Today, I learned that:
A prospective client in Asia
will be more receptive to your speech if you mention that your
product/solution is currently sold to / implemented at their
competitors...
In France, you rather not mention it, otherwise people will just shut the door in your face.
How about elsewhere in the world?
Irritating Things of Q1 2014
Since it is probably easier to write about things that are emotionally moving, in a good or bad way, I've decided to start a monthly post series in which I will express the facts and events, big or small, that upset me or please me.
1. The most cynical scam and organized theft of the last decade, open to public
Russia's Putin and his friends steal 20 billion dollars from the people of Russia through construction contracts with inflated prices awarded to his friends. Not even able to light up the 5 olympic rings in a row. That would be laughable if poverty was not so rampant in the country.2. Things redesigned by Philippe Starck
I totally hate monopolies and when it comes to design, the french man has it all: from glasses to exclusive residences and hotels to now, the contactless card for Paris metro station, the guy is everywhere. To the people that award tenders: have some balls and choose somebody else, it will probably be cheaper and you won't risk a loosy ROI since the Starck label's novelty will probably wear out since it's everywhere now.3. Glass dropped into rubish chute.
I mean, you can do it, but please put your glass item into a larger thrash bag. You might live on the 18th floor of the building but that does not grant you the right to give a heartattack to all residents living beneath you.4. People that take the elevator to go down one storey.
Seriously, how lazy have you become?? One storey down a day (not even asking you to go up, would certainly help you burn that fat faster than your gym subscription, because you don't really go, do you?).
Coming to your office without appointment to sell you a copier you don't need. He is doing its job, that's for sure, but would he not make a less disgusting impression by having the decency of drying his hand before he shakes yours?
Because no life lived in this world could be totally black or white, I invite you to read what I thought were admirable things in Q1 2014!
5. Embarrassing dirty salesperson
Coming to your office without appointment to sell you a copier you don't need. He is doing its job, that's for sure, but would he not make a less disgusting impression by having the decency of drying his hand before he shakes yours?
6. Since you are a person I trust, I wanted to invite you to join my network on LinkedIn.
How can you trust someone you don't even know? I am certainly trustworthy but we haven't even met. We know one dude in common I have not seen for years. Please do not waste my time and tell me upfront why you want to connect with me. Make an effort, make me feel like that connecting with me is more intimate that standing a train station.7. Digital screen kills the paper star
23 out of the 57 Chapitre bookstores are closing in France. I hope we can still find paper books in a few years...8. People that lose a Boeing 777 passenger plane with 229 people inside.
Probably one of the most enigmatic disparation ever known. It is really crazy that, in 2014, pilots (or highjackers) could de-activate a plane's communication means at their own will willingly or not... May these passengers Rest In Peace, and their families find peace...9. People taking pictures with iPads at concert
As if taking grainy shitty smartphone pictures or filming the whole bloody concert were not enough, you are bringing you dare to blind and prevent people behind you to enjoy the concert with their own eyes. You should be banned from any live music event on a global scale.10. The deliberated loss of measure in vocabulary, as long as the content is shared
This one is for all the bloggers and content creators out there: internet is so polluted by formulas such as "this teacher is a GENIUS...", "this is the MOST INTERESTING thing you will read today", etc... that it can really gets disgusting surfing social media.11. Poor turnout at local election (in France)
More than 90% of french people now distrust political parties. While this could be understandable if you look at the long slow decline of the country in the past decades, it is a bit crazy that people would become uninterested in what could be happening near them. My father has been a mayor for 30 years, and although a mayor has some power in influencing choices, he/she is definitely not all-mighty at this small level. It is more of a budget management exercise. It saddens me that people would rather let themselves be disgusted day after day watching the media, rather than roll back their sleeves and work on improving their lives at a local, manageable scale.Because no life lived in this world could be totally black or white, I invite you to read what I thought were admirable things in Q1 2014!
Admirable Things of Q1 2014
Since it is probably easier to write about things that are
emotionally moving, in a good or bad way, I've decided to start a
monthly post series in which I will express the facts and events, big or
small, that upset me or please me.
Announced during the latest EU-Brazil summit in Brussels on Feb 24th, a submarine communication cable will be installed between Portugal and Brazil, which is a first step for the latin and latino-american region to be able to communicate without NSA's eventual tapping... Tudo Bom!
And because no month spent living in this world could be totally white, I invite you to read what I thought were Irritating things in February 2014
1. Singapore taxi driver with a phone charger for its customers
How thoughtful is that?! Not only did he had a multi-charger catering to any phone on the market, but your phone could lie down quietly on a non-slip piece while charging, and a little box of sweet was also there for the enjoyment. I wish I could have taken a picture, but, I had not battery...2. No explosion in Sotchi
Besides explosion of sport-related joy and tears, the Olympic Games were not damaged by terrorist attacks, which is a prowess in itself, given the amount of things that could be reproached to the russian government.3. A big renewal
It seems like France and Germany are discussing the prospects of creating an industrial giant capable of improving sea-based wind turbine technology and market it on a large scale. After years of green washing and green hype, it seems like everyone is back at consuming petrol and carbon.4. The Right to Live...and Die
Belgium becomes the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia without any age limits. A courageous decision that offers people that wish to end up their lives in dignity a way to do so, after multiple precautions are taken.5. Growing means more than 0%
Figures released by french statistics institute INSEE show that the country's economy grew by 0.0% and 0.3% in the third and fourth quarters of 2013 respectively... Wow, impressive (OK this is ironic...)6. Woman power
Janet Yellen succeedes Ben Bernanke to become the 15th Chairperson of the Federal Reserve and become the first woman to hold the position... If this could mean chill on the global financial greed levels, it would be great. I doubt that the Wolf of Wall Street is discouraging young people to become the next alpha-carnivore of the financial markets.7. Avoiding the NSA
Announced during the latest EU-Brazil summit in Brussels on Feb 24th, a submarine communication cable will be installed between Portugal and Brazil, which is a first step for the latin and latino-american region to be able to communicate without NSA's eventual tapping... Tudo Bom!
8. R.R.I.P : Roaming Rest In Peace
The European parliament has just voted in first instance a group of laws to regulate the telecom market. Besides passing strong net neutrality laws, the text also crushes roaming by forcing telecom operators to offer the same rates for cross-border european calls and data consumption within the european union. A good news for customers, although the limits have not yet been decided...And because no month spent living in this world could be totally white, I invite you to read what I thought were Irritating things in February 2014
The World is the biggest actors studio
I have read about the “act-to-become” principle. Our modern culture is often obsessed with the idea of “authenticity” (even though when pressed, they’re probably not sure what it means), and the idea of acting in a way you might not really be feeling is criticized as fake or manipulative. But the best way to change your feelings is to first change your behavior.
Quoting W.H. Auden
“Human beings are by nature actors, who cannot become something until first they have pretended to be it. They are therefore not to be divided into the hypocritical and the sincere, but into the sane, who know they are acting, and the mad who do not.”
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