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Any of us that have friends or loved ones battling with memory issues (and it seems like all of us are) will appreciate this story.

Rules are one thing – but all too often they’re used as a crutch to get around having to come up with meaningful and workable solutions to problems with caring for people. The rules often overlook the fact that people are “people” – not just items to be catalogued and inventoried.

Here’s the story, which I found on Boing Boing.

A nursing home in Germany built an exact replica of a bus stop in front of the facility. The only difference is that buses never stop there.

“It sounds funny,” said Old Lions Chairman Franz-Josef Goebel, “but it helps. Our members are 84 years-old on average. Their short-term memory hardly works at all, but the long-term memory is still active. They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home.” The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place. “We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later today and invite them in to the home for a coffee,” said Mr Neureither. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.”

Link

There’s been a lot of talk about China in recent weeks, especially after the Tibetan protest and crackdown, the subsequent chaotic Torch Relay and the relentless march towards this fall’s Olympic Games. China and everything to do with it is a hot topic.

If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, I highly recommend you sit back and read this fascinating report from Rolling Stone magazine on China’s booming technology industry – especially the parts that are helping to track the movements of every citizen.

Canadian journalist Naomi Klein is a master storyteller and her tale moves from the factories in China right through to the corridors of power in the US and other western countries.

Her message is simple: “With the help of U.S. defense contractors, China is building the prototype for a high-tech police state. It is ready for export.”

Here’s the intro:

Thirty years ago, the city of Shenzhen didn’t exist. Back in those days, it was a string of small fishing villages and collectively run rice paddies, a place of rutted dirt roads and traditional temples. That was before the Communist Party chose it — thanks to its location close to Hong Kong’s port — to be China’s first “special economic zone,” one of only four areas where capitalism would be permitted on a trial basis. The theory behind the experiment was that the “real” China would keep its socialist soul intact while profiting from the private-sector jobs and industrial development created in Shenzhen. The result was a city of pure commerce, undiluted by history or rooted culture — the crack cocaine of capitalism. It was a force so addictive to investors that the Shenzhen experiment quickly expanded, swallowing not just the surrounding Pearl River Delta, which now houses roughly 100,000 factories, but much of the rest of the country as well. Today, Shenzhen is a city of 12.4 million people, and there is a good chance that at least half of everything you own was made here: iPods, laptops, sneakers, flatscreen TVs, cellphones, jeans, maybe your desk chair, possibly your car and almost certainly your printer. Hundreds of luxury condominiums tower over the city; many are more than 40 stories high, topped with three-story penthouses. Newer neighborhoods like Keji Yuan are packed with ostentatiously modern corporate campuses and decadent shopping malls. Rem Koolhaas, Prada’s favorite architect, is building a stock exchange in Shenzhen that looks like it floats — a design intended, he says, to “suggest and illustrate the process of the market.” A still-under-construction superlight subway will soon connect it all at high speed; every car has multiple TV screens broadcasting over a Wi-Fi network. At night, the entire city lights up like a pimped-out Hummer, with each five-star hotel and office tower competing over who can put on the best light show.

Here’s the link to the story.

Glenn Wakefield, the Victoria Sailor whose solo circumnavigation was cut short by bad weather near the Falkland Islands, arrived home last weekend, safe at last in the arms of his family.

He’s posted a note of thanks on his website.

Link

Previous Posts about Glenn and the voyage of the Kim Chow:

APRIL 27, 2008
Kim Chow Update
APRIL 27, 2008
Glenn Wakesfield continues his journey despite rollover
FEB 19, 2008
Halfway around the world
JAN 10, 2008
Around the world update
OCT 17, 2007
The voyage of the Kim Chow
Technorati Tags:
Glenn Wakefield, Kim Chow

U of Ottawa professor Michael Geist takes on (and rebuts) some of the most prevalent myths about copyright in Canada in this video presentation of one of his speeches.

The five myths he rebuts are:

The Importance of Copyright – copyright is important, but investment decisions, creativity and new business models are products of much more than just an IP framework as venture capital, tax structures, talent, competitive communications, and government support are all part of the decision making process.
Consultations and Reforms – while some argue that Canada has engaged in lengthy consultations with little action, I argue that the opposite is trueCanada in the World – lobby groups and the U.S. have been vocal in criticizing Canadian copyright law, yet a closer look reveals that Canadian law stands up impressively by world (and U.S.) standardsCopyright in the World – the U.S. would have you believe that all countries must mirror the DMCA, however, the truth is that there is great flexibility in how any country can move forward with digital copyright reformCopyright Consensus – most seem to believe that copyright is too divisive to achieve consensus, but I argue that there is already a broad consensus on an approach that rejects the DMCA and emphasizes balance

Geist deserves a lot of credit for making the issue of copyright worth thinking about in Canada. We are in danger of being sucked into the vortex of US legislation (like the DMCA) unless we speak up.

This issue is worth following and paying attention to what Geist has to say is a good way to do that.
(Via Boing Boing.)

Via Boing Boing comes this delightful video…

John Cleese visits Laughing Club in India: “

Actor John Cleese went to India to visit a doctor who has started a laughing club. The people meet each morning and do silly things to make each other laugh. Laughter has many health benefits, says the doctor. I believe it.Previously on Boing Boing:
• Laughter yoga
• Laughing yogi video (Via Boing Boing.)

Update to my post below about Victoria sailor Glenn Wakefield. Looks like the damage to his boat was more severe than first thought…this was posted to the blog this afternoon by his wife, MaryLou:

Day 218 Sunday April 27, 2008 47.38S 49.41 W (05:00 PDT)
I spoke with Glenn at 05:00 on board the Argentina naval vessel Puerto Deseado. The vessel was dispatched to assist Glenn through a request from the Patagonian net of ham radio operators and a number of other sailing and fishing vessels in the area. Glenn has been seen by the physician on board and has been treated for injuries and is feeling well. He described in more detail the extent of the damage to Kim Chow including severely damaged self steering, inoperable engine and discharged batteries. In addition, Kim Chow was starting to take on water through the damaged hatches and companionway. After carefully considering the options Glenn felt he could not safely round Cape Horn and has made a very personal and difficult decision, and the only logical one under the circumstances, which is to end his circumnavigation. His decision was greatly influenced by the love for his family back home and he reassured us he is doing well. Glenn will be transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and taken to a port in Argentina and from there to Buenos Aires and home. The fate of Kim Chow is uncertain at this point. The Navy are considering the options. Words alone can’t express his deep appreciation for the bravery and kindness of the captain and crew who stood by for 48 hours until weather and sea conditions would permit his safe transfer to their vessel. Glenn sends his heartfelt thanks to all those who played a part in seeing him safely through this difficult time. We will post further updates when available.

It’s a less than satisfactory ending to Glenn’s adventure, but you’ve got to be thankful that he’s still in good shape. I’m looking forward to his return to Victoria. He deserves a tremendous homecoming.

Technorati Tags:
Glenn Wakefield, Kim Chow

Seth Godin has an update on that old staple that the customer is always right.

In his blog, he writes about an experience he had as a customer after he complained about some bad service. And that leads to a thoughtful piece on how customers should be treated.

This is good advice for anyone who deals with clients or customers in their daily life (and who doesn’t, in some way?)

Link

It’s Earth Day, so this seems like a good time to point you towards an interesting site that my brother-in-law, Darryl, sent along to me.

It’s called The story of stuff with Annie Leonard. It’s a 20 minute video, hosted by Annie, who takes us through the history of stuff — extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal and ends up at “Another Way.”

I don’t know much more about it, but it looks interesting. And since this is Earth Day, maybe it’s worth spending 20 minutes to find out a bit more about how all our modern stuff gets made and distributed.

Enjoy.