Tech firm CEO finds inspiration in Diana's words

March 9, 2010 - PRLog -- A Saskatoon technology firm has bought a letter penned by Princess Diana, who praises in the handwritten note the calming influence of feng shui she practised during one of the most troubled periods of her life.

BlackSun Inc. purchased the piece of royal correspondence last week and added it to the company's collection of oddities and memorabilia, which include a book signed by Albert Einstein, a dozen Pablo Picasso signatures and mint condition Apple IIe computers and obscure video games systems.

The web hosting company purchased the letter at auction for $990 from England-based Dominic Winter Books Auction.

"I had a fasinating (sic) time with him as he travelled around my 'stressed out' environment & since his departure my bedroom & sitting-room have been totally changed around," Diana wrote to her reflexologist, who had introduced the Princess of Wales to feng shui expert Jan Sisek.

Diana, famous for her charity work with AIDS and land mines, died in a car crash in 1997.

"The values Diana had, being an altruistic person, is something that sparks interest in our group," said BlackSun CEO Steve Rogoschewsky. "She was using her environment to shape her life. If you tour our office, it's unique. It has a good flow."

Diana wrote the letter from Kensington Palace on June 6, 1994, about two weeks before her husband, Prince Charles, confirmed his extramarital affairs in a television interview.

The letter's auction made its rounds in the British press, which focused on the timing of a letter that talks about a stressed life and feng shui, the Chinese art of arranging a room for positive energy.

The connection is appealing, but tenuous, said Robin Mowat, chair of the North Saskatchewan branch of the Monarchist League.

"It makes sense that when you're going through that trauma, you try and get your house in order," said Mowat. "You reach out for different mechanisms. Feng shui? Sure.

"(Diana) was under a lot of stress for a long time. Whether the letter coincides with that period, I'm not sure."

Speculation isn't out of place when it comes to the monarchy and Diana's life.

"Even after 13 years, there remains a substantial interest in who she was and what she did," said Mowat. "She was a beautiful woman and passionate about charity work. There's a mythology attached to her because she had this fairy tale life."

On Sunday, BlackSun purchased at auction a set of 14 lithographs of Picasso sketches signed in pencil by the artist.

The company has also bought Apple IIe computers and ColecoVision -- a pioneering home-based video game system -- all in the original packaging, and a lightsaber used as a prop in a Star Wars film.

"We're interested in owning pieces of history, small pieces that influence our lives," said Rogoschewsky. "They're things that appealed to us and changed us over time. . . . (The items) speak to the people we have here and their first experiences with technology."

Two years ago, a partner in the tech firm purchased a book signed by Albert Einstein. It's placed, opened to the front-page signature, in a glass case above a replica head of Star Wars droid C-3PO.

Below the book, roughly translated from German to "Einstein and the Universe," is an Einstein quote BlackSun printed out for the display. It says, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

That's a philosophy that influences BlackSun every day, said Rogoschewsky. The 35-year-old founded the company in his basement in 1998 and now has 14 employees.

"The fact that Einstein signed a piece of paper that you have got your hands on is an amazing feeling," said Rogoschewsky.

Customers arriving in the front foyer of BlackSun often stop to examine the book and take photos.

"Some people love the Einstein and don't even notice the ColecoVision," said Rogoschewsky. "It's a good ice-breaker."

On the technology side, the company is collecting its own history -- computers and video games company employees used in their youth as they discovered a love of computing.

Collecting pristine, working Apple IIe computers keeps that history from disappearing, said Rogoschewsky.

"In our business, there's so much change," he said. "What's significant one month is insignificant the next month."

BlackSun's website can be seen at http://www.BlackSun.ca

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