I was reminded recently of an excellent advert I saw some time ago, featuring Mr Wind. It's nothing sinister, just an excellent point about renewable energy well made. It's so good in fact that I thought I would share it with you all.
Click here to enjoy!
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Saturday, 13 June 2015
Friday, 29 August 2014
Ice Ice Baby
Regular readers of the blog may have noticed that I have a tendency towards cynicism. I enjoy a good moan. I like being a grumpy old man before my time. One of my particular passions is bemoaning the pace of technology. Even though I grew up alongside the developing internet, have owned a mobile phone for years and can navigate my way around a computer with reasonable ease, I am flummoxed by relatively minor technological wizardry such as apps, projectors, replacement phones, passwords, and Bulgarian shower fittings (see here!). One thing that I am dubious about is social media. I use Facebook but not Twitter. I write a blog but don't send texts in text-speak. Part of me is willing but part of me longs for simpler times. And so it is with Facebook.
Facebook has become unstoppable. Part of me resents that, because it forces us into using it by it's sheer domination. If I want to catch up with friends, I'm as likely to do so on Facebook than on the phone or email. I can see photos from their lives and people expect mine to be posted shortly after each event - events which I've probably been invited to on Facebook! Everything is instant; accessible anywhere, anytime. There's probably now a stat for the amount of time the average teenager spends on Facebook each year.
But for all my ranting, it's addictive. And every now and then something happens through social media that simply wouldn't have been possible previously. I'm talking about Ice. When in the past has any single charity received so much publicity, free of charge, reaching such a huge global audience? The only thing that springs to my mind is when Barcelona FC wear the Unicef logo on their shirts. Presumably this reaches a sizeable global audience, but how many of them then look up the charity or make a donation? The Ice Bucket Challenge has gone global, and sparked debate from all quarters.
First and foremost, I think an initiative that encourages charitable giving is generally a good thing. ALS is a worthy cause, and the challenge has, apparently, brought in over £50 million for the ALS Association or Motor Neurone Disease Association so far. I have read comments from some people suggesting that people carrying out the challenge have lost site of the original aims - raising awareness of a terrible disease. But if these people are simultaneously donating, how important is that? In some cases people have, apparently, donated to the wrong charity having misunderstood who the challenge was supporting. Again, if somebody benefits, how much does that matter? In fact, more people benefit!
I'm a firm believer that giving to charity should be a personal choice, but I can't knock the fact that many more people are giving money as a result of the challenge. I chose to give to a different cause, and to adapt my challenge to fit my ethics. And I was interested to see that some other people have used their challenges to highlight other charities, and Matt Damon challenged people's criticisms of wasting water by doing his with toilet water! Fair play!
So in this case I applaud Facebook and social media, and the genuine impact it might have for people suffering from ALS. I salute those who do not normally give to charity but have been inspired to do so in this case. I admire those who have used the opportunity to support their own choice of charity or highlight another important issue. And I even feel a tinge of pride that I, momentarily, managed to put my grumpiness aside for a worthy cause.
If you haven't done it yet, I can recommend it. Or take on my alternative challenge - there's still money up for grabs for your chosen charity. Get involved and get donating!
Facebook has become unstoppable. Part of me resents that, because it forces us into using it by it's sheer domination. If I want to catch up with friends, I'm as likely to do so on Facebook than on the phone or email. I can see photos from their lives and people expect mine to be posted shortly after each event - events which I've probably been invited to on Facebook! Everything is instant; accessible anywhere, anytime. There's probably now a stat for the amount of time the average teenager spends on Facebook each year.
But for all my ranting, it's addictive. And every now and then something happens through social media that simply wouldn't have been possible previously. I'm talking about Ice. When in the past has any single charity received so much publicity, free of charge, reaching such a huge global audience? The only thing that springs to my mind is when Barcelona FC wear the Unicef logo on their shirts. Presumably this reaches a sizeable global audience, but how many of them then look up the charity or make a donation? The Ice Bucket Challenge has gone global, and sparked debate from all quarters.
First and foremost, I think an initiative that encourages charitable giving is generally a good thing. ALS is a worthy cause, and the challenge has, apparently, brought in over £50 million for the ALS Association or Motor Neurone Disease Association so far. I have read comments from some people suggesting that people carrying out the challenge have lost site of the original aims - raising awareness of a terrible disease. But if these people are simultaneously donating, how important is that? In some cases people have, apparently, donated to the wrong charity having misunderstood who the challenge was supporting. Again, if somebody benefits, how much does that matter? In fact, more people benefit!
I'm a firm believer that giving to charity should be a personal choice, but I can't knock the fact that many more people are giving money as a result of the challenge. I chose to give to a different cause, and to adapt my challenge to fit my ethics. And I was interested to see that some other people have used their challenges to highlight other charities, and Matt Damon challenged people's criticisms of wasting water by doing his with toilet water! Fair play!
So in this case I applaud Facebook and social media, and the genuine impact it might have for people suffering from ALS. I salute those who do not normally give to charity but have been inspired to do so in this case. I admire those who have used the opportunity to support their own choice of charity or highlight another important issue. And I even feel a tinge of pride that I, momentarily, managed to put my grumpiness aside for a worthy cause.
If you haven't done it yet, I can recommend it. Or take on my alternative challenge - there's still money up for grabs for your chosen charity. Get involved and get donating!
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Get Inspired
I've just spent a weekend catching up with some old friends. The friend's themselves aren't that old, but I've known them a while and have seen far too little of them in recent years. One thing that I enjoy when running over several year's worth of news is hearing about all the amazing things people have done in that time. Oddly it seems to be the one things that Facebook is good for. People don't tend to post statements or photos of mundane days in the office or food shopping trips, but instead reserve their home page space for travel, seeing friends and amazing adventures. It is possible to imagine, therefore, that all of your friends (or at least Facebook friends) are living adrenaline fuelled, adventurous lives of continual travel, excitement and intrigue. Whilst our own lives seem dominated by the dull, uninteresting tedium of everyday life. So it's no wonder that, from time to time, it feels good to be inspired by those around you. For no other reason than that I thought I would share a couple of videos with you. This one brings out the feel good factor and this one will make you want to pack a bag and head off into the unknown. If that's not enough for you, watch Walter Mitty.
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Creative Genius
There are times when I get an overwhelming urge to be creative. I blame that urge for the videos I post on here, for the unsuccessful tricks I try at hockey, for the fact that I have a blog. But every now and then I see something so utterly inspirational that I feel both humbled in the world of creativity and encouraged to go further, be bolder and try harder than I had before. This man deserves great credit. Click here to be amused and inspired.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)