Consumer superheroes wage war on words

By Tim Richardson

Those caped consumer crusaders over at Which? have called for banks to slash the number of words in their T&Cs. With some small print running at more than 30,000 words, you can see why. Those superheroes at Which? want banks to ‘biff’ wordcount, ‘kappow’ jargon and ‘zap’ the small print.

Here at Fides Media, we couldn’t agree more.

Long, complex, airless copy doesn’t deserve to be read. And in truth, it rarely is. In today’s world, if you want to be read, keep it short and sweet. Think of the reader – not the ego of the writer. And above all…

Well, maybe another day.

Talking of superheroes, the new series of The Big Bang Theory is Ab Fab. All the nerdy tensions between the characters still exist. And the switch between geek-speak and some notion of normality is just a delight. And the secret of its success? Great actors. Great characters. Brilliant writing. Bazinga!

Guide Dogs week

A few weeks ago “Guide Dogs Week” was marked by various fundraising events going on across the UK.  

The theme of the week was ‘Walk my Way’ and I was there to do some filming for a short video all about the campaign.

I went to London’s Euston station where I filmed many of the commuters saying hello to the very cute guide dog puppies in training. The purpose was to give the commuters the feeling of what it is like to be without your sight. It was nice to see people giving up their lunch break to have a go at understanding what it is like to be blind and walking around the station something they would do without thinking on a day-to-day basis.

When I was happy with the amount of footage I had collected at the station I began to pack up and say my goodbyes. When I was asked, “Would you like a go?” I stood there for a second contemplating this. I then agreed to have someone take away my sight for 10 minutes as I was guided through the many busy commuters going through the station.

The only way I can describe this feeling is one of panic at first, I thought I was going to walk straight into a lamppost! And if you know Euston at all you will know there aren’t any. But as I continued to walk round the station I found that my other senses were becoming tuned to my surroundings, I could tell when we were outside and when we went into the station. If you get this opportunity it is something that you should try.

I then travelled to film another Guide Dogs Week event at Chepstow Quarry, home to what’s claimed to be one of the longest zip wires in the UK.

I chatted with a couple of gents who are blind and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience without any fear whatsoever. But there was more than a little wobble in my stomach as I leapt off.  However, I just hung there enjoying the view and recording it all on my camera. But the problem was I was facing the wrong way and couldn’t spin round so all you see is where I have been and not what was a fantastic view. Here is the view I experienced.

I have really enjoyed this week, learning a great deal about the work of the Guide Dogs charity and the brilliant work it does.

Forget the technology I want to get off

By Peter Muller

With my last mobile phone upgrade I received a small TV set for free. Plugging the telly in at home I began to think how much longer before we can buy one super computer - assuming we can afford it - from an online 'technology shop' that will work every electrical appliance at home. It's not as improbable as you may think as futurologists have long predicted a connected future for us all. If and when the time comes then count me out.

Shame about the internet fridge. Launched in the dot.com bubble of the 1990s, it was announced as the future – a fridge that could connect to the web, tell you when the milk was low, perhaps even order you some more. It was a total flop.

In fact, it was such a failure it became the butt of many a technology expert's joke. No surprise there.

Today's technology is brilliant with the web, mobility, ipads, satnavs and smartphones  an indispensable part of our lives. So would we benefit from the clever technology futurologists are predicting?  Not as much as what's on offer today, I'd say. Much of what's coming up has potential to stop us getting out of our armchairs and thinking for ourselves.

The experts are saying we can expect the technology to monitor energy usage and manage other systems such as water, lighting, heating and home security.

It will know when to switch on the garden sprinklers or harvest rainwater. It will activate alarms, alert emergency services and guide you to safety.

It will monitor your diet, check your health and remind you to take your medicine. It will monitor your transport: prompt you to get petrol, put your electric car on charge or advise you to take the bike – having checked the weather.

It will even feed your cat - and yes, our fridge will know when the milk is getting low and order some more.

Of course, none of these systems will beyond our control – no doubt there will be an assortment of override buttons. But let's face it appliances will, in effect, know our homes better than we do!  

Our home will be seamlessly connected saving us time, energy and money. We will live our lives smarter, healthier and safer. Well I've done okay so far without it and reckon I'll do so in future – and I'll be better off financially too.

Right. Time to put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

Cold-hearted treatment leaves a nasty taste

By Michael Wadley

My friend Mara Thorne (who happens to be a HR specialist) published this story recently. It’s all about the ordeal endured by Ms Crisp, an employee with a mental health condition, at the hands of the food company Iceland.

In essence, Iceland harassed Ms Crisp because of her condition. That was the finding of the industrial tribunal (you can read Personnel Today’s report of the tribunal outcomes here).

The harassment included one or two senior managers from the firm actually mocking her condition.

What’s more, it looks to me as if the company’s HR processes and procedures were as loose as a clown’s pocket – unforgivable for such a mature business and brand.

Interestingly, the tribunal made it clear that they expect senior managers in the company to attend disability awareness training with a focus on mental health issues.

Good. Chop chop you lot I say. And turn your mobiles off while you’re there.

What disturbed me most about this case was the bit about the area manager and the HR contact leaving that spiteful voicemail - albeit accidentally.

It would be all too easy to suggest that they could do with ‘training on how to use office telephones’ or ‘lessons on when to stay schtum”.

Because having such a profoundly dismal attitude in the first place is the true problem in need of a remedy. Let’s hope the training, and the painful publicity generated, is sufficient to change some attitudes.

Ok that’s enough moral high-ground ranting from me. But what a dreadful, dreadful story.