Siri "What can you actually DO?"

I am the person that used to have an iPhone, back in the days of the 3G version.  I loved it, I really found it to be the most elegant portable computer that I had ever used, coming from a long history of a variety of Palms (or PalmPilots as they were when I enjoyed them).

For a number of reasons I then decided to move away and try a Blackberry.  The argument for this was that the battery lasted over a day, I wanted a smartphone that didn't distract me with the ability to fiddle about on various apps and also BBM.

Well, over the months I've had it, I gradually found my Blackberry experience in terminal decline.  Too many things about it began to annoy me, on a regular basis. So I am now considering going back to an iPhone.

But I don't think it will be an iPhone 4s. I'm starting to weigh my decision against cost and the "good enough" factor.  The iPhone 4s has a better camera and lens and is able to shoot in HD.  But the iPhone 4 has a good enough camera, a good enough lens and can shoot in 720p video which, yep, again is good enough.  Even six months ago people were still raving about how high-end the iPhone 4 was. Please someone tell me what suddenly changed?

Which brings me on to the other marketing reason compelling people to buy the 4s - Siri.

Marco defends it in this post. But taking a wider and UK-centric view, I fail to see how it can be anything other than an (albeit very cool) gimmick at present.  In the UK it cannot yet find you your nearest restaurant or other item, because this service hasn't been rolled out as it has been stateside.  Yes it can send texts, add diary entries etc, which is all well and good, but it's not a good enough reason for me to spend £130 extra on. Also, if you dictate a text and Siri get's it wrong, which Marco states is at about a 50% hit rate, AFAIK you can either repeat the whole message, or edit it manually, with a digit...

Here are the current cost comparisons of the iPhone4 and iPhone4s from O2 (as of 27-1-12)

The iPhone 4S is a lovely piece of kit.  Siri hints at a brilliant piece of software in the future.

The iPhone can already be a brilliant tool in the charity fundraiser's arsenal - I'm sure if I do take the plunge that there will be a future post on this very subject, but for me, the best value is still the iPhone4.

Rolling in broken glass with Iggy Pop

A Canadian rock guitarist who had once rolled on stage in broken glass with Iggy Pop was now setting up a voluntary organisation in the UK to manage forums of volunteers for the NHS.  He was looking for a Project Manager.  He gave me my first job in the charity sector.  

In my first week I asked him why he gave me the job when I knew absolutely nothing about the voluntary sector.

He replied,

"I gave you the job because you know nothing about the voluntary sector!"

This proved to me that there are people out there who, like me, want to do good work, have fun and shake the world up a little.  I will always be grateful for that chance I was given.

Scott Harrisson was a nightclub promoter who now provides drinking water to those in need.  This line from his website explains that "We're not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work."

Jon Smallwood stands on his head around the world in order to raise money for cancer charities.

The world does not need more boring fundraisers.  They are ten a penny.  They do a great job and I applaud them but surely we can do better. In order to get a buzz from your work, think how your event would feel like if the idea not only worked but that at your signal uneashed hell.

In order to be energised by a new project choose to look at what you can do, without the limitations of what is already expected in your organisation.

Tolerate Nothing

The phone chord that is twisted, you know, the one that every time you pick up a call, pulls the rest of the phone towards you.  It's annoying.

"I must untwist that in a minute."

End of call.  Replace handset.

Another call, and the annoyance repeats.

I have a desk drawer that has too much stuff in it.  You may have a process in your charity that isn't elegant. Every time you process a payment or fill in a form or complete a report with boxes that are wrongly formatted you get annoyed.

But you and I tolerate this.  And every time we do, it takes away a little more of our energy and creates more of a resistance to doing the work.  This energy drain matters and it builds up over time.

Imagine that thing you are tolerating not being there any more. Imagine doing that task without the resistance.  Imagine being able to apply that extra energy that was not used up in tolerating to make the next task just that little more exciting, fun or wow!

Projects vs Experiments

Gmail was in beta for five years, in fact some people miss the old logo so much and tweak their settings in order to have it back.

Beta, means unfinished, room to improve.  It defines an experiment.

Changing my projects to experiments has a huge psychic change on my ability to engage with them rather than to procrastinate.  You see, an experiment gives me permission to make mistakes, to shift direction if something changes.  An experiment allows me to end up somewhere quite different from where I planned.

Projects are fixed, important, heavy.  If your project doesn't work it has failed, you suck and you will be in terrible trouble in some way.

Experiments are fun, intriguing and they capture the imagination.

When on earth did you ever here somebody describing their current work project as capturing their imagination?

I sorely need the light touch that comes from working on experiments. I think that it allows me to achieve a better result.

In fact, I'm now treating this blog as an experiment.  After doing this for a while I am really getting into writing again and sharing my thoughts.  I don't know exactly how it will turn out.  I allow myself to delete or modify posts and filter at a later date.  And because I'm not beating myself up with expectations that the blog must be correct from the very first post, I feel more encouraged to just do the damn writing.

I know, that like all experiments, this one will have an end.  But when it does I'll know that the result you will be reading will have been prodded, tweaked and tried.  I'm really looking forward to that.

And if this idea resonates with you, I'd love to hear your results or thoughts, either in the comments, on Google+ or via Twitter

What would you drop?

A few days ago, K and I noticed that the bump was not moving as much as it had been previously.  All of the advice I sought out said that the correct thing was to go to the hospital and get things checked out "Just in case".

It meant her taking some time off work at a moments notice. This was inconvenient and professionally it stressed her out.  I was worried, waiting until she came home to drive us both to the hospital.

It turned out that all was actually OK and as soon as the unborn was strapped to the baby heart monitor it began kicking, moving and dancing just as before.  I felt relief and elation that all was well, but also a little foolish for worrying about all of the possible things that could have been wrong.

But I also knew in that instant, that as soon as something threatened my real life - i.e. building the life I want with the people that matter most to me in the world, I could easily drop my work worries because compared to real life they actually didn't matter.

If my boss had said "If you take time off to check on the baby you'll be fired", well, I would have gone, then and there.  No hesitation.  No feeling bad.  Just beautiful, simple clarity.

So my question to you is "What would you drop?"

Now stop worrying.