I came across this photo while browsing a_lil_spaz’s Flickr stream today and it made me stop and think about the relationships that we share together as human beings.

Too often we see blatantly rude acts by strangers, friends & colleagues that are becoming more & more the “norm”. In this fast-paced technology age we are beginning to ignore our basic instincts of human interaction at our own peril.

And you know what? “We” as a generation will pay the price for this avoidable ignorance as we begin to understand that it’s not all about the iPod, the new plasma TV, the luxury car or the designer clothes, it’s about RELATIONSHIPS.

Relationships with your partner, your family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers are so so important and you never know how a friendly act might benefit you in the future. Every action has an equal & opposite reaction and I’d much prefer to be on the receiving end of more positive than negative reactions. Wouldn’t you? In business and in life, relationships are far more important than the deal itself.

Stop and think for a moment, when was the last time you:

• Struck up a conversation with the person next to you on the train or bus?
• Talked to or even met your next door neighbours?
• Cared to listen to the answer when you asked “How are you?”
• Greeted the reception staff with a caring and patient response?
• Offered to help an elderly person with their shopping bags?
• Called an old friend just to chat?
• Sent snail mail?
• Smiled at a complete stranger?

“It’s not what you know, but who you know” and you won’t expand your social horizons by staying safely wrapped up in your technology cocoon away from all “those” people out there in the big bad world. As we experience an economic downturn and everything becomes just a little bit tougher, a lot of people are left wondering where to turn because they have no friends or support network left to fall back on in times of need. All because they simply didn’t have the time to maintain human relationships.

Choose to be different. Put down your iPod, mobile phone, laptop or blackberry and ask the cashier how their day has been. Who knows? It may lead you down a path to a new client, friend, lover or, better yet, just a simple positive human experience!

Until next time, SMILE!

If we haven’t met before, I’d love to meet you! You can find out a little bit about me here and get in contact with me here. Are you on Twitter? You can follow me here: @mikeboyd

While the Aquaduct proposes a very clever and innovative idea for developing nations that are clean-water scarce, one must wonder about the true practicality and cost of such innovation.

Not only would there be significant cultural barriers to entry - even if the Aquaduct were provided free, but is this not just another attempt to Westernise developing nations? Now don’t get me wrong, this could be greatly beneficial to the health and prosperity of many. But just picturing people from Sub-Saharan African nations riding around on hundreds of bright blue tricycles just doesn’t gel in my mind.





What do you think? Is this an astonishing invention? Or just a waste of time and resources?

* Smart phone technology “gives rise to consumer protection issues”
* Data allocations can be exceeded at significant cost
* Technology: Read more news and reviews in our Tech section

»THE latest crop of so-called smart phones may not be such a smart choice when it comes to the size of the bill, the consumer watchdog warns.

The launch of the Apple iPhone has prompted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to warn of the potential for phone users to be stung by additional charges. The watchdog said the emergence of smart phone technology had given rise to a variety of consumer protection issues.

“The ACCC is particularly concerned that consumers may be misled if they are not made sufficiently aware that their data allocations can be exceeded - at significant cost,” chairman Graeme Samuel said.”In the case of smart phones, consumers can download greater amounts of information from the internet than ever before. With this, comes the potential for them to exceed their phone plan value and incur considerable additional charges.”

The ACCC already has written to telecommunications carriers about its concerns over consumers receiving misleading information on data usage charges.Mr Samuel said that before consumers decide on which handset or plan to buy they should consider their likely data use and seek guidance from the retailer.But he said not all carriers offered high-volume data plans, adding that consumers should take note of the excess data usage fees.”

Consumers must think twice before signing contracts with a mobile phone carrier without upfront disclosure of all the fees and charges, including excess data charges,” Mr Samuel said.He said the ACCC would remain vigilant in relation to this new area of telecommunications and would not hesitate to act if it found evidence of consumers having being misled in relation to charges.

Watchdog warns of big iPhone bills | NEWS.com.au

Here’s a short summary of the video above:

OK everyone UPDATE - the new iPhone is almost certain to be announced today American (pacific time 10pm), tomorrow Australian (Eastern Standard time 3AM) at the World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC). It is a very highly anticipated announcement and the internet world is going crazy! The frenzy has long-since begun and some services (read: Twitter) are bracing for MASSIVE amounts of traffic during the key note presentation. Some even speculate that the Twitter servers will go down during the presentation.

Many website will be offering the live feed from the key note presentation including the list below:

• MacRumorsLive
• TWiT Live
• Appletell
• AppleLive
• iPhone Alley

I found all of these sources at Watch, Listen, and Read Live Coverage of WWDC08 Tomorrow which is a great all round resource. If you plan on following the coverage through Twitter, I recommend you follow @macrumours as these guys will give you 15-20 updates throughout the entire presentation and you won’t otherwise be ‘bombarded’ with updates.

Join me watching the presentation live at 3AM Australian Eastern Standard Time - Tuesday June 10, 2008!

Australian iPhone Release Info Given to Resellers by Apple Australia:

Rumours have been rampant for months since the launch of the iPhone in the USA back mid-2007 regarding Australia’s chance to taste the iPhone. There have been many dates and leaks of false info, so much so that some people even think Australia is never going to get it. Today however, Apple have been informing resellers of their iPhone strategy for Australia.

Resellers have been informed of the following things:
* Last week of June release
* More than 1 carrier * No contract lock in
* Current resellers will be able to sell iPhones

Is anybody else highly anticipating the REAL Australian release of the iPhone? Big Mac fan here… I can’t wait - Let’s hope it’s the new 3G version!

Read the full article in the MacTalk Forums:

Australian iPhone Release Info Given to Resellers by Apple Australia - MacTalk Forums

Tags: Iphone, iphone, Australian iPhone, release date, date, launch, june, Mac, Apple, Apple iPhone,

Wow! Or, Oh my god! Are the usual reactions people express when they stumble across this amazing resource for the first time. Yes, I am talking about the Thirty Day Challenge (30DC)…

Well what is the 30DC?

“The Thirty Day Challenge is about making your first $1 online. For a full 30 days we are going to be showing you exactly how to start your own Internet business and generate your first income online without spending a dime.

That’s right, this is going to cost zip, diddly, nothing, nada, ziltch. The entire training program is free, and you won’t have to spend a thing to get your business started and begin making money. No credit card required.”

OK OK, sounds pretty cool right? That’s what I thought when I found it a couple of weeks ago… AND IT IS! I’ve always been the skeptic of online promises, promotions, instant millionaire stories etc etc like I’m sure most of you have as well. But I have checked this out thoroughly and all I can say is - I’m in love!

This is THE MOST AMAZING tool to get a start and some experience in online marketing. The leveraging capacity of this is simply endless. It is a step by step guided walk through of how to make your first $1, $10 or a $1000 online.

What’s the catch? Well there isn’t one. However, there are no overnight success stories, no scams, just a guide to show you how to get more out than what you put in - in the long run.

• This WILL take effort.
• This WILL take long term commitment.
• This WILL provide you with extremely valuable internet marketing information for FREE

Guys & Gals, in my humble opinion this is definitely worth a look. Maybe it’s not for you - but it is for me. I will be undertaking the 30DC for the first time this year and hope to go on to much bigger and better things. This is EXACTLY the tool I have been searching for, all of the other similar services to the 30DC out there cost $1000’s every month… I will continue to update this blog with my progress and challenges along the way, so if I don’t see you over at the 30DC, you can tag along with me here.

‘Millionaires’ - Ed Dale and Dan Raine are the creators of the 30DC and the ‘Immediate Edge‘ and hope to spread some of their simple yet very effective marketing knowledge with us all. Truly an opportunity not to be missed! Below I have put together a short video giving you an inside preview of the 30DC, and a look at the new flock browser that I mentioned in an earlier post. I have used a new program called ‘Screenflow‘ for Mac to create it - bare with me, I’m a beginner!

Check out the 30 Day Challenge! - I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Why isn’t the whole world using this browser already? It is amazing! I can’t believe I’m saying it but it has OUTSTRIPPED FIREFOX. Here’s the first paragraph from the ‘Getting Started’ page after installing the Flock Browser:

Welcome

Meet your new favorite browser.Get started with Flock in three easy steps:

1. Log into a Flock supported service: Facebook, Gmail, Digg, Flickr, Yahoo! Mail or one of our many supported services. Flock will automatically activate these services within its features.
2. Drag and drop photos, text, or links to a friend in Flock’s People sidebar to share.
3. Or, if you’re better described by a tab above, check out what else Flock can do for you.

Flock Browser - Getting Started | Flock

This is going to be a wild ride… How many of you already use this browser?

EDIT: Here is a great summary of new key features from Wikipedia, this is truly a Web 2.0 browser!

Flock 1.1 integrates social networking and media services including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. When logging into to any of the supported social services, Flock automatically activates these services within its features:

• Flock can indicate when friends have updated their profile, uploaded photos or other things.
• Flock has internal features that allow simpler sharing for text, links, photos or even entire videos.
• Flock has its own system allowing quick preview of online videos and photos, and subscription to video feeds.
• Flock’s Feed Reader organizes Atom and RSS feeds.
• Flock’s Blog Editor allows direct posting into a designated blog, along with being a blog reader.
• Flock also allows for third-party add-ons, including a number of Firefox extensions