The family unit is indeed the core unit of society, there have been cries out in the news media over these last few days, where are the parents of these youth? And this is a good question, but it could have a worrying answer. Are these children disenfranchised from not only society but also their family? The worry is that they have no sense of belonging anywhere but with their peers. At present that means being involved in a bit of fun on the streets. Each one of the people, whether old or young belong to a family unit of some description, that unit may not conform to traditional image of the family but they will be a family nonetheless. What are we doing as a society to make sure that our family units are not crushed under the weight of external pressures? If The evidence lies across the streets of Tottenham, Croydon, Brixton, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Salford, Bristol & other areas, then the answer is not enough. Do families get enough time to build their relationships? Is our society demonstrating to our children that what is important is what phone, car, house, tv, gadget, clothing, possessions you have, rather than the relationships you cultivate. It would appear that the driver for all this trouble at the moment is not politically or ideologically motivated but is motivated by greed and the desire to accumulate possessions bupy any means necessary.

I am still of the opinion that the trouble we see in England at the moment is as the result of a few and that these few do not represent the majority. The reports yesterday of social media being used by good mannered, responsible individuals to organise bands of people, again young people to facilitate the clean up in parts of London is evidence for me to back up this opinion.
But perhaps the silenced majority need to make more of a noise and stand up and say enough now, now we must safeguard the values that bind a society, the values that are seeded & cultivated in homes (not houses) up and down the country.

Steps down of his virtual soapbox and gets of the train……

There is however one place that I have returned to every year since I took up a late minute space on a diving weekend in October in 2004 and it is the one place where I have found that it is possible to combine a successful family holiday & enjoy a traditionally non-family sport.

As a family we started visiting Porthkerris Dive Centre on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall in May 2006 and there have been a number of changes over the years. Back then we pitched our tents on the hard gravel area that is now the BBQ area, having to secure our huge tent in gale winds with large redundant telegraph poles. Since then our tent has grown as has the family and we have moved from the hard gravel area to the newer shore dive camping ground, finally with the acquisition of our trailer tent onto the hard-stand electric hook up camping pitches closer to the dive centre & amenities.

Last year the portacabin office was replaced by the purpose built dive centre shop and lecture room making a huge difference to the look & feel of the beach area. This year the butty wagon has been replaced with a beach cafe open every day and the toilet & shower block has undergone some cosmetic yet useful improvements. Coming up in the next few years though are some major accommodation & dive centre improvements including training pool & self-catered diver accommodation that Mike & Jo took me for a tour around as the building takes shape. I can’t wait to see the finished outcome and make use of the facilities, we may even be tempted to leave the tent behind.

Over those same years the hard boat diving has also undergone some improvements. When I first dived off the Celtic Cat in 2004, I was diving with a single 12 litre cylinder & wetsuit, therefore it wasn’t so critical to me that I had to climb a ladder to get back into the boat or indeed that there were no kitting up benches on the boat.
I have since moved to diving with twinsets, stages & thankfully for UK diving a drysuit, mercifully it wasn’t too long before the Cat gained the daddy of all lifts, a two diver lift between the twin hulls and also the welcome addition of kitting up benches throughout the dive deck.

The rib also got a backbone aswell as the Celtic Kitten was introduced to the diving fleet. A hard boat shuttle with a loading ramp reminiscent of a mini beach landing craft. The rib is still there and means that a huge diving group like those we have been part of over the last few years (as many as 52 divers over 4 days) can all get a boat dive of one form or another on a dive trip.

So over the years we have been visiting, the dive centre has changed a little bit at a time, but why is it that as we pull away from the beach up that steep incline when I ask the children do you want to come back next year? The unequivocal response from the back seats is YES….

All of the improvements to the diving over the years are great for me and other divers but the kids love the beach, the sea, the rocks, the freedom…. and that is the beauty of Porthkerris Diving for us as a family. I haven’t even mentioned the actual diving locations, such as the manacles or the plethora of wrecks, or the beautiful house reef, drawna nor have I mentioned the friends we have made in returning year after year.

So it is possible I can enjoy going diving but not have to sacrifice precious holiday time with my family.

This weekend we came back from our 6th family trip to the beach at Porthkerris, as we pulled away from the single track farm road that leads up from the beach, I asked the children, so do you want to come back next year…… Guess what the answer was…….

See you on pitch number 1, the one behind the dive centre, one week in July 2012……

www.porthkerris.com or visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/porthkerris

I have a first generation iPod touch and attached to my mi-fi dongle it gives me the mobility but somehow it is not the same.

How I miss the push email alerts from the Profimail app on the N97 or the polling of tweets via the outstanding Gravity twitter app for symbian phones.

On the first generation iPod touch without multi-tasking (this was introduced in IOS 4.0 which is not available on the 1st Gen touch) twitter just isn’t the same experience.

So this is the opportunity to look at a new phone.

The important question Android or Apple IOS

I like the look of the new SonyEricsson Xperia ARC, pictured on the right, having had a look at one of the test models here in our building, it looks stunning and has a decent sized screen for touchscreen use.  I haven’t had the opportunity to use it in earnest yet but from the limited demo I saw  the screen quality is evident (possibly due to the Bravia Engine) and the processor speed light years ahead of the N97.

I have loved having my N97, it has been fantastic as a mobile computing device, but things really have moved on…

Speaking of moving on,  had a play with my first 3D smartphone today…

I noted that which was conspicuous by it’s absence in the segment I listened too, was there was no mention of celebrating women and womenhood through the international women’s day. The exchange of views centred purely on equal work conditions and opportunities, I hasten to add an important and necessary debate. My personal view is that the best person for the job should be employed regardless of sex, colour or whether they are friends with the boss.

However my point is that during the conversation the argument for having a womens day didn’t include celebrating women and the marvellous, incredible roles women play in our society.

This is not meant at all to read in a patronising manner as a man saying “oh let women have a special day”. If anyone reading does believe that to be my intention then I apologise as this is due to my inability to express myself sufficiently in print.

Despite the song this is not a man’s world, it is a world that needs man & woman working together.

There are many challenges in life and I am particulary grateful for the women in my life who have and continue to influence me. I am appreciative of the different insight and perspective that they give me.

At the end of last month, I addressed women of the church I belong to in a evening devotional, celebrating the influence women have in this world.  I spoke on the enduring legacy of good that women do in this world particularly through organisations such as the Relief Society, one of the largest & longest running women’s organisations in the world. 

So I would suggest yes, international womens day is worth having in the UK, it is not just about securing equal rights and opportunities in the workplace, education and society but actually about celebrating the irreplaceable, non-substitutable role of women.

The devotional was entitled Let there be light, in part a reference to the job I do, involved in optical networking. It is the harnessing of light or the properties of light that carries the Internet. I wanted to build on this theme using another conetation of light namely it being the opposite of darkness or put another way light meaning good & darkness, evil or bad.
My intention of the devotional or fireside discussion was to highlight some of the dangers or evils that exist on the Internet, include some ways to avoid these evils and to provide examples of how the Internet & social media can be used to benefit individuals & families.

With this also came a warning against idling away ones time in the virtual world at the expense of the real world.
I see this as one of the great threats to our ability to interact with each other & to society being equipped with well-rounded, well adjusted people.

I noted with interest that a new app is making it’s way around my friends & contacts on facebook this week as status updates appear recording ” so & so spent x000 hours logged into facebook in 2010″ it then prompts the invite check how long you were logged in last year.
Facebook, Twitter, blogging, myspace, YouTube, second life, Quora, linked-in, digg, world of warcraft ….The list goes on of all the many different social media tools & interactions that exist on the web & mobile devices.
The real danger of spending hundreds of hours a month on “social” sites is that they become an oxymoron & the social interaction in reality is lost.
I am deeply saddened when I hear of fledging marriages hitting rocky times because part of the problem is that both partners are not investing time in the relationship but are looking elsewhere for seemingly innocent, no harm fun & distractions on the web.

It has been an eye-opening experience as I prepared material for this fireside discussion. I have re-evaluated my own use of technology and it’s position within our family.

Now how ironic that one way to help spread awareness of this is to post it on the Internet and with this blog post and a microsite created specifically to share some of the material I used for the fireside I have done just that (see firesides.markgilmour.com )
This highlights that the technology is not in and of itself neither good nor bad but it is how we use it. All this connectivity can be for the benefit or otherwise of ourselves, family, friends and those we interact with.
It is all about balance and seeking to use this for decent purposes Technology for Good as one well known telecoms vendor who pay my wages have coined as a phrase.

So happy browsing, blogging, facebooking, twittering, etc but don’t forget to switch the device you are viewing this with, off every once in a while and go and speak to someone. You may find something out about them or yourself that you couldn’t have picked up in a status update.

Family life.
The effect on the family is the ability to move around safely for things such as school for the children, purchasing of food etc and heating in the home.
Conditions such as those experienced in the last two weeks highlight the providence of good preparation & planning ahead of time. The motto of a “stich in time saves nine” and the idea of being self-reliant are important pragmatic principles in such times. Having an adequate food storage or larder stocked with food can help alleviate the need to have to journey out when the weather closes in.

The need to heat the home is also important for basic survival and if one can have a back up way of generating heat then all the better. It is almost inevitable that the boiler will break as soon as the temperature drops! Oil filled raditors, calor gas heaters are useful to have around the house to provide back up if necessary.
Now if you were going the whole hog how about a little generator to provide electricity should the mains fail. Unfortunately we haven’t got to that level of preparedness yet but it is possible and I am sure there are those who do have the ability at home.

Employment.
I am fortunate and blessed that I work in an environment that enables me to have a virtual office. Through secure VPNs, the Internet, voice telecoms, mobile networks and video conferencing I can take my office wherever there is connectivity to the internet. With advances in mobile data speeds through 3G mobile networks and enhanced coverage access is more readily available. When the weather closes in though all of this technology allows me to set up my computer and work from home, so long as there is electricity and I have the will power and discipline to do so.

So work can go on and in my case with this recent weather, even increase in productivity as the normal distractions in the office environment such as people approaching one’s desk and endless, all encompassing meetings seem to dwindle. It appears that because one is not physically there then sometimes problems that another came to see you about no longer seem that important and one is left to continue the work that is important to oneself.

Church Life

The final area for me affected by the weather is my responsibilty in the church.
My role neccesitates a number of meetings and interviews and some of these may have to fall by the wayside when travel becomes difficult. I have found though that a lot of this work can also continue by the use of web, telephone & video conferencing. I have even tried my hand at webcasting during this cold spell.

In much the same way as work life can continue then also can the work of the church.  It may require some adaption though as this technological solution does not replace the need and desire to meet often to uplift, edify & instruct one another. There is a warm edifying feeling that comes from meeting face to face and enjoying human interaction. This is an important and vital part of ministering to people that is so necessary when dealing with spiritual and emotion needs of individuals which is a lot of what religious worship caters for.  What the technology allows is for the administering of the church to continue so that the precious time that is available for ministering is not consumed with the necessary administration.

“Technology won’t make people interact.

It only gives them a forum to do that.

If you want people to use technology to collaborate,

let them get to know each other first.”

– Maridan Clements

This page is accessed by the clicking here

MG

Are you familiar with acronym of SMART goals.  I thought I was until last week when I was told that SMART goals are not Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time Dependant anymore.  No no, for projects where it is commonly known that the goals are not achievable or at all realistic (and I am sure that many have been confronted with projects that fall into this category), then the A & R of the acronym may be substituted for two other words and your goals can still be SMART. 

Achievable becomes Agreed

Realistic becomes Relevant.

Accordingly then it is possible to set completely unrealistic and unachievable goals and they still be SMART and conform to a standard but to what end.  Typically goals are set in order to drive better performance, but if the goal is unobtainable from the start regardless on whether it is agreed or relevant, how does that bring about improved performance.   This may infact have the completely opposite effect and deliver  poor performance overall, especially if corners are cut elsewhere to drive towards the measured target.

More appropriately perhaps is that there is some mention in the acronym of the ability to actually deliver, whether that is defined as achievable or realistic it doesn’t matter but to suggest that no credance at all is paid to what can actually be achieved is misdirected and de-motivating. 

When a goal is seen as achievable no matter how stretching, then it can be a driver towards improved performance, especially if that high level goal is broken down in smaller, more managable pieces.  These act as a motivating tool in and of themselves and as stepping stones towards achieving the at one-time seemingly impossible.

So my thought is, if one feels it necessary to mess around with acronym, go ahead but at least leave one of those statements that help it be defined as possible.  Better still, rather than re-arrange the deckchairs on the titanic, look at the direction the ship is travelling and make sure it isn’t heading for an iceberg.

I posted this tweet to illustrate the efforts that the two main organisations I am involved with; namely my employer Ericsson and the Church I attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; are going to, to assist in the relief effort in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. 

It fills me with admiration for both these organisations that both are participating in some degree to help. Perhaps it is expected of a Church to be involved in relief efforts and I am glad the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints lives up to that expectation.  I am not sure if the same expectation exists for a multinational telecom vendor such as Ericsson.  However I am happy that such a company exceeds or even creates a different sort of expectation by providing relief services in the area it excells in. 

So I thought it would be worthwhile to post a few extra links to direct those who read this blog to the work that Ericsson and The LDS Church are doing alongside the many, many, many other organisations and relief agencies and volunteers that are working in Haiti and other places around the world.  There will be many unreported stories of selfless acts of service that take place as a result of this natural disaster, I think it is well worth publicising those that are reported.

Should you be looking for a way to donate funds to the relief effort it is possible by the first of the two links below. Members and visitors to the Church can also do so by the normal donation slips found in LDS buildings.  Fill out the Humanitarian Aid section on the slip.

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/

http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corporate_responsibility/ericssonresponse/index.shtml

Thoughts and prayers are with those in Haiti, both the Haitians effected and those working to provide relief.  Just this evening we learned how a survivor has been pulled from the rubble, 11 days after the quake, if there are more people alive in the rubble I pray they will be found and brought out alive.