Saturday, January 31, 2015

Zum Tode von Richard von Weizsäcker

Interessanter Spiegel-Artikel zum Tode von Richard von Weizsäcker.

Zitat: "Er hat dieses Amt geprägt wie kein anderer Bundespräsident. Sein großes Ansehen verdankt Richard von Weizsäcker einer einzigen wichtigen Rede - und einem zentralen Satz zum Jahrestag des Kriegsendes".

Immission

Following yet another long and interesting discussion on the term 'immission' in the ITI German Network, I decided to give up (at least for the time being) campaigning for its reintroduction into the English language (although I still think it would be entirely justified, not least based on the fact that the term is listed in the OED). Anyway, I intend to use "environmental impact" henceforth, although I reserve the right to use other solutions (e.g. "exposure" or indeed the 'dreaded' term itself), depending on context/situation.


Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

There was an interesting RSA event on Thursday under the heading: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload. Unfortunately I was too busy (dare I say it: suffering from information overload) at the time to listen live (not to mention attend in person).

So far I have only watched the first few minutes of the recording. Daniel Levitin certainly seems to be an engaging speaker, and this is definitely on my list of things to catch up with.


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Luke Johnson on business black-tie dinners

In his Management Today column in the November 2014 issue, Luke Johnson has this entertaining take on business black-tie dinners:


"When are business black-tie dinners going to be consigned to history? They are a tedious anachronism and should be banned. I'm sure most participants find them a bore, but feel obliged to show up. Of course, I only have myself to blame for attending them: no one is really obliged to go. All too often I fail to obey what I call Albert's law of invitations: never accept an event months ahead unless you'd be happy to go to it tonight. Somehow these occasions seem more fun in the distant future, so, without thinking, I say yes. But by the time the date rolls around, they are nothing but a chore".

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Slightly lethargic chicken

Not sure whether something is wrong with one of our chickens. It seems a little 'fluffed up' and lethargic recently, compared with the other two, but there are no obvious signs of discomfort or disease. Perhaps it simply doesn't like winter? Any suggestions?


Update 31 January:
I am pleased to report that the chicken appears to have made a full recovery.