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Marti

Risk appetite

By Work

Risk appetite is an expression often used within risk management and is now appearing in numerous publications and legislative requirements. To compound the issue, there is no universally agreed definition amongst various risk standards. So what does this jargon really mean?

This short but fun video proposes a simple definition using ISO Guide 73 ‘Risk management vocabulary’ as a starting point for further exploration.

Reflections on 2020

By Pot Luck, That's life

Not sure about you, but this cartoon succinctly describes how I’ve perceived time during the year. Whilst in our second wave of COVID-19 lockdown here in Melbourne (112 days), time seemed to go on forever, yet you never felt like you had enough time to get anything done. And now that we have started easing restrictions and I reflect on the year, it feels like it was over before it started.

Here’s to 2021!

The news alert ticker

By That's life

I’ve always wondered what you call those sliding news alerts at the bottom of the TV… they go by a few names, including: news ticker, crawler, slide or chyron, named after the software company who developed it.

Not sure how you feel about them, but personally I find them distracting. But for some, it’s a challenge to try and figure out how to stop them – check out this toddler and his creative solution.

So tell me, am I the only one who doesn’t like them?

New normal

By That's life, Work

97 days since stage 3 lockdown…

…my transition to the new normal for lockdown #2 here in Victoria.

What happened to ‘play’?

Risk informs decision making

By Work

Risk informs decision making

‘Risk informs decision making’ – Risk managers like to use this key expression to describe risk management’s value proposition. But what does this industry jargon really mean?

To demystify this, I’ve created a snappy 2 minute video. It will help you understand what this expression means in practice, so you can simply apply it to your important decisions at work or home.

PS. If you like this video, then check out my first one ‘What is risk?’

Let me know what you think

The night sky

By That's life

Back on 21 June 2020 (shortest day in the southern hemisphere) I participated in a new Guinness world record attempt for the ‘most number of people participating in an online sustainability lesson’…And guess what? We succeeded!

I can now claim to be a Guinness world record holder – I thought I might add it to my CV 🙂

The 30 minute lesson was on light pollution and ended by participants recording the number of stars to be seen in the night sky to help in the ongoing collection of light pollution data across the globe. If you want to find out more, visit the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, the not for profit charity which ran the event and initially formed to educate the public and policymakers about night environment conservation.

Light pollution

By That's life

Light pollution – ironically it’s visible to all, but we tend to be blind to this form of pollution.

The Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (ADSA) will be running a Guinness World record attempt this Sunday 1pm AEST 21 June for Most users to take an online environmental sustainability lesson in 24 hours (and all are welcome to join – both southern and northern hemisphere – and it’s free!). As part of this activity you will become a citizen scientist and complete a 30 minute lesson, but you will also take a light pollution measurement with the globe at night app after dark (all you need is a computer, tablet or smartphone).

There are two parts to the event:

  • The lesson includes a test – it is not to show how much you know but to demonstrate to those who are making decisions that there are large numbers of people who care!
  • The globe at night web app is used for science and has very very few measurements from the southern hemisphere. Ecologists want to know if what is happening on the ground up, is what satellites are showing down. i.e. Is light pollution worse on the ground? Ecologists are particularly keen on knowing this, as whilst we have shielded lights, it isn’t stopping the surge of on the ground lighting that is impacting pollination etc.

It’s a free event and anyone can participate – Simply register here. My whole family has signed up and we’ll be out on the back garden deck – rain, hail or cloud. Let me know if you decide to join to.

Bingo

By That's life

Well, I must admit, this whole pandemic thing has been a whirl wind ride with feelings fluctuating daily, and it was in one of those moments that I needed to entertain myself.

Inspired by a news article that showed a graph plotting the use of the word ‘unprecedented’ over the last year, with the curve ending in a dramatic exponential growth, I came up with an idea – Bingo.

I created this set of bingo cards which can be used when watching the news, to try and bring an element of fun to what can sometimes be a depressing absorption of all that’s going bad in the world.