A Few Quiet Yarns - AFQY

25/02/2023

DUNEDIN TECH, WE ARE ON!
NZ Hi-Tech Awards are hosting an Hi-Tech Networking Event April 4th, 4pm to 6pm.

All of the Dunedin Tech Community is invited, so save the date details just being "sent to production".

A super-techie venue is just being finalized, along with an after party (its Tuesday night but what the heck, I'll be going out for 'dinner' afterwards)

I asked David Downs, Bob Pinchin and Ian Taylor if we could add Dunedin to the Announcement Event Roadshow - and as it happens there is an April 4th NZ Hi-Tech Trust Board Meeting in Dunedin.

So it was a no brainer for them to say yes, even though technically our event will be after entries close - it is purely about getting the Tech Community together - so come on Dunedin, let's get together and celebrate, "just quietly" ;-)

Our most recent award winner was Ryan Baker with Timely a few years ago and it's time we did the most "un-Dunedin" thing - that's talk about what we have achieved and enter the awards!

Note, the entries close on March 13th which is before this Dunedin event so Dunedin, get cracking if you haven't entered already: https://lnkd.in/gGNjhQe7

While I am learning ALL the Dunedin Tech Companies I'll rely on the community to tag in a mate or company in the comments - tickets will be released shortly, spread the word and save the date please let's get everyone along?



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Disclaimer: No actors or Hi Tech Board members were harmed in the recording of this video - but we did have some fun ;-)

10/07/2022

I found the Moneytree and... it's not growing any money.

Please stop asking me for free work, I can't afford to waste more time meeting with people who think I have a money tree and live off magic beans.

You be surprised how many people start a commercial discussion, then get surprised when I say, "I'll pop the proposal through" and they say, "Ahh ok, see, umm, err, well..."

And I know what's coming and I can hear they don't even believe what they are saying, but they do...

"I thought your network would appreciate it" ~ yes the might, just like the Herald readers or TVNZ viewers or... any business customers...

Does anyone else do work for free to enable others to make money?

No... I didn't think so...

NOTE: none of you following AFQY page are guilty of this, I shared as a bit of a laugh, out of frustration.

27/06/2022

Smiles for miles...

These are the - a bit of a tradition, as people say goodbye, our Founder and host Ryan Ashton snaps a leaving selfie...

Checkout the smiles, they tell a story of fun, laughter and good times, all made possible by the connection made, from out 'meet the person' approach to networking where you get to know the person first, to enable great work discussions to follow...

See you this Thursday, buy your tickets to join us!

17/04/2022

Here is our version of FAIR FOOD PRICES with Ernie Newman of TUANZ and Telco regulation fame - working to look at whats happening here in the food market,.

Do you think the price of food is high? The NZ Commerce Commission recently ruled that things needed to be looked at, but no major split of the two major grocery suppliers was required. What do you think, is NZ sitting at an empty table? The cost of food has become questioned in some cases and is ce...

20/02/2022

Grandma was a bit of a pioneer, she loved her motorbike as you can see in the photo, but at the time society did not allow women to ride motorbikes, or wear trousers.

Pretty outrageous right, Women couldn't ride motorbikes or wear trousers!?

One of Grandma's stories was about the day she rode into town to get supplies and the Town Mayor came out of his office and stopped her.

"Mrs Ashton, you can't wear trousers, your a woman!" he explained.

"If thats all that upsets you, you probably didnt see me ride in on my motorbike, and if you want to come work the farm in 7 petticoats and a dress, you know where to go, and yes I'm a woman and currently you're blocking my path to shopping so I warn you to get out of my way!"

I was 19 and she was 90 when she told me.

I raise this story as part of my inspiration for Gender Equality with the upcoming International Women's Day 2022.

Why are we still talking about this, why hasn't it been achieved, why are we so easy on status quo?

What can we do?


Join us at AFQY - A Few Quiet Yarns women event on March 8th 10am online - link in the comments.

20/02/2022

"I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR, in numbers to big to ignore"
~ the opening line of Helen Reddy's 1971 hit song and we are still today in 2022, and we will continue too until the status quo is an acceptable equality.

March 8th for International Women's day, we have an online event with eight amazing women; 4 speakers sharing their stories to empower women and men alike, supported by 4 sponsors business lead by women who will join us for a panel discussion.

We invite all women and all men alike to join us in celebrating where we have come since 1971, and to inspect where we have yet to go to achieve equality.

Check out our amazing speakers:
Halaevalu Tuipulotu, Kheila Webster, Kato'one Kaho and Joanne (Jo) Fair who will each share their story providing a range of perspectives across a spectrum from Student to CEO.

We will have group discussion, and breakout rooms along with a panel discussion including our Partner - organisations lead by women who support equality.

Part of this story is that you'll see two competitors normally not found supporting the same initiative, collaborating for this cause and I think that is really special and worth highlighting as part of this shift in culture.

Please grab a FREE ticket, supported by our Partners
Jolie Hodson (she/her) & Spark New Zealand
Lindsay Zwart & Vodafone New Zealand
Kate Tulp & ServiceNow
Misti Landtroop & Palo Alto Networks

We'd like to invite everyone to celebrate International Women's Day 2022 with our eight amazing speakers and all attendees and thank you to an all-woman team of sponsors, who made this possible! This years theme is hence our speakers who will be sharing their stories, will share challe...

15/02/2022

My first post in 2007 was, "This is my first post, I wonder who will see it and if anyone will leave a comment?"

If you like 90% of my clients over the past 10 years say "I don't know what to write" or "I don't know where to start?", then you are not alone and we all have start somewhere and progress to a higher level of achievement with practice.

So 14 years later, I am really excited to launch my LinkedIn Training Campaign (not my first training, just my first official campaign) with the first of a campaign series of simple lessons, with a detailed story behind it in the article.

Over the years I've seen my fair share of evolution of the platform and maturity of use and the organic practices I teach are more and more supported by some tools but you can not beat a really good personal story as a post.

As only you know your stories and people build trust through transparency, which you achieve by sharing your work stories and personal stories that show them how you could help them.

Sharing your genuine and authentic stories is how to attract engagement which leads to building an audience which becomes a self perpetuating circle of growth - whatever your purpose being or as a thought Leader.

So if you'd like to have conversation about training options for you as an individual or your team, then drop me a note through Linkedin or the website and lets see if I can help you achieve your objectives.

"Never Sell, only story tell" is our mantra to organic post writing where we encourage you to share your capabilities in your posts through the art of emotional story telling

06/02/2022

Digital Twins have become popular and as the market matures there is a lot to learn to understand how best to harness the value for your business.

Watching the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics you'll see the use of and thus is such a good example as it brings together a Twin of Twins... let me explain.

There are two key types of Digital Twins:
1. 3d virtual model of a physical asset (Like the Bob Sled facility and the racer)

2. Process model - Covid has driven Supply Chain Digital Twins which don't use 3d model but rather map process and attach data
(The actual Bob Sled line and speed, technique)

Trust me there are many more moving parts that can be attached to those basic definitions, well see them pop up in comments based on who has worked with what.

One of the things we see here is Simulation - and this is where Digital Twins originated with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration who simulated an addition to the space station in a virtual or game like environment.

Here is NZ the walkway between Sky City and their new Convention Center was simulated and reduced from 5 days to 2 days.

Supply Chains are equally set up as a process, with related data with simulation as to the risk and impact of a disruption at any point ; ie the mill is down and no wood can be pulled to Toilet Paper... we do supplies on the shelves run out?

Again, there are so many components, variables, fidelities, Twins that it can be mind boggling to build a complete understanding to be able to pinpoint where value to your org...
..more on Digital Twins soon!

10/12/2021

The organisational shift into remote work has meant employees get to enjoy working from the comfort of their kitchens countertops, beds, and backyards. But is Big Brother watching?

One of the benefits of offices meant employers and managers could observe staff doing work. The impacts of the pandemic meant companies had to find alternatives for remotely monitoring their employees. In January 2021, one in five companies were using surveillance software for this purpose, some without their employees' knowledge or consent.

“For instance, US-based Hubstaff, which develops and markets employee time-tracking software, boasted a three-fold increase in the company’s New Zealand sales of its worker surveillance software during just the first month of the recent lockdown” - Dr Stephen Blumenfeld, Assoc Professor Val Hooper and Professor Gordon Anderson, Victoria University of Wellington.

Some evidence shows that monitoring employees computers doesn’t promote productivity, and can even increase destructive behaviour. Trust plays a big part in maintaining this increased productivity, so maybe let’s leave the spyware alone?

As remote working has become more common, sales of monitoring technology have boomed. But using surveillance tools carries a cost.

08/12/2021

“Most bad IT advice is dispensed innocently. That’s because a misleading suggestion, like a lie, tends to become accepted truth when it’s repeated often enough by enough people.”

From suggestions on new technology services to sourcing talent, take this free advice with a grain of salt. This is why AFQY events enable peer to peer networking and sharing, so you as a CIO can discuss and debate your experiences openly.

Everybody has an opinion. The problem is, some opinions simply aren’t worth listening to.

06/12/2021

It isn’t enough to connect strategy and HR teams if you want to master the connection between strategy and culture.

The connection needs to be embedded in the management systems and allocation of resources. 🪢

Business leaders often are tempted to focus on strategy over culture. But the strongest companies take four key actions that deliver the best of both.