Email and My Kids

It's interesting to consider how the little things in our lives change and specifically, how digital information can impact that change.

I'm sure I have a ton of drawings done by my 11 year old daughter, Kaia, during the course of her continuing childhood. Same goes for my 9 year old son, Ethan. Two and a half year old Miko is also starting to create her own archive.

However, I'm not really sure which is the FIRST piece of work they did. Which one actually started them off so when it was complete, the feeling of accomplishing something suddenly became a part of their personas? Same goes for written letters and stories. I might have the first story Kaia wrote but I don't think I necessarily have it labeled as her first story. This is probably because it followed fragments of previous scribblings.

I set Ethan up with an email account this week and sent him a test email to which he replied to immediately. Although he's been using the Internet for a few years, he seemed elated to be given some sort of legitimate online identity, quite different from the alias' he might use elsewhere.

Here's Ethan's response to my test email to him:

"hi daddy thanks soooooo much for mail well i love you bye"

This is Ethan's first ever email. His first ever digital communiqué from the real him to someone else and I was the lucky recipient. When I think about how many other email exchanges he'll probably have in his lifetime, the inflated significance of this in my head might be lessened. In the meantime, though, I'll bask in it. I could just be doting Dad over this but I do think it's pretty cool.

I thought back to Kaia's first email as well and went looking through my archived folders. The earliest trace of digital communications from Kaia came on 18 December, 2006 at 3:15 p.m. which was, interestingly enough, her 10th birthday. Kaia's message?

"im bored"

If my children's first dabble with email is any indication of what I'll be facing with them in their teen years, Kaia still has the tendency to scare the living shit out of me.

Wanted : Vorovoro Project Director

Tribewanted, an Oceanic client, is advertising for a project director on Vorovoro for year 3.
The role involves:

- To lead the project on Vorovoro alongside the team, chiefs and tribe members
- To manage budgets and accounts for Vorovoro
- To manage marketing and sales for Vorovoro in Fiji

It would definitely be a great thing to find a Fijian national to run the project this year. Certainly plenty of people who have tourism experience in the country and looking for work so if this is up your alley or if you have any friends/acquaintances who may be interested, let them know.

The full project director job description is available.

There are few ongoing projects now which are as interesting and unique as Tribewanted. We'll also be seeing the "Paradise or Bust" BBC series filmed on the island soon in Fiji. Will definitely gain a lot of attention then.

Digital Talanoa : The Talanoa of Hitting REPLY

[NOTE: This version differs a bit from the version that appeared in the FijiTimes print edition. I had made some changes but apparently missed the deadline.]

I’m feeling pretty certain there’s a general misunderstanding going on locally when it comes to using the Internet for business communications. Too many organisations seem to be under the impression that just having a website will immediately catapult themselves into a futuristic vortex where “business will never be the same”, customers will love everything they do and world peace can be achieved with nothing more than the click of a mouse. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s not going to happen.

The Consumer Council of Fiji launched their own new website this week (www.consumersfiji.org) and for the first time, the general public has access to a method for filing consumer complaints online. That’s certainly something of value and a welcome addition to Fiji’s online presence for anyone that has ever felt ripped off by a business. The section for filing consumer complaints is extremely useful. They even have pre-filled categories for the local companies people love to hate most. That can be useful for the real repetitive complainers.

A Rise in Inflammatory and Sensationalist Headlines

Now before I write anything here, I need to make it clear that I'm a fan of the Fiji Times and the job their reporters do. They are generally the most balanced and well-written newspaper in the country. There have been plenty of times, however, where I've questioned the way information is reported, especially as of late. Rest assured, though, the Fiji Times does not have a monopoly over questionable reporting standards and rarely do I think they really cross the line. That award has been going to Fiji TV for years and will probably continue to do so.

Today's Fiji Times deserves at least some mention, though. It's like we had a guest headline writer visiting us from FOX News today.

The recent deportation/eviction/kicking-out of their publisher notwithstanding, I had to grimace when seeing this headline today. I will not oversimplify the significance in the rise in crime in Fiji but this particular front page seemed to put way too much weight onto it and communicated something that, although unfortunate, does not deserve this kind of treatment.

Digital Talanoa : How to Tame the Pain of the Brain Drain

I enjoy driving very much. After 5 1/2 years, I’ve criss-crossed the country on the Queen’s Highway countless times. Driving relaxes me and when I’m behind the wheel, I can think clearly and often come up with good ideas. My only real problem is remembering the idea by the time I arrive at my destination. If I start my trip in Nadi with a problem on my mind, I’ll usually have a workable solution by the time I pass Sigatoka. The solution will often be considered useless by the time I hit the Warwick Resort and then revived again by Pac Harbour. Plenty of time to think on that road, after all.

After a recent trip to the Yasawas, I found myself in Nadi after sunset and I needed to be back in Suva that evening. I have never done the night drive on the Queen’s Highway. I’ve heard too many stories of livestock sleeping in the road and massive nighttime-potholes opening up to swallow unsuspecting cars to be comfortable making the trek. On this evening, however, I had little choice so I buckled my kids into the back seat, pulled out onto the rain-slicked road in Nadi and started back to Suva.

Mailife : "The Adventures of Rockin Beauty and 8342214"

My daughter, Kaia, is 11 years old. The other day while walking by her room, I overheard her talking on the phone about one of the online games she plays. Kaia said something along the lines of “I’ll see you on Rooney, level twenty by the agility training area in the tree gnome stronghold.” Or something like that.

WTF? It’s not so much what was said as much as was the seriousness with which it was said.

There’s an entirely different language being used now by my kids and as my 40th birthday approaches, the reminders are everywhere and becoming more frequent. It’s quite possible the readers of MaiLife are a bit younger than I am. If that’s the case, good for you. It won’t last. At some point, there’s the highest likelihood you’ll be taking some interest in where the heck the agility training area in the tree gnome stronghold is when your kids are talking about it.

Radio Australia interview

"In the Loop", a Radio Australia broadcast spoke to me this week about ICT topics in Fiji and the Pacific. They were specifically interested in call center businesses and some of the challenges faced by Fiji trying to encourage the industry.

Listen to the show : A High-Tech Pacific Vision [MP3 file / 12mb / about 12 min.]

[UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: Link is fixed now. Thanks for alerting me to it.]