Page 1 of Anja Merret's writing

1. Bullies-R-Us The Armed Forces always believed that subordination of the troops to the command was essential. If there were strictly enforced rules of behaviour it was maintained, then the soldier next to you would be able to rely on you performing according to... (posted by Anja 4 years 105 days ago.)

2. In Steve we trust - maybe During my search through cyberspace to find the best live reports on Steve Job’s Keynote speech at Macworld yesterday, I came across an ad that had the caption ‘In Steve we Trust’. Very funny. See it on Popular Mechanics’ website. It’s... (posted by Anja 4 years 129 days ago.)

3. With Facebook You Get Without Asking When a snot-nosed and wet behind the ears 23 year old tells the world at a media junket how the advertising industry needs to listen to him, you wonder what authority he has to do that. His grand message is that ‘the next hundred years will be... (posted by Anja 4 years 149 days ago.)

4. Facebook - a Secret Harvest I was not going to bother with another article on Facebook, or any other social networking site. But then this video flitted across my Mac and it just forced me to take up the pen again, or pull up the keyboard and touchpad. There are two... (posted by Anja 4 years 176 days ago.)

5. MacGyver and the theory that Limitations breed Creativity The inspiration of the Flash on the Beach conference is still coursing through my veins. Re-reading that sentence, it is apparent it’s touched me. And you over there, keep those comments to yourself! Talking about inspiration, the phrase with... (posted by Anja 4 years 198 days ago.)

6. The Rise and Rise of Mobile Phone Connectivity According to Jan Chipchase, principle researcher for Nokia, there will be 3 billion people connected on mobile phones by the end of 2007. That is a fair chunk out of the approximately 6.3 billion people inhabiting earth. He also anticipates that... (posted by Anja 4 years 204 days ago.)

7. Baby Sitters For Grown Ups It really came as no surprise to read in the papers today that one can hire a nanny for adults now. The ‘adult minders’ being discussed are not the carers for disabled people or senior citizens. Business opportunities are now available for people... (posted by Anja 4 years 206 days ago.)

8. Obesity Is Not Our Fault Anymore - Really A news headline on BBC’s daily newsletter practically jumped off the page at me. It says that ‘Obesity ‘not individuals’ fault’. And it continues with the first paragraph stating that individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity.... (posted by Anja 4 years 220 days ago.)

9. Why the Facebook Madness? What is it about social networking sites, that gets people interested and makes them participate? Some Facebookers are really addicted to their profile and the communities they belong to. They visit their profile daily and search for friends to... (posted by Anja 4 years 269 days ago.)

10. I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house down The fairy tale about the three little pigs is about the danger of not taking enough care about building ones home on a solid foundation. One is in danger of being attacked by a bad wolf, the quintessential image of the nasty. I thought of this... (posted by Anja 4 years 280 days ago.)

11. Amnesty International Fights For the Rights of Women Violated By War Amnesty International and the Roman Catholic church appear to be heading for a show down over the contentious matter of abortion. AI has enjoyed the backing of the Vatican since its inception in 1961. Founder Peter Benenson, a British lawyer, was... (posted by Anja 4 years 285 days ago.)

12. What To Do About Politically Bankrupt Countries It is worth your while to view some of the podcasts on www.ted.com. There are many that are awesome. The one by Thomas P M Barnett is particularly spectacular. He has some strong suggestions on how war and peace should be tackled. His presentation... (posted by Anja 4 years 303 days ago.)

13. TED talks, allow yourself to be inspired Sometimes one has the unbelievable luck to find a true gem on the internet. This particular gem that I recently was introduced to is called TED and the website is plain www.ted.com. For anybody with a smidgen of intellect, which is all of you out... (posted by Anja 4 years 307 days ago.)

14. Water Is the New Gold Some time ago I wrote a post on what I thought the next big thing would be. For some years now I have wondered what, after the internet and the mobile phone, would be the one thing that would capture the imagination and business acumen of the... (posted by Anja 4 years 310 days ago.)

15. Mugabe Manages Even More Bizarre Economics In Zimbabwe The title could also say: or how to starve the people of a country. An extraordinary situation is developing in Zimbabwe. Shops have been told by Pres Mugabe to cut the prices of their goods by half. If they do not comply they will be arrested and... (posted by Anja 4 years 315 days ago.)

16. Al Gore and Live Earth Isn’t it amazing how vocal the doom-sayers are, and all the time. They never let up. What is it with them. I have often wondered at the folk that are around that always have to tell you that it won’t work, waste of time, bad idea, not worth the... (posted by Anja 4 years 318 days ago.)

17. Purity Rings For Girls The question of religious conviction, or the symbols that represent these convictions, made the news in the UK recently. A sixteen year old girl took her fight for her right to wear a 'purity ring' to the High Court. Her school has determined that... (posted by Anja 4 years 334 days ago.)

18. John Travolta and his dance with Princess Diana There is this lovely little story in the British Daily Mirror where John Travolta is quoted as saying that he had some help when he was experiencing a real dip in his acting career. In fact he is even prepared to say that it was like being reborn.... (posted by Anja 4 years 337 days ago.)

19. The Children of the World Are the Responsibility of Everybody Sometimes a single image reflects a view of mankind that touches the heart and brings tears to the eyes. I had occasion to look again at the photograph taken by Huynh Cong Ut, now better known as Nick Ut. This photo won him a Pulitzer Prize and... (posted by Anja 4 years 343 days ago.)

20. Watching Steve Jobs’ Keynote at WWDC2007 I devoted this morning to watching and listening to Steve Jobs keynote speech at the WWDC2007. I use the word devote on purpose. I have been a devoted Mac user since 1995. Other ‘old timer’ Mac users might remember the Power Macintosh’s flat... (posted by Anja 4 years 346 days ago.)

21. Stop Criticising Yourself All The Time Somebody once explained to me that we have an invisible parrot sitting on our shoulder that continuously tells us how bad we are. It tells us how we messed up in the interview, totally bombed out during the test, said the wrong thing, scored the... (posted by Anja 4 years 347 days ago.)

22. Powerful New Invention - electricity without cables This is my kind of invention. A team of scientists at MIT have demonstrated their, still in its infancy, new technology which has been called WiTricity. The basic principle is that electrical appliances and objects may be powered without cables.... (posted by Anja 4 years 351 days ago.)

23. Unknown band The Zimmers on their way to a hit Imagine a band, a 40-strong group, that records a cover of a song by The Who and it launches on the UK official singles chart at number 26. Doesn’t sound that odd until one realises that the average age of the group is 78 years ‘old’. The lead... (posted by Anja 4 years 354 days ago.)

24. The Wow of the Glastonbury Festival You know your Festival is a success when the tickets numbering 137 500 are sold out within 90 minutes and the line up of artists hasn’t been announced as yet. Two months after the record sell-out, the line up has finally been announced and... (posted by Anja 4 years 355 days ago.)

25. Morality and Sex In the 21st Century In the 21st century it still surprises me to have people state that having sex is a moral issue. The moralists state that you are only allowed sex if you are married. Every other occasion is immoral. If you live with a partner, you are not allowed... (posted by Anja 4 years 356 days ago.)