RobiNZ Personal Blog

TEDx Auckland 2014, unexpected Himalayan cycle tour preparation!

When I saw TEDx Auckland 2014 announced I really wanted to go but was a bit torn. I loved the 2013 event but it meant a precious day of weekend gone. Weekends were crucial as I was trying to get fit for a rather demanding cycle tour in the Himalayas. The TEDx 2014 theme was ‘Ascending’: Ascending is about individuals and society rising to a higher level of consciousness. Ascending is about finding the positives in any situation and building on them to make our lives, community, business and planet better. As it turned out, the day spent at TEDx... Read more →

TEDx Auckland — 2013 remembered, bring on 2014!

While buying my ticket to TEDx Auckland 2014 remembered I’d never gotten around to writing a post about the 2013 event. Earlier this year there was some flack about TED, prompted it seems by some ‘dubious’ TEDx events. From my experience at TEDx Auckland it certainly wasn’t one of those. The Aotea Centre was full, the speakers uniformly excellent and it covered a wide variety of topics. In his intro MC @VaughnDavis (below right) made a comment which summed up my TEDx experience. He said with TED on-line you tend to self censor, focus on the familiar, topics of interest.... Read more →

On Bob Nardelli's 'reign of error' at Chrysler and the Fiat turnaround

I laughed when I saw this quote from the former Chrysler chief: "I think Chrysler is where it is because of what we were able to do." Seems it provoked another reaction from the author of this article in The Detroit News: Bob Nardelli's 'reign of error' at Chrysler - The Detroit News Still recovering from the Michigan State-Ohio State game and Matt Millen-color-commentary-induced nausea, I picked up The Detroit News on Monday to read the lead story with Bob Nardelli, which instantly provoked projectile vomiting… The footnote states author “Jason Vines was vice president of communications at Chrysler under... Read more →

The 7 Keynote MBA

Awesome collection of short videos. Some I’d seen, some were new but all worth your time The 7 Keynote MBA: How to Save 2 Years and $100,000 Truth is, the great value in most MBA and JD programs can be boiled down to 5 to 10 talks, presentations, classes and conversations that changed the way you experienced the world. So, I figured, why go through 2 years of B-school, drop $100,000 (that’s $70k on school, $20k on booze and $10k on Red Bull) and give up two years of income, when you can experience your… 7 extraordinary moments with 7... Read more →

Sony to close by 2050?

Or maybe they have another way to achieve: Sony Targets Zero Environmental Footprint by 2050 Sony Corporation doesn't want to produce any carbon emissions, use any virgin materials or produce any waste by 2050… Read more →

Not PC on leaky buildings

Peter Cresswell cuts through the bullshit that surrounds leaky homes in New Zealand: LEAKY HOMES, Part 1: The myth of deregulated building LEAKY HOMES, Part 2: What’s going on inside your walls? Read more →

How is Marchionne running Fiat-Chrysler?

Like he did at Fiat: How Marchionne Will Run Fiat-Chrysler - BusinessWeek "a rumpled figure in slacks and a black polo shirt sporting a Chrysler logo, cut to the chase. "In this business," he... Read more →

Can Tony Sergio Fix It?

Chrysler's fate is in the hands of the US Government and a brilliant Canadian who heads a, formerly itself ailing, Italian industrial giant. How bizarre is that! I suspect Chrysler is beyond saving... Read more →

Why listen to a financial analyst, The Daily Show

It's apparent in spite of all the "science", the "analysis", they are just guessing, wrong Via Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Jon Stewart Sinks CNBC's Ship in a Cathartic Classic Read more →

Are Fonterra censoring their own site search to hide Sanlu?

The whole Sanlu melamine tainted milk powder tragedy has a very direct link to New Zealand. It's a company part-owned by New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra. The verdict today prompted me to look at thei... Read more →