Latest Posts

by MMB January 30, 2020

AME Roundup 2020 communications Geological modelling Geology Geology and Geostats Industry applications marketing mineral exploration Uncategorized Updates and Points of View

Getting to “global” – Minerva Intelligence looks to Europe for data interoperability

At the AME Roundup Conference 2020 in Vancouver, BC, which finished on Jan. 23, 2020, a handful of enterprising technology-focusedContinue Reading

by MMB January 22, 2020

AME Roundup 2020 business development communications Industry applications marketing media Mining communications Updates and Points of View

Stephen De Jong tells it like it is at Roundup – Runs a “social experiment”

At the AME Roundup Conference 2020 in Vancouver, BC, which is happening this week, the Innovation Stage had a panelContinue Reading

by MMB January 10, 2020

marketing media Updates and Points of View

Seduced by “likes” – What would Don Draper do?

In Mad Men, season 4, the episode called “Blowing Smoke”, “Don Draper” finally vents his fury at the tobacco industryContinue Reading

by MMB December 19, 2019

Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Updates and Points of View

Season’s greetings from Red Pennant

A thought for this year and next year: What if? What if today, just for today, we didn’t settle? WhatContinue Reading

by MMB November 22, 2019

marketing media Updates and Points of View

From print to the cloud and back to print – What are the options?

We’re going backwards. Back to print. First there was print. Then came the Internet, and there was JavaScript. And pdfs.Continue Reading

by MMB November 1, 2019

Geology and Geostats mineral exploration Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

Video: Alessandro Medeiros Silva and Mike O’Brien talking about the relevance of Competent Persons in the Mining Industry

CBRR – Comissão Brasileira de Recursos e Reservas – The relevance of Competent Persons Alessandro Silva & Mike O’Brien (PortugueseContinue Reading

by MMB October 25, 2019

business development communications Industry applications marketing Updates and Points of View

Six horribly expensive little notes – How to stay clear of copyright infringement

When you create something new, it is actually not new at all. There is very little in the world thatContinue Reading

by MMB October 14, 2019

Geological modelling Geostatistics Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

Presentation: Mineral Resource Estimation – A Guide for Junior Geologists

Author: Mike O’Brien, Principal Consultant & Director Red Pennant Communications Corp., P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. “We will always be wrong. We estimate, weContinue Reading

by MMB June 10, 2019

Geological modelling Geology Red Pennant Geoscience Blog

Presentation: Comparing channel and drill hole sampling for vein deposits

Author: Mike O’Brien, Principal Consultant & Director Red Pennant Communications Corp., P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. Advanced mineral exploration and related resource estimationContinue Reading

by MMB February 15, 2019

AME Roundup 2019 Geology Industry applications media mineral exploration Updates and Points of View

Observations on AME Roundup 2019 – Tech solutions looking for problems

AME Roundup 2019 in Vancouver, BC, finished on 31 January 2019, and here is my final post about some ofContinue Reading

by MMB February 14, 2019

AME Roundup 2019 Geology Industry applications media mineral exploration Updates and Points of View

Observations on AME Roundup 2019 – Additions to the Geoscience Toolbox to prevent “noodling”

AME Roundup 2019 in Vancouver, BC, finished on 31 January 2019, and here are my observations about some of theContinue Reading

by MMB February 13, 2019

AME Roundup 2019 Geology Industry applications mineral exploration Mining methods Updates and Points of View

Observations on AME Roundup 2019 – Overview of a successful BC block cave – New Gold Inc.

AME Roundup 2019 in Vancouver, BC, finished on 31 January 2019, and here are my observations about some of theContinue Reading

by MMB February 12, 2019

AME Roundup 2019 Industry applications Mining methods Updates and Points of View

Observations on AME Roundup 2019 – Mining methods and sorting systems

AME Roundup 2019 in Vancouver, BC, finished on 31 January 2019, and here are my observations about some of theContinue Reading

by MMB February 11, 2019

AME Roundup 2019 Industry applications Updates and Points of View

Observations on AME Roundup 2019 – BC Copper Advantage

AME Roundup 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), finished on 31 January 2019, and here are my observations about someContinue Reading

by MMB February 3, 2019

Advertising marketing media Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

Can the professions be funny? Here’s the how-to of humour

The most used “shtick” in advertising, and the one that goes wrong most often, is humour. You have all seen cringe-worthyContinue Reading

by MMB January 15, 2019

business development communications marketing Uncategorized Updates and Points of View

Nobody dabbles at dentistry – and they shouldn’t dabble at business development

Seth Godin usually hits the nail on the head in his micro-posts. One of the things he recently pointed outContinue Reading

by MMB October 19, 2018

Advertising business development communications marketing Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

I abhor the Nestlé Pure Life commercial – here’s why

I just hate this commercial. Every time I see it I get absolutely furious. It is patently, obviously, in-your-face WRONGContinue Reading

by MMB September 30, 2018

Geology Geology and Geostats Geostatistics Red Pennant Geoscience Blog

Reconciliation – Harder than it looks!

Published May 8, 2018 Author: Mike O’Brien, Technical Director, Geology & Resources, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. Reconciliation – Harder than it looks!Continue Reading

by MMB May 4, 2018

communications media Mining communications Updates and Points of View

How to make a safety video that isn’t unwatchable

Safety videos. Oh dear. Yawn. Bo-o-o-o-ring. ZZZZzzzzzz. On April 17, 2018, an in-flight accident on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 proved thatContinue Reading

by MMB April 25, 2018

marketing media Updates and Points of View

Atlas Obscura wins 2018 Webby Award for travel site

Happy news! Atlas Obscura – which I praised in a previous blog post – has won a Webby Award for bestContinue Reading

by MMB April 11, 2018

communications marketing Updates and Points of View

A perfectly managed Government event we can all learn from

I complained about the difficulties of the paperwork of the application for Canadian citizenship in a recent post, but nowContinue Reading

by MMB March 30, 2018

communications marketing media Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

How Atlas Obscura wins readers with best-in-class Journalism

Every day I visit a variety of websites – some good, some bad and some a mixed bag. There areContinue Reading

by MMB March 8, 2018

business development communications marketing media Updates and Points of View

Try Biteable to create video presentations – it’s really, really simple

One of the newish platforms for creating presentation materials is Biteable – so-called because you can build your presentation fromContinue Reading

by MMB February 10, 2018

communications media Updates and Points of View

Surely you can do better? – Online application form is barrier to participation

As a potential citizen of this fine country, Canada, I’m weighing in on a problem with government department communications. IContinue Reading

by MMB January 6, 2018

Advertising marketing media Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

How “Carmilla” Helped Kill Off the 30-Second Ad

The backstory of the Carmilla Movie is very interesting. Never heard of that film? You can say that the Carmilla phenomenon isContinue Reading

by MMB December 1, 2017

PR & Press Updates and Points of View

The secret of the perfect interview: Mike Wallace’s Chemistry of Confidentiality

Mike Wallace was a long-serving, multi-award-winning journalist reporting on the CBS program, 60 Minutes. Recently CBS aired Jeff Fager looks backContinue Reading

by MMB October 12, 2017

Geological modelling Geology and Geostats Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

I hate Mineral Resource Estimation!

Published October 6, 2017 Author: Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. I started a resource update a couple of weeksContinue Reading

by MMB October 6, 2017

PR & Press proposal management proposals Updates and Points of View

Don’t proofraed your own stuff – and here’s why.

I agree with all the above advice from David Ogilvy on how to write anything actually – but definitely howContinue Reading

by MMB September 30, 2017

PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

An utter embarrassment to the “profession”

I think it’s a stretch to call marketing and public relations (PR) people (including me), “professionals”. That’s my opinion, based onContinue Reading

by MMB September 13, 2017

marketing media Updates and Points of View

The demise and rise of 3-D media

3-D applications continue to evolve, but for commonplace office use, good old 2-D will do just as well. 3-D TVContinue Reading

by MMB June 29, 2017

marketing Updates and Points of View

Changes in Canada anti-spam legislation coming July 1, 2017 – What to do about it

On July 1, 2017, changes to Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) are coming into effect. If yours is a Canadian business,Continue Reading

by MMB May 31, 2017

marketing Mining communications PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

Shock tactics, like shocks, only work for a short time

At the two-day International Metal Writer’s Conference that ended on 29 May 2017, I listened to Paul Harris whose stone-cold soberContinue Reading

by MMB May 31, 2017

Mining communications PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

What to look for in mining projects: Location, location, location – and people

At the two-day International Metal Writer’s Conference that ended on 29 May 2017, Paul Harris, Editor Latin America for theContinue Reading

by MMB April 23, 2017

Advertising marketing Reputation and brand management Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

Getting away from bad news

Samsung commercial #1 – “Commitment to Quality” There is a TV commercial that made me laugh out loud it is so outrageously self-serving.Continue Reading

by MMB April 7, 2017

media PR & Press Updates and Points of View

Here’s to the Long Read and why we need it

Seth Godin is currently one of the smartest people writing about the ad industry, media and communications. He does notContinue Reading

by MMB March 30, 2017

PR & Press Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

Oh to be like Ogilvy!

David Ogilvy was (is) the Great Guru of Advertising, The Man, He Who Should Be Obeyed. What I know ofContinue Reading

by MMB March 20, 2017

marketing media Red Pennant clients Updates and Points of View

Fresh new website for Maxiamo Perfumes

Now for something completely different Last week the new Maxiamo Perfumes® website/blog went live, and I am well pleased with it,Continue Reading

by MMB March 3, 2017

Advertising marketing media Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

Bad music in commercials makes my head hurt

At the moment, there are a couple of commercials with bad jingles that are making my head hurt. I wish IContinue Reading

by MMB February 24, 2017

Advertising marketing media Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

How to get a TV commercial right – or at least make it inoffensive

In the past few months, my TV commercial Bullsh*t Detector has been working overtime. The commercials have been like “little girlContinue Reading

by MMB October 7, 2016

Advertising marketing Reputation and brand management Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

Check your connotations – who knows how your brand name’s been used

Some mistakes in advertising are pretty obvious, and probably due to the product owner or agency not knowing any betterContinue Reading

by MMB September 15, 2016

media Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

The politics of photo shoots

In this photo of British Prime Minister, Theresa May, facing the press with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at the recentContinue Reading

by MMB August 27, 2016

marketing Mining communications PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

Sex sells, even in mining – but take a closer look

The executives of Toronto-based junior miner KWG Resources (Canadian Securities Exchange: KWG) have published a video which attracted quite some attention. One, no. 23 inContinue Reading

by MMB August 26, 2016

PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

Just desserts – When a lie turns into a scandal

When I wrote about the disastrous results of lying, particularly when lying to the public, the Ryan Lochte “robbery” incidentContinue Reading

by MMB August 23, 2016

Updates and Points of View

Happy Internaut Day, correct or not!

Today, August 23, is the 25th anniversary of the official launch of the World Wide Web, which went public  to theContinue Reading

by MMB May 10, 2016

PR & Press Reputation and brand management Updates and Points of View

All sorts of lies – how to recognize and avoid them

There are things one really, really should avoid when doing marketing or social media. They are obvious, but unfortunately, most people thinkContinue Reading

by MMB December 24, 2015

media Updates and Points of View

Innocents abroad: Your WordPress site and the world of SEO

The crucial part of the word Internet is the “net” part of the word: your website, if you have one,Continue Reading

by MMB September 19, 2015

Mining communications Updates and Points of View

Obituaries in the workplace – Goodbye to a colleague

People die. People whom you see every day and with whom you spend the greater part of your day, everyContinue Reading

by MMB April 12, 2015

media Mining communications Updates and Points of View

The Cautious Communicator’s Approach to Social Media – How-to for Digital Hygiene

Seth Godin writes in his blog today about “Digital Hygiene”. As usual he points out something perfectly commonsensical that weContinue Reading

by MMB March 15, 2015

media Mining communications Updates and Points of View

How to choose a platform and maintain your blog

RED PENNANT POCKET GUIDE #1 Here is the unfortunate truth about doing exactly what I’m doing right this minute –Continue Reading

by MMB March 1, 2015

Advertising Up in Arms About Advertising Updates and Points of View

If you have to advertise, get real

These days, people are allergic to advertising (or commercials). Most people would do a great deal to avoid having toContinue Reading

by MMB July 28, 2016

Geology and Geostats Geostatistics Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

Are Your Mineral Resource Domain Wireframes ‘Fit for Purpose’ or ‘Just too Bad’?

Published July 28, 2016 Author: Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. Most technical reports nowadays are filled with supporting evidence to technicalContinue Reading

by MMB March 2, 2016

Geological modelling Geology and Geostats Red Pennant Geoscience Blog

Whose Fault is it?

Published March 2, 2016 Author: Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. There are increasing numbers of effective tools in the mineralContinue Reading

by MMB February 22, 2016

Geology Geology and Geostats Geostatistics Geotechnical mineral exploration Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

Resource model to accommodate narrow vein mining risks

Published 22 February, 2016 by AMC Consultants on LinkedIn. Comment by Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. This webinar videoContinue Reading

by MMB February 22, 2016

Geology Geology and Geostats Geostatistics mineral exploration Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

Beyond the ranges…

Published February 22, 2016 Author: Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. In this extract from Rudyard Kipling’s The Explorer, a voiceContinue Reading

by MMB February 19, 2016

Geology Geology and Geostats Geostatistics mineral exploration Red Pennant Geoscience Blog Resource Estimation

A Three Letter Word that Sank a Thousand Mineral Projects

Published February 19, 2016 Author: Mike O’Brien, Senior Principal Consultant, P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat. ‘AND’ is a logic gate that sneaks up on mineral projectsContinue Reading