DPF’s lessons from life
March 30th, 2005 at 2:34 pm by David FarrarThe NZ Herald has a regular weekly feature where they interview someone on ten lessons they have learnt from life, so to speak. Nice light stuff, which unfortunately is not part of their online site.
Having had Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston turn them down, they interviewed me instead.
A copy of an earlier draft (it may have changed a bit) is below for those who want to see some good mistakes to avoid 
1. Never be at the front of the queue to get off the bus: When I was 11, I was on my school bus and at the door waiting to get off. The driver opened the doors while pulling into the bus stop, and a surge behind me pushed me out the bus door. I bounced off a car parked at the back of the bus stop, and went under the back wheel of the bus. Having a ten tonne bus drive over your foot is rather painful, but being a good capitalist I limped around my newspaper run to earn a few dollars of income, and then headed to the medical centre to report that my foot and leg hurt as a bus had run over them.
2. If you send anonymous flowers to a girl, make sure you don
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March 30th, 2005 at 3:22 pm
Some of these are fantastic. The cellphone label problem seems like one that should really be shared with Product Managers at cellphone manufacturers ASAP.
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
It was a nice surprise when I picked up the paper while sipping away at my coffee this morning. Plus a photo! (Which is easier to see that the one on this blog
Cracked up over the flowers tale.
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
Hi, Just read your interview and liked it enough to come visiting. A ten page rebuttal seems a bit harsh!
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
I exaggerated somewhat. His rebuttal (which was totally thorough and convincing) was not that long, but he linked through to methodologies online which were very very long. It was well over ten pages of reading
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 4:23 pm
Man, you’re wasted on politics (too much imagination and way too funny). Mind you head of TVNZ would be interesting…
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 7:49 pm
I was reading the paper and i saw the words “uberblogger” and thought hey that guys got my blog linked on his somewhere.6 degrees
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 10:23 pm
Hi, I visit here everyday, glad to see U in today’s Herald. Best wishes!
Vote:March 30th, 2005 at 11:59 pm
Steven – is obviously a design flaw with cellphones. I should be protected from my own stupidity.
Rachel – oh that was so painful many years ago. I did not have a convincing anaswer to how I knew she had got flowers, when she hadn’t yet told me
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 10:58 am
Brilliant, you got hit by a bus. That is now two people I have heard of actually being hit by a bus after I posed the question a number of years ago as to why there is such a saying but so few people actually do get hit by buses.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 2:12 pm
For some reason I don’t equate “hit by a bus” with “fell under a bus”. Hit seems to imply with the front of the bus.
At a certain client I used to work at when asked why various things had to be documented in the system we used to say “might get hit by a bus.” We got into trouble for that, so had to shift to “might win lotto and not come back to work.” Some people are just too sensitive…
Vote:April 14th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
Cool read David. It would seem we both have an European ex-gf named Anna (not the same one I am sure). It was her most desirably sexy accent that still resonates with me most.
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