Sunday, May 31, 2009
May 31---Scrabble and Customer Service
Last night in studio we had the world #5 champion in the room, Akshay Bhandarkar and the UAE #8 champion Nikhil Sonejay.
Very cool stuff! You can find them on twitter scrabbleuae and on facebook!
In hour 2 Ryan McMaster, Josh Beckwith and Halima Anderson joined us from www.ethos.ae to talk about their ground breaking customer service research all focused on the UAE.
Great night to listen to.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
May 27---Richard Thaler on NUDGE and June Cohen on TED.com
Every day, we make decisions on topics ranging from personal investments to schools for our children to the meals we eat to the causes we champion.
Unfortunately, we often choose poorly.
Thaler and Sunstein invite us to enter an alternative world, one that takes our humanness as a given. They show that by knowing how people think, we can design choice environments that make it easier for people to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their society. Thaler and Sunstein demonstrate how thoughtful choice architecture can be established to nudge us in beneficial directions without restricting freedom of choice.
Nudge offers a unique new take-from neither the left nor the right-on many hot-button issues, for individuals and governments alike.
In hour 2 of the program we spoke to the Executive Producer of TED media June Cohen about this thing called TED.June Cohen is a really a special person, TED aside!
As Executive Producer of TED Media, I'm focused on extending TED in new directions — particularly those that help spread ideas. I led the charge to bring the conference online, launching TEDTalks in 2006, and the new TED.com in 2007. I also co-produce the annual conference, manage our talented media team, and continue to look for new ways to spread ideas (watch this space).
Before TED, I'd been working at the intersection of media and technology for the last 15 years. In 1991, I led the Stanford team that developed the world’s first multimedia magazine. It was built in HyperCard, using just-released QuickTime, and distributed over the campus network. It got a fair bit of attention in the press.
Then, in 1994, I was lucky enough to join the team launching HotWired.com, the pioneering website from Wired Magazine. HotWired was one of the earliest web companies, and we introduced many of the conventions now commonplace on the web (from ad banners to discussion threads around news stories to the concept of "membership"). For several years, I wrote "Net Surf," one of the web’s proto-blogs, and in 1996, I founded Webmonkey.com, the much-loved developers’ site, which is still (I'm proud to say) used by millions. From 1997-2000, I helped lead HotWired to profitability as VP of Content, overseeing all creative development on sites, from Animation Express to the HotBot search engine. I worked with extraordinary people, and -- for all the turmoil and tears -- still view that as a charmed period in my life. The people I worked with and projects I worked on have influenced everything in my life since then.
After leaving Wired, I wrote The Unusually Useful Web Book, which collected just about everything I'd learned about how to make a successful website. 2003 wasn't, ahem, the best time to release a web book, but it was critically admired (“an instant classic”) and translated into four languages. (The Czech version credits me as June Cohenova, which makes me sound like a really awesome tennis player).
I'm currently (very slowly) at work on my second book, exploring the trends in media, technology and culture that I occasionally cover in my neglected blog, Media Habit (mediahabit.typepad.com). The main gyst: That modern technologies are actually returning us to very ancient forms of media, communication and community. And that we're all the better for it.
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm also passionate about the visual and performing arts. I'm an on-again, off-again photographer. And I've spent a good chunk of my life on stage (musical theater, dance, comedy). My mother, Shirlene Starr (nee Shirley Gewirtz) was a Broadway actress and ballerina who danced under Ballenchine in the late 50s. So theater is in my blood, and I'm easily goded into performing, especially when Jill Sobule is around. There have been several periods over the last 10 years when I've seen literally every show on Broadway. Though I am currently, desperately behind.
I'm also a passionate traveler -- constantly planning elaborate trips that I may or may not ever take. I've biked across the U.S., trekked around Nepal, tracked rhino in Kenya, and visited a respectable number of historic cafes and bookstores across Europe. My typically intense work schedule means there are still major holes in my global repertoire, but I keep working away at it.
Final CV details: I have a BA in political science from Stanford (minors in Human Biology, Anthropology, African studies). And I was Editor in Chief of The Stanford Daily -- another formative experience that has influenced everything I've done since.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
fitKIDZ and Nuclear energy in the United Arab Emirates
www.coredirection.com
04-362-6385
In hour 2 Dr. David H. Johnson and Dr. Mehdi Sarram joined me in studio to speak about nuclear energy and the United Arab Emirates.
Check the podcast.
www.absconsulting.com
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 25--Human Trafficking and Hypnosis with Boris
Hour 1 we spoke to Ms. Ohood Khamis Al Suwaidi about human trafficking in the UAE. The Hot-line for help 800 111.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/12/16/10175165.html
Helping those being abused |
By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter |
Dubai: The Women and Children's Foundation (WCF) - set up in Dubai a few months ago to protect and support abused women and children in the UAE - already has its hands full. The WCF is the only organisation in the country working with specialised people to offer legal, moral and other support. The organisation is open to all women and children - including Emiratis and expatriates - and has received 65 cases in just two months. The Foundation was established in July under a decree issued by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Gulf News spoke to Afra Al Basti, Chief Executive Officer of the WCF, and talked about the role it is going to play in protecting the rights of women and children. Al Basti oversees the functions of the foundation, which include providing women and children with professional legal counsel, shelter and care. A specialised work group will also be appointed to monitor their psychological health. One of the foundation's objectives is to provide a refuge for women and children afflicted by poverty, abuse, and difficult or life threatening situations. |
In hour 2 we spoke to The Incredible Boris about the art of doing what you love and making a living. Boris is a comedy hypnotist.
Biography of the Incredible BORIS
Boris was born in Moscow, Russia on December 12, 1964. His parents emigrated to Canada when Boris was 10 years old.
Having lived as a child across the road from the Moscow Circus, Boris got an early initiation into matters mysterious. A bright-eyed child with an appreciation for the art of performance, Boris was a regular fixture in the audience and backstage. He was mentored by world-famous clowns Yury Nikulin (now bearing the name Yury Nikulin's Moscow Circus) and Oleg Popov.
As a teen, Boris read the new-age classic The Search For Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein, which is a true story about a hypnotist involved in a past life regression with a female subject - a lady is regressed past her birth, only to reveal names, locations and events of a past. The hypnotist records the session, follows up on the facts provided, and they happen to be true - the events, people and locations actually existed. Excited about a fascinating subject and a skeptic, Boris having the need to know more, devours every book available on the subject of hypnosis, hypnotism, hypnotists and hypnotherapy. Follow up books by the Amazing Randi provided incredible insights to the subject, giving possible explanations and solutions.
Early attempts at hypnotizing people were at parties where friends would provide the material and ideas that have evolved into what you see on stage today. Boris continued with the education and information gathering on the subject of hypnosis, psychology and related subjects. York University, University of Toronto and Seneca College provided training in the fields of psychology and computers. Even though the two fields do not appear to be related, computer and mind programming are very similar, providing logical outcomes to given instructions. Boris is constantly learning and improving his knowledge and is a certified hypnotist and hypnotherapist, even though his practice primarily encompasses the entertainment field and motivational team building events. He is a member of several hypnosis guilds and organisations.
Initially performing as a one-name performer - Boris, which was eventually changed to Hypnotist The Incredible BORIS, because promoters and club owners kept adding different adjectives to describe the sentiment of the show. "Incredible" was used the most.
First professional engagement as a comedy hypnotist at the age of 17, gave start to a vast entertainment career that lead to worldwide performances from Amsterdam to Japan, across USA and Canada. Having spent over 25 years entertaining, and performing upwards of 300 shows a year, Boris is a regular fixture in many settings - from theatres and night clubs to corporate functions and casino showrooms. The show is always a guaranteed success. Breaking numerous attendance records, word of mouth has been the best form of advertisement. The show is regularly brought back for a return appearance.
Music has been a large part of Boris' life, having finished grade six of the Royal Conservatory of Music in flute and also proficient in six other musical instruments - guitar, saxophone, base, drums, piano and clarinet. That is why the show is musical, keeping the rapid pace between the never-ending laughter.
The show always delivers a positive message. At the end of every show the participants are given positive suggestions as a thank you for their involvement. The show never oversteps the boundaries of good taste, insuring that the audience is laughing with the participants and not at them.
Boris regularly appears on television and has been the featured guest on numerous programs, delivering a comical outlook on an otherwise serious subject. The volunteers are the stars of the show, always presented in a positive light. Boris has been showcased on television and seen on Maury, Montel, Howie Mandel Show, The Vegas Show among many others, and prominent comedy festivals - Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Boston Comedy Festival.
During a working trip in Las Vegas, Teller (of Penn & Teller) usually the silent one of the magic duo, has related to Boris one of the most precise definitions of stage hypnosis by Amazing Randi - Agreement between two people to fantasize together. This definition is listed here for your knowledge and to enlighten, having attributed the ownership to proper sources.
The passion with which Boris presents his show is engaging and contagious, while the impact is unforgettable.
Find out why long after the day of the show, people still talk about it…
Sunday, May 24, 2009
May 24---SWAT Valley Aid and Hotels and Twitter.
Muhammad Khaleeq, Shah Husain and Rizwan Fancy all joined me in studio to tell their story.
You can help out by calling 04-337-3632 or 04-337-7678.
You can contribute financially through United Bank Limited (Diera Dubai Branch) with the title Pakistan Association Dubai.
Account # 080 104 62 29
SWIFT Code: UNILEAD
If you want to email them pakassoc@eim.ae and their website is www.pakassociation.com
These guys are doing some very incredible things!
In hour 2 we spoke to Robert Singleton, the social networking GURU of the Intercontinental Hotel Group in Dubai. These guys are leading the way int he UAE with the use of Twitter and Facebook in their business plan.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
LISTEN TO NIGHTLINE BY CLICKING HERE May 20---Jason Vale and Dr. Shashi Tharoor
Or Listen to Nightline with this link!
In hour 1 of the program we had a lively discussion with Jason Vale. Jason is on a quest to get the world onto the benefits of drinking fresh juice.
From workshops to selling cool products Jason is on a quest! You want to listen to him on the podcast.
In hour 2 we spoke to Dr Shashi Tharoor about what is happening in India.
Vision
My vision for the future of Thiruvananthapuram
In a recent interview, when asked to name my favourite place in India, I said “Thiruvananthapuram”. Our state capital offers both well-laid-out city space and a coastal setting of great beauty. Beaches, palm trees, verdant green and gleaming new buildings and malls make for an extraordinary combination that is difficult for other places to match.
At the same time, one of our challenges in this first decade of the 21st century is to make Thiruvananthapuram a truly global city. There is much that we should do to gain for the city its rightful place in the national arena as one of India’s vital windows to the world.
The capital of God’s Own Country has some existing advantages - the timeless AnanthaPadmanabhaSwami Kshetram, the beaches, the Technopark (including its plans for further expansion), a decent airport (with a well-designed new international terminal coming up), and a first-class international film festival. But it can and should be much more than that.
A number of new plans and initiatives are required, both for the city proper and for the surrounding rural areas that are still in need of development. The Vizhinjam port project - the biggest in Kerala and one of the biggest in the country, which had been hanging fire for nearly two decades - has finally got the approval of the central government last September. A major advantage of Vizhinjam port will be that with a natural depth of 24 metres - among the deepest in the world - it would not require any dredging. Another advantage is that it lies very close to a busy international shipping route. Once complete, the port will be able to handle over four million containers annually and would create 5,000 direct and 150,000 indirect jobs. I believe it is essential for Thiruvananthapuram to support this idea.
But we must fight for the displaced people from the Vizhinjam port trust area who must not become the victims of development. I will work closely with the local population to ensure that any people who are displaced are properly rehabilitated, and that decent work is found for those whose livelihoods may be affected by the development of the port. We must do everything possible to help the displaced to find jobs in the new port. In the end, all of Thiruvananthapuram should benefit from the development of Vizhinjam. The enhanced trade through our backyard should also stimulate serious levels of related investment in Kerala.
It is also essential to devise effective plans to provide relief for those newly-unemployed Malalyalis who are coming back to Kerala from the recession-hit Gulf countries. I will press the Centre to provide additional resources to help these workers. In the good times, India has benefited form their remittances; in the bad times, the country must stand by them.
We must also look to seize the opportunities provided by our 21st century world. I will pursue a plan to twin Thiruvananthapuram with a world-class global city that has many things in common with ours, but has developed well beyond. “Twinning” provides a city with useful partnerships and valuable allies abroad; I have some ideas and connections in this regard which I would explore as a priority after the election. The right twin city to choose would be one with some relevant features - a coastal city and a regional capital in a developed country, but one with an international profile, relevant experience and the resources and will to help us. By joining with the right twin, Thiruvananthapuram would not only gain worldwide recognition, but increased opportunities from exchange programmes for our people, in terms of town planning, public transport, strengthening educational and cultural institutions. The additional benefits of such interaction could be everything from resources for development and increased people-to-people contact, to an increase in the value of real estate, enhanced scope for businesses, and above all the creation of more jobs for our people.
Second, I will continue my strong support for the establishment of a High Court bench in Thiruvananthapuram. The stalemate has persisted long enough and energetic efforts are needed to press this issue to its logical conclusion.
Third, I will strongly support the development of world-class facilities in the state capital. It is good news that a new international convention centre complex will come up at Aakulam. This too will showcase Thiruvananthapuram’s openness to the world.
And in our Information era, I welcome the news that a Rs 200 crore landing station is being set up in Thiruvananthapuram for the famous FALCON undersea optic fibre cable system, which will link four continents with over 65,000 Km of undersea links and put Kerala on the world map of data superhighways. As MP, I will work to ensure that that is the sort of project we keep attracting to Thiruvananthapuram.
But, in our ecologically-conscious 21st century, it is equally relevant for Thiruvananthapuram to develop forward-looking ideas to celebrate and benefit from Kerala’s astonishing biodiversity. I would like to make Thiruvananthapuram the capital of India’s research into biodiversity. After all, the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute at Palode is not far away, doing invaluable work to protect and enhance the treasures of our natural environment. We should seek to bring other such research institutes to our Thiruvananthapuram.
If we do things right, Thiruvananthapuram could easily become known across India as our equivalent of Boston or Cambridge in America — an education capital for the region, attracting students from beyond our state. I will work to the best of my ability to this end.
Kerala should become a knowledge economy. Over 50 % of India’s space scientists are already here. The new Indian Institute of Science Education and Research and the Indian Space Institute are coming up here. We must strengthen this as our USP and attract more such institutions to take advantage of the natural and human resources we offer. An excellent example is the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology set up by the State and now directly under the Department Of Biotech, Government of India, which is doing cutting-edge research. I will push for the setting up of “technology incubators” which would attract scientific entrepreneurs and our own scientists to set up biotech based industries in Thiruvananthapuram - which would also lead to large employment. I will push hard for the realization of the proposed life science park being set up by the Industries Department of Kerala.
The list is not complete. The Asian School of Business already exists within Technopark and it is setting up a large campus not far from there. I will work to ensure that in a few years there will be many more such institutions in and around Thiruvananthapuram.
As a former NRI myself, I will strive to promote Kerala’s ability to attract and use NRI funds for the state’s development, particularly in the capital. I will seek to channel the talents available within Kerala to the great tasks described above, and also to bring Keralite expertise from around the world back to Kerala, and especially to Thiruvananthapuram. And I will do my to guide the municipal authorities of Thiruvananthapuram towards adopting the practices of other civic agencies which are acknowledged as the best around the globe. This includes working very hard to improve civic facilities in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. There was a time when our state capital was a model of civic planning; the well-drained streets would be dry within five minutes after a monsoon deluge. Today, when it rains, our principal streets are flooded and traffic disrupted. Potholes are common, bus shelters almost non-existent. Drinking water is erratic and power-cuts are a daily occurrence. Such basic facilities must be upgraded and I will work in partnership with the municipal authorities to bring state-of-the-art thinking to Thiruvananthapuram to resolve such problems without delay. In addition I will support the preservation of the great heritage buildings of the city and also fight to save its environment by supporting measures for the “greening” of the city and its suburbs.
Thiruvananthapuram is, of course, not just an urban centre. I see a need for a metro line connecting Neyatinkkara, Nedumangad, and Attingal to the city, thus making it easy for people from these areas to travel to the capital for work. Similarly, I would work for the opening up of the waterway between Kovalam and Kollam through Varkala, which would benefit thousands of people in those communities as well as those living in the capital.
The severe drinking water shortage must be addressed, bringing in support from the Centre and where possible from private foundations. Sustainable livelihoods in agro-industry, particularly in the handloom and coir sectors, must be developed using all available resources, including through microfinance
As the capital of the state, Thiruvananthapuram is inevitably the locus of political agitation, processions and demonstrations. That is unavoidable, but as MP I would work to ensure that such activity results in minimal disruption of the daily lives of the residents of the city. Why can’t processions be obliged to march in single file on the side of the road, rather than occupying the entire carriageway? Why can’t megaphones and loudspeakers be restricted to specific areas and times? Why should agitators be allowed to paralyze the lives, work, and travel of ordinary people going about their business? A consensus amongst all parties would help, but if this is not possible, the national legislature should take an interest in using the country’s laws to benefit the common man and woman who wishes to lead their lives in peace.
These are just a few thoughts to improve our state capital.
Above all, I would keep my eyes, ears and mind open for new ideas and suggestions from the citizenry of Thiruvananthapuram. I pledge that my office in the city will be kept open six days a week to receive observations, complaints and suggestions from the people of Thiruvananthapuram, even when I am way in New Delhi. I will be a tireless advocate for Thiruvananthapuram nationally, internationally, and above all, locally. And I will ensure complete transparency about what I am doing with your mandate: I will publish details regularly of my actions and initiatives, provide full and audited accounts of the expenditure of MPLADS funds, and report regularly to the people about progress or lack thereof on the issues relating to their well-being. If Thiruvananthapuram is to be a global city of the 21st century, it deserves an MP who upholds the highest global standards of today.
If you share this vision for our great city and its surrounding district, and agree that we can make it an even better place to live, I humbly request you to please vote for me to help me make this vision a reality.
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 19---Hugh MacLeod
This, I believe, is where my cartoons work the best- "Cube Grenades"- small objects that you "throw" in there in order to cause some damage- to start a conversation, to spread an idea etc.
Hugh MacLeod
gapingvoid@gmail.com
Alpine, Texas
Third-Person Bio:
Hugh MacLeod is a cartoonist, who makes his living publishing fine art prints via the internet.Also known for his ideas about how "Web 2.0" affects advertising and marketing, after a decade of working as an advertising copywriter, Hugh started blogging at gapingvoid.com in 2001. He first started off just publishing his cartoons, but as time wore on he started blogging about his other main interest i.e. marketing.
In 2004 he wrote "Ignore Everybody" and "The Hughtrain", which both got widely read in the blogosphere, downloaded over million times in total.
In 2005 he scored his first major blog marketing success with EnglishCut.com, a blog he started with Savile Row tailor, Thomas Mahon. It tripled Thomas' sales within six months.
Since mid-2006 Hugh has also been helping a small South African winery, Stormhoek "rise above the clutter" in the wine market by using Web 2.0 tools to get the word out. Sales have gone up fivefold since then, thanks to Hugh's marketing efforts.
Since 2006 Hugh has been constantly engaged as a public speaker, giving talks in both Europe and the US, talking about Web 2.0 and the ramifications it has on business.
Hugh's basic mantra about blog marketing is "Blogs are a good way to make things happen indirectly", a point lost on many corporate types.
May 18---Slow Down!
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/what-is-slow-parenting/
Carl Honoré was born in Scotland, but grew up in Canada. His hometown is Edmonton, Alberta, whose chief claim to fame is, er, having the largest shopping mall in the world.
After graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in history and Italian, he spent time working with street children in Brazil. Since 1991, he has written journalism from all over Europe and South America, spending three years as a correspondent in Buenos Aires along the way. His articles have appeared in publications on both sides of the Atlantic: the Economist, Observer, National Post, Globe and Mail, Houston Chronicle and Miami Herald.
His first book, In Praise of Slow: How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed, examines the modern compulsion to hurry and chronicles a global trend toward putting on the brakes. It has been translated into 30 languages and landed on bestseller lists in many countries. His second book, Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood From the Culture Of Hyper-parenting, explores the good and bad of growing up in the 21st century. It will be published in spring 2008.
On top of a (relatively!) busy schedule of broadcasting and public speaking around the world, he lectures in universities and takes part in debates and panels. He has been described by ABC News as the unofficial godfather of a growing cultural shift toward slowing down. Newsweek called him an international spokesman for the concept of leisure.
In hour 2 we spoke to Omran AlOwais and Magnus Nystedt about the Apple Lifestyle and starting up a magazine on the topic in the UAE!
Very cool!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
May 17---John Kanary
www.johnkanary.com
www0utwiththedots.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 13---Animal Welfare in the UAE and The Dubai Drama Group!
We spoke to the Head of the Dubai Municipality's Veterinary section. To report abuse call 800 900 24/7.
Hour 2 it was all about the Dubai Drama Group and their latest production, GASPING!May 13---Animal Welfare in the UAE and The Dubai Drama Group!
We spoke to the Head of the Dubai Municipality's Vetranary section. To report abuse call 800 900 24/7.
Hour 2 it was all about the Dubai Drama Group and their latest production, GASPING!Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12---Somalia Pirates
We spoke about the sea piracy on Somalia tonight and were joined by the President of Puntland [Somalia], Abdul Rehman Farole; Aidan Hartley who is an expert journalist who has reported on Africa for Reuters (for 20 years) and Yves Sorokobi from the Office of the Spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon.
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11--EMFs and lazy husbands
In hour 2 men accounted for why they are so lazy, women or their wives let them get away with doing nothing!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 10---Lego
We are working with our clients on:
• Real time strategy (LEGO SERIOUS PLAY)
• Connected Cities (intelligent cities and buildings)
• Community based innovation and marketing
Kristina and Pascal frequently travel between the UK, France and United Arab Emirates.
Disruptive Play FZ-LLC Knowledge Village Executive Office No. 43 Block No. 18, Third Floor Dubai United Arab Emirates Main
Contact: Kristina Nyzell kristina.nyzell@disruptiveplay.com Tel: +971 50 885 4529
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
May 6----DNA to UNLEASH UAE Creativity
Hour 2 Alia Rashid Al-Shamsi and Khulood Al Atiyat join me to talk about 'UNLEASH" an intellectual movement to start a 21st century renaissance in creative expression through one page journal submissions.
www.unleashjournal.com
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
May 5---ADs and AdEaters!
www.blitz.ae
www.boxofficeme.com
Monday, May 04, 2009
May 4----Thalassemia and culture
In hour 2 Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori joined us to lead off on the question of the values being eroded by globalization.
May 3--- AdEaters and Alternative Medicine
In hour 2 we had a conversation with Dr. Parviz Rashvand of Synergy Medical Center about an alternative Cancer Treatment! 04-348-5462 or www.synergyctrdubai.com