2017 year in review

Big Fat Quiz Of The Year’s David Mitchell described 2017 as “personally adequate, internationally disastrous.” It’s an apt summation of a year in which I enjoyed personal successes and amazing experiences, set against a backdrop of global chaos and calamity.

La Spezia, Italy (in winter)

Most of the Italian riviera shuts down over winter. Ferry services seize, attractions and restaurants shutter, and most of the stores only open for a few hours each day. La

Why do companies still advertise us to death?

The volume of advertising we consume on a daily basis is overwhelming, so many of us believe we’ve developed an immunity to advertising’s persuasive powers.

Can a new Australian retail eCommerce business compete?

I’ve been investigating the feasibility of a launching new online retail operation for a couple of weeks. This is primarily for a client who’s attempting to move their established wholesale business into the consumer market.

Québec City, Canada

There’s an unsettling and out-of-place feel about Québec City. The architecture is decidedly European, as is the local language, the food, and the vibe. A person dropped unconscious into Québec

Central Park, New York

Wiktionary’s definition of “concrete jungle” reads like a checklist of adjectives one would use to describe New York City. The cityscape harsh, unattractive, conspicuously devoid of greenery, and denser than

Salzburg Old Town, Austria

Arguably best known as the setting for The Sound of Music, the city of Salzburg’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site internationally renowned for its architecture and picturesque surrounds.

Lerici, Italy

Lerici is a town in northern Italy on the Italian Riviera. The town is home to roughly ten thousand people; a number that rises considerably in the summer months as holidaymakers fill the hotels, restaurants and beach.