© Jan Shim Photography

LEADING WHERE OTHERS FOLLOWED and not even close! Where internet banking gives us the flexibility and confidence to bank online, it has opened up business opportunities that were previously crippled by onsite banking. There was a time in between the switch from an IT to professional photography (not previously mentioned in my article The Accidental Artist) when I pursued a online business opportunity in distributing turbochargers wholesale to buyers across the USA and some parts of Asia. At the time I owned a 1998 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon, a car that had become an motorsports icon, and was enthusiastic about doing more than just the love to drive one. Here's a photo of the car photographed in my former neighbourhood where many fond memories were created. To cut a very long story short, "The World's Local Bank" isn't just a tagline, it's a promise delivered!

© Jan Shim Photography

So the dream of an internet business became a reality thanks to three business partners working in tandem—banking, logistics and stockist. Many thanks to Nick C. the owner of North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club (NASIOC) for the opportunity to share my passion for motorsports with the American community and also for their trust in me. Leaving my footprints on NASIOC has been one of the single most satisfying endeavours to date!

Truth be told , Jan dominated IHI [turbo] sales for quite some period. You didn’t even need to mention his surname, it was just Jan. You had reached Hollywood status going by first name only. ~ Greg

THE WORLD'S LOCAL BANK. More than just a tagline. When you run a business that involved money being transacted globally, you'd expect long delays depending on how well the bank is connected with one another. In the beginning, telegraphic transfers from a bank in the USA would take no less than 4 working days before I'd receive it in my account. The process was arduous at best—the constant calling to check, being put on hold and the dealing with the bank's verification process got to a point I dreaded the next conversation I had to have with them. I switched to HSBC and their internet banking service became evident of the promise. Gone were the days of waiting 4-5 days for a remittance (customers were edgy and it reflected badly on my turn around time) and I began receiving money within 12 hours—it was simply GODSEND!

Today, the days of hanging out at coffee joints that provided free wireless broadband is also over. At $5.50 per cup of double-shot cappuccino, the indulgence can get pretty costly even for a web-preneur. With DST's GO! broadband devices, you can just about go online anywhere, anytime. Just as the "oval office" breaks you free from banking onsite, GO! devices lets you roam freely without tying you down to that defining cup of cappucino!

Artwork © DST Group

I do not yet have one of those cool devices but I do have a 3.5G HSDPA-compliant phone that I go online with either on its own or connected to my laptop. HSDPA stands for High-Speed Downlink Packet Access and my Nokia E51 with DST's 3G PRIMA post-paid plan allows me to take advantage of the broadband service when I'm on the GO but at reduced speeds (I suspect primarily due to a Microsoft Windows device driver limit). Now, with 3.5G, the E51 makes even more sense than I originally thought—retrieving emails and web browsing on the phone are way quicker than before making the phone an indispensable tool on the move. Small and light when compared to a laptop but certainly no lightweight when it comes to productivity in a small package!

© Jan Shim Photography

When you look at an object, does it cross your mind why it's done a certain way and not the other, why it's in this colour out of so many colours possible? The egg shape intruged me and if I were to venture a guess, I'd have to say that Feng Shui was a consideration—OVAL being the best shape and fit for purpose when compared to square and rectangle, the corners of which are believed to limit the flow of energy.

Related HSBC links

• HSBC SPRING DINNER. GETTING IN THE “MOOD”
• INVEST BRUNEI. SAME SONG DIFFERENT TUNES.
• FLORA LONDON MARATHON FOR CHARITY

There are quite a few half-hour intervals scattered all over the place where I can do some "actual work", while my Friday looks more promising for "catching up" activities--things I'd rather not do during the weekend.

It's interesting to see how we've become so obsessed with meetings, video conferences, and committees, because they're supposed to be group- and team-oriented activities that emphasize active communication, and therefore they must be good. Never mind last meeting's action points that were supposed to have been done that we didn't get a chance working on before the next meeting because of other meetings, but darn it--we're going to meet to talk about why we were unable to get anything accomplished.

Oh, and those blocks I labeled as "Lunch"--they double up as "Read E-mail" as well. Anyone can type with one hand and hold the fork with the other. As long as food residue doesn't get trapped in the keyboard, you're good.

Don't you admire those people who have the guts to invite you to an impromptu meeting over the phone? They don't even have to schedule one--they just reel you in after you take the bait. The scenario goes like this... let's say you're doing "Lunch" (or "Read E-mail", or whatever you choose to substitute) and the phone rings. You pick up the phone. It's Bill. He says he found something that he has a question on, and you're the only one who can help him out. So you answer a few questions, and then he says, "Hey, since you're on the phone, do you have a few minutes for a quick conference call?" You politely say, "Sure," and he then calls two other people into conference. So you're staring at 30+ e-mail messages while you participate in an impromptu phone meeting, type with one hand, and shove food into your mouth with the other hand. You chew slowly and quietly, of course, and occasionally press the mute button when munching on croutons or downing that big gulp from the cafeteria. You just hope that you won't be required to speak the second you bite into that greasy cheeseburger.

To make the best out of the meeting blues, here are my 10 tips:

1. If you always have food at meetings, then you won't have to have "Lunch". You can then use that time slot for more meetings (or real work, if you feel guilty about it).
2. When you receive an invitation for a meeting that is adjacent to two meetings, check if there's an agenda specified in the invitation. If no agenda is written there, decline because the meeting may not be that important--there's no way to know in this case, but you'd assume the worst, anyway.
3. Create phantom meetings (those that you make yourself) on your calendar. When someone schedules a real meeting that will cover the phantom slot, you can decline and write, "Sorry, I'm double-booked!" You'll appear very important at the same time.
4. Always bring your laptop or any mobile device to the meeting to keep working on more important aspects of your job. If you get evil looks from others in the room, tell them they shouldn't feel special because you do that in all meetings you attend.
5. During 10-minute breaks, ask the person sitting next to you for notes and copy them like crazy. Remember--you're supposed to work on your laptop or any mobile device during the meeting, therefore you can't pay attention, take notes, and work at the same time, unless you're that talented and have an extra set of hands or cranial hemisphere. Breaks are meant for catching up.
6. When you're asked a question and you happen to not know the answer because you're too busy working during the meeting, always say, "Bob, I think I'll have to rethink that one and get back to you. Shoot me an e-mail, will ya?" Might work, but is not guaranteed.
7. Never apologize for choking on your grilled chicken sandwich while on a phone conference. Doing so is admittance to guilt. You were multitasking. And besides, the cafeteria overcooks the chicken breast, making it too dry without the mayo.
8. Always say no to follow-up meetings, especially if they're scheduled the same length as the original meeting. Question the point of meeting face-to-face, as opposed to summarizing everything, including updates, in a nice little e-mail to add to your exploding inbox.
9. If the meeting will require you to drive to another building or another campus of the company, always ask the meeting organizer for an ROI based on the gas mileage you'd spend on your car. That's to see if driving to the meeting is economically sound to your wallet. Otherwise, ask for the conference number and work from the comfort of your desk.
10. Announce to everyone you work with that you'll be in several meetings that day and that you won't have access to e-mail. That will keep them from sending you additional e-mails you'll have to read on top of the unread e-mails from the past 4 days.

Can hardly wait for Monday!

Here's the reason I've been busy. www.guerillagrn.com

That site (guerilla: green) is the end product of my thesis project. Expect a lot of updates to it within the next few weeks. I'd like to make it a lot more self-sustaining. Spread the word, please.

This afternoon I had my thesis review (from which I will receive a grade for my project). One of the professors who has constantly reaffirmed his distaste with the internet (he's a print-guru) seemed rather annoyed for my given ten minutes. I cannot figure out why...other than the fact that he hates the web and feels my project encourages destructive behavior. Wild.

Since the faculty I presented to had a little trouble with the concept, hopefully, I can clear it up a little here---

Guerilla: green is for those who like the idea of a green movement, but are fed up with the corporate design structure that has been implemented. Corporate design is great...if you want something to feel cheap and unimportant. Guerilla: green is about a real green movement. It is a quick reminder that you want to be greener.

Anyway, if you're in the PUC area---come to the show opening. Rasmussen Art Gallery, 19:00 (that's 7pm for the time-retarded), Saturday 17 May 2008. There is some good art from good friends of mine. This show is way better than the past 3 or 4 years have been. I promise.

add this to your to-do list: go to senior thesis art show...get inspired...visit guerillagrn.com...make an "e"...join community and submit photos

PS - I am not against the IPL, but I feel that there are too many stakes in it. The same money could be used to build world class stadiums, train worlds class athletes, and what not! When the flow is strong we dont realise the value of water and when it trickles we wont have the strength to realise.Peace!

----

I'll bet you've heard of 'Subliminal Advertising', right? (Especially now during the freaking election dramarama...) And I'm sure, even when the subliminals are pointed out to you, you still remain a skeptic at some level, right? I don't blame you. Me too. I am still a huge skeptic overall, about pretty much everything. (That's not bad or good. For me, it serves me well as it prevents me from being swayed way off balance at the drop of a hat. So, always keep your skepticism... but keep it in check too.)

Below are a couple of examples of subliminal advertisements. See what you pick up from the initial picture first. Then scroll down to see the spoiler.

Coincidences or planned? You decide. Just don't ever forget the power of the human subconscience. You need to know its power so that you aren't controlled by the tricksters using it against you. (Cuz if you think they only use it to sell Coke and books, you are gravely mistaken...)

--

Example #1: Before scrolling, WHAT DO YOU SEE in the pic below?

What do you see on this book cover? Just stare for a bit without deliberately looking. Then scroll down for the spoiler...

|

|

|

down......................

|

|

|

~~slowly ...

|

|

|

......scroll slow.............

OK, look now...

Pretty obvious now, right? (NOTE: This really is a book)

--

--

Example #2: Before scrolling, WHAT DO YOU SEE in the pic below?

WAIT... look at it first. Look at it everywhere. What do you see? Then scroll down for the spoiler.

|

|

|

........scroll slowly........

|

|

|

......scroll slowwww...........

OK, now look....

Now do you see something odd? What's that shady thing his hand is really wrapping around? And where is that 'thing' heading??

Coincidence? Also, did you also notice the candle-type lights in the upper right background of the original picture?

Yeah, good ole Big Corporate Advertising... they're just teasin', right?

Moral to this blog spot: Stay aware. Listen to yourself. Trust yourself.

(Go here to see more about this book and subliminal advertising)

Go BACK TO FloatMyBoat! Front Page

........

Anyway, the reason why I mentioned the whole "reading" thing is because today, for the first time in a very long period - I read.  In fact, not only did I read, but I consumed the article like cold orange juice on a hot summer afternoon.  It was a 12-page article and I literally couldn't take my eyes off until I finished it.

So what was it?  The tale of how the most highly ranked / paid woman on Wall Street was schemed against, scapegoated and martyred in the subprime mess, which, by the way, is costing financial institutions around the world $200B and 200 lawsuits, bigger than 1000 times the GDP of African countries combined.

According to the article, Ms. Cruz got pushed out, perhaps because of the fact that she didn't schmooze enough like men do..  I could definitely feel it.  It's tough. 

Men are naturally much better at schmoozing because they have had to do it all their life..  In the fierce world of dating, it's always been men that approach, schmooze, sweet-talk and try to create relationships with women.  Women, on the other hand, have had it easy - are expected to wait and respond to men's advances - we didn't have to lift a finger really. 

Also, men are much better trained at keeping composure.  When things go bad, little girls can always run back to their parents for hugs, while boys are told "toughen it up," or "act like a boy."  Boys learn since a very young age, to detach themselves from emotions.  When a girl makes a mistake, often times, it's a more forgiving event than if a boy made a mistake.  Making a mistake is considered sometimes even cute, if a girl does it.  When I was in college, I saw a lot of girls raise their voices to a higher pitch and ask "could you please help me?", "I don't get it," fiercely batting their eyelashs.  I don't remember seeing a lot of guys asking that way.  Their egos get crushed at the thought of asking other people to help them / admitting other people are smarter, so they'd rather 1) waste twice as much time trying to figure it out by themselves, 2) slyly ask for the answers without compromising/admitting to the fact that they didn't know the answer, 3) have the girls to get the answers for them.

In the corporate world, these behaviors of men are definitely more beneficial than not.  I will explain in the following entries..

I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.

You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.

I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless mails you send me until I return from holiday on 4 April. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged £5.99 for the first ten words and £1.99 for each additional word in your message.

The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again.’(The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over).

Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

I’ve run away to join a different circus.

I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Brian’ instead of ‘Trish’.

I've always been a fan of speeches, and an even bigger fan of music. Will they blend? Let's find out.

I just so happened to have on me a collection of great speeches on my hard drive --- some from a self-descriptive collection, others from one handy Web site or another. I also had Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time.

The biggest problem I have with Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time --- ignoring that Supertramp got outright gyped --- is that the list turned out to be The Top 411 Songs Released Before 1980 Plus A Smattering of New Wave, Rap and Grunge. Flawed, but workable.

In short, my goal: To create playlists that mix speeches and music to get, for lack of a better idiom, a sense of what the decade was like in America.

What song would have been interrupted on the radio to carry the news that JFK was shot? Once Nixon finished his resignation address? When the Challenger exploded?

That in mind, I tried to keep the music more-or-less chronological and contemporary with the speeches --- no Blondie during the Johnson administration --- and, when needed, I edited the speeches down so that the whole playlist could fit on one audio CD. Each mix covers either two or three presidential terms; come back over the week or so to see what I came up with.

Due to copyright law and the like, I'm afraid you're on your own for gathering the songs. There's always iTunes, if you don't mind dealing into the hands of an unscrupulous corporate hegemony, and if you're unscrupulous yourself, there are plenty of other methods at your disposal.

****

I neither condone nor encourage music piracy. Arrr at your own risk.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121093760354498525.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Online marketing surpasses traditional marketing practices. The 'search engine optimisation' and 'pay per hit' factors enhance customer building via Internet. Features like social networking helps business gain credibility among the users.

TODAY, ONLINE marketing industry is abuzz with ’search engine optimisation’ (SEO) and ’pay per click’ (PPC) strategies to get more traffic onto business websites. However, is the conversion rate of traffic into a solid customer base for these websites substantial?

Out of the many instruments with digital marketing, social networking is vital for the improvement of web traffic conversion rate. Based on the Web 2.0 platform, social communities and forums have become a huge rage amongst online users. The video, voice-and-text-chat enabled e-communities lead visitors towards becoming repeated visitors and then into community members.

With customisable user rooms, forums and categories, social networking can help businesses gain credibility and acceptance among the users.

Another significant online marketing tool is the business blog. It is highly recommended for promotion of a business and its website.

Some of its key benefits

• Communicates news in time

• Indexed in minimal time by the search engines, receives feedback (comments and reviews) from visitors and potential customers

• Solves user queries

• Publishes product’s or service’s pictures and videos

Read Full News

Resources for

My Web Design Source

© Photographer: Qwasyx | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Description:
A man twisting his head, showing his confusement or misunderstanding

Keywords: (Report | Suggest)
adult, baffled, bewildered, black ,business ,businessman, confused ,corporate, dismay ,doubt, doubtful ,employee ,expression, facial ,frustrated ,frustration, gesture, head, holding ,male, man, portrait, puzzled ,suit ,twist, twisting ,unsure, worker

People considers me as a creative person - many times too creative. My fuel for creativity is a constant battle between two principles. First principle is that I'm not afraid to make a mistake and that principle without hesitation pushes me into very difficult situations, where I have a bold idea for the picture, but no budget, short deadline and no understanding of many people why do I have to complicate so much. Second principle is that I hate making mistakes and I try every single option until I give up.

So one side of me is keep getting in the trouble and second side is getting me out of it, saving what can be saved. And that is a real battle, where a real people, real situations and real deadlines are involved. Luckily I love the fight or creative process and usually I find a way to win! If not I say to myself I did all in my power, but circumstances were just overwhelming, so my consciousness is clear.

Let me repeat that tomorrow is an important lecture on creative photography at Magdalena Festival in Maribor, Slovenia by Siri Vorbeck and Cassandra Knipper, art directors of creative commercial photography at Corbis agency.

Drilling for oil in a war-torn African country was always going to be a high-risk venture, but the consequences of Range Resource's activities in Puntland, Somalia, could be dire. Derek Brower reports

OIL'S CURSE, the idea that the wealth from finding crude ends up triggering more problems than it's worth, is a theory that has been tested many times on African soil. In Somalia, it could be tested again, soon, and the stakes are high. Range Resources, an Australian firm listed on the London Stock Exchange's (LSE) Alternative Investment Market (Aim), thinks it might discover up to 0.5bn barrels of oil in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region on the Horn of Africa.

When Petroleum Economist visited Somalia recently, as a guest of Range, a rig was on its way to the Nogal block. If oil is found in the quantities Range hopes, the discovery could transform Puntland, an impoverished corner of a war-ravaged country that is on the verge, again, of more famine and political implosion. (...)

An analysis of TNK-BP's problems in Russia for Petroleum Economist. Full thing at the website.

BP and its Russian joint venture, TNK-BP, are feeling the heat again. It could herald the company's exit from Russia – or a new partnership with Gazprom or Rosneft. Derek Brower reports

IT STANDS out like a sore thumb. After the Yukos affair, the take-over of Sakhalin Energy and the rise of Russia's two dominant energy companies, TNK-BP's presence in the Russian oil and gas sector remains an anomaly. Increasingly, it looks like it might not last much longer.

There are three problems for TNK-BP. The first is that it is, after Lukoil, the largest privately owned oil and gas producer in Russia, but the only one half owned by a foreign firm. The second is the Kovykta gasfield. Despite an agreement last summer to sell control of the field to Gazprom, the deal has not been completed. The third problem is TNK-BP's share structure: BP owns 50%, but the other half is in the hands of three Russian tycoons, each with a different agenda for the firm. Depending on which theory you believe, one, or all, of these problems are behind TNK-BP's problems over the last two months.

An analysis piece for Petroleum Economist on the UK going nuclear (again). Full piece for subscribers on the website. A new generation of nuclear power stations is at the heart of the UK's plans to cut carbon emissions and make its energy supplies more secure, says the government. Derek Brower reports

WHEN THE UK government put a long-awaited energy bill before parliament in January, it claimed to have devised a solution to the two worries of the age: security of supply and climate change. The bill offers new incentives for investment in green energy and is supported by a separate white paper that put nuclear power at the centre of proposals.

"Set against the challenges of climate change and security of supply, the evidence in support of new nuclear power stations is compelling," said John Hutton, secretary of business, when he presented his proposals to parliament. "We should positively embrace the opportunity of delivering this important part of our energy policy." The government, he said, was inviting energy companies to submit plans to build and operate new nuclear power stations.

A Report Card on Italy's Eni for Petroleum Economist's May issue. Full thing here.

If it is to achieve its ambitions, Eni must restore its reputation as a company capable of managing big projects, writes Derek Brower

ITALY'S Eni has always felt a bit like the younger brother. Its founder, Enrico Mattei, famously described the large dominant oil companies of the post-World War Two era as "the seven sisters" and Eni has tried ever since to break into the clique. With a market capitalisation of €88bn ($138bn), it is at the bottom edge of the group, rivalling ConocoPhillips for size, but remains very much the junior sibling to the other big sisters in the family.

Humiliatingly for Eni, that status was confirmed again earlier this year in Kazakhstan. The company became operator of the Kashagan oilfield development in the Caspian Sea in 2001, leading a group of supermajors, including BP, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total. One of the largest oilfields discovered in the last three decades, Kashagan was proclaimed as a jewel in the crown – both for Kazakhstan and for Eni, which emerged as the compromise candidate to become its operator.

Failure at Kashagan

"Kashagan is our test," the company's previous chief executive, Vittorio Mincato, said in 2005. But by 2007, Eni had failed its exam. (...)

Rod Serling - Interview Pt 1

When you meet someone in-person their physical presence, voice and demeanour tell you a lot about them. When you stay in their presence a bit longer you discover more about them. What they speak about says clearly what they are passionate about. Who they associate with tells you a lot about their social skills. Through all these things you determine whether you like them, respect them, trust them, could associate further with them.

When visitors go to a company's website, they use the company's online presence or lack of it to determine whether they like (and trust) the company, just like if they met with them in person.

An online presence isn't limited to the corporate website but includes the informal communication from blogs and other media. If a company blogs about what they are passionate about, keeps up communication about the company, addresses any issues promptly, and replies to comments, loyalty to the company increases. Jonathan's Blog is a great example of this. Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystem's CEO, blogs and it is exciting to read about his vision for technology, and what Sun is doing.

As a marketing tool for your company it is so important to consider your website as a revenue raiser (even if it is only new business) rather than a cost. Visitors notice.

As online marketing budgets continue to grow, affiliate marketing becomes an indispensable component of Internet marketing strategies. The online marketing channel is constantly reaping benefits for investors worldwide.

GROWING ONLINE budgets as a consequence of online media consumption has helped in placing affiliate marketing much above other modes of online marketing. The cost effectiveness of affiliate marketing is constantly attracting online marketers who are serious about optimising the Return On Investment (ROI) opportunities presented by Internet. This is when ’search’ still holds the first place among all online marketing strategies.

Looking at the present statistics. It’s not difficult to predict with affirmation that this type of marketing is going to feature big on the online sales and marketing billboards in the coming times.

Reports have it that brand budgets on media like newspapers, magazines and TV have decreased more considerably than what was spent on them before. Marketing and finance heads now demand more explanation from key suppliers in advertising, thus place performance marketing and affiliate marketing under the limelight.

Meenakshi Wali, co-founder and business development head of Rupiz Ads stated that advertisers and agencies are constantly attracted towards the online advertising industry and true professionalism amidst the networks and online publishers has made affiliate marketing a highly attractive element to online sales and marketing blend.

Read Full News

Resources for

My Web Design Source

French Photographer,Antoine Passerat (1971) lives in Barcelona.After eight years combining his photographer with his professional carees in Marketing with Danone Group in  Paris,New York and Barcelona .He decided to dedicate himself fully to photography.Since them he had been realized numerous institutional or corporate assignments (Vanity Fair Intimate,Carlson Wagon lit,Adecco , Moet Henessy,Puig Prestige,conseil general de l'ain,Inditex) and has been pursuing his own photographic author approach.

His work about everyday light and intimacy.In 2006 he has been chosen as a finalist for the already famous "Jeu de Dame".

WERI chosen A.Passarat to communicate to the world the true face of poeple around the world.