Elegant Simplicity

There's no escaping complexity but it is possble for complex elements to come together in ways that feel intuitively right - Elegant Simplicity.

It's the sort of feel that Apple goes for.

Googling around on the notion of Intuitive Design, I came across this organization -suitably named Intuitive Design. True to the name, the website is Elegantly Simple and has some very interesting ideas.

Knowing yourself

Chatting with my excellent friend Mike Wilsher yesterday, we stumbled on an intriguing paradox. It's an observation rather than a criticism.

Many people don't have a clear sense of who they are and what they're really about in life. I'm no exception, although things seem to be getting a little clearer.

And many people have a very fixed idea of who they are - such a fixed idea that they limit their possibilities. "I'm not the sort of person who...." etc.

The paradox is that they're often the same people.

Which charity to choose?

There's no shortage of deserving causes that could put some of my (and your) money to good use - AIDS, environment, housing, medicine, animal welfare, old people, the terminally ill..... It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the choice, and to feel that whoever you donate to, thousands of other causes also need your money.

I've come to the conclusion that to make a wise choice in allocating my charitable giving, I need to be looking for maximum leverage. And it strikes me that a lot of the big ills in the world are caused by oppressive governments. On balance, the more honest, transparent governments are accountable and look after their people better than the more corrupt, incompetent governments that stiffe dissent. Corrupt governments (and their suppporters in less corrupt countries) swallow vast amounts of money that could fund thousands of grass-roots projects.

So my money will be going to an organisation that is dedicated to combatting oppression. And unless someone can tell me otherwise, the organisation that has the best track record in doing this is Amnesty International.

Media fragmentation

Last night I finally finished watching "Cache" (Hidden), a French-language movie directed by an Austrian. It runs to about 1 hour 53 minutes, but it took me three viewings to complete - one on the DVD at home a couple of weeks ago, then on my laptop in bed at my mum's place last week, then finally last night on my laptop in bed.

The movie itself is a little "arthouse" - not at all the standard Hollywood stuff. It leaves more questions than answers. And watching it in bits in different places was strangely appropriate.

The previous feature film I rented was Amelie (also French) which I also watched in bits.

At the moment I'm just not prepared to commit practically two hours non-stop to watching a movie and I'm certainly not prepared to commit to being in front of the TV at a particular time to watch a series. So we rent "24" on DVD, four episodes at a time. At around 45 minutes an episode, it's easy to squeeze in at the end of the day between other activities such as reading to the kids, piano practice and sleep. Perfect.

Enlightenment republics don't want women leaders

There are two great Enlightenment republics in the world - the United States and France, both established in the late 18th century and both inspired by Enlightenment ideals - especially freedom. Both regard themselves as beacons of progress for the rest of the world. Both threw off the oppressive yoke of monarchy and opted for presidential democracy.

Yet over 200 years later it's only now that France and the United States are facing the real prospect of voting for a woman president. And both Hillary Clinton and Segolene Royal are facing enormous hostility and a lot of sexism. As Jonathan Freedland showed in his BBC radio programme "The Long View", Margaret Thatcher faced a lot of sexist sneering, but that was 30 years ago.

I suspect the British were able to accept a woman Prime Minister because the logic of royal succession has put a woman on the throne a number of times. Force of circumstance has put a woman on top and life continued - the country didn't suddenly decline into a bunch of softies collecting shoes, swapping recipes and consuming romantic fiction.

Aside from the political merits of the two presidential candidates (who would follow Jacques Chirac and George W. Bush - not exactly stellar presidents), I don't think the French or the Americans are yet ready to allow a woman to take the top job