What you need to know about The Voice and The Federal Budget

Keith 'Bourbon' Urban gets to sit in one of the
coolest chairs of all time

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been pretty unwell for most of the past week, so I decided (mostly due to a lack of brain activity) to do this week’s post a little differently.

It’s going to have two mini topics!  Yes, I'm sure you can barely contain your excitement.

So, here we go:

1: The hidden budget items you may have missed

Yes, everyone else is focusing on loss carrybacks, the deferral of foreign aid payments or cash handouts to families with schoolkids.  I, on the other hand, found a few little nuggets in the budget papers that make for some interesting reading.

For example, did you know the Federal Government dedicated $30,000 to build a statue of Slim Dusty in Tamworth?  I’m not even kidding.  $30k!  Wow.

Also, the Bureau of Meteorology has scored $300,000 to trial advertising on their website.  Apparently you need money to convince people to pay you to advertise.  I suppose that vaguely makes sense but being paid to trial advertising?  Really?

And finally, $2.5 million to put lights up at Manuka Oval in Canberra1.  A ground that seats around 6,000 people.  Really??  We need the Federal Government to do this?  It seems a little lame to me since Manuka Oval lost half its charm when they got rid of the grassed areas.

2: Why I need a chair from The Voice at my desk

I’ll admit it, The Voice has got me totally sucked in2.  But the chairs the judges sit on are one of the greatest inventions ever.

Not only do they look super-comfortable, but the ability to rotate the chair by pushing a big red button which lights up the entire seat is an outstanding idea.

The possibilities are endless, but the ones for the workplace in particular are excellent.

For example, you could be facing your screen each day and you could implement a policy that you’d only turn around if you felt ‘the need’.  

Then, when someone comes up and asks if you want a coffee… *bam!* you hit the button and the chair turns around.  “Yes I want a coffee!!”

Furthermore, the ‘timeout’ function is a possible lifesaver. Let’s say your boss asks if you’ve completed a particular task.  You could sit back, scratch your chin and say ‘You know, it’s a tough question, and I’m going to have to think about it” *bam!* the chair turns and you’ve bought yourself a few minutes to talk the situation over with Megan Washington or Darren Hayes.

A few of my mates on Twitter are keen for the chairs too.  If you want in, let me know.

Notes

1. How funny is the heading of the webpage in Kate Lundy's press release.  She forgot the '2' in 2.5 million.  Maybe it was omitted 'accidentally on purpose'...

2. I'm cheering for Ben and Emma-Louise.  There, I said it.