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Sony and Crosscall Mobile phone advertising

Byrichard

The Sony Xperia Z5 compact is for women who blog about fashion and the Sony Xperia M5 is for baristas who dream of owning a sports car but can’t quite pay for it yet. These adverts will never hook me in to wanting their products. I’m the type of person who lives in the countryside and spends his weekends in the mountains on adventures.

I want the Sony Xperia Z5 because of it’s fast autofocus, it’s new technology and it’s 4k recording technology and new image sensor. The geek press gave me information about the device and that’s what woke up my interest. Marketing to geeks is all about the specs and the technology. Marketing to normal people is about “This is the lifestyle you have and this device will survive it”. In the land of Sony people live in cities. Now to contrast with crosscall.

 

Crosscall make rugged strong mobile phones and their advertising is more in line with my own lifestyle.In the space of one month I shattered three screens on two phones. Two of those screen shatters were as a result of playing Ingress. In one case I stood up and the phone slipped from my lap on to the floor, bounced and then fell down again. It fell about two metres and the screen became unresponsive. In the second case I tripped on a step and fell with my hand rotated so that the screen took the impact rather than my wrist. I was so disgusted with myself for the incident that I was tempted by the Crosscall Odyssey+. The phone is rugged and would probably survive such a fall. It has excellent battery life but it’s data connection leaves to be desired especially when playing location based games like Ingress.

Crosscall advertise their devices as rugged, for the adventurous among us. They use runners, surfers, climbers and snowboarders as brand ambassadors. It’s through one of Xavier De La Rue’s posts on Facebook that I learned of the brand and that my curiousity was peaked. The Crosscall Odyssey+ is a niche device. The Trekker X1 has a better chance of appealing to a broader audience.

 

I love that devices by Sony and Crosscall are being advertised as weatherproof now. As an iphone user I liked that Lifeproof provided me with weatherproofing. I appreciate that brands are making their devices weatherproof by default. Soon it will be possible to throw people in to pools without warning once again… once autumn and winter have left place for next summer, of course.

Switzerland, Fitness centres and the mountains
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Switzerland, Fitness centres and the mountains

Byrichard

For three years I was a fitness club member. I loved going to the gym up to three times a week when possible. I loved training so much that I bought apps and devices to track my progress. Any time that I could not spend three sessions a week at the gym I felt disappointed. That passion, when you are in full time work can be hard to keep active.

I tried going to the gym at 6am and I tried going after work but the habit never picked up. In Switzerland fitness memberships can vary from 700-900 CHF per year to over 1200 CHF per year depending on the membership perks you take. If you go to the gym 52 times a year that’s 23 CHF per session. If you go twice a week it’s reduced to just 11 CHF per week. If you go three times a week it’s 7 CHF per session.

In theory this is a reasonable price. It’s less than a week’s pay for most professionals. In practice you want to justify the expense. You want to go to the gym when you have time. This means weekends, evenings and on public holidays. I was often frustrated to have free time but for the gym to be closed.

I would love to see gyms that take your outdoor sporting passions in to account. Running and cycling are already somewhat covered in the lac Léman region of Switzerland. What I would like to see next are ski days, via ferrata excursions and canyoning within the club.

During week days and when the weather is bad you would train in the fitness centre. As soon as summer weekends and holidays would allow then as a fitness centre you would enjoy the great outdoors. I see through Glocals and facebook groups that the interest to do activities in groups is there. Fitness centres could attract a younger demographic to join.

I love physical fitness and I love exercise. If I lived in a city like London or Paris I’d be happy to sit in a gym and train. I’d have filtered air and less traffic to contend with. As I live in the Swiss countryside though I want to take full advantage of what nature has to offer. When I find a fitness club that offers discounted canyoning, waterskiing and other activities, and subsidised via ferrata and ski days then I will rejoin.

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Vanity fair is wrong to label Zuck as the top disruptor

Byrichard

Zuckerberg Tops Vanity Fair’s 2015 List of Disruptors

Every successful social network first establishes a friendship network where a tight knit group of people interact with each other on a very frequent basis. In the case of facebook it was uni friends interacting with uni friends from the same campus. On twitter it was people in the same time zone conversing with people in the same city as themselves. It eventually led to face to face meetings and a new network of recognised friends.

The same can be said of Seesmic when it was about “Join the Video conversation”. Notice my avatar… It’s the seesmic racoon. 🙂

Zuck wasn’t a disruptor or genius so much as the right person in the right place at the right time. Nothing he did was innovative. He just packaged it effectively.

As a side note I have noticed that over a number of years the social aspect of twitter has suffered. It no longer feels like a social social network. it feels more like Google Reader.

it’s amusing to see how social networks evolve and revolve from one type of network to another depending on what people want-

Mark Zuckerberg Tops the 2015 New Establishment List—and Snags the October Cover!

I remember when there were dozens of RSS aggregators for the sharing and distribution of blog articles. Over time traditional sources used the same technology. Google Reader and Google News became good sources for getting news stories and information. Facebook and twitter, social networks, decided that conversations were a waste of time and so encouraged their networks to be used as news aggregators. Recently Facebook reached the billion user daily mark.

Amusingly this happened when the social network is at it’s weakest. It’s Unique Selling Point, connecting friends, has been lost. I went back to blogging because I grew tired of the rubbish being shared on twitter, facebook and other social networks.

For years I insisted that social networks were a great way of meeting new friends and finding new business opportunities but as everyone overdid it with followers so the conversation and personal connections decreased.

In the article they state that “Facebook chairman and C.E.O.Mark Zuckerberg has struck deals with The New York Timesand BuzzFeed to publish articles directly into users’ pages.”

I don’t go to facebook for news. I use the NYtimes app, I use Google News, I use news360, scoopinion and other applications. I use the applications because I found the condescending and sensationalist tone used by facebook marketers was offensive. We are a generation of university graduates on a university social network being treated as if we were primary school students. I don’t appreciate it.

I also don’t appreciate the multiple posting of the same articles and tweets in timelines both on twitter and facebook. In theory twitter is an app that you keep open and monitor throughout the day. If something has to be posted several times then congrats on having such a disengaged audience. ;-).

Fear and Strength in Via Ferrata

Fear and Strength in Via Ferrata

Byrichard

Fear and Strength in Via Ferrata play an important role. Fear drains us of energy. In Rock climbing this is fine. If you run out of energy you abseil down and you call it a day. In Via Ferrata when you run out of energy you are stuck on a rock face and people usually do not have the required safety equipment to help you out of the situation. It is for this reason that we read so frequently about rescues on via ferratas. I read that at fort l’écluse there have been four rescues this year, at Saillon there have been a few and in Bellevaux there may have been as many as ten.

The point of via ferratas is that anyone can practice them. In theory once you get the harness, the y-combinator and helmet you are ready to climb. In practice you need to take several things in to account. Via Ferrata are graded according to three factors. These are Equipment, Height off the ground and physicality.

Some via ferrata are well equipped and some leave you to improvise hand holds and foot holds on the cliff face. You also need to trust your own equipment. This does take some time.

Height makes us afraid and our fear tenses the body. When the body is tense it uses a lot of energy. You stay closer to the rock and you use your arms to raise yourself whilst staying as close to the rock as possible.

Through practice I have seen my confidence grow and in the process my technique has evolved and adapted. I often keep my arms straight and pivot about my hand as I push upwards with my legs. In so doing I climb fast and without burning energy. I can save energy because my fear has faded over the years. Whilst a beginner will try to keep their centre of gravity as close as possible to the rock I do the opposite. I swing out and up with every step. It means that I save energy for the overhangs.

Two days ago someone who was afraid, who had far less experience was using his arms rather than his legs. Arms have tiny muscles compared to legs so they tire much sooner. In rock climbing if you make mistake you can usually be lowered back to the ground and within a minute or two the incident is over. In Via ferrata you do not have this luxury.

In Via Ferrata when you start to get tired you need to continue. If you can’t continue then there are three options. The first is to call in a helicopter to take you off the cliff, the second is for a mountain response team to come and assist you and the third option is self rescue. For the latter I mean a group rescue.

In the first two cases these are trained professionals who will resolve the incident relatively quickly. Always climb with people more experienced than you as they can help you.

In one rescue scenario a person ran out of strength and let go just metres from the end. In this case knots were put in a rope so that the person could climb the rope as if it was a ladder. In another case a rope was used as a counter-weight where the distressed climber had to climb and two of us were supporting the weight as we were given slack. This is not ideal as it requires a lot of strength if the person being helped is exhausted.

In the third case a rope and pulley system was used. In this case the force exerted was tripled and the rope was longer. It took just one person for this rescue. When we saw with what ease someone could be rescued we decided we needed the same equipment and to get proper training.

Via Ferrata is a fun and exciting sport that brings you to beautiful landscapes and it is easy to assume that you can make it from point A to point B. People should take the time to assess their level of strength and stamina before starting. They should also rest when they have the opportunity. The problem with fear is that it is a positive feedback loop. The more afraid you are and the more your muscles tense, the tenser you are the more tired you are and the more afraid you are. Knowing when to take a mental and physical break in via ferrata is essential. Take breaks to drink and eat something before you get tired. Clear your mind and relax before you continue. It is better to take twice the recommended time than to run out of energy half way through a Via Ferrata.

 

The Psychology of Via Ferrata.

The Psychology of Via Ferrata.

Byrichard

 

The psychology of Via Ferrata is similar to the psychology of climbing except that everyone is moving constantly and there are few pre-requisites. As a result of this it is easy for people to push themselves beyond their comfort zones. They can be made uncomfortable by how high they are off the ground, how little they trust their equipment or the equipment on the cliff face. Peer pressure can also help make the challenge harder to cope with.

Fear of Heights

In Via Ferrata there are four psychological challenges to face. The first of these is height. In normal life we are usually no more than two or three floors off of the ground and unless we’re on a balcony we are at ease within various rooms. The fear of heights comes when we are more exposed, for example on a roof top, on a high bridge or other places. Some via ferrata take you from the base of the cliff upwards so you gradually get used to being higher and higher. You acclimatise and although certain moments may be scarier there are places where you feel at ease and your level of tension decreases.

Other via ferrata start high off the ground and immediately pull practitioners out of their comfort zone. Be wary of this. With the right guidance beginners will make it from start to finish. It will be character building for the guide and the student.

Trust the equipment

The second fear is a fear that the equipment will not keep us safe. This is true for scuba divers, rock climbers and many other types of sports. In rock climbing you need to trust your harness and the via ferrata set. Until you trust this equipment to keep you safe you will be unable to rest on a via ferrata. A novice will look to rest in a place where it feels natural to rest. This could be a depression in the rock or a ledge. At this point they can sit in a familiar context.

The second set of equipment to trust is the Via Ferrata equipment on the rock face. In this instance I have read two or three documents that are designed for the installation of new routes. Through the reading of these documents I saw that via ferrata equipment is over-engineered to take far more weight than we are likely to exert on the equipment. I also went with a maintenance crew and followed the thought process involved to make sure that the Via Ferrata equipment is ready for the current season.

Food and Hydration

When you are on a via ferrata it is important to eat and to drink enough to have enough energy throughout the via ferrata. To drink and to be hydrated keeps us comfortable. This is especially true on south facing rock faces at midday. It is easy to get dehydrated. When I was a novice via ferrataist I often craved for a drink by the time we had completed the via ferrata. As a result of this I soon started to carry more than enough water. Once or twice I had a hot chocolate at the end of a climb, because I was so well hydrated.

Food is a must, especially on a via ferrata like Leukerbad. You are climbing for five and a half hours and you are using your legs and arms. It’s good to have snacks that you can eat every half hour or hour. This will give you the strength and endurance you need to complete the climb. It is also important to have snacks that provide you with a quick energy boost when you have an overhang or other physical challenge to overcome. Knowing that you have enough energy will help you complete the via ferrata comfortably.

Peer pressure

It is important to try never to do via ferrata alone. It is better to be with a group of people whom you trust and whom can help you to complete the via ferrata. You need to find a group that goes at a speed where you are comfortable. Ideally the person or people you go with will make it clear that they are going at your speed, not theirs.

With my level of experience I dance up a via ferrata that is meant to take one and a half hours in fifty minutes. If I am with a less experienced person I go at their speed. I suggest the moments when they should rest and drink. I also ask whether they would like to eat. I never want the person to feel pressure, never to try to exceed their comfort level. The aim is not to add to the stress that less experienced climbers are under.

It is easy to go too fast. It is easy to forget to rest before we are tired. A good group leader will make sure that people are within their comfort zone.

When exploring segmented via ferrata where there are escape routes and where sections get progressively harder make sure to ignore your ego and listen to your common sense. It is easier to say “I can go on” than to say “I’ll take the escape route”. I have often chosen not to push myself beyond my comfort level. It is better to give yourself a reason to come back than to regret taking on a challenge. I have read and heard of people getting stuck at Saillon, Fort L’écluse, Plan Praz and other via ferrata. A helicopter rescue is 3000 CHF. When ground teams rescue someone they do so in groups of five.

Clearing your mind

Under the right conditions a via ferrata clears the mind and recharges you from the pressures of the week. It is a sport that you can get up to every single weekend when you live in some parts of France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria and others. It is an opportunity to visit new places and meet new people. With the right people you will arrive at home in the evening with good memories and feel impatient to practice the sport again.