinking.

I listed the dictionary and thesaurus entries above because I find some of them curious. The thesaurus equates a vocation with a “nine-to-five” and considers it the opposite of “entertainment, fun”.

And this is wrong.

Your vocation is your fun. It’s your reason to get up in the morning. I am reminded of a few lines from Stop All The Clocks by W H Auden:

…my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

This is your vocation, your calling, an irresistible summons. It’s the one idea that you can’t get out of your head in the shower. It’s the thing you think about as you drive into work, what you muse about as you push the trolley around the supermarket, what you doodle when you’ve a paper and pen and you let your mind wander.

JFDI

Unravelling the Mystery of Good Customer Service

Obviously you’re aware that we recently received a sterling example of ‘bad customer service’. I’ve blogged about some of this before. You can’t please everyone Two sides to every truth Get mad at yourself for your mistakes If you run a business, you provide some sort of service to someone. It would be great if … Continue reading “Unravelling the Mystery of Good Customer Service”

Obviously you’re aware that we recently received a sterling example of ‘bad customer service’.

I’ve blogged about some of this before.

If you run a business, you provide some sort of service to someone. It would be great if every customer encounter was entirely positive but only a small fraction of people can lay claim to such a record. At some point you’re going to be part of a customer complaint and it seldom matters if it is your fault – what matters is how you deal with it.

e.g. During the reign of the iBook G3, there was a repeating issue with some iBook logic boards which caused some units to come in for multiple repairs. More than one customer complained that the issue must be due to our workmanship in providing the repair because it did not occur to them that they may be receiving faulty parts, parts which expire after a certain half-life much like the original board did. These issues were by and large the exception but it motivated one individual to go above and beyond in making sure everyone knew that we had failed to fix his iBook. This was patently untrue but how we dealt with it was in spending more time educating customers on the origin of parts and trying to be more aware when our name was used on the Internet in vain.

Now, the example above was not our fault – but we took as much responsibility as possible. Others out there will attest that my company spends a lot of time defending the rights of our customers when dealing with our favourite fruit company so that even when there have been supply issues (faulty parts, delayed parts), the customer is not the one who is most troubled by this. We do not get paid by anyone to spend any time defending the rights of customers to our suppliers because we do a lot of warranty work which is a set fee per repair. We do that stuff for free because it’s good customer service – we do it to benefit the customer and, yes, somehow get some repeat service (though we always say we aim never to see our customers again because it means their Mac has broken down again).

We aim to try and turn every bad experience into a good one – which is why I want to know when people have had bad experiences because unless I know about them – I can’t actually fix the problem! No-one wants to see someone unhappy surely – especially when they can fix it. And sometimes that may mean taking a hit – a hit you will survive, maybe even learn from, possibly even benefit from – rather than taking one later which knocks you out of the race. We may not have any decent competition in Northern Ireland but we have plenty across the UK (hundreds of AASPs) and we compete with them every single month.

This is why Mac-Sys is in the top 5 of Customer Service ratings of Apple Authorised Service Providers in the UK. Because we try hard.

The Real McCoy is a chip shop up in Four Winds. They have a sign saying “If you think we’re good, tell your friends. If you think we’re bad, tell us”. Similarly I worked contracts with a smart guy I really respect called Mark Case (he runs White Noise). He told my fledging company: “Treat us well and I’ll tell my friends. Treat us badly and I’ll tell everyone.”– and that’s the way it is in business. You have to look at the big picture and figure out what is best for the business in the long run.

One thing I’ve learned is that the weight of a single angry customer far exceeds the weight of ten happy customers or a thousand mildly pleasant but ultimately non-committal customers.

Choose your friends wisely, this ‘Shepherd’ certainly will.

POST EDITED DUE TO SETTLEMENT.

A Room with a VI

Marty writes about VI: VI is an empty room. It needs painted, stud walls, electric points, heating and people to help do all of those things. It needs energy and creativity, ideas and heart. It will need money but for now it has enough to get by. It needs a good internet connection to give … Continue reading “A Room with a VI”

Marty writes about VI:

VI is an empty room. It needs painted, stud walls, electric points, heating and people to help do all of those things. It needs energy and creativity, ideas and heart. It will need money but for now it has enough to get by. It needs a good internet connection to give it tentacles to the world. It needs five businesses willing to take a risk at being all they can be. Why five? Because AirPOS, my spin out, is VI (1) and I’ll be on this journey with everyone else. And I’m very very excited about that.

VI has no business plan nor a strategy. It has no board of directors. It has no logo. We’re incubating the incubator too, if that’s not too surreal, and its success will be tied into those within its walls.

I disagree with Marty.

We do need paint, stud walls, electric points, internet access, desks, chairs, cork-boards, whiteboards and people to help make all of this work. And some of those people need to have energy, creativity and ideas and we want to help the people find their feet and make something of their ideas and creativity. But VI is much more than an empty room.

I snapped these pictures a couple of days ago:

IMG_0844
 
IMG_0845

Can you see it?

This room is filled with heart.

It’s leaking out the non-double-glazed windows. It’s seeping through the bare floorboards. It’s flowing out the main door and flowing down the sinks and toilets. This room is filled with so much heart that it’s alive.

In the coming weeks we’re going to have a paint party there. We’ll be there from early, hoovering up the dust and detritus, starting to paint over wood and bare plasterboard. We’re going to have power points and lights installed. A phone line will bring annoying ringing noises as well as sluggish ADSL broadband (until we raise enough money to install a leased line).

We don’t have the funds to maintain a large building out in the middle of a wasteland. We don’t have the budget to refurbish this building into a modern office suite with glass walls and an entire videoconferencing suite. We don’t necessarily have the connections to be able to call a President by his first name or have his Special Envoy over for tea. But these things don’t matter and they shouldn’t matter. We have heart to spare.

If you think of us as a competitor then I pity you. If this rag tag bunch of hobos with nothing but a little cash and a worn-out old clothing factory is a competitor then you’ve got a serious problem and you should seriously look at what you have there.

I’m thankful for a few people who have, perhaps unknowingly, pushed me to this. David, Marty, Aidan, Jason, Alex, Rob, Simon, Ian, Bill and others. Some of you will know why, some of you won’t – but all of you have contributed to me putting something on the line and making something happen. You’ve all helped and I hope you can understand that you deserve some of the credit here.

This is just the beginning.

The Top 5 Dream Jobs #top5dreamjobs

ROB FLEMING (Rob Gordon in the movie), FROM HIGH FIDELITY SPEAKS On his top five dream jobs NME journalist, 1976-1979 Get to meet the Clash, Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hynde, Danny Baker etc. Get loads of free records – good ones too. Go on to host my own quiz show or something Producer, Atlantic Records, 1964-1971 … Continue reading “The Top 5 Dream Jobs #top5dreamjobs”

ROB FLEMING (Rob Gordon in the movie), FROM HIGH FIDELITY SPEAKS

On his top five dream jobs

  1. NME journalist, 1976-1979
    Get to meet the Clash, Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hynde, Danny Baker etc. Get loads of free records – good ones too. Go on to host my own quiz show or something
  2. Producer, Atlantic Records, 1964-1971 (approx)
    Get to meet Aretha, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke etc. Get loads of free records (probably) – good ones too. Make piles of money.
  3. Any kind of musician (apart from classical or rap)
    Speaks for itself. But I’d have settled just for being one of the Memphis Horns – I’m not asking to be Hendrix or Jagger or Otis Redding
  4. Film director
    Again, any kind, although preferably not German or silent.
  5. Architect
    A surprise entry at number 5, I know, but I used to be quite good at technical drawing at school

So, inspired by this, I’ve decided to write my top 5 dream jobs, not limited by time travel or qualifications:

  1. CEO of Apple Inc, 2017-2022
    Someone has to take over from Steve at some point and I reckon I could do it. It would also be one of Apple’s most challenging times as we introduce a new iWidget, buy Adobe and have to fight off Google and a newly revitalised Microsoft. Finish up by leaving on a high note with Apple as a worldwide carrier and get on my yacht and sail away on my 50th birthday.
  2. Futurist and Author
    Get to swan around conferences dispensing visionary wisdom to adherents. Probably pop out a couple of novels and have one or two optioned into movies. Spend a lot of time talking to interesting people and turn down those TED folk once or twice.
  3. Serial Entrepreneur/Investor
    Start and sell a couple of businesses and then spend the rest of my days helping other people get started. Get to hang out with the cool kids in San Francisco as well as prove that you don’t have to be in Silicon Valley to make a splash in the Digital sector.
  4. Technology Journalist/Writer, 1970-2000
    Get to watch all of the technology giants take off. Get to meet cool people from some of the most innovative companies during the birth of Silicon Valley and the web. Attend all the big conferences and renew my sense of wonder when someone gave me a computer I could carry with one hand.
  5. Film Director, Writer and Producer
    Writing and directing my own films and helping others do it too. Success would be nice – in order to finance the projects I consider to be art. Maybe even get to be interviewed by Apple during one of their product releases talking about how their new iWidget has improved my day.

So, what about you? Top 5 Dream Jobs?

Obama and the Peace Prize

From the BBC: US President Barack Obama is due to collect his Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The prize was awarded to Mr Obama in October for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”. … There was a mixed reaction when Mr Obama was named as … Continue reading “Obama and the Peace Prize”

From the BBC:

US President Barack Obama is due to collect his Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The prize was awarded to Mr Obama in October for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

There was a mixed reaction when Mr Obama was named as the winner of the prize for 2009.
Many said it was inappropriate that it could go to the commander-in-chief of a country involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I think that we have to take the historical perspective here. I don’t care if Obama showed effective leadership or a show of strength of purpose for the American people. I can only describe what Obama meant to me when he was elected – speaking as a yokel in a piss-ant country on the north-western edge of Europe. Obama means hope.

For hope alone I believe that Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ian Percy:

We judge others by actions[,] we judge ourselves by intentions.

and that’s so dangerously wrong. We should always do exactly the reverse.

From the Harvard Law Record:

“Deeds are to be judged by their intentions”: this is an Arabic proverb that reflects an ancient adage that intentions are just as powerful as deeds, and that notwithstanding the fact that not all good intentions lead to fruition they are still worth recognition.

That’s my opinion of course. Do you think that Obama deserves to be picking up the Nobel Peace Prize? How did you feel when he was elected? Do you feel different now?

The Singularity Approaches…

The content here is somewhat US-centric (unsurprisingly) and presented somewhat apocalyptically but it’s not hard to take several of the infobites and turn them into an opportunity. Related posts: Translink Annual Report – #freepublictransport The Transport Singularity Approaches GamesIndustry.biz poll Kirkisms: Funding by Numbers part 1


The content here is somewhat US-centric (unsurprisingly) and presented somewhat apocalyptically but it’s not hard to take several of the infobites and turn them into an opportunity.

SIGNS

Got this through GAS: Watch, then read on… Related posts: The Broadband Blueprint (re DETI Telecoms Consultation) Streaming Video: who pays the cost? On The Box 18/100 Just Jump Into Podcasting – Heres How

Got this through GAS:

Watch, then read on…

Continue reading “SIGNS”