Monday 31 January 2011

Review:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

I just watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and thought I'd share my opinions with you. It's much better in my opnion than the book which I stopped reading after a few pages.

This was the Swedish version with subtitles. It is based on Stieg Larsson's book of the same title who in death continues to dominate the news with the dispute with his partner and family over his estate.

It's a good movie and a streamlined version of book (it's based on the book which I guess gives creative freedom away from it). It's directed by Niels Arden Oplev who brings the classic urban gritty feel to it. It's very dark and graphic in some bits. I wasn't too scared and this may be because it was in subtitles.

Noomi Rapace the actress who plays Lisbeth Salander gives a good performance and a sympathy to the character. Not sure the character Blomquist. He is played by Michael Nyquist and all I could say was it seemed he wasn't a natural jogger. He does a lot of jogging in the film.

The storyline
An investigative journalist called Blomquist is done for libel for printing lies about some industrialist. Blomquist is found guilty and then sentenced to prison. Before he goes to prison he has a few months to knock about. Blomquist is hired by a rich industrialist to investigate who killed his niece over forty years ago.

Before that the industrialist does a back ground check on the journalist. This is done by a firm who hires Salander as a hacker.

Blomquist takes the job and somehow Salander comes on board. They get it together and try to solve the crime or mystery of the missing girl. A lot of secrets are revealed and it ends happily.

Is it worth watching?
It's okay and if you like thrillers this may be your thing. There isn’t much of an adrenaline rush like in Hollywood movies. This is slower and has an edgier and raw feel. It lacks the sleekness of Hollywood movies which may be an appeal for some. Not botoxed actresses, everything is real. The women look their age and it's believable.

What I was left with? 
People take advantage of society’s vulnerable people and ill treat them because they think no one cares.



Sunday 30 January 2011

Something cooking: Vistaprint Business cards

It's hard to keep a blog when there is nothing to say. Today I've just finished off my business cards - well ordered them with Vistaprint. They have a few bad reviews on some review websites but they are cheap and since I'm a start-up I'll go with them first and upgrade later. Basically you get what you pay for.

I think the main thing is to read the small print and be very careful when you are confirming things at the checkout. Vistaprint tend to bundle a lot of other stationary. The final order screens are also confusing so be very careful in what you tick and don't tick.

Vistaprint’s special offers are great however do remember it's bait. I had a good offer via a flyer from Film Love. This was a fiver for 500 cards however it's available to everyone. I but decided to do my own design (in stead of chosing a template) which cost me a little more (they charge if you upload your own designs) and then there is the added cost of postage and delivery. Most places deliver in five working days however Vistaprint have different delivery times. Yes, that hits you at the order page.

I did a quick surf of other sites and found it was still very cheap. So till went along with it. Cheapest is twenty-one days, fourteen days, seven days, then three and finally next day. I opted for the fourteen days. I was thinking of taking twenty-one but though I'd spend more on a pint of beer so opted for fourteen. So do think about delivery times and the quality. You can upgrade on quality but it sort of defeats the points.

A decent batch of business cards will cost in the region of two hundred quid and Vista is doing it for a fiver - 500. I've seen the quality from my research around and it's very light cardboard. I am rather sheepish about getting it but then I do need business cards for networking and marketing purposes. No point forking out a lot of cash without having generated an income yet to cover it.

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Breakfast and other events

Burnt the milk on the stove and I'm too bothered because it I have steaming hot milk for my cereal.

This morning I did my fitness video for the first time in months. My gut and breathlessness is becoming a bit of problem. Then I decide to treat myself - Ah the pit falls of not stocking up well. So I get some  Sugar Puffs cereal and some milk from the local corner shop.

I feel I am procastinating and holding back. Not too sure on what - maybe gettting a job. I'm not doing enough. I know everyone feels that in some shape or form. Not doing enough.

Sunday 23 January 2011

Noah - a story of love - flash fiction

There lived a man called Noah. Noah was unhappy. He was single. He was sad. Nothing more could be said about Noah.

One day as Noah was buying some food an idea came to him.  It was a clear vision. He was to build an Ark. He was confused. His parents had called him Noah after a no good uncle not for religious reasons. However everytime he went to this supermarket the vision would come.

Noah didn't know what to do. So he went to his doctor. But his doctor thought he was crazy. The doctor was an atheist. Noah was diagnosed with deep depression. Still the vision of the Ark came to Noah.

So Noah decided to start building his Ark. It was very simple, he'd start with a toy model. So he went to a toy shop. There was a pretty girl called Tina. She was the store greeter. She helped Noah pick the parts to build his model Ark.

Tina then asked Noah out. Noah said yes. They started to go out. They built the model Ark together and then Noah got an idea to ask Tina to marry him. He asked and she accepted.
Then Noah realised the visions of the Ark was about finding a way to get his true love; Tina.

The end.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Writing a business plan using “How to Prepare a Business Plan” by Edward Blackwell, 5th edition,

I'm tired of being productive in writing job applications and sending out resumes so I've maybe I could start a business. The first step apparently is to write a business plan.

 I did have a look at the business plan software which cost a hundred quid but then thought maybe I knew someone with a student discount who could get it for me reduced rate. However the thing about the software is really the case studies in which one could easily base their business ideas on. In the end I opted for the hard trot - I mean getting a book.

I borrowed “How to Prepare a Business Plan” by Edward Blackwell, 5th edition, this is part of The Sunday Times; Business Enterprise Series. It has a review by The Bookseller “Still the best book available on the subject.” Do I agree? Well so far so good. I’m on chapter three having skipped over chapter two which was about cash flows – I currently have none.

Chapter Three is about ‘The very small business’ and has a case study about a chap called Alex Battersby. I’m using him as a format for my business. The fact that he is a joiner and I’m a webbie devvie does not matter. Blackwell is really hammering home the cash flow thing.

So I think should I still go on with my idea? It’s only an idea. I have no customers? No market research? No nothing?  Should I just go back to being an expert of applying for jobs with no luck.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done

This is a book The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done is written by a Dr Piers Steel who is a procastionation expert.
 
Well I haven’t read it as such. It’s like the Now book. I went to the Foyles on Charring Cross Road. and browsed through it. Foyles basement has all the wonderful and strange self-help books. Everything I find myself in the basement I know I have procrastination issues and need a book to fix them. Leaving the basement empty handed is an achievement –it means I’m not relying on a quack book to fix my life. However at some point I’ll let you know those that have helped me and why. 

I digress I spend extra time procrastinating reading it. It told me things I already knew but in a different way. I needed goals. Eureak! How about an original concept? Dr Piers Steel recommended a programme called  Rescue time which I loaded onto my computer.  Rescuetime.com logs your time and give you weekly reports and more depending on what package you signed up to. Quite intrusive if you think  Rescuetime as a tracking device but I was desperate and thought it will cease me procrastinating. Atlas now though I have cut down my time to the dailymail.co.uk – I guess that’s because I’ve been rather busy of late. Dr Piers Steel does suggest other stuff but I was skimming through and you'll have to get the book to find out others.  

The basic problem about getting The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done  about procrastinating is just really finding another way to procrastinate. It’s just another or new way to package the ‘time management’ theme. It’s really common sense. I think I procrastinate because I can or would rather not deal with something.

Rescuetime.com does work but is annoying. It polices your ever move however I wasn’t as bad as I thought. It’s very irritating now and I’m thinking of unloading it.

Dr Piers Steel's basic message in  The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done make goals you can acheive and stick to them. However like all there are a few case-studies who change their lives and if you have a time to procrastinate and feel you are progressing with the issue well you can always have a read. Did I get it? No. However you know books are not about what it says but how he says it so Dr Piers Steel's message may appeal to you. Unfortunately it does not browse facility on Amazon but  it may change your life so have a browse and see.

Monday 17 January 2011

Review of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

I've renewed this book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell on a number of occasions from my local library because I never got round to reading it and decided it was time to let it go.

I thought after two months I shouldn't be such a book hogger. I’m currently on the maximum limit of borrowed books which is twenty-five. So I’ve decided not to borrow any more till I’ve read them all. I thought if I blogged about things it might motivate me to read. I''m like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to books and magazines. I need to get it all.

I found this a difficult read and slightly structured or fixed in a way to bring over Malcolm Gladwell's points. I actually got his Gladwell's Blinking book which I can’t call much of.  However it is the kind of book you’ll get because just one chapter catches your eye and is worth a read saying that several liitle gems in chapters between its covers.

The issue and problem with most of us is that we want to have short cuts to success and therefore spend of what we think is a ‘holy grail’ or path to guaranteed success. Malcom Gladwell even has a review from former president Bill Clinton and Gladwell is a New York times bestselling author.

The first is a huge endorsement and so is the second. However because Mr Clinton found something to say about it doesn’t necessary mean it’s useful for either you or me. Secondly a bestselling book just means a lot of people bought it not that they read it or found it useful. I’ve bought huge tomes of books and never read them.

The good bits.

 Malcolm Gladwell uses case studies to illustrate his points. The has a number of hypothesises or theories such as the stickiness factor – the uses as part of his case studies Sesame Street and Nickelodeon to illustrate. In my opinion there is an excellent chapter on the ‘The power of context’ and ‘Broken Windows’.

The covers innovators; as you know all these sort of books always introduce some type of management role play paradigm so in the same vein  Malcolm Gladwell has ‘Salesman’, ‘Innovators’ and you’ll have to read the book to find out the others. 

As I said there are a few gems and chapters that could be of use. There are excellent theories on suicide in young men in some area of the world and smoking amongst teenagers. Also a good chapter on marketing and finding ways to innovate. If you are good with reading between the lines you'll gleam a lot tips from Gladwell.

It is a popular (as in for the masses and not an academic text) science book and at times you feel Gladwell is just writing because another book because he has to. 

So a mixed review anyway the point was to return it to the library so I only have twenty four more books to read.

You can read more about Malcom Gladwell here. http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html

The case of $95 million, Mel Tucker, Willy Bo-bo and inappropriate sexual conducts on the telephone.

Mel, Mel, Mel. It's tough. Mr Tucker. I discussed this case with someone and it's shame. It's a shame that it came to that. List...