I read a realy interesting study about MBAs. It looked at cohorts of Harvard MBAs, to be fair not an average sample. Basically it examined the success or otherwise of the graduates. What became rapidly apparent was that the success came not from the course…

Those cartoons make me howl with laughter while referencing the full and frank Anglo-Saxon disclosure regime.

I reserve a special loathing for the condescending "change manager" . Means axe murderer with a styley haircut.

Russell, Instead of hijacking…

Dilbert.com is great these days. You can search for words in the cartoon!!! Saves months of work!!

plankers

Oh, that cartoon is painful. It reminds me of every meeting that I attended at a certain organization.

Also, good use of newspaper advertising...

Now about that house at Dunsandel….

Gak. I envy David his pavers after this mis-engagement of KPIs.

Only if I'm a stakeholder!

Reminding me of the one about the Catholic god who is The One God, but is also, at the same time, 3 gods and, at times, a biscuit.

No, its a cross! Do we have closure? :)

I've always been confused by the imagery of that phrase. Road? River? Bridge? Mountain?

Mea culpa, you are quite right! It should be “going”. Not “moving” as I incorrectly stated in the original post (now fixed). The eagle-eyed Conrad Heine has also pulled me up on this via email.

Oh dear, this really should have been obvious to…

"He will improve morale and increase productivity" I think the line was on RNZ this morning.

Reminded me of the old rowing…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

in middle of the road – Sheer Luxury!!

That happened to me too. Car seats are posturally terrible, and that's often the seat I was cooling down in. But when your postural muscles are exhausted, there's very…

And you expect people to believe you aren't married?

Yup adjusting the working environment is much more likely to help than trying to adjust your posture consciously, because when you're working, you really haven't got mental time…

I was just thinking of you the other day when I found my copy of the Reserve Bank Annual

No David. Please join in and get the jargon right. You are moving FORWARD.

See your quote Sir:

I shall, in the words of that nice Mr Key, be moving forward.

And to Steve Barnes:

However, using a laser…

misread that last word

But great to have you back, even though it would be advisable for us to stay upwind.

I’d had some help…

Steve Barnes wrote:

I would dispute this man’s findings

I'm not going to get into an argument over this (really I'm not), but the bits that raised my hair were:

1. Regardless of whether it is an…

We are in the middle of a remarkable disaster saga here involving a flooded house, rescue by fire engine, a loss adjuster who appears to be a black hole into which information disappears forever and a cleaning company who are unable to function without a…

There is also a point worth baring in mind. If all the damaged houses had to be assessed by qualified structural engineers then the 2 year wait would pale into insignificance,…

Yeah I have to change position a lot as well.

Actually my problems started after exercise – I'd go for a run or ride and then after getting my body all warm and loose I'd slouch on the couch. My warm back…

The impression I got was that if the folks doing the surveys had the qualifications they would have the requisit knowledge to do it properly. Not that it was impossible to do it properly without the certificate that says…

I am gradually moving to working at the computer standing. I am lucky enough to have two monitors, and a bookcase next to my desk at just…

Don"t get me wrong here, I am trying to be rational.
I have been in the construction industry for over 40 years but these days my expertise is questioned because I refuse to pay a fee to some self appointed organisation for them to allow me to…

I'd like to know if the measurements of the slope in the floor of Gerry Brownlee's office were taken while he…

Or possibly, sit in a tense, upright position.

I used to have moderate OOS problems, which largely got better when I changed to a funny keyboard and started slouching on my chair under medical advice. Relaxed muscles.…

Um the guy has had many years of training and many years of practice. This makes his opinion more valuable thhan that of someone without such training and experience.

Much the same way you tend to take the medical advice of an actual doctor ahead of that…

How do you know that – they've refused to release their data. For all I know, except for Brownlee's office, every measurement was made on a freshly poured slab. Or a…

I would dispute this man's findings on 2 major points.
1. Sutton's answer was pertaining to existing building slabs, not new ones under construction. All buildings move over time, especially those built on unstable ground.
50mm…

Surely easier to just carry an armful of pavers everywhere

Occupational therapy is quite a subtle business. It might be safer to say "try making some adjustments to your working ergonomics". Sometimes being more reclined is actually better, if the chair has lumbar support, and your arms are rested. Quite small changes to the…

I'd be insisting they fix the problem themselves

insurance market functioning exactly as intended. not fit for purpose

Yes, and are tradesmen considered to be something to put up with? I know someone who would feel deeply offended to…

Much better than wibbling on the floor :).

What seems so sad about this whole saga is that after the initial humane response, there seems to have been a progressive shift to a mode where the people responsible (they're responisible because they took money to be responsible) for correcting the damage are doing everything…

Thanks Bart, I shall investigate this option! As of now I shall abandon this chair for a while, and proceed to do something stretching.

My guess, from agonizing personal experience, is that when putting down pavers you adopt…

*Has the advantage that you can pick it…

No, thank God. Dunsandel is in Selwyn (so we're under the Selwyn District Council).

Yes, there was a second or two when I was on the cusp of prayer. 'The miracle of the cleansed faecal matter' or that sort of thing.

Sweet Jesus. It's actually bad enough having one's sole home toilet used in the morning by a team of tradesmen when it's actually connected to the sewerage system.

Exactly the same thing has occurred to me, in a similar position.

The last time this Amusing Error arose, when a Prominent Christchurchian described us as a "talented family", what I said was, "We're not... *sigh*." What my brain suggested was, "You think I'm good, you should see his other wife."

Alas no, I still have to get the final finishing touches done–but will have in due course.

In other news, I put down 37.5 tonnes of pavers and had not a twinge of back pain. Can anyone explain how this is possible when I can’t…

Emma Hart wrote:
I hate ants

Very sorry to hear about your daughter’s teacher’s horrifying situation. Not to accuse you of anything, but are you quite sure that it wasn’t you who dismantled her house? After all, if a proper EQC assessor thinks that you…

Superb blog, David – always worth waiting for.

That you haven't all bought torches and pitchforks and stormed parliament is a testament to your strength…

Emma Hart: [Emphatically]: That. Man. Is. Not. My. Husband.

I did pretty much say exactly that. It was not, I hasten to add, because of cumulative annoyance at the way David and I are unceasingly mistaken for a married couple, but because I had pretty much…