March 2012
1 post
November 2011
1 post
4 tags
The Future is a Touch Screen Orgy
All the future “vision” videos I’ve seen circulating these days present the same dystopian take on our fate: that we’ll be further enslaved by our touch screens, viewing the world entirely through them, whether standing at our bathroom mirror in the morning or looking out the taxicab window at night.
Cases in point, to name a few:
Corning - “A Day Made of...
September 2011
1 post
Facebook users post 6.5x more often than Google+...
Like many Google+ adopters, lately I’ve been wondering at what point Google+ will “tip” and become my primary social network.
Today I saw this post by Frank Rogan in my G+ stream:
…which made me wonder, exactly how much of a ghost town is Google+?
On Facebook, I have 643 friends and on Google+ I have 255 people in circles. So by “friend” numbers alone,...
August 2011
3 posts
2 tags
The Language of "Like"
I was just giving thought to Facebook’s Like system the other day and how versatile it’s become, especially when used on status or comments. The nuance of expression it offers is quite broad, depending on the context it’s used in.
I’ve noticed a few different types of Likes, but I imagine there are numerous others - I’d love to hear of any ways in which you’ve...
2 tags
Vancouver housing affordability "extremely poor...
When even a bank’s own spin-laden report calls Vancouver-area housing affordability, “extremely poor and rapidly eroding,” there must be something to it. Another good quote from the report: “The average family buying a house in [Vancouver] would need to dedicate 92.5 per cent of its [pre-tax] income to own a bungalow.” The comments on the article make the best...
3 tags
The Flight From The Suburban Life
A friend of mine, David Seymour, posted this article on G+ today:
Letting Go of the Suburban Dream
After nine years, we did what some people would deem inappropriate. Others might even call it unthinkable. We sold our suburban house, got rid of 90 per cent of our stuff and moved back to the city.
Give the full article a read.
This story was (nearly) written for me. In June we sold our ...
July 2011
3 posts
2 tags
My Truths About Freelancing
This infographic on Freshbooks (the same company I use for my accounting software) sheds a ton of insight into why people become freelancers and more. The image below is only a part of it - click through to see the whole infographic.
The graphic posted me to comment on freelancing from my own perspective of having been a game consultant for 4 years now. Here’s that comment:
So… I...
3 tags
Quitting Email vs Quitting the Phone
Saw this post on TechCrunch this morning about MG Siegler (@parislemon) deciding to “quit” email by not responding to it for a month. The Office Space reference he makes is gold. Full text here of one of my favorite parts of that classic film:
Peter Gibbons: I uh, I don’t like my job, and, uh, I don’t think I’m gonna go anymore. Joanna: You’re just not gonna...
1 tag
Archiving >200GB of Data to the Cloud
Over about 14 years, I’ve amassed a collection of dozens of CDs and DVDs as well as a 160GB external HD - all for the purposes of backing up my files.
There are old PST files in there, previous versions of my personal website, files from my EA Canada days (design docs, etc) and virtually everything I’ve done professionally for almost my entire career. I’m amazed the CDs held up...
June 2011
4 posts
4 tags
The 10 Best iPad Productivity Apps
It’s only been a few weeks with the iPad 2, but here’s my take on what productivity apps are my favorite.
1) iThoughts HD [iTunes]
Great mind-mapping app on iPad. Easy to use and auto-align has to be one of the most gratifying features to use after you’ve plotted out a giant mind map. I use it to organize all my client work, projects, statuses, etc. Great for seeing your...
Domain Registry of Canada scam
Beware of these invoice-looking solicitation letters from Domain Registry of Canada. I just got one for one of my domains. Read this great post explaining the scam.
Then, use this direct link to the company’s profile to file a complaint with the Canadian Better Business Bureau.
Here is the complaint I just posted with the BBB, if you’d like to use it.
Filed against : Domain...
2 tags
Top 10 Reasons I Unfollow Tweeps
Maybe I’ve been on Twitter to long and lost my patience a little, but over time I’ve developed a rule set that, when violated, contributes to my decision to unfollow someone.
Some of these offenses need only happen once, whereas others take a few occurrences (with no valuable content in between) before I unfollow.
1) You Publish a Paper.li Daily
These have become so popular that I...