8 VIEWS The
Observer
Friday, January 1, 2016
Quote of the Week . . . “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.”
- Jim Rohn
2015 trends on Google
The internet keeps track of a lot of things and Google has recently compiled the most asked questions for 2015 on their search engine. The top questions for Google in the United States over the year included: “How can I help the refugees?” “Why can’t women be army rangers?” “What Kelly Running does the confederate flag stand Observer Staff for?” “How can we overcome prejudice?” “Why was there a Cuban embargo?” “What color is the dress?” “How can the world find peace?” “Are you born transgender?” “How can we rebuild Nepal?” Additionally the top 10 trending searches for 2015 in the United States were Lamar Odom, Jurassic World, American Sniper, Caitlyn Jenner, Ronda Rousey, Paris, Agario, Chris Kyle, Fallout 4, and Straight Outta Compton. As I read through these it made me wonder what the top searches for Canadians were, this required a little bit more Google searching than the United States topics, but it was still rather easy to find. The United States’ focus appears to be heavily influenced by sports, movies, and celebrities; this is what made me wonder about Canada’s activities. Were we searching similar things or did we have something else on our minds? According to Google Trends Canadians were focused on sports, but our federal election was also a big one. In Canada the top searches of 2015 were Blue Jays, Justin Trudeau, Federal Election, Pan Am Games, Paris Shooting, Agario, Chris Hyndman, Charlie Hebdo, and Lamar Odom. Questions at the top of our list included “What is ISIS?” “What is Je Suis Charlie?” “What is Bill C-51” “What is Fentanyl?” “How to vote?” “How to use Snapchat?” “How to delete U2 album?” “How to help Syrian refugees?” So what were other countries looking at around the world? Australia’s top ten searches included Netflix, Rugby World Cup, Lamar Odom, Ronda Rousey, Asian Cup, Jarryd Hayne, Jurassic World, Paris, Cricket World Cup, and Agario. Top Australian questions: “What is Netflix?” “What is love?” “What is the meaning of life?” “How do you tie a tie?” “How do you make pancakes?” “How do you screenshot on Mac?” “How do you make a paper plane?” United Kingdom’s were Cilla Black, Lady Colin Campbell, Rugby World Cup, Jeremy Clarkson, Paris, iPhone6s, Grand National 2015, Jurassic World, Election Results. Their top questions included “How to lose belly fat?” “How to get rid of brain freeze?” “How to lose weight quickly?” “How to register to vote?” “What is a penny black stamp?” “What is an exit poll?” “What is Leavers Lace?” “What is 0 divided by 0?” The last question there may have been a popular one because of Siri’s response on the iPhone to it: “Imagine that you have 0 cookies and you split them evenly among 0 friends. How many cookies does each person get? See, it doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies. And you are sad that you have no friends.” Globally Lamar Odom was the most searched, while Charlie Hebdo, Agario, Jurassic World, Paris, Furious 7, Fallout 4, Ronda Rousey, and Caitlyn Jenner joined him in the top 10. Google didn’t have the compiled trending questions of the year to include, but I found it interesting how the top Google trends do show a glimpse into the world from the year.
The
Observer
Put the rookie in the game The available features are seemingly limitless, making the process of choosing just the right one a bit more complicated each year. Though options are plentiful for digital devices, sales indicate many people prefer to buy a hard copy day planner as they head into the New Year. Advertisers use descriptors like lightweight, compact, soft, space for timed events, secure Shelley Luedtke closure, filing pockets, and room for note taking, as selling features for planners. You can buy standard planners with plain covers or chose one the fashion industry offers up. If the goal is total organization you can select one designed by leaders in time management systems. They can be refillable or disposable; multiring or permanently bound. Some offer “maximum customizability” appealing to our sense that our needs are certainly unique from others. Some planners allow for the scheduling of each hour through the day while others offer weekly organization or month-at-a-glance options. If those don’t appeal to your organizational style, buyers can purchase planners that scale back what gets written down and instead provides four simple coloured boxes in which to put the four most important things to be done that day. There are 1000’s on the market but whether the cover was designed by Louis Vuitton or the pages analyzed by experts from Bay Street it would seem that the type of planner you are dictates the type of planner you buy. Or is it the other way around? Do you control your day planner--or is your day planner in control of you? I had a conversation with a lady who was choosing which planner to buy and someone was joking that she should just re-use last year’s. Her response, “I’ve already got an experienced one. I’m looking for a rookie.” I loved that comment. That’s what the New Year is. A rookie. Just starting out. It’s pages are blank. The planner is ready to make its way through all that will be ahead. But it can’t do it on its own. The rookie needs a coach.
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Kelly Running Editor Reporter/Photographer Office: 306-453-2525 Fax: 306-453-2938 observer@sasktel.net
There’s a fair bit you may know about the New Year already. Perhaps special dates are ready to be written in, anticipated events to be recorded, and of course work schedules, project deadlines and children’s activities need to be marked down. So some things are already in place--but much is yet to be determined. A lot will happen that is out of our control, but how we respond to what is about to transpire is very much under our management. What are we going to do to make this next year noteworthy? Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian once said, “A good coach will make his players see what they can be, rather than what they are.” A coach trains, analyzes, instructs, encourages and advises those they are responsible for. They are often fact finders, counsellors, mentors and friends. They know that any technical knowledge they have of the game is just the start. Good coaching involves so much more. They need to create the right conditions for the best things to happen. So as we launch into a new year we need to remember that although time will move on at the same pace it always has, what happens with that time needs some organization to be sure, some management if we are to be effective, but most of all some coaching if we want to make the most of it. So we need to be the best kind of coach we can be. Starting with patience. Resist the urge to think the rookie needs to get out there in a full blitz. Don’t rush the action. One thing at a time, one play at a time, (whether we like to admit it or not) is actually the most efficient way to get things down. Then comes reliability. Yes, I know, you are very reliable. Others can always count on you. But do you sometimes let yourself down? Why do we say “yes” to everyone else, but “later” to ourselves. What are we waiting for? This is the year to step up and swing for the fences. The new year is upon us. It is a rookie that will be looking for someone to be in charge of training, managing and running the plays. Those who don’t necessarily keep actual day planners certainly keep schedules or to-do lists of some form. Each day is ready to be written on. It just needs a game plan. And you’re the coach. That’s my outlook.
Lynne Bell Reporter/Photographer Office: 306-453-2525 Fax: 306-453-2938 observer@sasktel.net