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Bells Line of Road

2010-03-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

As I've said in the past, we've got some great driving roads just out of Sydney. Heading out West, to the Blue Mountains, I recommend checking out the Bells Line of Roads.

Sydney to Richmond via Windsor

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Getting out of Sydney is the first requirement. I recommend a fast route up the M2, straight to Richmond.

Richmond to Mt Victoria

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Once you've hit Richmond, there is just a little bit of road to navigate through to Kurrajong before the traffic really thins out and you hit nice sweeping roads.

It's on these roads that I'm grateful to have a big V8, as the road is wrapped around the mountains and you'll experience a some rapid climbs that the V8 just devours. Coupled with short overtaking opportunities, you'll want a torquey engine.

What the CEO Wants you to Know

2010-03-05T01:29:00.000-08:00

I first heard about Ram in Fortune magazine in an article titled The strange existence of Ram Charan, where his travel regime was dissected: he travels non-stop and regardless of his location, his assistants in Dallas send him new clothes via courier and he returns his dirty laundry to them.

What the CEO wants you to know was the first of his books that I purchased.

This book is from a similar approach to Winning and The Art of Profitability
in terms of it's ease of reading and practical views on business.

In it, Ram takes the principles of 'street smarts' and relates those basics to how a good CEO looks at, and runs, their business. Those principles include margin, velocity and ROE but in a far more engaging way than any business textbook you could pickup. Moreover, it does remind the reader that everyone in a business, whether it is the CEO or the receptionist, is responsible for the organisations profitability.

I managed to bump into Ram in the Qantas lounge in LA whilst returning from Chicago in November of last year - he's quite a nice guy and judging from the people chatting with him, quite populate with Australian executives.

Ouch!

2010-02-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Whilst super-cars are gorgeous works of art when they are in one piece, seeing them broken is a painful sight.

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 donated to the Italian highway patrol had a little bingle late last year and looks a lot less pretty.

The Pagani Zonda is a another beautiful piece of art... when it isn't rammed into parked cars.

And if you aren't teary eyed just yet, the final heartbreaking episode is the Bugatti Veyron going for a dip.

SAP Archiving at Australia Post

2010-01-31T17:06:00.001-08:00

Last August at the SAUG Summit, the team at Australia Post presented on their implementation of SAP Document Access by Open Text.

Phil and the team at Australia Post are one of my favourite clients to work with - you can check out Phil's SlideShare Presentation here:

SAP Archiving

View more presentations from Phil Gleadhill.

Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not Come

2010-01-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

Traditional approaches to defining and deploying enterprise software fail to account for that fact that people are influenced by their environment, emotions, shortsightedness, and other forms of irrationality. How do we get past the predictable irrationality of people to redefine the problem and create experiences that people will embrace?

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not Come

View more documents from Joyce Hostyn.

Amazon's Kindle

2010-01-08T02:08:00.000-08:00

In December, I was stumped with the question of what I wanted as a gift for my birthday and Christmas. I'm one of those painful people (period?) to buy a gift for as there is truly nothing I 'need' and few things I 'want' that I haven't gone out and bought for myself.

Fortunately, advertising helped me make my decision!

My amazon account told me the Kindle was the leading gift for Christmas in 2009 and that they've finally pulled their fingers out and offered up a version for international users.

Apparently, if you believe the advertising, they sold more eBooks last quarter than physical books. I don't necessarily believe the advertising, but I do believe the market noise around eBooks, which was covered in the ReadWriteWeb article EReader and EBook Market Ready for Growth.

That morning, I had been on my way to Melbourne and arrived at the airport with nothing to read on the flight, having read all the ads in the November Qantas in-flight magazine before & a low battery in my laptop & iPhone which meant I felt the pain of having nothing to read.

When talking about it with my better half, I was sent this Wired article on eReaders which sealed the deal.

Apparently you break even on the purchase at around 15 books as the books are around US$10 versus the $20-35 for a paperback. Given the amount I read, I'd break even by late January.

I'm a bit pissed off: early in December, only the 6" version was available but as of January 2010 (i.e. now), the DX 10" version is available. To be honest, I don't think I'd spend US$489 vs the US$259 for the larger version but it would have been nice to have had the option. Harvard Business Review takes a look at the markets the larger version seems to cater for. It was reported on it's release that the Kindle DX will also be a part of a pilot program at six universities across the country: Arizona State University, Reed College, Pace University in New York, Princeton University, Case Western University and the University of Virginia.

Now you can go out and get the Amazon Kindle reader for your PC and iPhone, but apparently the iPhone version doesn't allow you to browse the Kindle store. Mac and Blackberry versions are apparently coming soon too. Interesting, according to the ReadWriteWeb review, Amazon does not expect that this app will cannibalize Kindle sales as users will probably only use their phones to read for short periods.

There have been tonnes of rumours regarding an Apple tablet (iSlate?) and the Barnes & Noble eReader, but the key selling points for me with the Kindle were:

The 'now' factor - I was looking for a present in December, so maybe the 4 points below are just me justifying my choice to myself!;
The screen: it's e-Ink, not a back lit screen which is supposed to be easier on your eyes and more authentically replicates the book experience;
Amazon's store: you get free wireless access to the store which makes getting a new magazine or book quick and simple. The store combined with the device is the killer app, much like Apple's iPod and iTunes combo;
It is a gen 2 device so most of the annoying kinks have been worked out; and
The ability to annotate, highlight and take notes - something I do a lot when reading.

Interestingly, the magazine experience doesn't work so well on the Kindle. Magazines are definitely optimised with glossy colour pictures, and they don't come out at all well on the Kindle.

However, I've found the book experience fantastic. The navigation is easy to learn and in minutes you wonder why you didn't take the plunge earlier.

We've now got two Kindles in our house (my better half decided they wanted one for Christmas), linked to a single Amazon account so we share all our eBooks.

My buying experience was slightly better: the Kindle came configured to my Amazon account and all I had to do was fire it up. Drew's experience was a little more painful: it wasn't configured/registered and it was an older version of the software so wasn't working with wireless (so couldn't be registered). To fix both issues, about 45 minutes was spent on the phone to Amazon support in India. They also sent us a 3rd Kindle in the process as a replacement and charged me for it. They've advised once they get the 3rd Kindle back, they'll refund me. They are all really minor issues and other than that it's been plain sailing.

Right now, not all books are available as Kindle editions, and then not all Kindle editions are available internationally. For instance, Seth Godin's latest output - Tribes - is one such example - much to my disappointment. Checkout this FastCompany article to learn the ins and outs of Amazon's struggles with publishers. I suspect this will change over time. Due to this issue, it's unlikely I've bought my last physical book, but I have found I'm likely to buy an alternative eBook rather than buy the book I was looking for. That's a message to publishers and writers: don't fight this trend, embrace it. And a message to Amazon: fix your stupid international publishing issues so the Kindle versions are available internationally - you'll lose revenue whilst this persists. Seth has a few of his own suggestions on improving the business model.

If you are an avid reader, I'd thoroughly recommend getting one.

Jay Leno Makes a Rendezvous Of His Own

2009-12-28T01:15:00.000-08:00

Checkout Jay Leno's great adaptation of the classic Rendezvous: The Fast and the Famous, featuring the awesome Mercedes-Benz SLS.

I couldn't get the Wired video to play well, so fortunately it's on YouTube!

Moving deck chairs on the Titanic

2009-12-22T01:39:00.001-08:00

Checkout Wikipedia for the origins of the saying Moving deck chairs on the Titanic - I especially Like Stephen Colbert's analogy.

Whilst the signs are increasingly looking positive for Ford, the same can't be said for GM.

Earlier this month, Chairman Whitacre announced he was taking over as acting chief executive following the resignation of Fritz Henderson as CEO. Henderson had led GM through bankruptcy and in the months following after taking over for Rick Wagoner, who had resigned as part of a government bailout of GM.

Anyone coming into a role after such a profound change i.e. merger, acquisition,... accumulation of more than $80 billion of losses in eight years... is going to have a tough and short tenure.

Apparently, Obama's administration was an advocate for the change by having appointed Whitacre as it's broom. Whilst the situation for Fritz wasn't great with GM in bankruptcy, he didn't exactly do a fantastic job of the Saab sale, UAW negotiations or the attempted sale of Opel to Magna International.

But wait, there's more!

GM has appointed the chief financial officer, Chris Liddell, of Microsoft as its new finance chief, and as it turns out, life isn't too bad working for a government agency: Chris will have a base salary of US$750,000 and also receive stock awards worth US$3.45 million in stock over three years beginning in 2012. That's a step up from his pay at Microsoft but a cut from GM's past CFO salary.

Will replacing Fritz bring about changes at GM? According to the WSJ, changes in leadership account for roughly 10% of the variance in corporate profitability on average. To quote:

As Mr. Buffett likes to say, "When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact."

So, who is likely to replace Fritz? BusinessWeek offers some insights but it's clear that GM's board probably has their eye on someone already - you generally don't let a CEO go without a plan to replace them. I think it would be wise to get someone in from a manufacturing background (as Ford did with Alan) as I can testify that more 'virtual' industries like financial services and, to a degree software, are able to maneuver far quicker than an auto maker will be able to. Whitacre is yet to articulate the long-term strategy and priorities for GM - let's hope he does so soon!

On the positive side, GM did repay some of it's loans recently... that's good, right?

Image by ivan petrov

What a dilemma

2009-12-18T01:51:00.000-08:00

I appreciate labeling "choosing a four-seat cabriolet worth twice the average Australia annual wage" as a dilemma to be somewhat cheeky, but that's the truth.

Follow my logic here:

I like convertible cars primarily because of the opportunity on great days & nights where the weather conspires to deliver a truly brilliant experience - especially in Sydney; and
My partner wants to get a second Beagle, which means we would need four seats if we're to legally and comfortably get them A to B.

And it's therefore quite early in the process that it starts to unravel.

If you are going to get a four-seat car, surely logic dictates it should be able to handle four adults? Now, I'm tall so generally need the drivers seat positioned a reasonable distance from the pedals and steering wheel.

At this point, we can start eliminating some of the 109 different four-seat convertible models found on drive.com.au, including: Aston Martin DB9, Audi A3, old Audi A4, BMW 1 & 6 series, Ferrari California, Ford Focus, Citroen C3, Holden Astra, Jaguar XK, Mini, Peugeot 207 & 307, Porsche 911 and Volkswagen EOS.

Next, we can prune objects that don't qualify as 'cars' because either they are totally crap quality, handles like runny manure, and/or have the soul of a kitchen appliance - i.e. anything Chrysler (PT Cruiser & Sebring), Lexus (SC & IS), the Renault Megane, the Saab 9-3, Volkswagen Beetle and the Volvo C70.

Now I'm acutely aware our American friend staying with us over New Years might be upset with the Chrysler inclusion, and work colleagues whom are senior to me will be upset with the Saab & Volvo inclusion... but deep-down, you know I'm right and if you don't, I'll have to avoid publishing a CLM online.

Then, we need to prune cars that I can't afford without either a sudden deal where I can make 1000% of my annual target, a lotto win, or the sudden death of a wealthy relative I didn't know I had. Therefore, we need to kick: the Bentley Continental GTC, a potential Aston Martin Rapide convertible, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead and the Maserati GranCabrio - the last at excruciating agony because it's almost affordable and ever so sexy.

Which leaves us with: Audi A5, BMW 3-series (barely - those back seats are questionable in their utility) and the Mercedes E-class (previously the CLK).

I want to like the BMW 3-series - especially the 335 or the M3 versions - but the one thing holding me back, aside from those questionable rear seats, is the styling. The exterior looks like every other 3-series on the road, and there are a lot of them in Sydney. The interior seems to have followed Volkswagen's strategy of making every car in it's range identical inside so you are completely unaware of which car you are in... and both manufacturers seem intent on inducing their passengers into a coma with their mundane style. I don't think it's actually possible to have made it more boring inside - it should come with a shot of adrenalin to avoid causing more road fatalities.

And both the Audi and the new Merc (according to the pictures from AutoExpress) look like barges with their roof's down.

Which leaves me wanting neither.

Dead cat bounce?

2009-12-13T02:53:00.000-08:00

Checkout Wikipedia for the origins of the saying dead cat bounce.

It's way too early for us to say the car industry has recovered from the GFC, but the signs are looking good for Ford.

Recently they posted a profit - their first in over two years - for their 3rd quarter 2009.

I blogged back in Carmageddon '09 that I thought Ford was going to come out the other side pretty nicely and mostly due to Alan Mullaly's leadership. It seems like many people agree, including Automobile Magazine who named him 2010 Man of the Year. Hopefully this isn't a flash in the pan for Ford and they can manage their debt load in the coming years - continuing actions like the sale of Volvo to Geely will help.

On a lighter note, Jon Stewart takes a look at a sector of the industry that the stimulus packages didn't help:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Crash for Clunkers

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Deal or No Deal

2009-12-10T01:40:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying that I'm no fan of the US Republican party's policies generally. I was also one of the many that were completely and thoroughly shocked when California's voted Arnold Schwarzenegger as their Governor.

But: if you were a sceptic of his ability to govern and lead, I'd encourage you to checkout the Newsweek article on the failure of the Copenhagen talks on climate change and how sub-national interests are pressing ahead to secure their own futures. In it, the steps California is taking are impressive... but I guess it's not unexpected for a state that, if it were a country, would be able to stand in the G8.

It's an interesting parallel to current Australian politics, with Tony Abbott and the Liberal party muddying the waters around the ETS with climate change skepticism. Don't get me wrong, I welcome healthy political debate over legislation that has the potential to make us both a more expensive place to live (if that's possible) and less competitive in the global economy.

But: I think Tony needs to take his head out of the sand and realise inactivity will cost us more than implementing a less-than-perfect framework that could be adapted over time.

Don't forget to follow me on Digg

2009-12-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

Keep track of what I'm reading via Digg.

McLaren MP4-12C Spider

2009-12-05T01:49:00.000-08:00

McLaren are certainly stirring up the emotions and imaginations with the MP4-12C's journey to become a production car.

Now, they've added more fuel to the fire with the possibility of a Spider version, supposedly with a retractable hard-top.

It certainly looks like better conversion than Audi managed with the R8 Spyder.

Checkout the rendering courtesy of AutoExpress:

Life's a Pitch

2009-11-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

I originally bought this book knowing of my leaving Adobe so thought it would be useful to get my brain into the right head-space for my next role. My partner also constantly accuses me of being too 'nice' at work and not trumpeting my successes nearly as much as I should.

So it was with those points in mind that I picked this book up at the airport on my way over to the United States in December, but as usual, didn't get through nearly half the reading material I took with me.

Fast forward to late February 2009, with several job options available to me, I finally opened this book (and ignore that it took until November for me to blog about it).

The book is organised into halves with each of the authors providing a different approach. Roger Mavity writes the first half and Stephen Bayley the second. Roger's style is more end-result oriented that is concise, organised and business-like, where as Stephen's style is a journey that is more philosophical and colourful. I gravitated more to the first half initially, but after a few chapters the second half grew on me.

This really is a 'must read'. For everyone. At first glance, you'd believe it was only for sales people but about 80 pages in you realise that "the whole of Life's a Pitch".

The first half of the book opens with a brilliant explanation of why 'pitching' matters:

"Life is not a pattern of gradually evolving improvement. It's a series of long, fallow patches punctuated by moments of crucial change. How you handle the long fallow stretches doesn't matter much. How you handle the moments of change is vital

These big moments are not decided by chance - they're decided by how you handle them. How you pitch your case is what makes the difference."

You can either choose to believe that or not... I do - as I made the point in my blog Optimism & Staying focused where I called out Po Bronson's point of similar effect as well as the underlying them to Outliers.

We're then guided through chapters such as:

It's theatre, not information - recognising the emotional aspects as opposed to the logical aspects of a decision;
Think 'playwright' not 'actor' - understanding that a great performance starts with a great script. Annoyingly, this book made me realise that many of the presentation courses I've done over the years could have either been re-engineered to teach me the lesson faster rather than have me learn it by blind luck. That lesson, on page 21 of this book - "if the content isn't strong no amount of polished delivery will save it". Very few presentation skills courses focus on the content, rather, they talk about structure, content and preparation as tools, but generally focus on how you present. Over the years, I've learned how well I present reflects exactly how knowledgeable and passionate I am about the topic. Doh!;
A good pitch starts in your diary - stepping us through the activities involved in preparing the pitch and ensuring you make the time to do them (in fact, this chapter bears strong resemblance to the Tim Ferris' remarks about aggressive time management in The 4-Hour Workweek as well as those in my blog Are You Spending Your Time the Right Way?);
Get your mind and your body to the right space - putting the case forward that to inspire unusual thinking, one needs to remove themselves to a new space to think in. I agree as both my desk and home make poor places for me to come up with my best ideas;
Shaping your pitch & Understanding structure;
Tell your story from problem to solution - putting forth the case for the story to be about problem and solution rather than data. Here we're given great tid-bits to keep in mind including the point that when we're sick, there is nothing more reassuring than the ability of the doctor to explain our problem in detail. The linkage here is that the audience believes "He may not have solved our problem yet, but he really knows what our problem is" which in turn leads to the feeling "If he understands the problem well, I trust him on the answer". The other über critical point introduced in this chapter is that the solution doesn't have to be perfect - i.e. there is no silver bullet;
Make simplicity an obsession - experience shows an audience would rather back the man than the solution, ergo, it is the pitcher who is on trial not the presentation. There are some great points in this section about 'winners' that reflect a lot of what Jack Welch talks about in Winning, including the point that "Winners instinctively know that to make something big happen, you've got to concentrate on the few things that really matter. That is why they keep it simple";
Have you got the perfect answer?;
The cornerstone slide - making the point regarding the need to identify the one slide the encapsulates your central idea;
The two-edged sword called the 'executive summary' - a chapter that really helps address the challenge of demonstrating comprehensiveness as well as clarity i.e. one central idea vs the wide range of related issues. It also makes the point that the summary needs to come at the end of the pitch so as not to lose your audience before they are fully on board with your story;
Confidence is the key - taking us through the issue that where money is involved (and it usually is in a pitch) the pitch gets more emotional - primarily because people who have money tend to want to keep it and the more they have, the more passionately they want to keep it. There is some gems of advice about not 'needing the deal too much' that I'll go into in another blog;
The tyranny of PowerPoint - a topic I've blogged about in Nine steps to PowerPoint magic (and Seth's Best of 2008) and where Roger covers well, pointing out that you need to be the master and make PowerPoint the servant (a small aside: I understand Roger's point on the use of logo's and corporate style sheets, but would suggest the reason people put their logo's on every page is that PowerPoint are often printed/emailed as 'leave behind' documents and therefore the logo is a way to ensure others are less likely to rip-off your intellectual property);
The art of rehearsal - which I took out some good pointers on rehearsing content & concepts with your peers but then rehearsing delivery by yourself;
The pitch itself - this chapter has some great tips on body language, pace, dealing with questions, the use of speaker notes, the use of humour and how to close the meeting;
The different types of pitch - here, we are opened up to the subtly different nature of pitches with a great illustration of multiple job interviews for a single role - some are about getting a 'yes' and others are about avoiding a 'no'. This chapter proves even more valuable in that it deals with 'internal presentations' such as pitching for annual budgets where 'pre-selling' is vital in order to avoid dealing with a 'no' that you have to live with afterwards. The value of this chapter builds further with the advice on dealing with people who live in Spreadsheet Land (i.e. bankers, accountants, etc);
The art of collaboration; and
The loneliness of power - a really fascinating chapter on the pressures CEOs face and how to pitch to them as equals, as well as why they look to outside consultants for advice... which sadly then takes a strange detour in chapter 20 titled 'Numbers, nervousness and nonsense; or, the role of management consultants in civilised society'. It seemed a little bit of a beat-up.

Beautifully, we're then taken to the application of the pitch with examples such as job interviews, which as Roger notes: "All pitches are a personal test. But they are not a test of you alone. They may be a test of you and your team; they may be a test of you and your idea.... Except in one very special case: the interview".

Finally, Roger finishes up with the psychology of pitching - understanding the transfer of power. Again, to quote "It's about the removal of negatives and the creation of positives". It relates a little to the book All Marketers are Liars in terms of understanding the dynamics of what you are attempting to do. It's this chapter and the following six that segway so nicely from the 'how' into Stephen's... I guess you'd call it the 'why bother?'.

Read it and you will be better for it. Chop chop!

Is it an R2? Is it an R4? Whatever, it's a mini R8.

2009-11-25T01:36:00.000-08:00

Back in July, news broke on what was then dubbed the Audi R2... which now seems to have taken on the label of Audi R4.

Let's just go with mini-R8 until they name it. Unlike the R8 Spyder, this one isn't a dud in the looks department.

It's not clear if the VW group (who own Audi and now Porsche) would use this platform for the Porsche Spyder, or if those reports are mixed up with the Boxster Spyder.

These images from AutoExpress are of the E-Tron concept - their Tesla rivaling, electric version. Pretty sexy!

Driven to Distraction

2009-11-20T02:43:00.000-08:00

I've discovered a trend. When I'm about to get on a long flight and I haven't put any preparation into the reading material for the flight, I go for the easy choice - another Clarkson.

Yes I know most long-haul flights have a gazillion channels of entertainment, but they don't operate whilst on the tarmac, takes-offs and landings.

So that's how I bought Driven to Distraction.

It's written in the same format as For Crying Out Loud! i.e. extracts from his Sunday Times column, but it's about cars this time mixed in with him carrying on about... pretty much everything!

A funny light-hearted read that petrol heads will enjoy :-)

Aston Martin Rapide tackles Stelvio Pass

2009-10-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Aston has released this beautifully edited promotional video, showing the Rapide in high-speed testing on some of the continent's most challenging roads including the Nurburgring and the Stelvio Pass - which featured in my favourite TopGear episode.

I have to admit - I'm starting to thaw on the idea of a big four-seater luxury cruise missile. Whilst I am adamant that if you are in the back seat, you won't enjoy these, but if you are in the drivers seat, it certainly looks more exciting. From the outside, there is no question the Rapide is dead sexy!

The Lost Symbol & Spartan Gold

2009-10-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

Two lighter and entertaining books definitely worth reading:

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol; and
Clive Cussler's Spartan Gold.

The Lost Symbol is the latest involving the character of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon, following Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Having beat up the Catholic church in his previous two books, Brown takes a slightly new focus on Freemasonry in this novel.

In typical Brown style, the story takes place over a period of 12 hours with Langdon unraveling a series of codes on a treasure-hunt of sorts to save people lives yet again. Following the formula, this time set in Washington D.C., we are treated to local sites that have far deeper histories and meanings that commonly known.

Spartan Gold is the first in the new "Fargo Adventures" series, co-authored with Grant Blackwood, revolving around Sam and Remi Fargo, a couple who are professional treasure hunters.

Rolls Royce Ghost

2009-10-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

Checkout Auto Express' pictures of the Rolls Royce's scaled-down Phantom, known as the Ghost.

As I stated in my blogs about the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera, I think this formula is the right combo of luxury and style for those traveling in the back seat.

It's definitely up a notch from either the Aston, the Porsche or Jaguar XJ.

Powered by a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 giving 570hp and 780Nm of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox the 'baby' Rolls-Royce will have plenty of get-up-and-go!

To get an idea of how insane this car is likely to be, checkout this Top Gear video of the Phantom:

I think the R8 Spyder is a dud

2009-10-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the Audi R8 Spyder has moved from concept to barely disguised prototypes and into production.

I say sadly because as I pondered in July, I don't like the look of it that much and I definitely know why: the sideblades are missing and the the "twin vented flying buttresses" don't make up for it.

It's probably smart for Audi only to have this available in the V10 version - initially. I'd suggest the revenue opportunity in 1-2 years time to drop the V8 in and sell more cars will be overwhelming.

Checkout the AutoExpress photos and make up your own mind. I'm pretty certain it isn't just the hideous colour shown as the Frankfurt Motorshow pics by CAR of it in red are better, but it doesn't make it look special.

Illawarra Highway

2009-10-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

Pickup up where we left off at Fitroy Falls, duck over to Robertson and head down the Illawarra Highway - National Route 48.

Of particular note is the spectacular Macquarie Pass, with many hairpin bends and many steep gradients. I've never driven up the road, only down it, which makes it a good 20mins on the brakes, but it's fun none-the-less.

On weekends and public holidays, this stretch of road is very popular with motorcyclists, but during the week it seems full of utes and 4-wheel drives so I don't have much advice for you on the best time to visit in order to avoid traffic.

View Larger Map

Last time I did this trip and headed back North, the weather took a very sudden turn for the worst with a thunderstorm and the corresponding down pour. Not the sort of surprise you want driving a convertible. At least I had good company: a herd of Prancing Horses were also caught in the weather and distracted other motorists from my plight.

Understanding business development

2009-10-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

As usual, Seth Godin makes some good points in his blog Understanding business development.

Definitely worth reading if your are in a business development role (and we're all in business development these days) or alliance role.

I think Seth's points echo and expand on the comments I made in Making business alliances work - I particularly like point #3:

Courtship, negotiation and marriage. Every deal has three parts, and keeping them straight is essential. During the courtship phase, you win when you are respectful, diligent, enthusiastic, engaging, outgoing, and relentless in your search to make a connection. Do your homework, research people's backgrounds, learn about their kids, visit them--don't make them visit you. Look people in the eye, ask hard but engaging questions, you know the drill. Basically, treat people as you'd like to be treated, because the people you most want to work with have a choice, and they may just not pick you. Hint: if you skip the courtship part, the other two stages probably won't come up.

Kangaroo Valley

2009-10-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Building on my blog Driving South out of Sydney & Sea Cliff Bridge, I recommend heading further south down to Berry and then across to Kangaroo Valley and Fitzroy Falls.

View Larger Map

This is a great stretch of road to drive as it is twisty and therefore doesn't require you to be breaking the speed limit in order to enjoy it. The road is in dire need of repairs in many parts, but is gradually being resurfaced and is usually quiet. One word of warning: try not to enjoy the view AND the drive at the same time. :-)

There is a good YouTube video online showing the drive:

Platforms vs Eyeballs aka Assets vs Expenses

2009-10-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

I was reading closely related blogs of Seth Godin the other day.

The first was The platform vs. the eyeballs where he looks at the shift in marketing to building a platform which which to collaboration & communicate with your community vs targeting eyeballs with your message.

As usual, Seth has some great points there everyone in sales & marketing should think about.

The second was Do marketers have assets? which when read after the blog above, really should jolt you into thinking about where you are investing in your business to build assets, vs just building expenses.

Image by Sanja Gjenero

Driving South out of Sydney & Sea Cliff Bridge

2009-10-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

I've blogged quite a bit about driving north out of Sydney, so thought I'd share some great drives south out of Sydney.

Getting out of Sydney is the boring bit - especially in traffic. I recommend the faster route possible by taking the M5 then Heathcote Rd then the Princes Hwy to get down to Stanwell Tops.

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Once down at Stanwell Tops, Lawrence Hargrave Drive down to Clifton is a fun stretch of road if you don't have Sunday drivers in front of you. It's definitely a better drive north (uphill and the accelerator) than south (downhill on the brakes).

The Sea Cliff Bridge near Clifton is pretty impressive, in fact it has been featured in a joint 2007 Ferrari/Shell Fuel television advert that was shown in many countries around the world including Australia.The television advert featured a Ferrari Formula 1 car being driven along the bridge at high speed. This was one of many times the bridge has been used in a television advert.