I can’t believe it. My wonderful guitar, it turns out, is stolen goods. That means I have to return it

The store I got it from did all the right things, yet 2.5 months later the police notified them that it was reported stolen. So they’ve done all they can to assist me getting a new guitar - I’m heading in on Saturday to work out the details - but I lose the Tele. V. disappointed to say the least.

I just hope all the ‘72 re-issues are as good as the one I have to give back… and that whoever the owner is gets as much joy and use out of it as I have.

Just a quick note to point you to a Q&A I did with Priscilla at Solidariti.com as part of a series she is doing with a number of digital agencies.

The Q&A covers a bit about Digital Eskimo’s approach, ways non-profits can leverage the net and more. (Thanks to Priscilla for the opportunity).

To Damian - (belatedly) for the new addition to the fam…

To Penny - for having her research paper being accepted at DUX.

I heard the news about Anita Roddick’s passing last night on JJJ’s Hack program. I have to admit I was quite shocked to hear it - in fact emotionally touched and saddened… still am.

As Dave so eloquently put it “She left the planet and it’s inhabitants with a much better chance of survival than if she had not been born…”

Anita was absolute hero of mine. I first heard about the Body Shop’s “different” way of doing things, and thought I’d read Anita’s semi-biography “Business as unusual“. It was tremendously inspiring to read about Anita’s journey from the small shop recycling bottles because she had to, to the spread of the Body Shop internationally.

Through the Body Shop she was a pioneer of what was to become known as Fair Trade, took an activist stance on animal testing and women’s rights, all the while building a successful international business. Proof positive that profits do not have to trump people and the environment - they can happily work together.

Throughout her life she was a passionate human rights and environmental activist, who really was alone for many, many years in her role as ethical business-woman. (Business-woman period, for that matter.) Her later books were a call to action for us all to take a stand, to “take it personally”, and to make our voices heard and our actions count.

I found myself quite emotionally low last night. I feel I personally owe her a debt of gratitude, even though I’ve never met her in person.

But I think about what her advice might be - I think (I hope) it would be “keep fighting the fight and make whatever difference you can, in work and life”. Hopefully I can do that sentiment justice…

To paraphrase Augie March: Anita, thanks for the memes. Your life is an inspiration.

P.S. both images on this post were taken from the home page of AnitaRoddick.com, Anita’s personal website. Check it out and help Anita’s legacy live on…

Update: Philippa over at ActNow posted a great opinion piece on Anita. “However, the loss of this figure should not bring us to look hopelessly at the sky but requires consumer’s attention to be cast on other businesses and their actual intentions towards their stakeholders.”

I spotted an entry for AusWeb 2007 on the WIPA events board.

Jogged my memory - I helped pull together the website for the very first AusWeb conference in 1995. So far back even the Internet Archive doesn’t remember it…

Makes me wonder: have I been doing this web thing for too long??? Nah….

I’m kinda wondering what to do with this blog. Between Futuremakers, Digital Eskimo and Fuzu (among others) I’m finding that I’m kinda blogged out.

Not sure why I’m writing this, other than mebbe to say check out those other blogs for some stuff I’ve written recently…

Just a quick pointer to an interview I did with a uni student from Swinburne University on “social sustainability” - posted on the Digital Eskimo blog.

Seems I got a mention in today’s Next insert (in the SMH and Age): It’s web take 2.0. I had a few words to say on page 2 regarding WWF’s use of social media tools like blogs (and blogs) and YouTube and Flickr and MySpace and wikis (used internally).

(Just a quick note - the interview was done a few weeks ago while I was still working at WWF).

I haven’t seen the print edition yet, but they came and took my photo too. Not sure if it made the cut though… Yep - they used the photo. Big one too… Feels weird…

The last two nights have been awesome - getting to see some great music from opposite ends of the spectrum.

On Wednesday night I joined Tobes and when and saw Nine Inch Nails, as they tour on the back of their new album Year Zero.

The venue was the Big Top at Luna Park - the sound was really good, especially when I was in the crowd near the front. An amazing amount of energy in the band - despite a few technical glitches - right up there from start to finish.

Standout tracks, for me, were Survivalism, Heresy”, and Hurt (one of my favourite, all-time NIN tracks - I was stoked when they played it, despite the loud-mouthed f&*kwits that were talking behind me most of the way through).

Yet last night I found myself on the other side of the bridge, literally and figuratively, at the Sydney Opera House watching jazz legend Chick Corea with Gary Burton and the Sydney Symphony.

I really wanted to see this gig (it’s not often you get to see Chick Corea in oz) but wouldn’t have made it except for the generosity of my new employer who arranged tickets for the team.

Both Chick and Gary were amazing musicians - and the folks I was with likened the musical interplay between them as being akin to dancing. It really was an awesome show - some of the symphony arrangements didn’t quite hit the mark, but there were some beautiful and magic moments. A very special event that I’ll remember for some time.

If only every week was filled with as much inspiration!

My band Fuzu played at the Hopetoun Hotel last night, and a friend of the band, Charlie Brewer, has posted some great shots over at Flickr.

The photo above is probably my favourite shot of me playing I’ve seen so far and I wanted to share it (sorry to be so vain…). Kinda sums up “me” at the moment.