About Griff Live

This website is a place where I can share ideas, opinions and post information and news about tech and gadgets, life on the grid, motoring, my travels, an occasional rant and experiences in this journey we call life with people around the world.

The one constant I have found in my travels is how much we are all the same. Everywhere people don’t like Mondays, get excited by the latest tech or gadget, feel sad, have a cry, get frustrated by red tape, love kids, cant think of life without the web, hate our ISP’s and phone companies, think our politicians are out of touch, love cars and motorsport, take photos, enjoy a coffee, are addicted to twitter, listen to music, eat their favourite foods, chill with a movie or cant find an iPhone 3G 4 sale anywhere.

I never get tired of meeting people and hearing their views on life, so thanks for visiting the web site.

Stuff about me – “a work in progress”

I was born in Bolton England and my parents moved to Perth Australia when I was 2, and we have lived here ever since.

I’ve worked overseas throughout Asia including Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Cambodia and Burma. After 9 years of being an expat and living out of hotels and suitcases it was time to return to Australia. I still travel as much as I can but I miss living in countries where you get to sink into the local culture on a daily basis.

My favourite place in the city is King St Perth, where I can just disappear with a coffee and a magazine in one of the café’s.

My music tastes: Lets see at the moment on my beloved iPod Nano and Nokia N95 my playlists include a variety of music from artists such as 50 Cent, Aqualung, Craig David, Depeche Mode, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, ELO, Fergie, Icehouse, Jeff Lyne, Justin Timberlake, Led Zeppelin, Leona Lewis, Linkin Park, Madonna, Nelly, Oasis, Paul Van Dyk, Peter Gabriel, Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rihanna, Seal, Snoop Dog and The Blue Nile.

I don’t read as much as I should and my excuse is that my eyes are tired after long days and sometimes nights in front of the computer. I started listening to audio books [Audible.com] last year and have found this fantastic and generally listen to 1 book a month. A few of the titles that I have listened to so far include

* Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
* The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
* Business @ the Speed of Thought - Bill Gates
* After Fidel - Brian Latell
* Made to Stick - Chip Heath and Dan Heath
* Titanic - Colonel Archibald Gracie
* Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
* The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
* Deception Point - Dan Brown
* Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
* The Google Story - David A Vise and Mark Malseed
* To The Stars - George Takei
* Winning Is Not Enough - Jackie Stewart
* Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins
* The 12 Second Sequence - Jorge Cruise
* Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
* The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
* On the Edge - Richard Hammond
* See No Evil - Robert Baer
* The 8th Habit - Stephen R. Covey
* The Company - Robert Littell

I would have to say that I’m obsessed about a few things like keeping things in order and tidy, not printing anything that can be viewed digitally, trying to help people or businesses let go of old practices and embrace the digital work place and thinking of better ways to be productive and have more social time. I still believe the 4 day work week is just about right. I try not to work harder just a little smarter than yesterday.

I don’t drink that much but when I do my first choice is a bourbon and dry. I like a white wine with food and when the days are very hot here in Perth a cold beer hits the spot on a Friday afternoon.

I try to keep active and healthy by going to the gym, taking walks and eating a balanced diet that does include treats such as chocolate and ice cream. Fresh fruit shakes, pasta and Asian cuisine are my favourites and of course anything my wife or mum makes.

I love visiting new places, searching for that next great photo, architecture and beautiful buildings, art, design, cars, gadgets, the web life style, room service, business class seats, movies, music, finding a great coffee, remembering the good times with my dad, sleeping or chilling in front of the TV watching football or F1.

My favourite country visited to date is Japan. From the time I got of the plane I was just so impressed with the people and the culture. From a tech heads point of view its just heaven not to mention the food which is out of this world. I look forward to more trips there in the future.

Movies are one of my top escapes and I just love to disappear into a good flick.  My favourite movies of all time include: 300, A Bugs Life, Alien, Aliens, Antz, Batman series, Bee Movie, Blade, Blood Diamond, Cars, Casablanca, Casino Royale [actually all Bond Films], Collateral, Die Hard, Eastern Promises, Elizabeth, Elizabeth The Golden Age, Entrapment, Face Off, Family Guy Blue Harvest, Fantastic Four, Fast n Furious, Fight Club, Final Fantasy, Finding Nemo, Fracture, Harry Potter series, Hitman, Hot Fuzz, I Robot, Iron Man, Italian Job, Jurassic Park, Last Action Hero, Lost Boys, Michael Clayton, Mission to Mars, Monsters inc, Oceans 11, Pirates Of The Caribbean series, Predator, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ratatouille, Red Planet, Resident Evil series, Ripleys Game, Se7en, Shooter, Shrek, Spiderman series, Star wars [all 6], Team America, The Abyss, The Animatrix, The Matrix trilogy, The Bank Job, The Bone Collector, The Da Vinci Code, The Firm, The Good Shepherd, The Island, The Maltese Falcon, The Mummy, The Prestige, The Thirteenth Floor, The Thomas Crown Affair, There will be Blood, Top Gun, Toy Story 1 & 2, Transporter series, Underworld & Underworld Evolution,  X-Men series and lots more.

What I believe most: “Have courage and follow your own path”

Future Plans

Having worked throughout Asia in the bustling cities and remote areas in Thailand, Cambodia and Burma, the memories that stay with me most are that of the smiles from the children you meet in your travels so Id like to be able to do some volunteer work in Africa or Asia in the near future.

Continue to enjoy my digital life on the web and hear the views of the many people I meet or listen to on podcasts from all over the world.