watch tHe skies

Cynics stop here. You are not going to like this post. All gone? Good, then I will begin. Some of you may have read previous posts on the subject of photoreading. Well, I continue to practice it and I’ve gotten some good results to date. I’m still getting through 3-4 books a week, not bad considering the time I have to read. I’m also photoreading a lot of work material and the quality of my attention and comment on documents that I have to approve has gone up considerably.

Now one of the interesting things about Photoreading is where you get the information from. Photoreading engages much more than just the left side of the brain, it is a two-way interaction with your conscious and unconscious. (more…)

I love it when movies come out early in the US and are out on DVD before they are shown theatrically in the UK, as it means I don’t have to ask Jen’s mum to look after Ben so that we can go to the cinema - we can just get the DVD and watch in the comfort of our home and look smug because we’ve seen it before all of our friends.

The Sentinel, starring Michael Douglas, Keifer Sutherland and Eva Longoria, is such a movie. We fancied this one as it looked a lot like 24: The Movie, and it had the added eye candy of Eva Longoria along for the ride. Pete Garrison (Douglas) is a veteran Secret Service agent who took one in the gut protecting Ronald Reagan many moons ago. Still employed in protecting presidents, his world is rocked when he appears to be being blackmailed by someone aware that he is, in fact, seeing to the First Lady (Kim Basinger). And if that wasn’t enough, he uncovers a plot to assassinate the President, not only putting him in the frame as a suspect, but the case is investigated by his ex-best friend Breckinridge (Sutherland), who believes Garrison to be the cause of the breakup of his marriage. (more…)

So i know I’m a little late with talking about last week’s Dragons Den, but it’s been a hectic week and I’ve only just caught up with my Sky+ stuff as I was away for most of the week, and then we had the not that small affair of Ben’s christening, Jen’s 30th and our 5th Wedding anniversary. Consequently I only got round to watching it last night.

So amongst the usual line up of mad inventions, including the cucumber “saver” and yoga for children, there was one that really caught my attention. A patent lawyer and his friends had developed some software for seamlessly mixing dance mp3s. (more…)

Ever noticed that doing something nice for someone else makes you feel better? It may be holding a door open for someone at work, or making someone laugh with a joke. Perhaps it is giving your missus a hug or buying a pint for a mate, it always lifts your spirits and makes the day go that little faster.

So what would happen if you did that every day, can you think about the effect that one kind act every day of your life would make to your wellbeing? Well that is exactly the question that new site www.onekindact.com asks. So head over and have a look. In the meantime put an extra quid in the charity box, help that person with their suitcase or just pass on a smile to someone having a bad day… It won’t hurt you know!

I’m sure that there are lots of readers of my blog that think that this whole NLP thing is a bunch of hogwash.

So when Channel 4 devote an entire hour to demonstrating it’s power, I thought that it would be worth mentioning.

On thursday 24th Aug, 8pm, Lawrence Leyton will demonstrate the power of NLP by taking 40 people with paralysing fears of flying onboard a jumbo jet.

Check out http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/mind/wwr_phobias.html if you would like to no more.

I’ll be back with my thoughts on it if I can figure out a way to use the sky text service to programme my Sky+ from the hotel here in Edinburgh!!

Today I was lucky to be invited to watch Arsenal versus Aston Villa at the beautiful Emirates Stadium. The first Premiership game at this venue ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw, considering that Villa spent most of the game playing a somewhat defensive 11-0-0 formation, whilst Arsenal seemed bent on walking the ball in to the net instead of having a go like normal teams.

Moan aside, the stadium is a thing of beauty. The best description I can think of is to say “Carlsberg don’t do Stadiums, but if they did, it would be the Emirates Stadium”. British readers will get that, for the rest of you, you are probably wondering why I care so much about a soccer stadium. Oh well.

What puzzles me greatly is that Arsenal have turned this stadium in on time and to their £300m budget. That budget includes completely relocating a recycling plant and turning Highbury in to executive apartments. And yet only a few miles away, Wembley remains a shell and may not now be ready in time for the cup final this year. That and the spiralling cost of around a billion pounds and it makes you wonder how a project can go so awry…

With a capacity of 60,000 and probably the only stadium with a dog toilet, it is easily the best stadium in the premiership, and I was spoilt further by spending the pre-match warm up in a nicely decorated box, with free beer, salmon and cream cheese bagels and our own attendant seemingly keen to get us all as drunk as possible. Check out the thumbnails for a couple of photos of the ground I sneaked on to my phone in between Kronenburgs, and head over to the Arsenal website if you would like to know more about the ground, and to question my statement about dog toilets… Here’s to a successful new era for the Arse at the new ground… Come on!

I also took the opportunity to visit Highbury (their home for some eighty years), and it was odd to see such a legendary ground boarded up. Still, you cannot let tradition get in the way of progress, and it is nice to know that in the new ground you will get a good view of the game no matter where your seat is.

As you probably know by now, I am a big supporter of Oxfam’s work. So here is a message that I am sure you will all think about reading.

The Middle East conflict has claimed hundreds of lives and forced more than 900,000 people to abandon their homes in search of safety.

Please give to our appeal

If you have already given to our appeal, thank you. Even during the fighting, we were able to reach and help more than 12,000 people.

After 34 days of conflict, the ceasefire means that much more aid can begin to reach families. That’s why we need your help now.

Oxfam is there

Although some people are still sheltering in schools and public buildings, many have begun the difficult journey home, often to discover that everything has been destroyed. We are already beginning to provide clean water and sanitation - essential to meet people’s basic hygiene needs.

Please give online today - a donation of £35 can buy hygiene kits for two families containing towels, soap, toothpaste and more – simple but vital items for those shocked and deeply traumatised at what has happened to their daily lives.

We are committed to helping those suffering in Lebanon, Gaza, Israel and beyond. Families have been separated and thrown into turmoil. Homes and livelihoods wrecked. Read the latest reports from our Response Team.

Thumbing through the new podcasts on iTunes, I notice that John Overdurf (author of the excellent Training Trances), has started a podcast called beyond goals. Haven’t listened to it yet, but if it is anything like Training Trances (currently reading it), it should be a good one, focusing on goal development. In fact he has two, another one, simply called John Overdurf, includes some video aspects.
There’s also an interesting one called Tai Chi for wellbeing. This is a video podcast to show you how to chill out first thing in the morning before heading off to work… Not sure how you watch the podcast and do Tai Chi at the same time though…

And for you Lost obsessives out there, how about a podcast devoted to the episodes as shown on UK TV… Head over to UK Lost for ramblings on conspiracy theories and whether those spooky numbers are Hurley’s vital statistics….?

Finally, for those of you too busy to relax and take life a little slower, check out John Morgan’s Relax in 2 minutes. Sounds like a good idea to me… Aaaah now doesn’t that feel better?

“THIS is a man’s handshake” said my Dad when teaching me how to impress at an interview at the young age of seventeen, as i was preparing for my interview with British Steel in an attempt to get a training placement and, hopefully, undergraduate sponsorship.

Now I don’t remember whether the following are the actual words, but the basic themes are certainly true, if slightly romanticised. His actual words were probably a little more post-watershed.

“A man’s handshake is a window in to his soul. You can tell what sort of person you are dealing with from that very moment that you shake hands. So, if you want people to see you as a strong, confident individual, then a handshake like this is what you should be giving them. Don’t crush their hands, because you will seem overpowering, but don’t hand over a wet flannel that will leave the other person squeaming to let go and wondering how quickly he can get you, the shirtlifter, out of his office.” (more…)

Yet another Snakes on a Plane post, but check out http://snakesonaplane.varitalk.com/ and send a personalised message to your friends from the leg end himself, Samuel “I will lay my vengeance upon thee” L. Jackson. Pity it’s a US site because it lets you send phone messages as well as email…

You should also check out http://www.snakesonaplane.co.uk/ if you have the time (parental caution advised)…