A letter asking for a job

 

A few weeks ago, Catherine Crump, from London, asked Thomas, her 7-year-old, what he would like to be when he grows up.

Thomas said he wanted to either run a dog hotel or be a Lego designer. 

The next day he appeared with a letter, written in his "best handwriting," asking Lego if he could work for them.

He wisely shared that he'd be available to help with designing Legos after school, on weekends, and in the holidays -- and that his sister would be keen to do the same.

His mom put the letter in the mail but also tried to manage his expectations. She told Thomas that while Lego would appreciate his letter, the company probably wouldn't respond. According to Catherine, "He looked crestfallen." 

Then a package arrived from Christian Pau, the vice president and general manager of Lego U.K. and Ireland. Inside was a Lego kit. And a handwritten letter that said:

Dear Thomas,

Thank you so much for your letter. It is great to see how excited you are for Lego building and your creations look fantastic!

We would love your help to design even better products, but unfortunately all our product designers are sitting in Billund, which is in Denmark. We would still love to invite you to visit us in our Slough office (together with your sister and parents) for a juice/tea/coffee and a tour of the building.

My office is called "Dumbledore's Office" -- [like] the box attached. Let us know what time works for you!

All the best,
Christian

"Seeing my son light up with pride at the beautifully crafted letter was something I won't forget", Catherine shared on LinkedIn.  

And neither will Thomas.

People can forget what you say or do, but they will never forget how you make them feel.

We never know when our words or actions might make an impact on another person. A little encouragement. A little acceptance. A little praise. Small actions, even insignificant to us, but possibly life-changing for another person.

Christian Pau didn't know how Thomas might react to his letter. He simply took the time to respond. 

It was a small moment to him -- but potentially a huge moment for Thomas. As Catherine wrote, "Thank you ... for making my son see that it's always worth trying."

That's the real beauty of Pau's letter. You could see it as savvy marketing. As calculated brand positioning. As a deliberate attempt to go viral.

Or you could see it for what it is: someone who took a few moments during a busy day to respond to a child.

You can never predict when a small moment will make a big difference.

And that's why great businesses approach each and every customer interaction thinking that this moment ... could. 

Adapted from Inc. and LinkedIn

Energy costs close Hungary’s theaters

Theater operators will close buildings rather than pay high prices for heating and electricity. High energy costs are making it hard for many businesses and cultural institutions across Europe to stay open.

The 111-year-old Erkel Theatre in Budapest is one of three performance spaces of the Hungarian State Opera that will close in November. The operators can no longer pay to heat the 1,800-seat building.

“We had to decide how we can save,” said Szilveszter Okovacs, the director of the Hungarian State Opera. “Even though it hurts to close Erkel for a few months, it makes sense. People’s pay is “the most important.”

The group’s energy bills are eight times and sometimes 10 times more costly than ­­­usual.

The temporary closure of the Erkel Theatre is one of many cases involving cultural institutions in Hungary. Many are struggling to stay open. High inflation, a weakening currency, and energy costs are hurting many businesses and groups.

High energy costs are forcing some factories to shut down, making products more costly and fueling fears of a recession.

In July, Hungary’s government declared an “energy emergency.” It was a reaction to rising prices and supply problems linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The government also reduced a popular utility payment aid program, which allowed Hungarians’ costs for energy and water to be among the lowest in the 27-member European Union.

As a result, many businesses and households saw natural gas and electric bills increase by as much as 1,000 percent from one month to the next.

In an effort to save energy, Hungary’s government ordered a 25 percent reduction in the use of electricity and natural gas in public buildings. This includes cultural institutions, such as museums and theaters. Now they must keep temperatures inside buildings at or below 18 degrees Celsius.

Beata Barda is director of the Trafo House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest. She said her theater’s electricity bills have risen 200 percent since June. Barda added that there is an “uncertainty factor.” That means she does not know how big her gas and electric bills will be this winter.

To cut costs, the theater will show about two-thirds of its normal winter program. Also, parts of the building that do not need to be heated will be shut off from the rest.  

Barda said, “We’d like to avoid shutting down or having to cancel performances, so obviously we’ve got to cut down in all sorts of ways. Will our audiences be able or willing to come to the theater? This is a really important question.”

The Comedy Theatre of Budapest is one of the oldest in the city. The lights in the building’s entrance area and long hallways are off -- even on working days -- to save energy.

Local governments around the country have announced that theaters, museums, and other cultural centers must close for the winter.

Adapted from VOA News

 

Augmented reality and books (video)

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Rishi Sunak's first statement

 

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Rishi Sunak - UK Prime Minister

 

Immediately after taking over as UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said “I am honored to become the prime minister”.

Rishi Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton, one of three children. He is of Indian descent. His grandparents were born in India before moving to East Africa and then the UK in the 60s.

His father was a medical doctor while his mother ran a pharmacy in southern England, something Sunak says gave him his desire to serve the public.

“British Indian is what I tick on the census, we have a category for it. I am British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. I am open about being a Hindu,” Sunak said.

Sunak is the first Hindu to become British prime minister. He is the first British Asian to become prime minister and the first nonwhite to take the top job. At 42, he is the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years.

His wife is Akshata Murty. They met while both were studying at Stanford University in the US. They married in 2009. They have two daughters, Anoushka and Krishna.

Ms Murty is the daughter of Indian billionaire N R Narayana Murthy, who founded software company Infosys

Sunak is not just rich, he is super rich and some ask if his vast fortune makes him too rich to be prime minister

Sunak and his wife have an estimated fortune of about 730 million pounds ($830 million), according to the Sunday Times Rich List. On this year’s list, published before her death, Queen Elizabeth II was estimated to have about 370 million pounds ($420 million).

It is the first time in history that the residents of Downing Street are richer than those of Buckingham Palace.

Mr Sunak worked as an analyst for the investment bank Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004. He then worked for hedge fund management firm The Children’s Investment Fund Management and became a partner in 2006.

In 2010 he became a founding member of private investment partnership, Theleme Partners. He left the firm in 2013 to pursue his political career.

Sunak was first elected as a Member of Parliament  in 2015. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave Sunak his first major government role, appointing him as chief secretary to the Treasury in 2019 and promoting him to chancellor in 2020.

Sunak has experience of economic crisis-fighting. During the pandemic, Sunak put in place measures worth £400 billion ($452 billion) to boost the economy. But that stimulus came at a huge cost. The UK is in the midst of a deep cost-of-living crisis and growing inequality.

 

Adapted from CNN, The Washington Post and NPR

Remote worker receives surprise meeting invitation

 TikTok user Mr Brotein has more than 50,000 on the video-sharing platform, where he posts tips and relatable content about remote work. In one video – which has received 3.4 million views since it was posted on 29 September – he captured the uncomfortable moment when his manager invited him to a work meeting while he was secretly on a plane.

“When you’re working from home and your manager invites you to a meeting in 30 minutes,” the text overlay read. In the clip, the TikToker is seen sitting in the airplane, with a pillow around his neck, about to take off. The video was also set to the song “Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill, with the lyrics “How can I explain myself?” playing in the background.

“Wifi problems,” he jokingly captioned the TikTok.

@mrbrotein Wifi problems #workfromhome #wfh #remotework #corporate #comedy #fyp #wfhproblems ♬ original sound - Blackthingsuk

The relatable work-from-home moment prompted many users in the comments section to share similar stories of lying to their supervisor about their whereabouts.

“This happened to me on the way to Hawaii so I didn’t answer and it turns out they were laying me off in two weeks,” one person shared.

“Bahahahaha I’ve been there,” someone else said. “It’s like they can smell when you’re not in office.”

Many people also took the opportunity to suggest tips and tricks for avoiding impromptu work meetings while traveling, without getting in trouble. Some users advised others to take a personal day during a scheduled flight, while others suggested filling a calendar with meetings for the duration of the flight.

 “This is why you always fill in your calendar with a few random length meetings during your flights,” one person said. 

“Always take personal or sick days on the flight days!” another user wrote.

Others jokingly said that remote employee should tell their bosses that the internet is down.

“Say you don’t have internet service or electricity shortages,” said someone else.

“Put a background filter on,” another person suggested.

From Yahoo News

Food companies and climate change (audio)

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Will the EU universal charger become the world standard? (audio)

 

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EU votes to standardize phone chargers by 2024 (video)

 

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EU: universal charger for all devices by 2024

Soon you will be able to boost your iPhone battery using your Android charger. That’s if you live in the European Union.

Last Tuesday the European Parliament  approved new rules to introduce a single charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras by 2024.

EU lawmaker Alex Agius Saliba said: “The simplest solutions are often the best and most practical ones and this simple solution each year will save thousands of tons of electronic waste, facilitate the re-use of old electronics, better consumer convenience, reduce unnecessary costs and also help to save millions of euros.”

The new rules - which are a world first - will make USB-C connectors used by Android-based devices the standard across the 27-nation bloc.

Old chargers will not be outlawed, however, so that customers can continue to use existing models.

But it’s not good news for everyone.

Apple will now have to change its charging port for iPhones and other devices.

Since the deal also covers e-readers, ear buds and other technologies, it will also have an impact on Samsung, Huawei and other device makers.

The change will apply to laptops in 2026.

The European Commission estimates that a single charger rule will save $250 million for consumers.

The large size of the EU market will lead to changes in other countries.

Apple believes the proposal will hurt innovation and create waste.

Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said the vote made it “inevitable” that the iPhone 15, expected in 2023, will have a USB-C port.

“This is a victory for common sense. Although Apple has a huge installed base of lightning cable-powered devices, the ubiquity of USB-C across all consumer electronics products means that harmonising on USB-C makes perfect sense.”

Wood added that he expected Apple to adopt the USB-C port in the UK and globally.

EU lawmakers supported the reform with a large majority, with 602 votes in favour and only 13 against.

Adapted from The Guardian

This is not a box by Zach King | TED

 

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US president pardons marijuana possessors (video)

 

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