The suits and the briefcases along Lambton Quay
The title of this post should really be The John Crowley Recipe for Cooking a Mutton-Bird – Step 1 – boiling the bird (twice), but I think Salty is the best NZ album ever, and the album name acts very well as an adjective for the band sakes’ taste.
Mutton-Birds are very interesting; they are otherwise known as Sooty Shearwaters, and migrate every year from New Zealand to the north west side of the Pacific Ocean (sub-arctic) fly east and then come back home again. They breed on Stewart Island and according to Wikipedia are near threatened, but unfortunately for them they also taste good, something like chicken stuffed with kippers.
To be fair, the ones you eat haven’t made the epic flights but killed as chicks before they fly, in a tradition that goes back before my family settled in New Zealand.
To get your hands on one you could try the fish shop on Lambton Quay, it is where I bought mine.
The first stage is boiling, eating a mutton-bird is akin eating a seagull, maybe more than akin, maybe is, and a salty one at that.
In the pot with a potato
The potato is really what makes this John’s recipe, you need a new one each time you boil the bird, and you boil it twice, with a new spud and fresh water in each.
Boiled with the potato
Second boiling ready for grilling.
This bird is now ready for Step 2 – vegetables, ovens and grills.
My first IT job eva
[top to write]
[intro]
My IT career started aged 7; on a ZX-81, without the 13k memory expansion. However with the quote machine unquote, I was also given books containing an introduction to programming. My programming skilz increased exponentially, until my first graphic application; unsurprisingly a game.
[/intro]
[build]
No matter what I did I couldn’t get the app to run, I had been through the lines and lines of quote code unquote but there wasn’t an obvious answer; in fact no answer at all. It was weeks. Eventually at 8 an elder neighbour was invited over and the obvious answer was provided – there was more code than the 1k could compile. I remember the moment, it struck me like lightening: my first introduction to reductionist thinking, logic, and understanding when you reduce, sometimes, paradigms prevail.
[/build]
[insight]
This experience made me realise that although I want to work in computers, I can’t handle the structure of code, especially the fact that it is based on hardware, that there are assumptions, ideas, etc that are unknown unknowns.
[/insight]
[result]
This led to an interest in the arts, an area of no knowns – but after graduating from uni it quickly became clear IT is more important and I have worked with them as an quote experienced user unquote. Bridging the gap between an industry, a company, staff and suppliers, it didn’t take me long to realise:
[/result]
[reaction]
Every single job I have had, has had: bad IT.
[/reaction]
[reflection]
So now, with my new job: I join the accused.
[/reflection]
[summary]
My first job in IT eva awaits.
[/summary]
[tail to write]
This is the planet of sound
Some say there are two certain things: death and taxes, and undertaking doesn’t appeal. I don’t know if you have had the time to read it but there is a sentence in my about page which I think defines communication and it reads: Communication is not just information - it explicitly and implicitly defines the relationship between two parties.
This means communication is as much about the receiver as the sender, broadcasting or publishing isn’t enough anymore. So many important people in my experience miss this. It makes me imagine a world without radio and television.
The hardest part for me is going to be adjusting my own consumption; at home I buy the best connection money can get (within reason) and still the internet is so much better at the office. Please understand the need I have for bytes rises like the Zimbabwean Dollar.
I shouldn’t fret yet though, who knows what might happen in the next two months.
A blog post developed using Agile Methodology: Iteration 2
The familiar ping of the office elevator woke Dav, the software/developer writer from his sleep, startled at the morning light streaming onto his desk. The door slid open, and Belinda, the project lead/editor stepped out.
Dav felt sick. The project was terminally late, the user/reader group was due to arrive and the post was well behind schedule. “When did you get in?” Belinda asked sharply, they had argued last night, she expected too much. “I haven’t left”, Dav turned back to the monitor, Belinda’s hard gaze softened in sympathy for a second, then tightened up again. “How is it going? Have you finished the ending yet? Darren is on his way.” Dav’s nausea increased at the mention of the business owner; Darren wasn’t know for reasonableness or understanding.
Dav looked at the words on the monitor where he had got to before he fell asleep and read them
Dav looked at the words on the monitor where he had got before he fell asleep and read them. His stomach tightening as the realisation grew.
Review: A blog post developed using Agile Methodology: Iteration 1
The review of the first iteration of A blog post developed using Agile Methodology has concluded that although the first iteration had all of the function that was stipulated as a must have, it failed to deliver on the spirit of what the project was trying to achieve. The team has been so busy writing words, and joining sentences together into paragraphs that the actual goal of the whole project, writing a blog post that is both interesting and informative, was lost.
But it is still early days.
Feedback from the user/reader character included making sure that the project team was big enough to represent an entire set of stakeholders which could be affected by this project in later iterations.
To try to build from the mixed success of the first post the next iteration of A blog post developed using Agile Methodology:
The post must have:
- Some sense of direction for the characters, the nice to have journey from the first iteration development was not achieved, this has now become a priority for the project.
- Three clear themes that relate to the main theme of the similarities and difference between writing software and writing language.
It would be nice if the post had
- A joke or two to lighten the mood, and remind everyone that while this is an important intellectual exercise, the sun is still going to come up tomorrow morning.
- A twist at the end, something unexpected happening that will make the user/reader think about what has happened in the blog post and increase the engagement and understanding of the ideas that sit behind this project.
Given those parameters the second iteration is due for release at 20:00 on Thursday May 8 2008.
Any and all input on this project is welcomed using the comment interface below.
A blog post developed using Agile Methodology: Iteration 1
The first iteration of A blog post developed using Agile Methodology has been rolled out, and here it is, sure it might not look like much now, but the core functionality agreed is included and the team believe we can deliver a useful and informative piece of software/writing.
Initially the team is made up of four characters:
- Project lead/editor: responsible for keeping everyone together and on track for the project, very experienced with software functionality as a whole and thinks big picture to decide competing prioritise.
- Software developer/writing: the voice of the person who is actually responsible for creating the letters and words within this post. The software developer/writer is experienced in weaving together ideas to make sense and carry the point of this project through.
- User/reader representative: this is the voice of the users/readers of this blog post, and in the absence of any real user/reader feedback using the comment functionality will be the voice of a a user experience expert contracted in to look at how it could be improved.
- Business owner: This is the voice of WTF is this whole thing for and is it worth the time and effort we are putting into it. This is the project sponsor, struggling to get their head around this newfangled methodology of agile.
The story itself will be set up through a series of narrations from the various characters and this functionality should be ready for the evaluation phase feedback due at 20:00 on Wednesday May 7th 2008.
A blog post developed using Agile Methodology
Introduction
This blog post conceives a series of iterations for a blog post created using Agile Software Development Methodology to explore common themes between writing software and writing language.
The post must have:
- A subject that cleverly highlights the relationship between developing software and developing written language.
- A logical structure of “characters” mimicking various voices within the software development lifecycle. Not only will this help to set the stage for exploring the similarities and differences between writing software and writing language, but could also lead into opportunities for the injection of some humour in later iterations.
It would be nice if the post had
- A start and end point which users/readers could be led through to encourage engagement with the content and a progression of learning and/or discovery from the start to the end of the post
- Some messaging around hope and optimism: it seems so much content on the internet, particularly news content is just so damn depressing. It would be nice to offer users/readers something happy.
- An idea of the lessons the post offers the users/readers which reflect the ideas that sit behind this project.
Given those parameters the first iteration is due for release at 20:00 on Tuesday May 6th 2008.
Any and all input on this project is welcomed using the comment interface below.
Thinking about things
I have reached the conclusion that pellacor is not the best release valve for my thoughts about the future of the media industry, and particularly not in the form of presrciptive opinions below. I realise that the you guys are fucking shit up attitude helps no one and I intend on working slowly and deliberately during the day on a programme to enhance the quality of online news in New Zealand in an attempt to keep the industry I love alive, in a form that at least roughly resembles the way it is now.
Pellacor will serve me as a place for creative expressions - a way of exploring my other passion for words and sentences and ideas about life.
Help - I need somebody
For those that don’t know me personally: I manage the New Media Business at the New Zealand Press Association, and about half my job is business development, the other half is online news strategy and project management.
But news for me isn’t just my job, it’s my passion, it’s my love that stretches from the 6am bulletin on National Radio, throughout the day, and on into the night. There isn’t another industry I could imagine working in; but this business I love is facing a crisis.
The internet is double damaging the integral fabric of the industry with the inability of anyone in it to even understand, let alone take steps to deal with, the impending disaster before us.
I know revenue from the royal out does NZH online by about ten to one but New Zealand is a few years behind international events; and even still, think about it: printing news articles on paper and then carting that paper to people is fucking dumb.
The music industry is gone, the movie industry is next, and news is set to follow shortly after. I wonder whether we can stop it from happening, however.
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
When you find another person you connect with and want to get to know there are two basic strategies: meeting or stalking. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and both are made more possible through the internet.
Meeting
Meeting is my preference. Meeting is normal. Meeting is meeting after a phone call or an email or even a comment or connection on a blog. Face to face facilitates fuller understanding by leveraging off the large amount of communication that is, in fact, non verbal.
Stalking
Stalking is last resort. Stalking is not normal. Stalking is “one-way” and weird when wanting to make contact with someone you haven’t met, or who won’t meet you. Rattling through someone else’s rubbish bin is messy and mucky but can provide insight into someone’s life (but more on this later).
The sad truth is any interest you have in someone else’s life who you haven’t met is stalking.
- Reading about Brittney’s latest shenanigans: Stalking
- Reading about the winners of Dancing with the Stars love interests: Stalking
- Turning up at your favorite author’s book signing: Stalking
- Introducing yourself to Rod Drury at some social event in Wellington: Stalking
There are situations when the line between meeting and stalking blur, and one of those is in the queue at the supermarket.
In front of me tonight was an older man, maybe 55, who bought:
- 2 x bottles of very expensive wine
- 1 x microwave meal
I was standing right next to him, we could have met, and we didn’t; but I did make inferences about his life and I felt sorry for him.
Behind me was a young woman, maybe 22, who had:
- 1 x bottle of Jif
- 1 x cleaning cloth
- 1 x block of chocolate
- 1 x pregnancy kit
Her problems were obvious, and I felt like a stalker: I hope it worked out okay, I bet your bathroom is clean regardless.