Via Una (of course) are details of a nice service if you are too lazy to set up your own tent at Electric Picnic. Speaking of which, anyone want a ticket for Electric Picnic? I have a spare.
I know it’s geeky but this API for the Wiimote so you can design a webpage for it, is sooo cool.
So Irish workers are happy workers? Really?
Oh god. I wonder are our tax people as bad at sharing their passwords?
Via Jim Carroll, let your fans be your VCs.
How bad are British Airways for lost luggage?
BA was the worst large carrier in Europe for losing bags, with one in 36 passengers affected. The special flights were used by BA to clear a backlog of 22,000 items of luggage that were not transported on flights with their owners.
And from the not got a clue Dept. Business school wants applicants to send in Powerpoint presentations.
Nicely put by Tim Worstall, maybe the Govt wants airlines tickets listed inclusively with tax so we can’t see how much the Govt swipes? Perhaps all receipts from retailers should have that added in? Petrol, beer, ciggies.
A review of the Homer Sapien:
Trailer for Volver, got it yesterday on DVD:
Damien, If you still have that ticket, I’ll take it off you. Drop me a mail with details.
Typical of the rampant sexism that is typical of Irish A list bloggers – no mention of me in a bikini – oh no. Not like that MaryRose Lyons mention the other day.
🙂
keith
Have to say, I don’t think the PowerPoint idea is that horrible.
We’ve all been subjected to “Death by PowerPoint” more than once, and the U of Chicago has one of the most highly-rated Business Schools in the World (they claim more Economics Nobel laureates than any other Business School). If this is done right, it will give an advantage to those who can clearly communicate an idea, and use an overly-common business tool effectively.
The Chicago entry process is bound to very competitive; this step will recognise different skills to those in the standard test/reference/interview style of application.
Hi Damien
My wife and I suffered the BA travel nightmare of lost luggage, we were so frustrated about the lack of help we got from the airlines we decided to do something about it and founded http://www.globalbagtag.com we have helped countless people get their luggage back, if I have to give one tip to people who have lost their luggage (apart from using globalbagtag!) it would be- be persistent with the airline, if the bag is totally lost do not accept the first offer they make to you.
Let me have your mailing address, I will send you some globalbagtags to try out.
Regards
Chris
Watches 2.0 in action… are SHP still watching? And Chris – Damien is the master in teaching us all to be persistant – it’s as well as other unique touches is known as ‘doing a mulley’ 😉
Keith: See, jumping the gun, it went without saying you were pictured in a bikini. 😉
Damien: Many of these Business Schools might have highly rated graduates but many also are degree mills for those who can afford it. Money or talent will do. I still think asking for Powerpoint presentations allows people to hide behind a computer and bullet points instead of standing before a crowd without a safety wire. Those who can do, those who can’t use Powerpoint too much.
Meh, I assume Dave snapped up that ticket – if not I’m interested also!
Mr Mulley,
I’ll accept your point about the difficulties of using PowerPoint for application to lesser colleges, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem for colleges like Chicago or others in the top 25/50/100 of the world. We should see this as an extra tool, to help give a boost to the more creative and the better communicators, rather than a “dumbing-down” to get anyone in. The application will still look at academic and professional history, including a GMAT.
The top-tier business schools are in an envious position. They have very qualified applicants tripping over themselves to get in and throw huge sums of cash at the colleges – the Chicago MBA is $45,000 for tuition only, and I’ve seen some charging over $60k and $70k. Requiring PowerPoint slides can potentially be a very effective way to give a chance to those who are better communicators than they are test takers.
It would be a different story if they where using PowerPoint to replace some other aspect of the application, like the GMAT. That would just be ridiculous. The concern, I suppose, is that this is just the first step in a dumbing-down process. I hope not; it could potentially lead to a broadening of the application process, to acknowledge a wider range of aptitudes and then lead to more diverse classes (in the real sense of the word- different people with different opinions) with graduates better able to function in the real world.
That’s the hope anyway 😀
RE: BA and lost luggage. Read an interesting piece (think it was in the Telegraph) on Saturday about this specialist auctioneers in London that gets all of the lost luggage that was never collected from BA flights and sells it off.
Have you watched Volver yet? for if not, you shall enjoy immensely.
If there is a ticket for the Picnic going, I am most interested.
Volver is a beautiful film. Has everything in a rollercoaster of a story.
somebody better give me a fucking Electric Picnic ticket or i’ll burn down the internets.
Apologies for the language. I know this is a respectable blog.