Sunday, May 24, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Making the connection
Currently reading 'Three Cups of Tea'. A story about Greg Mortenson in Pakistan founding the Cenral Asia Institute. His dedication to the project is made possible because of his passion for the culture and the people. Once he connected with the Balti people in a meaningful way, he was impassioned to help them in a significant way. I'm not saying that we are all capable of acheiving what he did but I think it shows the importance of the initial connection with a place. If he hadn't been taken in by the Balti people, he would have carried on as a climber, thanking his Balti sherper for their services with a one-time tip. Instead he returned and built a school, and then another, and then another...
Central Asia Institute
Customer support in online travel
It makes absolute sense that as consumer skepticism is growing with the rise of the internet and bootleg companies that customer support becomes a valuable differentiator. Internet travel companies have the ability to show off a vast variety of exciting produce and services collected from the far corners of the earth but where there are long distances involved, quality assurance, support services and guarantees are essential. And I don't mean user reviews. It can be complicated and difficult to provide but it is what the customer expects. If there isn't a number you can call, why not?
ATG have a great e-commerce optimization service called 'Click to Call' or 'Click to Chat'
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Revival of the blog
Right, this is my pledge to keep my blog active and interesting. One new thing everyday - think I can do it? Who wants a bet?
I have been very quiet as I my life has taken a new course in the past few months. I have gone from Dot, doing advertising in Moscow, to Dot, working in responsible travel in London.
There are all sorts of unseen and intangible parts of my self that are being a bit slow to adapt. I sometimes feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I think often changes are more difficult to deal with than you realise. Logically, it isn't going to have dramatic affects on your person but if you try to look forward to look back, and think how you will reflect on this change in 40 years time, you realise that it is a sharper turn in your path through life, or a bigger cross road than you can see from in the thick of it. You need to take time to absorb, let yourself be taken by it and most importantly, not panic!
That's enough about me. There will be more from now on about travel and being a good traveller as well as the usual mix of thoughts on visual culture, advertising and my usual ideas and thoughts on what its like to be a person in this world.
I have been very quiet as I my life has taken a new course in the past few months. I have gone from Dot, doing advertising in Moscow, to Dot, working in responsible travel in London.
There are all sorts of unseen and intangible parts of my self that are being a bit slow to adapt. I sometimes feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I think often changes are more difficult to deal with than you realise. Logically, it isn't going to have dramatic affects on your person but if you try to look forward to look back, and think how you will reflect on this change in 40 years time, you realise that it is a sharper turn in your path through life, or a bigger cross road than you can see from in the thick of it. You need to take time to absorb, let yourself be taken by it and most importantly, not panic!
That's enough about me. There will be more from now on about travel and being a good traveller as well as the usual mix of thoughts on visual culture, advertising and my usual ideas and thoughts on what its like to be a person in this world.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Musings
'To muse' comes from an Galo-Roman word muza or snout. It literally means "to stand with one nose in the air" or to "sniff about". It has a feeling of being lost in thought and also being idle.
'A Muse' on the other hand comes from Greek 'mousa' which means 'song, music'. Does that mean that the most important of the arts was once music? Its interesting that oral art was once so much stronger than visual. I think the invention of the book had a lot to do with that, then the camera and video camera. Now we sit for hours in front of screens, reading, looking, interpreting. Wouldn't it be nice to rest our eyes and let our ears do all the work, filling with exotic and new sounds, deep and complex sounds. When you hear a piece of music does it take you on a journey or are we loosing the ability to interpret and imagine with our ears?
'To muse' according to the root of the word doesn't require the use of your eyes either. It uses your nose to feed your thought. It is taking in the air around you and letting it fuel your imagination.
I'm going to make an effort to spend more time with my eyes closed, my nose in the air and my ears pricked.
'A Muse' on the other hand comes from Greek 'mousa' which means 'song, music'. Does that mean that the most important of the arts was once music? Its interesting that oral art was once so much stronger than visual. I think the invention of the book had a lot to do with that, then the camera and video camera. Now we sit for hours in front of screens, reading, looking, interpreting. Wouldn't it be nice to rest our eyes and let our ears do all the work, filling with exotic and new sounds, deep and complex sounds. When you hear a piece of music does it take you on a journey or are we loosing the ability to interpret and imagine with our ears?
'To muse' according to the root of the word doesn't require the use of your eyes either. It uses your nose to feed your thought. It is taking in the air around you and letting it fuel your imagination.
I'm going to make an effort to spend more time with my eyes closed, my nose in the air and my ears pricked.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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