Author Archives: Robyn

by | November 25, 2008 · 3:18 pm

Today is white ribbon day.

Around 2.30 pm on Stuff home page.

Govt hired PI to watch rugby on TV
A Government ministry hired a private detective to watch World Cup rugby final matches on television to see if advertising was run in the programme, a court has heard.

‘Hideous’ abuse exposed as child killer jailed
The mother of a murdered South Auckland infant wailed as the “hideousness” of their baby’s killer was exposed at the High Court in Auckland this morning.
Audio Presentation. Mother’s anguish after daughter killed
Article. White Ribbon – in defiance of violence

Teen lay on the road after death drive
A teenage driver tried to get himself run over as a woman lay dying under the van that he flipped on the Pahiatua Track, a court heard.

Bondage dungeon owner sentenced
A Christchurch man who cut scar patterns into teenage girls in a purpose-built suburban bondage dungeon has been sentenced to nine months home detention.

Editors’ Picks
- Most Viewed
- Disgraced swimmer pleads guilty to bashing
- Election of Obama leads to more hate crimes
- Violent fighting outside High Court
- Arrest over Rotorua road rage shooting
- Blackadder returns for Christmas special
- Front-facing buggies may stunt babies’ brains
- Kiwi seeks compo over alleged abuse by Aussie priest

Blackadder seems to be the only light relief, apart from the rugby story. It is patently obvious why we so desperately need White Ribbon Day and Its not OK campaigns. Today is white ribbon day.

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Filed under Media, Women

by | November 7, 2008 · 3:04 pm

Adopt the brace position in an emergency

I have been travelling quite a lot by air lately. Consequently I have heard the safety announcements fairly often. You know the one, with the instructions on the brace position and holding onto your ankles so your feet won’t leave the floor in an emergency. I was led to reflect on the seemingly ineffectual nature of such an activity when you are hurtling earthwards at a frightening pace after hearing about the Qantas plane dropping from the sky, causing panic and some severe injuries before being able to right itself. But I do keep my seat belt fastened which is probably all you can realistically do when the chips are down.

I also wonder how useful the equivalent economic brace positions adopted by governments around the world might be in the current economic maelstrom. As I watch my retirement savings diminish I hope they will have some effect.

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Filed under Miscellaneous, Travel

by | October 10, 2008 · 11:43 am

Branding – the enemy of readability

Branding schmanding! What about the users?

The other day I was handed some new branding material from a company I know a bit about. It was lovely. The colours were beautiful. It looked great, very aesthetic … except… for one thing.  The really important details, like how to get in touch with them and buy the product were unreadable.

I will never understand why branding exercises seem never to include readability. And before anyone points out that I am partially sighted which might have some bearing on the matter, let me say that the “normally sighted” colleague who handed me the material was equally outraged because he couldn’t read it either!

When will the branding experts understand that pale grey on white is nigh impossible to read. I handed the business card to another, admittedly not young but otherwise within the range of normal vision, reader who didn’t even see the writing was there! The white on a dark background was marginally better on the brochure, but a business card is much more important in everyday interaction.

All the lovely expensive stuff in the world is useless if no one can get in touch to buy what you are selling.

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Filed under Information Accessibility

by | September 24, 2008 · 11:46 am

Disability Scoop

I was interested to hear Alastair Thompson, proprietor of Scoop talking to Kim Hill on national radio at the weekend. He used the media releases of the Minister for Disability Issues as an example of material which is interesting to disabled people as a particular group but not to the mainstream media. It obviously stood out in his mind as one of the more under-covered media topics.

What he didn’t say is that disabled people are 20% of the population, but obviously not the important 20% in the eyes of the media. Those who want to communicate critically important information to the disability community know that media releases, no matter how well written or interesting, will sink like a stone in the mainstream media. If it doesn’t bleed it doesn’t lead. But at least the releases can be aired on scoop.

When you search for ‘disability’ there it all is. But what about the ‘spin?” The mainstream media has no spin on disability? Yeah right. At least on Scoop you know who is generating the information in the release so you can make your own informed judgement on their ‘spin’.

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Filed under Disability Issues, Media