Tod Maffin and Malcom Gladwell have been selected as the two keynote speakers at the upcoming F5 Expo in Vancouver. Hear Tod’s story of how he went from being an always-on multi-millionaire dotcom executive to crashing into depression and addiction. A story of hope and recovery, with a lesson to everyone in the tech industry; Tod will outline his five key tools to surviving in the techno-busy lifestyle.
I thought I knew the right thing to do in the event of an earthquake — dive under a car or desk, right? Apparently, no. Not according to an email making the rounds, ostensibly from the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI).
Here in Vancouver, we live near a major fault line. We’re overdue by about 10-20 years for “the big one.” I thought I’d pass this along for anyone who lives in an area where an earthquake could occur.
Myth: You should dive under a desk or car when a quake strikes.
Reality: Most everyone who simply “ducks and covers” WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
Myth: If you’re in a “weak-framed” building, like a wood building, get out as fast as you can. Try to find shelter in a more stable building, like something concrete.
Reality: Wooden buildings are actually the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
Myth: If you’re in bed when the quake hits, roll under the bed.
Reality: Simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
Myth: A safe place to be during an earthquake is under a door frame.
Reality: Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed.
Myth: Take the stairs during a quake — never an elevator.
Reality: Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different “moment of frequency” (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads – horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn’t collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
Myth: Stay away from the walls and outer edges of buildings during an earthquake.
Reality: Actually, you want to be near the outer walls of a building, or outside of them if possible. It is much
better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
Myth: If you’re driving when the earthquake happens, stay in your car. Don’t leave your car for any reason.
Reality: People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway… The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
* Bonus survival tip: If you’re in an office which has lots of stacks of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper. It’s a good place to position yourself.
Let’s just say this — there’s a very good chance you’re doing three things right now. Don’t think so? Think about it. You’re reading this, you may have some music or talk show on in the background, your eye darts over to your email, and so on.
It’s not your fault; that’s what today’s fast-paced, always-on worklife demands. And you either go with the fast-flow or you die. Right? Not always…
In this entertaining but informative keynote presentation (can also be adapted for workshop/seminar), Tod will show you how to be more productive, profitable, and satisfied with life by using a new set of skills designed to reduce your email, wrangle your voicemails better, and prioritze your day.
Some highlights from the presentation:
Check Tod’s availability for your event
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“Tod Maffin was a runaway successful speaker. All respondents rated him a 3 out of 3 and comments were extraordinarily positive. Not only was he an outstanding presenter, but his personal story had a very strong impact.”
— Beth Evans, Minding the Workplace conference
“Thank you so much for your presentation in Calgary at The Conference Board of Canada’s Workplace Health Conference. Your presentation was really excellent! Your professional and personal messages are powerful, engaging and moving. You truly are a very gifted speaker and a resilient individual! It is a great pleasure to work with you.”
– Beth Evans, M.Sc., Director, Mental Health Promotion, Alberta Mental Health Board
“Your keynote presentation ratings reflected excellence with an overall evaluation of 5+ out of 5 and a standing ovation (which is in itself a rarity and speaks volumes). Consistent feedback from delegates included, “Great information, giving us lots to think about”; “Awesome speaker, simply outstanding”; “Very impactful presentation”; “High impact, he’s incredible”; “Absolutely amazing speaker!”; “Excellent, thank you Tod for sharing so much value”; “Best speaker ever +”; “Excellent, motivational and excellent choice for this conference”; “Very much appreciated his presentation, courage, honesty”; “Awesome program with this amazing presentation”; and “Refreshing and thought provoking”
— Elizabeth Lengyel, Program Director, Conference Board of Canada
“Your presentation was awesome. It has changed the way that I’m pursuing my career path regarding my family and friends! I want to be a human “being” again! Thanks a million.”
— Shanté Williams, Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission
Photo by white_duck
I turned my DVD player on last week for the first time in about six months. Only I didn’t really turn it on; I woke it from standby.
I knew these devices were consuming power while “on” (evidenced by the little stand-by light) but I never really knew how much. BC Hydro has published a nice little table of that consumption by an average home-office.
If you actually power down these devices by unplugging them, turning off the power back they’re connected to, or using their hard Power button on the back (of some devices, like many printers) you’ll save about $14 a year under the above scenario. Not tonnes, mind you, but in this economy, it all helps.
BC Hydro also has a pretty decent incentive for saving power — if you join its Team Power Smart program (free) and cut down on 10% of your power consumption over last year, they’ll cut you a cheque for $75. Cold hard cash: the world’s best incentive.
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Tod Maffin and Malcom Gladwell have been selected as the two keynote speakers at the upcoming F5 Expo in Vancouver. Hear Tod's story of how he went from being an always-on multi-millionaire dotcom executive to crashing into depression and addiction. A story of hope and recovery, with a lesson to everyone in business, Tod will outline his five key tools to surviving in the techno-busy lifestyle. |
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Tod is exclusively represented by The Lavin Agency
